A soldier is going to be allotted his first posting ever since he joined the Army. He feels a sense of determination to serve the nation and his fellow soldiers are trying to encourage him. They try to make him comfortable by talking about each other’s experiences – how it feels when you get your first duty call, their family, town, marriage, children, and so on.
There is a lot of laughter in the air. Isn’t it amazing when you are far away from home yet it still feels like home? Even in the absence of blood relations, there is a relationship of brotherhood connected by a string of patriotism.
One soldier has been thinking about the tasks that he has to do when he returns home, the other is already talking over the phone to his closest, making lovely promises of returning soon, some are humming their favourite songs of Kishore Kumar or Mukesh, reminiscing their glorious past of having their first ragda at the training centre, earning their first salary, getting married, having their first child, while slowly pulling out his wallet and looking at his family picture . Suddenly, the bus jerks to a halt. All the banter dies down.
“Everybody relax! There was a rock on the road.”
And, the conversation continues. All of them reach their respective units.
One question that is being asked over and over again is – why is this happening to our innocent soldiers? My intuition says that they are the ones who are the strongest amongst us, And to all the citizens who feel safe in their home, gathering up on roads, chanting out patriotic songs, changing WhatsApp profile pictures, sending forwarded messages, updating their facebook status, faking the grief.
One thing that I can’t resist to say is that – don’t just burn candles, it will douse in a few hours. Nothing will change by doing all this. Instead, incite the flame in your hearts which will actually help you progress in your life and you can still play your part in serving the country. Do something real, and in case you really want to help, please stand with their families at this hour.