Mishal Raheja as Major Dutta Patil
Painful Rapture: Chapter~ 38
"love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs"Shakespeare
Dutta stood naked in front of his living quarters bathroom mirror. In pure laze of just woken up semblance, he brushed his right hand fingers against his hairy muscular chest. He poked his head closer to the mirror raised an eyebrow, screwed his eyes, dropped his mouth open ,to carry out an observation of the progress of the hairy crop on his face, he half smiled , hummh pokey and spiky, most definite needs a number two slight shave to neat the lines across his cheeks ,and it was obvious the hairs around his mouth and indented chin needed tidying up too as like most males. So before his shower, he neatened the contours around his mouth ,then lightly shaver groomed the rest of his face. He splashed his face with water and dabbed it dry with his face towel. His stubble had not grown to his satisfaction , but the clean shaven look within a few days was fast becoming a thing of the past ,he smiled at his reflection, cold ,calculated, still, but lion enough to please the woman of his life!. Once showered, he drifted to his room and put on his olive and sand camouflaged uniform, donned his armour jacket on the top, wound his belt around his waist. Pulled up his above ankle boots. Patted his light stubble face ,with cologne ,and reached for his beret and fixed it on his head in slope position...hummmh busy day ahead, he thought ,collected his phone, helmet and room key fob ,turned and left his apartment. After breakfast he moved towards his office , opened to leave his helmet in there, collected his brief case ready to leave for his tutoring. The phone rang, he turned from the door , and picked up ,"Major Dutta Sir! ,Brig Parekh ,for you.. "oh ,thanks put him through please", responded Dutta, "ahh , yes Major ,something came to my attention, last night, you need to nip it in the bud! God dammit! yelled Parekh, "Khan is meant to be heading towards the ATS, not bloody falling in love ,and that too with a fellow officer! unacceptable! you Dutta need to talk to Khan and do the needful you hear that Major! that's an order ,commanded Parekh. Dutta feebly put down the receiver and placed his palm flat on his desk ,and slowly turned his head towards the door ,pulled the corner of his mouth right down to his chin ,and banged his desk with his fist, "this bloody imbecile Khan ! why the hell is she bringing his name as a tutor into ill repute! he irked, took a deep breath and straightened ,so in reading into the situation, it appears that Parekh too ,like himself spotted the little jolly between Khan and Kapur...shoot! he rasped , the joys of being a teacher, he stood for minute ,he had to remember he was an army officer first and then a teacher...he collected his brief case ,took a deep breath , firmed his face ,left his office and walked towards his class room...
He entered his classroom, though not riding on a storm , yet his attire in combat camouflage ,tickled the Outs fancy, they might have an outdoor activity. His entry , always spelt his pupils jump to all alert , attentive ,ready in salute position. In a split of a second , as he placed his brief case on his in class desk ,he gripped a subtle visual exchange between Khan and Kapur. He levelled up in ,full authority ,his nostrils slightly flared up as his gaze shifted past Khan's orderly fixed expression. He folded his arms across his broad chest now made even broader with his breast body armour . "right !officers !be seated please" ,he commanded and then reached out for his marker pen ,posed at his teaching flip chart easel. By now they were accustomed to his style of beginning a lesson, and therefore the officers keenly awaited upon his words like pupils who are ready to please their teacher ,he fired his usual question "ok Kapur please brief everyone on what needs coverage as timetabled". Kapur , confident yet somewhere deep down inside , cringed as he recalled last night's incident, replied with piped up courage ,"Sir! the two foci areas for today are ,Satellite communications and Electronic warfare", Kapur informed every one. Dutta, bowed his head once ,gave Kapur a concealed grilled look. Kapur almost shuddered in relief ,while Khan ,wondered ,could she detect a degree of displeasure in his look towards , Kapur.. maybe Sir was not in favour of seeing her with another, in the middle of the night, and yes after all ,he did see Kapur and her holding hands , she lowered her eyes and made a note on her pad of his scrawl on the flip chart. Nothing goes past Dutta's narrow eyes , he turned suddenly and angled a question towards Khan, "officer Khan would you care to throw some light on your understanding of electronic warfare," Khan appeared wide eyed caught off guard, "well Sir as the name suggests it's the use of electronics in warfare" she answered, Dutta twitched his jaw and declined, "well thank you for being facetious officer , but any civilian could have replied in that manner , so I would set aside your verbal contribution". Kapur looked at Khan who flushed in the face. Dutta ,looks froze and he paced up and down ,with his arms behind his back, let his snub be a reminder for the lot ,that light heartedness during lesson times will not be tolerated ! he concluded and turned and stopped in front of the class ,his palm raised up ,"ok now officers ,we start the lesson with EW... right! officers the Armys' EW capability , involves finding, exploiting and possibly disrupting the enemy's communications, and also provides an element of force protection, so to speak in a nut shell, he explained. Bannerjee ,raised her palm for clarification, "Sir , please could you explain more" . Dutta lowered his head and his chin doubled , and slowly he raised his head as he continued, "sure, now officers ,you are I assume, aware of the pivotal role of intelligence gathering about the foe.. now intelligence gathering through EW is fundamental in understanding the assistance which in particular commanders need in winning the "information battle" as it helps to create the all important "battle picture", Dutta scrawled and continued to speak..., Subramanium, raised his palm ,slightly perplexed, " Sir so really ,it's really to assist the higher ranking officers then?.. Dutta, turned from the easel and placed his marker on the side of the easel trough," interesting you should bring it up ,the answer is yes and no, yes for as I explained in terms of war, at a flick of a button information, a snap shot of holistic bird's eye view is needed to enable ,planning and adaptations of startagem to overpower the foe, and that is executed at the high command, so as such you would not be involved ,however may I remind you officers ,the war is also fought by manpower, soldiers, fighters of the land forces, the air force and the naval forces, hence forth as Outs you are required to have compulsory knowledge of all the equipment involved in signals and surveillance".. explained Dutta, "now as officers in Line infantry combat you will be expected to assist your platoons of foot soldiers in a war zone, therefore you