"Wow, what an amazing facility"

That’s what I said - ”Wow, what an amazing facility,” when my better half told me a few days back, about her walk to the main road to get some stuff. Well, I was lying on the hospital bed with the right leg in a plaster, so the case in point was - “the ability to walk.” It’s really funny, how we get engrossed in the idiosyncrasies of life, take things for granted and don’t appreciate what we have. Last month during Chennai floods, we both said the same thing -“what an amazing facility”, when the electricity board went finally up n running and declared by night - “let there be light!”

I have definitely said this before in my blog; it’s something ingrained in our DNA. Typically, we appreciate the value of things only after they’re taken away. Life is iffy, iffy as it can be. Being ambitious is good, cribbing sometimes is just fine, but it’s best if we learn to appreciate (ALWAYS) what we have in hand. Yes, that (the 'always' part) is an ideal world scenario, but we can at least resolve to take that road and see where that takes us.

P.S: On a different note, thank you for all the "appreciation" mails for my book. I'm really honored by all the love and good wishes. 

Ciao ppl!!

Ciao Life!!

A common Question on my book...

Q. "Sir, training from the Army probably worked for you, but how easy is it for a regular person to take this approach?"
Ans. It's a very relevant question that I've been asked in various forms & forums. My answer is really straight forward - in spite of the training, I was and still am a regular (common man) person, and I reiterate - "It's all in the mind". 
The answer really lies in our ability and willingness to change our thought process and approach to life. Sharp shooting, Rock climbing, Para sailing are skills that you have to learn via external means (not in everyone's reach). But what I'm talking about can be done by anyone - right now as I'm typing this and right not while you're reading it. Discipline towards an objective, perseverance (not giving up) and having a positive attitude is a conscious decision made by your mind.
I'm not saying it's easy, just saying that with focused efforts anyone can be strong willed and positive in terms of default reactions to the iffy idiosyncrasies of life. Do this consciously for 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 and sooner, that reaction will be the default one in the mind. I'm getting kind of preachy now :), but really, if I can do it, anybody can - it's all in the mind.

"CAN I HAVE A CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE?"

Yes, my book is out there now. It has been a long persistent effort over the last couple of years (bandwidth issues and stuff like that!). It all started when a number of well-wishers suggested that I should write a book. It was an amazing experience - going back in time (right to the NDA days), remembering how events shaped up, and through to some funny and not-so-funny experiences. The book has evolved over the period. The aim was always the same -  enable me to justify this 2nd life, tone was always the same - light-hearted and not preachy, and the message still remains the same - "It's all in the mind."

So, Siddhant (my fictional name) starts his journey from the NDA and traverses through the adventurous life, with every day at NDA (and IMA thereafter), molding the pliable mind into that of an ideal Officer. Without getting into specifics, while many readers of this blog would be aware of some of the twists and turns before and after my accident (right up to IIM A), it would suffice to say that the story has elements of Inspiration, Action, Humor, Tragedy, and (ahem!) Romance.
 .
I hope everyone enjoys reading it, even more than I did (penning it down). Please let me know if you liked it (or even otherwise), and do share your reviews at Amazon (direct link), or Goodreads (direct link).

Blurb from the back cover:
How would you feel if, one day, you wake up in a hospital to the faces of doctors and nurses? How would you react when you see your dreams shattering right in front of your eyes? And what would go through your mind when you’re barred from pursuing your passion? Crushed and devastated from within? Meet Lt. Siddhant, an epitome of courage and spirit, who woke up to all this one morning and yet remained composed, when told that his right arm has been amputated post a fateful accident. An average human would collapse, but Lt. Siddhant, an Indian Army officer asked, “Can I have a Chocolate Milkshake?”
This is the true-story of Lt. Siddhant, who when asked to shed his Olive Greens thereafter, goes on to build a successful career in the Corporate world and becomes an inspiration for many. But, how did he get there? How did he win his battle? “Can I have a Chocolate Milkshake” is a riveting tale of a man overcoming his limitations, fighting against all odds, and emerging as a winner.

