LIFE LONG BONDS
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
08/VI/2024
08 June 1985 was a historic day in our lives for all those who took the final step or the ‘Antim Pag’ at IMA Dehradun, moving to greener pastures after having toiled and sweated in an ecosystem which very few have the privilege of living in.
We were in our teens with many of us sans hair to grow a moustache when we had joined NDA. By the time we had reached IMA. Battle hardened Cadets were elevated to Gentlemen Cadets.
For an Ex NDA, who had done ‘Hackle Order’ of a different kind, which meant you were ‘heckled’ to pack your bags, empty your cabin, and stand outside as if ready to go home. IMA, it meant wearing a drill order, with a hackle on your beret. What a relief it was!
I was getting sentimental. From IMA my mind drifted to NDA days, where shaving was considered as a ritual which could not be avoided on any day of the week.
‘NDA Dastoor’ was such that even if you had ‘half a hair’ on your face, it had to be shaved. Your ‘over study’ the ‘piddly third termer’ would not forgive that ‘sin’ called ‘unshaved’. The ‘ragra’ for that kept all juniors well groomed.
The Corporal a ‘do pheeti wala’ ensured that after lunch the squadron parade ground came alive with 2nd termers rolling, doing crocodile jumps, side rolling and leapfrogging till cows came home. It used to be a collective f**k session for not shaving.
Then there would be a ‘sermon from the mount’ when we were ‘herded’ by the Sergeant. The ‘teen pheeti wala’ who would blast us with lovely adjectives with us on our hands down, while he recalled our fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters so lovingly. These guys proved us to be two shades below ‘useless’, even after having gone through the SSB process.
A chap like ‘Panchu’ (God bless his soul) had at least seven years for his facial hair to grow. But the third termers had a knack of finding that one single brown hair which grew somewhere on his chin. By the way he rose to be a Lieutenant General.
Imagine, if half a hair was detected on the drill square by the Drill Ustad. It was like committing suicide after being murdered. One got away with ‘flat foots’ to ten rounds of the drill square with rifles up, if the Ustad was in a good mood. Otherwise ‘extra drills’ and even ‘restrictions’ were the norm.
Sometimes, we felt that why not shave from inside the cheeks once for all.
People never wanted to miss shaving but sometimes the circumstance used to be beyond their control. Half the night 2nd termers would be changing ‘rigs’. With Bajri order and FSMO being the dress of the night alternatively, it used to become difficult to find your shaving kit in that hotch-potch at four thirty in the morning before ‘bathroom clearance’ time for the ‘under privileged’.
‘Dry shaving’ hurt and could nick the skin. If one smelt of ‘Old Spice’ during muster, chances were someone had nicked himself. But keen eyes of the seniors could find that half mm hair in semi darkness during muster. All hell would break loose thereafter.
‘Defaulters’ would be made to exchange their on-road cycles with a seniors cycle who had a deflated tyre due to a puncture or a missing valve. Imagine you had a ‘double outdoor’ that is PT followed by Drill and you have to run for life to be on time for both. You got to be lucky not to be caught without a shave on top of that.
‘No shave’ could cost you your breakfast. Your senior sitting next to you knew that you were caught unshaven and would take you to task. You could be ‘excused toasts’ in porridge or porridge could only be taken as a ‘square meal’, the ultimate punishment.
For those who do not know what is a square meal, it was dipping your spoon in porridge, taking it away from you parallel to the table, bringing it up perpendicular to the table till face height, then bringing the spoon to your mouth, quick tilt till the contents fell in your mouth, bring down the spoon to the plate in an absolute straight line, leaving the spoon in the bowl, and hands off the table till you were ready for the next spoonful. Most of the time, breakfast time would be over by the time you finished porridge.
The price for not shaving was too high and no one took a chance. By the way we used to use shaving cakes, as shaving creams were unaffordable. Well, one can never forget those days.
Wishing my course, 76 Regular and 66 NDA and their families the very best of luck and GodSpeed. May all the departed course mates rest in peace always.
Let us stay away from politics and let religion no longer divide us. We formed life long bonds four decades ago which must stay.
Will my suggestion be understood correctly? I wonder!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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