will be required to experience the use of light electronic warfare ,in teams. Dutta ,moved over to the over head projector and switched it on , he moved across to the lights and switched them off, and returned to stand opposite the projector with the remote clasped in one of his palms ,whilst the other he used to wield the long wooden pointer across the screen. The officers saw his strong impressive silhouette against the screen ,he pointed to the screen and continued his lesson," here then are some examples of equipment used the in EW'S ,this here officers is OD2, now as you can see it is pretty impressive stuff, now this beauty can be operated from both armoured vehicles that are fully loaded with signals equipment , complete with a bullet proof heavy lorry exterior ,as you can for your selves ,ok officers the OD2 can also be used on land rover borne variants. Now, in the battle field it is particularly of use in electronically locating radio targets, thus giving you access to location of enemy positioning and eventually enabling you to maim or destroy their communication network ! continued Dutta. He moved forward to face his officers ,"and then there is another EW", he pressed the remote control and the slideshow changed to the new equipment, once the image was in place he backed a bit and stood in the shadows and continued "now this as you see is Mark2, an electronic support measure or ESM , it's a system that can be both portable or vehicle borne, this you will experience use of this afternoon" ,he remarked as he noticed from the dark corners of his narrow eyes , a glint in the eyes of his keen officers, "any questions officers"! ,he asked as he paused. Sinha raised his palm , as Dutta nodded once at him to continue with narrow eyes ,"Sir so do we take it that the two you have mentioned are are the only EW equipment?". Dutta let his lips part and he responded, "there are others , however yes correct the OD3 and Mark 2 are the two most frequently used , however, more new state of the art man pack, both static and vehicle borne EW systems are being brought into service in current operations , I must add that ,if new ones do come up after you have left ,you can surely apply for workshops or courses to keep you abreast with new up to date information," he encouraged his pupils ,he paused for a bit and dusted his hands lightly and looked wide eyed and with opened mouth ,"right officers short 10 minutes tea break and then for morning second session , you will return and make notes on special features and user's manual of these two EW systems..is that understood ? and also another thing for the afternoon session you will need your body armour, helmet and radio head sets and laptops! commanded Dutta as the Outs stood to attention and Dutta saluted the officers and moved towards the door and stepped out...he paused suddenly ,turned and called down the corridor ,"officer Khan , can I have a quick word? he spoke audibly ,and without further waiting for her to reply he made a noisy boot walk towards his office.
She saw see his tall uniformed figure recede into his office and before she could follow in she heard the door shut on her face rather unceremoniously. Her mouth become dry and in desperation ,she tried her hardest to knock and ask for permission, it had to be something to do with her and Kapur last night.. "enter! , his command made her open the door and she stood before him attentive her hands behind her back .He sat at his desk, pen poised to paper..she relaxed and with courage showed her compliance, "Sir! you desired to see me" ,he almost quirked at the word desired, he flared his nostrils, raised his head from his writing and narrowed his eyes, parted his lips, "now Khan I most certainly did not desire your company as you put it in a figure of speech , but yes I without a doubt ordered you to report before me ,which you have, he grated with a shift of his head to the side. Khan experienced a hot flush on her neck and face ,and Dutta on seeing it was pleased to learn that she can see the boundary of senior and subordinate. He shifted and with deliberation kept her standing before him ,as he opened his mouth , "now officer Khan, this morning first thing I received a phone call from my boss, Brig Parekh, and what he had to say ,neither amused him ,nor me ...Dutta declared, to a much imbalanced Khan, "Sir, last night, was not really my fault"...she fumbled in distress. Dutta sitting at his desk , raised his palm as a warning for her to stop. He stared into her face, with cold fixed deathly objective ,interrogative eyes...his face devoid of all trace of emotions, of any nature. He slowly raised his index finger towards her, "officer first question were you with a fellow male officer near the officers apartments last night? second question what was the purpose of the meeting? he fired, as he raised the middle of his slender fingers, and thirdly have you read the Outs prospectus manual , section 10 on maintaining professional decorum and expectations,? he asked her with iciness , she opened her mouth defensively but he again ,with his arms placed on his desk ,raised his right hand from the desk, signalled her to remain, as he was in no mood for her poppy cock rubbish ! and he spoke instead, "were you ? or were you not with officer Kapur last night, officer Khan? , kindly answer what you are asked" said Major Dutta. Khan blurted, "Sir I am sorry... Dutta shifted his head as his jaw twitched and he responded harshly to her ,"Officer cut the snivels , be professional and I repeat my question ,were you or were you not with officer Kapur last night?, Dutta was aware there was no great need to establish that fact as , he himself was a witness to that, but it was a formality that had to be kept ,so as to receive a confirmation from her own mouth, "yes Sir, I was with officer Kapur last night, confirmed Khan. Dutta nodded , purpose of meeting? he repeated, "Sir ,it was a lovely mild night and I was taking my usual end of the day unwinding walk ,and I happen to meet Officer Kapur on my travels who was doing the same as me, she replied. Dutta moved his head to one side and peered into her face with "so is this end of the day unwind walk ...a common practice between you two or was last night a one off? he interrogated, Khan looked up into his hard fixed face ,"no Sir not at all a common occurrence ,last night was the one time ,and most definitely the last time too ,Sir, I feel too embarrassed", she admitted. Dutta raised his palm again at her emotional cry at the end of her answer, and further grilled her, "now you owned up that you were embarrassed, what was the cause officer? as it may be linked to the initial purpose of the meeting" ,Dutta enquired as he waited for her response. Khan , leveled her thought process for a split second and replied, "I was embarrassed because I have put myself in this situation, Sir that's all". Dutta twisted his mouth "no Khan that's not all! holding hands facing each other in the middle of the night, surely you lie Officer! i.e giving false information to a senior officer, it's obvious you do not consider for once ,that this falsification