Buy the book from:
The book is available in both print and e-book formats across countries. you can buy it from:
Notionpress: Paperback
Amazon.com: Kindle US, Paperback US, Kindle India, Paperback India
Other sources on the website

Other Key links:
My Website book page
Facebook Page

Goodreads page

In addition to all my near-dear ones and well-wishers, I would also like to thank my publishers - Notionpress for helping me in embodying my book.

Ciao ppl!
Ciao Life!

Only 18% of events in Life are predestined

Before getting into the source and methodology of the study, let me bring up the 18% theory.  “Only major milestones in life are predestined, rest is all defined by the choices we make, path we take and words to that effect”. According to this research, only 18% of the events in life (major + minor), which are within the subset of “major events”, are predetermined/predestined. One can feel happy about the ‘good’ major events in this 18%, but for the ‘bad’ ones there’s no sense in fretting over it, since it was bound to happen anyway. This theory is based on a strong internal locus of control on the happenings in life. So, most of what happens in our lives, is basically a sum-product of choices that ‘we’ make.

Now, this research that came to the conclusion of the magic number – 18% was done by an entity called “A-Number-Makes-It-Easier-For-The-Mind-To-Grasp.com”. Yeah, it’s not a statistically validated number, but something that hits the mind faster (vis-à-vis ‘small’, ‘less’, etc.). The theory is basically a combination of ‘free will’ and destiny, both subject to endless debates (that end inconclusively). 

Let me take my own example. I strongly believe that ‘the accident’ was inevitable- perhaps it would have happened differently in a many-universes interpretation (quantum mechanics), but it was bound to happen. So I do not go into the “what-if” mode, with a sad look on the face every now and then. However, everything that happened after that was a factor of conscious choices that I had made.

Everything cannot be predestined, since that removes the human experience (and choice) entirely out of the equation, and everything would be programmed by the one above. Everything can’t be up to ‘free will’, since that makes the equation very unstable (with only variables), and people will then go into an endless loop of the “What-if” syndrome.  

We always have a choice- the choice to do what is right (disclaimer-definition of ‘right’ is subjective). Events in life are essentially the sum of these choices that we make. In hindsight, we might realize that some of these choices weren’t really choices, and that thing was predestined; but that’s a small number. So that’s that on the topic. Yes, some milestones in life are predestined and already carved into the road, but it’s up to you to ensure that the road ‘as such’ continues to remain smooth and not patchy, through the journey.

Ciao ppl!

Ciao life!

The axis of Ataraxis: Peace of mind

I’ve been trying for really long, to write something on the unending quest for ‘Peace of Mind’ (PoM) that we all have. We define it in different ways depending on what we’re striving for, and the path that we’re walking on. It’s that state of eternal bliss, even if it’s for five minutes, when everything’s going right and you have no worries- at all. In our daily lives, where there is something or the other that’s waiting to be a cause of worry, it’s important to get your own PoM. There have been innumerable times when I’ve literally shouted at the top of a muted voice- “I want my Peace of Mind”. All that I’ve got in response is- “Chill buddy, so does everyone” :). I’m referring by ‘we/us’ to all of us going about our day-to-day lives, not those who have already traversed over to the path of spirituality. They already are at the ataraxis, and don’t need to endure life’s tribulations. One obviously cannot get PoM by earning more, or getting what you want; because as we all know, human desires have no end. When I come to think of it, a few years back when I made the decision of IIM A vs. ISB, I got my PoM at the moment the decision was taken. That was because the source of tension itself was removed. Now that doesn’t happen always that we get what we want, does it :)?

