Amar Jawan Jyoti

Written on February 2, 2008 – 5:48 pm | by Lt Col (Retd.) A.K Sam Sharma |

This unit is like any other

he thought,

same flaps __________

same chaos __________

like in any other;

It was so

Apparently,

only.

Month of May

Heat……………….

Night & day.

Burning asphalt

And sandstone.

Sentry on post – all alone.

Smart & steady

Apparently…………………?

but giddy

Falls flat on his face yet

ram-rod straight;

Still.

Jeep whizzed by ……………..

Flurry of drill & arms.

crackling command

‘Present arms!’

But late.

Fate.

In righteous anger

Snarled the CO

“How dare you not

Salute?

‘Guilty or Not’? was the demand

of the officer in Command

of Second Third.

‘Not Guilty spluttered the accused NCO’

‘How dare you deny!’

was the cry

of the Tiger __________

in the Orderly Room.

‘Deprived of the Appointment of Lance Naik.’

March him out.

This is bad;

a trifle sad

This boy would have been

__________ A havildar soon.

Interview.

Let me see his point of view

( and clear my conscience )

at least.

Conclusion_________

‘You were not wrong’

I shall make up

by posting you out ________

as with out a doubt ________

I definitely have clout

with the Centre Commandant;

________ to another paltan.

‘You will rise again……………

‘Forget it’ cut in the lad,

“It is bad,

And may be sad,

But we have out pride.”

I’ll take this all in my stride,

I want to stay to the very last day

……………. of my service as a Rifleman

in Second Battalion of the Third Gorkha Rifles;

for this is where I was born

From this is________ where I’ll go”

Fabulous spirit _________

This paltan is different

Now I know

why

France & Flanders, flowered the two

VCs and earned grandeur,

Italy, the charge at I’ll Castello,

8th Army, and the scrap with Afrika Korps;

Pir Kanthi & Uri, begot battle honours and

decorations galore,

and above all fostered

It’s matchless spirit.

The ballad given above is based on my true to life experience whilst serving with the DOUBLE VICTORIA CROSS paltan 2/3 Gorkha Rifles in delhi’s Red Fort –cum- Rastrapati Bhawan during period 1979-81. I was OC Support Company, and new to this very good & very reputed and very old ( raised on 15 Jan 1891) Battallion , which has put in very loyal service in the INDIAN ARMY, no matter who was in power in INDIA. Lt Col Jayanta Chanda; my raid commander of the 1965 PENGA Raid of 4/3 GR…was the Commanding Officer.