can get you into serious trouble , and I as your tutor and your senior officer will be the one to spear head the trouble for you! he said slowly yet threateningly, with a view to goad the correct answer from her. Khan, squared up boldly, "well Sir, we both talked about our homes , areas we came from , I told him about my home territory and he spoke about his ,and as one thing led to another we became nostalgic ,and discussed simple games we played as children , officer Kapur, he comes from the Punjab and has an older sister who was his playmate, and fondly he talked about a game two people can play holding their hands tightly ,arms stretched ,feet firmed up on the ground and the pair goes in a fast circular spin, we laughed and that's when we held hands to perform the game, he was showing me the game ..when you came up! that's all Sir!" said Khan without blinking an eye. Dutta bowed his head, hummh he mused bloody playing games with me ...hummh , when interrogated by the enemy it appears she is capable of spinning quite a yarn, thus throwing them off track!. However he studied her icily, she obviously thinks I was born yesterday..and that Kapur's gravitation towards her on several occasions during lesson times have not gone unnoticed by her tutor. He piqued his lips ,and in deep thought his shifting eyes watched her face intently for any signs of perhaps revisiting her story, but he found her alert and attentive ,innocently harmless ,yet quietly dangerous ,but he had to say what he had to say, in terms of what he had noticed and what made Parekh sound the alarms . Dutta placed his palms on the desk and hauled himself up and stood tall before her ,maintaining a civilized distance , ready to clarify regulations to her ,"now look here Khan, what you do in your private life is of no concern of mine what so ever, however if it is seen that your private life may pose a threat to your professional life ,especially in the present circumstances ,as it clearly appears that you may not have read the section 10 of the prospectus ,where it clearly states that entering into emotional attachments with fellow officers whilst on the job is frowned upon, it only stands to reason that I remind you of the clause...should such a liaison occur, it is regulation that it should be outside the profession...if it happens within, then it is army regulation that the uniformed authorities will intercept , like myself and Brig. Parekh and the involved are issued with a verbal warning and in event of ignoring it , disciplinary action will be put in place, at the end of which if found guilty, decommissioning from the army may come in to place! is that understood? Dutta questioned with gravity. Khan ,thought it best to let her rest her case "yes Sir ,I understand and give you a verbal guarantee it will not recur ,and please forgive me" she said as she held her clasped hands before him, he bowed his head and doubled his indented chin ,and with narrow eyes he raised his head up again ,crossed his arms across his wide muscular chest," officer Khan , tomorrow morning at 1700 hrs you and Officer Kapur will carry out a 50 minute run of the cross country area of the military school ,is that clear? he commanded . Khan stood to attention ready to salute him, he looked at her and commanded "dismissed officer !,he leaned sideways to open the door for her ,and as she left, he shut the door and reached for the phone, "yes please Major Dutta here, Brig .Parekh please ..Parekh held the phone, "yes my good man all, what's the outcome? he asked, all done and dusted Sir ,and yes I have the conversation on tape ,which I'll be sending over to you" apprised Dutta, "brilliant, and I hope you explained well our position and what we can do in conduct unbecoming, said Parekh, "hopefully Sir it won't come to that ,as both are fine officers ,and reasonably clued on, I do as their tutor still have faith in them, would like to give them the benefit of doubt Sir, so I am likely to give them chance to clarify this misunderstanding , said Dutta ,"so it seems that the teacher in is winning over the soldier? remarked Parekh with authority, Dutta smiled cheek to cheek in his office," no Sir it's not only about the vocation, for surely it has to be about edification alongside combatant compassion... Parekh asked, did you grill Kapur as well?,Dutta replied in negative, "I didn't Sir ,as I felt if there was no need and also your brief was only to quiz Khan". Parekh agreed when reminded ,"well yes glad you left the lad, for it was Khan I was more concerned about getting embroiled in this potential love -story as it would interfere in her ATS ,training, want her to stress free when she starts" ,reflected Parekh, "anything else Major"? waited Parekh, "yes Brig, and they both are to undertake a cross country run crack of dawn as their punishment said Dutta solidly, "haaa ha laughed Parekh ,so the roaring soldier is very much in control! ,of course Sir and so is the cane cracking teacher! chuckled Dutta.. Khan , walked briskly towards the officers tea rooms ,and as soon as she walked in, Kapur , made a beeline towards her ,she glared at him as she helped herself to a cup of tea , she sure needed it after the first degree handling she received at her tutors hands ,Dutta walked past her and stood before Kapur, who sat at a table just about to tuck into a raison muffin, he sprang to his feet and held his hands behind his back, Dutta looked straight into his eyes," for breaking rules last night ,you'll be doing a cross country run at crack of dawn tomorrow morning got that officer! He grated in a commanding voice, turned and walked to grab a couple of bottled stilled water and headed for some fresh air. As soon as Sir ,left Khan walked over to Kapur , who moved over to her and she withdrew, "please behave Kapur just a few minutes ago saved us from his wrath and here you are hell bent on getting us both deranked!...Kapur, looked at her with panic stricken eyes ,and pleaded, "come on Khan did you squeal on me , I mean did you tell him the gist of our conversation ,oh man we're doomed for sure" he spoke nervously, Khan looked at him, "oh for goodness sake stop being such a whoosh! nope I did not repeat our conversation, there was no point in it was there Kapur? there was no bearing too it, "nothing will come out of nothing"...so I withheld the real contents" she said firmly ,totally in control, "so he doesn't know that I fancy you? oh good that's a weight of my mind kurriye", Kapur heaved a sigh . Khan, looked at him with cold ,dispassionate eyes, "well ,with Sir you can never tell ,but this I am pretty sure we will be under his scrutiny, she chipped in, "for he did remind me of prospectus guidelines specifically section 10,and I suggest we need to look through it as things can be stern, Kapur , she continued ,to which Kapur nodded, "actually he has issued a verbal warning to both of us ,so if I was you I'd focus on our training and act like professional course mates which we are", she concluded and stood to go, "we'd better get our outdoor gear sorted ,body armor and headsets for the afternoon off site operation" she suggested.