Practically speaking, all said and done it is not difficult to get your ‘Peace of Mind’, as long as we are aware that this is just a ‘state’ of being and being there for even a short period of time can do wonders. We cannot straightaway ‘sign out’ from our life with all its paraphernalia of relationships, responsibilities, joy and pain. What we can do is to have the ability of pressing the ‘pause’ button on life. When everything is going wrong and you feel like saying out loud- “I want my Peace of Mind”, just press ‘Pause’. Go out of the immediate surroundings to the balcony or another room and close your eyes; most importantly- ‘shut down’ your thoughts on what’s happening (be it an argument, a fight, or any other source of tension). Stop thinking about it, and think of nothingness- the space beyond space- what we call 'meditation'. For some this is when they think about God and find peace there. The aim is to stop thinking about all the tensions that you’re having and be mentally at peace. This will not solve the problem/ finish of the argument with your spouse ;)/ resolve your issues. But what this will do, is to take you to that place of eternal bliss, give you Peace of Mind for those 5-10mins, and give you the energy to handle all the disquiets. It will also give you the ability to look at your problems/ arguments/ issues and make you think whether they’re really worth fretting so much over, and wasting precious moments of your life brooding over it. This is not the only way ofcourse, once you’ve pressed the ‘Pause’ button- some get to this state by listening to their favourite songs, some by listening to the chant of ‘Om’, and yet others by sitting on the beach and looking at the ocean (and the likes). What matters is that we should realize that the means to the end of getting PoM need not only be by fulfilling desires/ ambitions. Even when things are going wrong all around, we can get to the axis of ataraxis by pressing ‘Pause’ on Life.

Ciao ppl !!
Ciao life !!

Two cents on Life- Never giving up: 'The Attitude'

Dear Life,

You took me up, you brought me down,
When the ship broke up, you said- “Don’t drown”;

I carried on, I swam along,
Evinced tenacity, made up an imbuing song;

I won’t give up ‘Life’, I won’t let go,
You taught me so, and for that, I do bow;

You may again raze my ship ‘Life’, or becloud every dawn,
All I would say is- “Sh*t happens and Life goes on”.

I penned down these lines some time back during my MBA days at IIM A (one of the blogs below), when my ‘ship’ was on the upper wave of the sine curve. From the days of training during the dark hours at the National Defence Academy, to leading men in operations in the Army, to lying on the hospital bed badly mutilated after coming back from the dead, to joining a premier league B-school; this ship has ‘been there-done that’. The one thing that has fuelled this ship all along is the attitude towards life. We have heard this phrase so many times in our daily lives- ‘Never give up’, or going up a further level- ‘Never Never Never - Ever Give Up’. It so happens that many of us don’t get a chance to say this often, and these lines mean nothing more than a very powerful phrase. Some people test the waters flowing in their system by going through strenuous experiences like mountain climbing, and the likes. It does not matter when and how you get to test this attitude, what matters is- having the attitude of not letting go. Experiences might vary in terms of degree of intensity, duration or importance vis-à-vis the big picture. The big test comes when one encounters the unexpected and needs to live out the word- ‘perseverance’. All said and done, ‘Life’ is iffy. It starts by welcoming you onboard the ship with other passengers and your journey of life begins. At times, all of you go through a tempestuous weather, wherein you think that this is it and things cannot get worse than this. Next day things are back to normal and you sail along the journey, happy as (you) can be. Life then takes you up a level further and throws you overboard. You may know how to swim or you may not, whatever be the case you keep struggling. At this juncture there are some of us, who think that- I don’t know how to swim; I’m far away from the ship; I’m totally fatigued and there’s no use of trying any further. This is where people who have the attitude of ‘Never say die’, keep trying. They might have similar thoughts- I don’t know how to swim; I’m far away from the ship and I’m totally fatigued. However, their next thought is- I am still alive and as long as I have the last drop of energy in me, I’ll keep trying. These are the people who live the never give up attitude for as long as, and as much as they can. Life then throws a lifeboat for both categories of people, but both the lifeboats lead you to different ships that are on different routes of life. The journey begins again, and some time down the line, ‘life’ rocks the boat again, and the cycle goes on until you get to the end of the journey. One’s attitude defines the actions and the thought process defines the attitude – It's ALL in the mind. What matters is the way you handle the situation when everything seems to be going wrong, and it looks as though the universe has turned against you. This is where one needs to keep holding on to that log of wood (if you find one), say to yourself- “This too shall pass...”, and carry on. There is no limit to human endurance; it’s all in the mind.....

Ciao ppl..
Ciao Life..