Roops raced up the stairs with two shopping bags, and collided against Baji, clad in his purple and white , batik kurta and straight cut jeans ,"whooo hold your horses! Kya andhi ke theran challe ah raho hai tu Roopa toofan mail! he lurched forward to hold her in his arms and she thumped against his chest breathing heavily up into his bent face ,he gave her a dimpled smile "arey haila police pheeche lagi hoi hai tera kya? he teased she came apart and dragged him into her room, and placed the two bags on her bed," she walked seductively towards him and wiggled her waist as she put her arms around his neck, he looked at her arms and gently took them off his neck, "oye behave yourself pee rekha hai tune, woh bhi mera bagher" he teased, "no Baji ,I am in my senses ,now guess what day is it today! she chirped, he looked puzzled what day is it? is it Wednesday?" he questioned, "Oye Baji you are such a dim wit, honestly !"she complained and ran to grab one of the bags on her bed, and pulled out a cuddly koala with two deep dimples on either side of it's cheeks and a red silk heart on its chest with the words "happy valentine's day"!,Baji smiled as Roops pressed its heart and it sounded off "I love you"...while she passed the koala to him ,"ye tera liya hai Baji"from me ,and there's something else too" she walked to the foot of her bed and pulled out a tissue wrapped object ,"here, unwrap it", she smiled broadly ,Baji gently pulled of the scrunched tissue ,it was a white porcelain mug with the words "thore se jo pee le hai, chorri tu nehi ke hai"..Baji Rao Patil, inscribed in black letters", Baji smiled revealing more repeated dimpled pits in his cheeks ,"kya re Roops tu ne mujhe bewardhe bana diya! he protested ,but looked around for more , "oye Roop ke baachi, batli nehi liya tu, ye tu half a present hai!"he doubled up and laughed as she elbowed him , "chaal where's my pressie Baji? ,she tickled his tummy! Oye rok rok! deta hai mein! he ran to his room, and returned with a large traditional trug wicker basket with a looped handle outlined with red roses and boxes of Roops favorite premium chocolate...Roops leapt forward and hugged him "oh thank you Baji", further more, he went outside the room and grabbed a ladies leather satchel, and smilingly passed it over "ye le , put your uni books and stationary in it ,and open it and check the inside too, he encouraged .She sat on her bed cross legged and opened the satchel , as she slide her hand and fished out a leather change wallet with a matching foldaway wallet, she pulled them out like an excited child while Baji felt the lump in his back pocket with his pulled back arm, and reached out an ornamental case , "edhur ah re Roops ke baachi! aurrr yeh last ye last tofa hai ,before she could get up from the bed Baji awkwardly got down on one knee and held the open box before her..."mujhese shaadi kerage gi Roops? . Roops sat gob smacked by the unexpected words and actions! she scrambled to the floor beside him and kneeled on both legs , put her arms around his neck and cried "haan Baji haan! ,Baji almost lost his balance on one knee as he wiped a tear." areey! garei ge mujhe kya Roops ke baachi ! ,chaal ye le paker! he said as he gave her the connected hearts diamonds pendant and platinum chain ,she gave him another hug and stood with her back ,so he could clasp it around her neck...once done ,he declared "chaale janne de mujhe ab kam kerna hai mujhe! Roops pulled his arm, "Baji rok ja .. listen valentine's day is also about thinking about your loved ones ,she said, "loved ones ahem! she reiterated..Baji looked at her puzzled "Roops ab pehalian na bhuja...clear cut mein baat ker, he requested Roops performed a smart salute and Baji got hold of his kurta corner and started to twist it round his fingers lightly with a soft impersonation "Saab"... and the pair burst into peals of laughter. "yeah Baji, Bhao and Naku, we must check what they are up ,suggested Roops, Baji ,shrugged his shoulders ,"its not rocket science Roops ! why they'll be doing nothing! thujhe pata hai Bhao ka, pakaa apni dharti ka Sher hai ,ye phorren ke rasasmoon ko nehi mamata..." remarked Baji,"oh Baji don't give up so easily ,at least find out, if he has any awareness of the day, and then suggest to him some possible activities he can undertake to mark this day , chaal come on now phone him now ,don't be such a darpok!, cajoled Roops. Baji, looked at her and mouthed a do I have to and she, mouthed darpook! darpook!. Baji dialed the number , Dutta screwed up his nose under his ray bans and pulled out his phone, "haan bak,kya hai?, "woh Bhao ,woh, kaise hai?,stuttered Baji,"oye you git! Kya lardki ke mafaq ,woh ,woh ,lagai hai! ..and what the frigging hell! why have you rung me at work ,is AS ok?jaldi bak! before I box your ears!" ,shouted Dutta, "haan Bhao ,AS is fine ...umhh ye la Roops se baat ker ,tu" .. said Baji as he pressed the phone in an equally frightened Roops, palm" Dutta's ,face softened immediately, "areey, meri chotti kaise hai? whats up my princess ,bol what do you want ?abhi ke abhi tera pas phooche jayei gi ,a new merc"?,he could hear his sister giggle at the other end, "nehi Bhao,kuch nehi chayia ? bas just wanted to say happy valentine's day to you ,that's all", she said matter of factly, Dutta pouted his mouth, "hummh tu ye baat hai, that valentine .. god of lovers , salla aaj apna din manna raha hai and I dare say his universal fans are making pots of money for him, great business man! ruthless more like it, playing on people's emotions! ...na man main ne khabi use mau nehi lagia .har saal atta hai , but he leaves empty handed...never buy any goods related to that emotional fool! half jested Dutta. Baji could see from Roop's face that she was getting lectured by the lion himself!.but Roops was the lion's sister so she continued ,"that's fine Bhao, but this valentine ,has to be special for you , you have.." Baji realized the time was right ,so he snatched the phone from Roops, "woh Bhao tera aur vahini ke phela valentine hai ,tu wanted to ask you if you any thing planned for both of you", he paused ,and sniggered "waise if your are short of ideas to main deta hai thujhe ideas" he laughed,"Dutta smiled "haan , aur main bhi deta hai ,teri bum pe apni laat! retorted Dutta ,"Ok now you have wasted enough of my time ,have to have lunch, and then short field lesson with the officers ,so get lost now ,and sun give my parnam to AS...and meri chotti ko ,treat her well today samjha tu ...koi kaser maat choorna , nehi tu doon ga kan ke neeche ghum ke! "he threatened and cut the phone. Baji and Roops looked at each other ,in speculation, "Baji do you think Bhao understood what we said to him, thought Roops loudly, Baji looked at her equally in doubt "its not whether he understood ,its whether he'll do something about it ,said Baji, as he knew full well Dutta ,hears but does his own thing totally and utterly. Dutta , pulled his arm up,and checked his watch ,it was very nearly lunch time ,so without haste he dialed on his mobile..."haan Rahmaan.,suno tum aisa karo ,ke... "Jee Saar main samhje gaya hai ,ho jaye ga..aap fiqar maat karien", ... Dutta squared his shoulders, slipped his phone in his body armor ,breast pocket and made his way towards the dining room.