Got Engaged !! :)

So finally, here comes the post I’ve been waiting to write for so long… status on Orkut became committed on April 27th, got engaged on 29th and getting married in June. Everything happened so fast, hardly any time to enjoy the news as it came… So here goes the update of the when and how. We first came to know each other around one and a half years back . In the mid of the first year, I was a part of the hospitality cell of Chaos Nasha 2008 (our cultural festival at IIM A), I had to flood my 'colleges of responsibility' with scraps on Orkut for contact information for the fest. She happened to be an alum of one of those colleges and that was the beginning of an era, so to say. And the interaction moved from scraps…to chats…to calls…to the first meet and meets thereafter...to the first exchange of the three words and the proposal...so that’s how (in a few words)...
A day prior to the convocation, on April 27th, went to meet my in-laws with mom and sis. There was that inherent tension/ uneasiness before reaching, but it slowly melted away and we ended up fixing the month of the marriage as June. Flew back to Ahmedabad the next day for convocation on April 28th and the same day it was decided that we should get engaged right now itself (of-course, both of us didn’t mind that at all…), So off we were back the next day and the ring ceremony was performed on April 29th. Here are the pics (Link)…
Feels great…after a long and patient wait… with uncertainty forming a noose…. with God's grace and everyone's well wishes, it happened very smoothly. As my course (Army batch) completes 6yrs after commissioning (14 June 2003) and all of them get the rank of a Major, I’d also be moving on to my next stage of life in the same month…
Long way to go….
Ciao ppl
Ciao life

All the world's a stage... & spilled milk...

Read a science fiction yesterday and it reinforced the stand I have towards fretting over spilled milk. The novel was ‘To say nothing of the Dog’ by Connie Willis (Download link). It’s based on time travel into the past, and how the protagonists try to undo a change that causes an imbalance in the working of the space-time continuum. The system self corrected the incongruity by changing a few minor events but keeping the major events constant. As per the storyline the concept of even freewill was questioned. Nevertheless, I believe that all big things in life are predestined and one cannot go about thinking of what If ‘A’ hadn’t happened, and ‘B’ had happened instead. That’s not the way life works. Probably what the novel also talks about in a way is that the script (All the world’s a stage...) is already written and one can’t go about changing the theme that is the heart of the story for a character. Some time back I used to think- what If the driver of that fateful tractor had become late due to whatever reasons, what If I had left the place earlier by say 5 minutes or what If I had stayed put inside the cantonment and not have been driving in the first place, and the likes. However, as many movies based on the theme (like the ‘Final Destination’ series) have tried to state, you can’t change your script. Everyone plays his part in the grand design. It’s something like you have to go from A to Z in your life. On an average, everyone’s B, C, D... comes at various points of time and also to a different extent. What is left to freewill is how you go about going from B to C, C to D etc.

What one can do is to firstly live the part one’s playing, that is- enjoy doing what one does. Secondly, there are choices that one makes: there’s always a choice (Link). Once you make that choice weighing the situation, stand by it and don’t have any regrets (even if you have any). If the choice was right, good for you and if it was wrong, it’s a sunk cost. As the adage goes, ‘don’t cry over spilled milk’...taking it forward, we needn’t even keep thinking what we would have done had it not been spilled.
Ciao ppl !!
Ciao Life !!

Tangibles let go.....Intangibles let go not !

Long time no blogging…I was just wondering on the way back on the last term break to my home, 2 days back…most of the times we give importance to wrong things in life. It is the intangibles which we should value and always remember and not the tangibles which come and go. What do I mean by this statement? Well, nothing in this life that has a form is permanent. Be it your friends, your job, your family, money, etc. What remains once everything goes through its life cycle is the love you had for your loved ones, the way you utilised the money when you had it, the friendship you had when people were there, etc. If one tries to hold on to the tangible aspects of life, then there would only be sorrow once it goes.

This does not mean that you be a spendthrift or be frugal, but to be savvy enough to utilise that money while you have it on something which has a high utility value for you. For some this might be buying a top notch branded product, for others it might be buying something for their family, for still others it might be saving up for that house they want to buy. The emphasis is on the fact that we should not give importance to money per se. It comes and goes, but what’s important is how you use it when you have it. Even Gita says- “Kya le ke aye ho, jo le ke jaoge” (What did you bring with you when you were born, that you would take back when you go)

The same goes for relationships…people keep coming n going out of one’s life….If we turn over the pages of our lives by say a decade….we mightn’t remember the faces of people we knew, friends we had but what we do remember is the good times we had…Life keeps giving examples of how uncertain things can be, what with all these blasts happening in most unlikely of the places… It always helps to have a mental attitude of holding on only to the intangibles….what something represents- be it a person or a thing…If we give more value to what it represents and not to that ‘something’, it would always be easier to let go, when time comes…

Ciao ppl !!
Ciao life !!

Never Give up: A story

Had a communication class yesterday….told the class an inspiring story about an Army offr. Felt like it penning it down, so here goes. The facts of the story are more or less true, with minor modifications. As a backdrop, Siachen glacier is the world’s highest battlefield with temperatures ranging from -15⁰C on a pleasant summer afternoon to -50⁰C on a chilly winter evening. Soldiers get posted on a rotation basis for 3 months. The enemy there is no human, no country, but the inhospitable weather.

There is this Army officer, Capt Amit (name changed): 28yrs old, happily married, 3yr old son. He gets posted to glacier and the routine begins. In the first few weeks, no major incidences happen. One day while on a routine patrolling activity, his party gets stuck in a blizzard. On returning, they realise that the officer has a bad case of frostbite. The message for evacuation is sent immediately to base camp. Unfortunately, due to bad weather the helicopter evacuation party gets delayed by 4 days. The delay worsens the situation as the gangrene spreads further.

Two months down the line, the officer is lying on the bed, surrounded by his wife, son and others. Due to the severe infection and primarily because of delay in evacuation, he has lost his entire right leg, half his left leg and half his left hand. His commanding officer finally gets a chance to visit him and asks him how his morale was. The officer says (with a smile that makes everyone in the room so proud), “Sir, my morale is as high as that cloud I can see from the window. I’m alive…It could have been much worse…” With family support and his never-give-up attitude, Capt Amit goes on to recuperate fully, joins back and always maintains- “Don’t give up on life, and Life will never give up on you”.

The message being, life is very iffy….very uncertain….and as I keep saying (Tom Hank’s disclaimer)… "Shit happens"…and more importantly, "Life goes on.."

Ciao ppl !!
Ciao Life !!

Life & Comfort Zone

Events in the past couple of days (multiple blasts- Bangalore, Ahmedabad) has shook people from their well entrenched comfort zones of “We are normal….such things don’t happen to us”. As they say, ‘Nothing could be further from the truth’. These events are just one way of ‘Life’ per se reminding everyone of the uncertainties surrounding it. There was an insightful dialogue in the movie ‘Matrix’- “Every Life has a purpose”. Sadly, this is also what many of the terrorist groups teach their disciples in a distorted fashion. The way these people are brought up sets up the wheel in motion such that when the seeds grow into a tree (or even before) a ‘purpose of life’ is drilled into them. Unfortunately this ‘purpose’ is the root cause which is difficult to eliminate because ultimately the end of all such events will come only when the root is destroyed.

The reason the panic has exponentially increased in the last 48 hours is that 80% of the world believes that injuries because of bomb blasts, riots, vehicle accidents, etc. happen only to “Others”. For them it’s like another article in the newspaper about somebody else's woes. Every other day there is a write-up on some blast that took place in J&K where men in the olive green died and no one flashes an eye-lid. When such news flashes (like yesterday) on the TV, people start thinking- “It could have been one of our dear ones”; within a couple of days they forget everything and life is back to normal. The standard belief being-“We are in our comfort zone…nothing can happen to us…we are normal”. In fact I’d say a decade-plus back, before my family had the first shock, even we were a so called “normal” family and apparently such kinds of misfortune fell only upon the ‘Others’. However so wasn’t the case and it was confirmed again by my accident that such incidents were a random case of probability with everyone having equal chances. It was so sudden, out of the blue….as if ‘Life’ decided to press the ‘pause’ button and instead of replaying the movie, changed the movie altogether. Now when I meet new people, some of them try to empathize, others look at me with pride, and most of them with ‘hope’. Nevertheless, it’s not easy for many of them to imagine that life was once ‘normal’ for me too. It’s rather unfortunate that some of the people who make important decisions in other’s lives subscribe to this school of thought and refuse to think big. Only one sentence for them- ‘You & your loved ones might be standing in your comfort zone right now, but this zone is highly prone to the vagaries of ‘Life’. Please appreciate this and think big’. It always helps, not to take ‘Life for granted'.