Back in class , he subjected them to a detection of appropriate clothing for the outdoor activity ,he also glanced at the sides of the room where required equipment for the outdoor activity was packed ,ready to be carried ."ok officers continuing with signals ,the next segment is satellite communications, now the Signals core in an army is responsible for the provision of all of the army's tactical satellite ground terminals, as it provides strategic and operational satellite communications to all the land based head quarters", Dutta introduced the lesson , he reached out for his thick black board marker and scrawled on in bold letters as he turned his head and spoke as well, "right these are the three telesats we tend to use ,in the army, firstly you have the small satcom.." he paused and turned on the OHP, "ok as you can see it consists of this satellite dish with a 120 capability of a ground terminal..and it is owned and operated by designated personnel...you need to know a smattering of this as in a war zone you may need to operate it, reasoned Dutta. A few of them had raised palms, as they turned their heads to check out the three Sat dishes placed on the floor, he bowed his head ,and confirmed, "yes your hunch is correct ,in the outdoor exercise you will be using the small sat com, it is lightweight within an air frame, and can be set up by a single trained operator in less than 30 minutes , now which one of you remembers setting these babies from your cadet days? for I know you get to do a hands on session of assembling one of these..."raise your hands some volunteers please..he said as he peered at them his eyes somewhat smiling, "good! so Bhatnager, Sinha, and Chauhan jolly good officers! ,Dutta notified upon show of hands... any questions?, he paused as he turned to Singh ,"yes Singh...fire away!, "just one question Sir! which network service does the satellite use?, Dutta ,stroked his face, from one side and replied, "well the simple answer is that's classified ,but when you tune in ,the signals will be picked up and relayed to sister terminals ,for now, that is all you need to know ,is that clear? he said firmly. He moved to the OHP , and pointed to the visual on screen ,this now is the... Connect Com 01, yet another satellite ground terminal, and is recognized for, delivering a range of services through robust, resilient and secure communication links, and it comes in three variants officers, large ,medium and small, the one you see on the screen is the medium sized one, have a quick look at the way it's put together, and positioned he explained. "Right officers now the final is the SNETV. this controls the satellites in orbit ,these are owned and managed by the army", he paused for a moment as he checked the final visual of the satellite in orbit against the black sky.. "now one final word officers ,with the diverse range of military operations and the information we need to fight a war in today's digital environment, within the army ,military satellite communications are playing an increasingly important role in providing and sharing instantaneous voice and data between land, sea and air platforms ,so it's use is crucial in joint forces...and as part of your training you are expected to be familiar with the role of signals ",he concluded as he switched off the over head projector and his lap top. "Now when you are ready, helmets, radio speakers around your necks each person should carry minimum 18kgs, on their person ,after all you are foot soldiers so let's check your load and foot work, now gear up to begin! he bellowed his command ..the rest scrambled about to load themselves and be prepared and finally burdened themselves with radios ,laptop equipment..
Dutta put on his metal helmet and looked at his Outs , " right! file up in pairs ,mixed gender now! what I am looking for is collaborative effort ,if and when required ,"now seeing that you are lugged move it !he yelled and walked down the corridor ,once again, he marched ahead ,while his soldiers followed him soldier style march ,but really and truly the weight on their backs ,legs waists, called for time needed to get used too, and his bold spearing ahead was beginning to stretch the Outs ,once they reached outside the Military school main door , Dutta skipped down the concrete stairs and stopped mid way to check out his outs..his lips curled up in a twisted smirk , hummh welcome to the world of the army. Once he landed on level ground he folded his arm and ushered them to follow. There eyes widened, hell! they thought, he 's going to make us walk, the mile to the wild area of the jungle, they realized to their horror as no people carrier vehicles were in sight. He turned again once they were 400 yards away from the building, "now you can slow down the pace officers ,don't want you think I am inhuman ,however would like to remind you that in the war zone ,soldiers are expected to carry heavy loads of weaponry ,supplies or sometimes even wounded soldiers, so consider this a true to life situation", he said and turned forward to scour the bumpy muddy uneven terrain of the jungle near by the military college precinct. Once in the thick of the jungle he blew his whistle and stood tall in the clearing in the jungle "ok !now the three ,operators, Bhatnager! Singh and Chauhan! organisze your parties and start picking your spots ...ensure that you are at a distance of at least half a mile from each other so that picking up signals are possible, have you understood? he ordered ,he could tell that they understood what he commanded ,so he shouted "ok split then! disperse in groups"! he pointed to various corners of the jungle. Hummh he thought ,he was beginning to get rather fond of his officers, they had heaps of strength's and very few weakness as a collective bunch , no rivalry or jealousy just one guiding factor, to serve the country ..he was overcome with emotion at their attitudes, after all ,how much of a war had they experienced in person...none what so ever ,but as it stood from where he could see the fifteen officers were a fine balance of hot blood and staid reason. He pulled up his binoculars dangling from his neck so he could locate his officers at various spots. He screwed up his nose and pulled his lips down towards his chin , as his slender fingers ,twirled the focus to capture his officers, "yes well done Singh I can see that you have put your satcom, now, Bose don' t lounge on the ground while Singh speaks to me through his phone ,you need to be vigilant in case there is an ambush! shouted Dutta through his head seat which padded his ears... As a tutor and an officer he was duty bound to look out for his soldiers and pupils! to be on trail of which three sectors of the jungle his pupil groups were working, he trudged the rugged train, carrying his load of radio set ,light ammo ,like daggers in leather cases strapped to his muscular lower legs, he could feel the sweat ,pouring down his sternum ,wet patches in his arm pits, and tiny beads on his nose...hummh ,he plodded on ...the life of a foot soldier ,he lifted his ray bans and wiped the sweat from the bridge of his nose ... he checked ,his watch they had been here now for nearly three hours ,he looked around the thick foliage, complete with prickly hawthorne and brambles ,he took a deep breath ,and spoke through his head sets and mouth piece ,"ok well done officers , time to pack it in now! operators start to de-assemble small sat coms and group members , assist in packing and in 45 minutes want you back here for vacating!" he ordered as he walked , and paused to check if they had complied to his commands. Finally , the parties arrived and Dutta motioned them to stand in a semi circle. He stood before them , tired yet taut, and questioned,"so any thoughts,?," Bhatnager ,bright eyed,responded,"yes Sir, very useful, generally we felt, in conversation while returning, that it was less daunting in reality , and we felt the connections between all three sit coms were reliable and in all account we were informed about each other's whereabouts", she concluded as others nodded in consent. Dutta folded his arms across his chest and parted his legs slightly ,"ok officers ,that's fine but ,remember in a real war zone ,things might not be as congenial and favorable ,so at all times physically be vigilant with your 5 senses, not just machinery ,and technology ,for that can go bust any time! ok now we head back in the same manner as we came , and no I do not wish to hear groans and moans ,he paused and almost smiled "however have to say that in terms of the foot work officers you have done yourselves proud ..and me too ,"on seeing their twinkling smiles ,he threw in ,"however I do require a written report of today's activity alongside the rest of your awareness of the Signals core in the army, that'll be all!, now if you follow me we hike back to the military college ,once you get there, ensure that all equipment is returned to the Signal's depot" he instructed.
Dutta ,was hot , tired and bothered when he got back to military college, before he entered the building ,he tarried a while as he took off his helmet and held it against his waist, pulled his phone out, "haan Baji...bas that's all! over and out! said Dutta as he headed towards his office ,to drop his helmet and then flicked through his papers. He ran his fingers through his hot and sticky neck. Baji dialed Naku's number, "haan,Naku, bas zayeeda lambhi baat nehi aaj ,baat sun, 6.00 pm tayaar rehna , ek surprise hai, or haan apni laal sari pehna!" Baji sniggered, that was it ,Naku's eyes sparkled at the words surprise and lal sari, "rok Baaji Saab ayen ga mera pas ,bol na Baji !baata na? mujhe pata hai aj sab log hospital mein baat ker rehe the valentine day hai , pata hai Baji ,Nandi ne bhi mujhe red hearts chocolates de hain..aur Saab? unhe tu yaad bhi nehi hoga", she said with a wave of disappointment in her voice, "tu theekh kethi hai Naku ,use yaad nehi hooga , waise bahut busy tha , off school exercise pe tha , pata nehi miltary school pe hai ya abhi bhi exercise pe? kher tu jhorr , tera bahi Baji jo hai, bas tu tayaar rehna ..surprise ke liya! assured Baji, and hung off.
Naku with countless heart beats , donned her red sari , he was coming her ,man ,her love ,her life to collect her and take her out for valentine's day. Her trembling hands fixed her blouse ,covering her cleavage, which peeped out from behind her matching red chiffon georgette blouse . Her fingers quivered as she placed a red bindi in the middle of her black winged eye brows. She held the kajal stick and applied the noir khol in side her lower eye lid, nice and dark and with ease flicked up the khol at the outer end of her lower eye li .Finally, followed a smooth glide of burgundy lip gloss on her lips. She widened her green doe eyes in the mirror as she brushed her long tresses and plaited her black hair in a loose plait that covered her ear lobes. Eventually, still not satisfied fully by her appearance , she embellished her ears with small umbrella jhumkis , studded with red rubies! there she was ready ,just the way her man likes it. She studied herself and finally brought her plait to one side of her long slender fair neck..on her way out, she grabbed a red and gold light shawl and ,slipped on her kitten heeled sandals. In her keenness she was ready and waiting ten minutes before time...finally she heard her name Nakusha please report to reception desk! She ran like the wind and flew past the reception desk straight outside, her large doe eyes shifting to find his military jeep!...she stopped, he had not come. Instead she noticed the taxi , the driver came out ,and walked up to her ,he was the man Baji knew and brought her from the dera hospital to PN ,when AS was ill... Although disappointed she still managed to smile at the man, and recalled Baji did mention surprise ,ah well this was the surprise ,may be Baji and Roops have planned something for her, "haan bahiya theekh ho ap?kaise ana hoya ?kiya Baji ne bheeja hai ap ko?, Naku asked, the driver replied,"jee bhan jee, Baji baho ne bola ap ko kehen poochana hai ..6.30 pm tak...tu chaalen , traffic bhi hai baher kafi"the driver suggested...and Naku sat in the cab... surrounded by traffic, both ways whre ever she looked out of the cab window, there were woman dolled up ,with their beaus! And where was hers ? ..no where in sight, she thought as she swallowed the lump in her throat many times ,and so did the stinging of her eyes. I guess duties come first for both of us ,she had to be reasonable field exercise is a normal practice of army guys ,it's like a trail run of them being on the front ,she consoled herself, but still ..she missed not being with him..not today ,it was their first valentine , she flared her nostrils and took a deep breath in, why is she reacting in the same manner as a everybody else whose lover has forgotten the significance of the day !why ?,she blinked her eyes and twisted her fingers in her lap ,because after all she is a woman who misses her man ..very much!just a simple woman in love with her man. She noticed the cab was moving from built up areas to forest ,wood land areas ...ohhh Bappa ,where is this man taking me ... she worried about her safety! Surely she was over reacting ,Baji knows the driver well ..at least she hoped ,he does , but yet nowadays one can't trust anyone! She leaned forward,and expressed her concern, "bhahiya yahan tu kuch bhi nehi hai sawaai jungle ke ", the driver smiled, as he sided his face and replied, "aap chinta maat kerien bhan jee , bas thorre he dor aur ,and he continued to take the cab deeper into the forest , making the cab jolt ,on rugged ground ,till finally he brought he cab to a halt. Naku , panicked as he came round and opened the door.. "ab edher ap uther jaen aur ye rasste hai , bas is par chalte jain" he instructed. Naku's pupils dilated in the pitch dark surroundings engulfed with conifer pine trees. She trembled as she heard the cab start, reversed and drive off . Naku trembled ,with fright as she heard the deathly sounds of the wolves , ohhh! she cried as she decided to take the path the cabbie suggested , every rustle of wind amongst the leaves ,and noise made her mouth dry ,whoooh she heard the wolves ,she had to run deeper into the woods to save herself...ohhh ,she cried ...Saaabbb... ,but here was no answer she ran faster as she heard the dry leaves crunch under her feet ohhh Bappa , baacha lo! she cried she panted and carried on the path ,till finally in a distance of 100 yards in the centre of the forest she smelt fire and lifted up her head to detect swirling smoke...help as at hand! she picked up speed and finally stopped. She saw much to her relief a hearth of burning fire ,and behind it a pitched green tent... she stood plastered to the ground ...whoooh ,sounded