Life is big, but Life can be very small,
The only way to live, is to "Live" it all.

Ciao ppl !!

Ciao life !!

Success & Significance

I’m at the fag-end of the internship process now. The experience was not very different from what I had had in the Army, enjoyed the same…learnt a lot. I guess it all boils down to your approach towards life...You can start the day cribbing about everything under the sun or choose to make every minute of yours worth the time. Had a VC with the CEO yesterday and he gave out some Golden thoughts to ponder, to all d interns. The most important of which, was to the effect of saying:
Be humble…If you get success...congrats…but it’s of no use if you don’t make a significant impact on others through it, in terms of what/how you contribute to the overall betterment.

It’s something like success & failure can be pictured as a sine curve…with crests & troughs….the crests come…so do the troughs….but then the crests come again…what you do when you're at the crest, is what's most important....whether you want to spend that time living in a mirage, or doing something worthwhile. I hope, till now I've contributed in whatever little way I could to everyone around in terms of the approach towards life...
I would like to quote from a poem by Rudyard Kipling which is ingrained into us since academy days(NDA, IMA)…the “If Song”......quoting a few lines of relevancve....

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch.....

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;
.......
If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run
-Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

ciao ppl
ciao life

Priorities....Decisions....The 'Call'

"Decision making"- 2 words that seem to be pretty simple by the look of it. But it entails a combination of patience, clear priorities, trade-off know-how and risk taking capability. Got a whiff of it once again in the "4th term course bidding process" today. Essentially we were given points based on our grades and were supposed to bid for whatever courses we wanted to take next term onwards. In the last few minutes it all came down to how much you can give.....what are you willing to trade-off to get that something.....what do you value more...at times the heart skipped a beat (last 5-6 seconds, maybe a couple of beats.....)....clear priorities n all...

One can draw a parallel with what happens around us. There are moments where you get the momentous question- Yes or No....To go or Not to Go...At times you have to take decisions that may be against your heart, at times against logical thinking.... and this is where the famous dialogue comes in "You gotta do what you gotta do"....Given a set of {A,B,C,.....}You might like A, and also like B...in fact you may like A & B more than anything else....but it's not an ideal world....this is when you need to take "that call"....the priorities come into picture....you know what you gotta do....and that's when you switch off your heart, switch off your brain and go ahead...NQA....No turning back..... Some people might be able to correlate with such situations- relationships, career, et al.....just need to remember..keep your priorities clear, and once they are....Nothing else matters !!

ciao ppl !!
ciao life !!

Life is beautiful again (Iffy too though)...

Well….this post did take some time to come out in black and white :)….

Life has taken an interesting turn…..a new perspective now….I think I was already lookin’ at life with rose coloured spectacles, now I’ll b having 2 of them…..the plane has found an airport, the day has found the night, the wristwatch has found a wrist, the river has found the ocean,.....the rifle has found the ammunition [Oops !! not a good example I guess...but then, thtz me:)]
Cutting out the figurative talk and simply put, there is someone very important in my life now …n shez here to stay…..I name no names n won’t explicate further….. [dn’t wanna face the music later: ) ]....Let me just say....a "value add" of Chaos Nasha 2008 (refer d blog below) :)

The biggest challenge now: Maintaining the perfect balance.....Will b investing time in the perfect market portfolio with high risks associated (with a "beta" >> 1 : for finance ppl).....Iffy life....interesting life....

ciao ppl
ciao Life

Operation Welcome: "Newlywed Lady wife"

Well...Somehow this entire post vanished into thin air...Wonky Blogger.com !!!
"The Operation-Newly wed Lady Wife"...So am putting it in black and white again... :) Here goes...