the wolves and she took steps forwrd, towards the tent , but stopped again..as he sensed danger ,she just sunk to her knees and cried ohhh Bappa ! Saaabbb... there was a slight noise from the left side of the tent and Naku shut her eyes tightly ,ohhh she cried loudly ..ab janwar mujhe kha jaye ge !"she shivered uncontrollably..."mera maal koi janawaar nehi chau ga! spoke a guttural voice she looked up it was him Saab! she screamed as she ran to him and clung to his tall uniformed figure ,and cried and boxed him on his chest! He folded his chin and kissed her on the top of her head...chaal aaj valentine ka din hai na ?tu bas phir chaal ab mana tu valentine day! she hugged him tightly as he chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders and walked her over to the entrance of the tent ,lifted the flap up and with his hand and signaled her to step in . Naku stepped in ,and saw to her amazement an army style cot bed , an army style fold away metal table and two army style metal foldaway chairs on either side of the table . On another side of the tent there stood a bunsion burner, with an army supplies small metal cooking pot and a few packed plastic carrier bags on the ground. Once she had checked out the interior of the tent ,he leveled himself above her up and annonced "chaal Naku ,main bahut tired hoon ,seedha exercise se ah raha hoon, to mein rest kerta hoon , aur tu ,cooking ker ge .."he announced churlishly,and thumped his large frame on the cot bed, lay on his right side with both legs atop each other showing the soil filled soles of his combat .boots..."hummmh.. he went lazily as he shoved one muscular folded arm under his head and the other across his torso , sensing her silence he turned his head slowwly and narrowly looked at her "chaal ab sooche kya rehi hai ? apne saab ke liya gujar ka halwa nehi bunyege tu? rahmaan ne sab samman tayar ker deya hai , they are in the bags ,you my dera woman just have to cook the halwa fresh with your hands, chaal sabaash gimme a good time .. he hoarsed ,turned his head again and closed his eyes to snooze...Naku looked away at him ,such a beast he is .. ater all this kaffufal! he tells me to give him a good time! she fried the grated carrots ,added the milk and turned down the bunsun burner ,she smiled ,it's a good thing she was taught to light it in the dera during power cuts ,she giggled . He stirred "why are you giggling woman?he asked dreamily ,"oh kuch nehi Saab ,aap aram karien , kuch time laga ga us ko bana mein. Dutta stretched his body while he still lay on his right side ,"kuch time hai tu mera pas ah phir , cure my tiredness ,woman" called out to her. Naku stirred the milky mixture on the burner and went towards her Saab , sat on the side of the cot bed and bent to rest her chin on his broad shoulder, "tried ho Saab, tu catch a 100 winks then, its ok, with me I am busy cooking any way",she whispered. Dutta moved his large frame under the slight twang of the cot and lay flat on his back , with one muscular leg kneed up. He looked at her leaning face and smiled as he touched her cheek, she spontaneously moved closer to his chest put he pulled her shoulder back, as he dreamily looked into her disappointed eyes ,he parted his lips loosely ,"look baaby don't come to close to me , tera Saab is dirty ,sweaty and smelly ,he explained, "mera pas time he nehi tha tu shower and get spruced" ,he defended ,as he saw her shaking her head in disagreement ,he looked into her eyes ,and carried on ,"pata hai Naku ,aaj duniya ke sarre lover boys, chamaak ke nikale hoon ge apni mehbooba ko impress kerne ,aur tera saab ,dirty fellow! aise he ah gaye apni shahzadi ka pas "Naku put her palm on his soft full lips ,"nehi meera saab auren ki therhan nehi hai ,woh sher hai ,aur sher kabhi mau nehi dhoote ...but phir bhi sher, sher he hotta hai! ap jaise ho Naku aap se pyar kerti hai, and now that your stubble is coming back I love my raw ,rough, raging smelly ,sweaty man even more!" she said with passionate affection and lowered her face towards him he held her face his hands as he leaned over his chest, "waise tu aaj bhaut khobshurrat lag rehi hai Naku, every feature of yours, lekin tera ye mooti mooti ankhein duniya ke sab se sundar ankien hain ..pata hai kyon Naku? kyon ke ter ankhoon mein main apna aap ko dekhta hoon", he said as he cupped her face in his palms .Naku lowered her eyes and he gently brought her face closer to his parted lips as he clung to her soft petal like lips that fell into his mouth ,he brought his strong arms around her shoulders and stroked her back that lay upon his wide chest, her body loosened more and more upon him as he kissed her with slow relished passion , but finally after his fill helet go off her lips and grabbed her tighter as his mouth sought for the slender slants of her neck ,he almost moaned in pain as his mouth groped and pulled the skin of her supple neck ,she felt him open his mouth and felt the sweet bite of his teeth and she pulled back ,"nehi saab don't bite my neck, please" ,she pleaded flustered under his passionate, kisses, he looked up at her his mouth open ,"accha chaal nehi bite kerta ,per pas tu ah na , me still tired, so lower your top portion on me ,tere weight se mera chest ko arm milte hai , she lowered her self over his chest again and her pallo shifted a bit to reveal a bit more of her cleavage, he looked for a split second and then closed his eyes ..but held her tight against him again ,caressing her back silently and his broad palms moved to her rounded hips ,she sat up ,as he heard ,just in time the milk with grated carrots about to over spill ,she ran ,crouched near the stove lowered heat and stirred the halwa again. He sided his head and his eyes checked out her hind sticking out sensuously beneath her french chiffon red sari, he kept on looking and when she moved her posture he turned his head looked up at the ceiling of the tent, and folded one of his arms across his chest and rubbed his finger against his thumb...shoot! he mused patna nehi kub?. Naku stirred and stirred and finally turned off the stove, to let the gujar ka halwa cool off, "chaalo Saab halwa tu bun gaya , aur kuch? ,asked Naku withy a twinkly smile. He moved, pulled his uniformed booted legs, placed them on the floor and stood up tall ,stretched his arms wide "arrrhhh haaah! and walked over to the table ,pulled over the chair and sat down at the metal table for two as he looked across to her ,near the burner ,"haan hai na ,woh bread bhi hai ,edhur le ke ah table per aur jaldi , mera liya kal subha ,ke liya sandwiches bana de, he said with a naughty smile .Naku did what she was asked to do and sat opposite him making his requested sandwiches , he watched her with all the love in the world ,she looked up at his face , while she packed the sandwiches in the air tight plastic container ,"Saab waise aaj valentine day hai , tu mera tofa kahan hai? she asked innocently ,he placed his arms across the metal table ,and reached out for her tiny fair delicate hands, "haain what bloody toofa?!,Iam giving you my bloody company ! aur kya chaye thujhe pagal aurat!? ,he rasped "aur tune kiya diya hai mujhe bol ?where's my present ,she got up and brought the little metal pot on the table, "here ye mera tofa hai aap ke liya ap ka favourite halwa ,freshly made by my hands...and sandwiches too Saab ...she smiled, "he moved his head to one side and looked at her devilshly" hai hai ! baare zabaan chalte hai tere ,lardki ,chup karoon thujhe? he said as he got up and she almost ducked, oh Bappa what's he going to do ,he went to his ruck sack ,unzipped it ,and pulled out a red foil wrapped box ,he walked over to her ,and placed the box on the table... leaned forward and looked into her big green doe eyes and whispered, "ye tera tofa hai Naku ,tera Saab ke theraf se... she looked so excited, "oh Saab you remembered ,and there's me thinking you had forgotten" she said overcome with emotion ,he jut his head forward, "chaale open it", she pulled open the red foil wrapping and came across a box , and wondered he's bought me something to wear... he smiled as he waited..finally she opened it ..ohhh she cried as she took the item out of the box and held it in front of him..oohhh Saab ap ka white kurta jo aap raat ko pehante hain , she held it against her cheek and then brought it to her nose and sniffed it.. and went hummmh, he chuckled ,"haan aur kal raat this is what I slept in, thought you will like the personal touch!he teased, she stood up and ran and hugged him tightly .."ooohh Saabbb!...she looked up at his face "it's what I always wanted ,but kaise bolte aap ko" , she said shyly as she hid her face on his chest, he held her close ,doubled his chin and mumbled on top of her head ,"I know what you want baaaby, but won't say ..so I gave it to you any way my princess , he jogged her with his torso "chaale ab halwa de , nehi tu dhundha ho jaeya ga! ,he chuckled ,she took him by the arm ,and sat him at the table and dunked her finger in the warm pot and literally finger fed him the entire tiny pot ,.he sat and devoured her love by smacking ,licking and sucking his lower lip occasionally , she even finger wiped the sides of his mouth...he relaxed and rest his back against the chair...he certainly felt like a king today... once done... he carried the two metal chairs as they moved outside the already dying fire and they sat down on the chairs. She looked across to him and asked softly, "waise Saab ,aap tu exercise pe the tu ye sab ap ne kaise kiya? he looked at her with head yanked to one side his eyes narrow "aye Naku tera Saab bahut bare hassti hai!...what I can do ,no one really can fathom", he replied ,but after a short pause ,he added "arrey jahal aurat woh Rahman kis marz ke dawa hai?, Naku's eyes widened and he added "yes I planned it but he facilitated and implemented it, so yes we can thank him said Dutta... checked the time and yes on the dot the cab arrived.. Naku looked up in alarm, Saab?, Dutta bowed his head once ,"haan Naku its 8.30 pm now ,you need to leave now , and I'll be on my way also "he explained, "but Saab ap kyon nehi mujhe chorrne ja rehe rahe hain" ...she complained, "look Naku the cabbie is having a chance today to earn more money by your pick and drop tu why deny him that? , chaal ab collect your present and come, I'll walk you to the cab ,and look after your self ...love you baaby love you a lot" ..said Dutta as he opened the cab door for Naku. The cabbie got out and greeted Dutta. Dutta walked over and fished out a few thousands from his concealed breast pocket, "ye lo raaste mein baachoon ke leya meethi la lena ,aur unhe aram se phooch dena Dera hospital...He gave a tiny salute to Naku and signaled the driver to go... Dutta walked back to the fire and saw the tail lights of the cab disappear ,he caressed his face ,well he was damned that he would make her cry today ,he recalled the last time he dropped her at the hospital she was in floods of tears ,and her words corroded him ,you'll never know Saab what it feels like because you always walk away leaving me behind..."so Naku today I made sure that you walk away from me leaving me all alone here in the middle of nowhere ,but thujhe pata hai, I am fine ,for I know I'll see you again my love ..see you again... Dutta tried to swallow a lump in his throat which he never even felt emerge ,funny but his eyes stung to, hummhh . He pulled his phone out "haan Rahmaan jeep le ker ao edhur aur jaldi aao saara tent , saman ,bhi pack karna hai ..chaal phir mein intezaar ker raha hoon.. ordered Dutta ,and the call ended... to be continued Hamlet~ 17.2.12
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Anupamaa