In the Army, wives of officers are treated with great respect, so much so that you would find very senior officers calling wives of young lieutenants as "Maam"....The entry into the folds of Army of a Lady from a non Army background is really dramatic....In my tenure in Tenga valley (AP, near Tawang), we had a newly maried North-east couple...... Maam didn't know Sir before mrg.....they'd been married for around 25 odd days. I, being the most efficient :) youngster was entrusted with the welcome plan...Here are the excerpts...

Actors: Myself as sahayak (helper), another lady officer (Now mentioned as LO)as Dhobin (washerwoman)
Required: acting skills (not much), a love letter drafted by me (from a girl), timing and luck !!
Self- wearing white PT shoes and a jawan's working dress.

Modus Operandi:

1000hrs: Told by my senior officer to chalk out a plan
1200hrs: Liaison with the LO....brief outline
1330hrs: Sir n maam arrive...Sir is requested to get down at the gate and meet the commanding officer while maam is escorted to the Officers Mess, to their accomodation where I am waiting.

Shock 1:
1400hrs: I receive her and start settling the luggage. While clearing some documents, I inadvertently come across a "Letter"......read it and slyly (but in full view of maam), try to keep it in....(Converting the conversation to English...)
Maam: What is tht bhaiya? (A helper is called a "bhaiya" by n offr's wife)
Me: Memsaab, Nothing !! (try to deliberately hide it)
Maam: Show it to me
Me (takes it over 2 her reluctantly)
She reads it n GOSH !! Itz a letter from Sir's Girlfriend saying that she still misses the beautiful time they've spent together and words to that effect....dumbfounded!!

Shock 2:
1440hrs: In comes the dhobin (LO) with Sir's old clothes...she takes them out one by one (actually mine n LO's)...a combat shirt..white shirt..trouser...Oops !! a salwaar-suit
Maam: Whose is this ? (Shocked)
LO: How do I know?
Me: Memsaab, some of sir's friends used to come over, might be of one of them
(with a serious face !!)
Maam, (Shocked...chinki eyes wide open...whatz happening here ??)
goes n sits outside...

1530hrs: Maam is still waiting outside while i stand next to her awaiting orders...
Maam: You don't look like a helper (Ohhh...dude say something stupid)...till where have u studied?
Me: Memsaab...till 8th
Maam: Where is he ? (The officer)
Me: Memsaab, he had a lot of good friends here (achhi dost thii), might have gone to meet them.

I'm feeling sleepy...as seen in the pic above, all the rooms were on a downward slope...my room was the one immediately below sir's...the last one (in d pic), made up n excuse...
Me: Maam I'll be working in this officer's room, call me if u need anything

Shock 3: 1700hrs: I come out..Maam is still sitting outside....in the same state of shock...couple of days into d mrg...new colours coming out ...Lolzzz
The LO's room was above sir's n she had to go to office in the evening..she came out n rushed down the road....
Maam: Isn't she the dhobin who had come?
Me: (with a gulp n a sly smile) Yes Memsaab, she is "known" to that officer :) :)
I could see the shock on her face.....it was 1800hrs.... her husband was no where....goodness what was going on there...... there was no mobile communication in that hilly area....couldn't call up home...just waiting....

Shock 4:
1830hrs: Message conveyed to her that the First lady (Commanding officer's wife) would be taking her interview and she has to be in combat dress (Never happened...Ever !!)
Well, she was given sir's combat dress, ranks (appellates) and sent for the interview
1930hrs: First lady asks so many questions about her knowledge about the Army that Maam breaks up n starts crying !! Operation called off with immediate effect!!

Then maam was told about the entire prank....was escorted by other officers to her room where sir was waiting...She couldn't believe it till she actually saw myself and the Lady officer arriving in the formal dress for the party. She was like: "I told you na, you didn't look like a sahayak". Maam treasured that "love letter" and showed it to me whenever we met....

Pleasent memories galore...

ciao ppl
ciao life