Yes! I am
an Army Doctor.
We were
curious and excited when ‘Hisar' flashed on TV, that too on BBC. A small town
in Haryana, three hours from Delhi, Hisar didn't have much to boast about,
other than a famous Agriculture university and strong military presence. That
day it seems, Hisar was the hottest spot in the whole subcontinent. Temperatures
would easily touch 45 on some of the hottest days. That may not be unusual for
many in North India, but as Army Doctors what we were to encounter was heat
stroke in our soldiers as they were brought in red hot to the casualty. Few
weeks back we heard about the extreme cold claiming lives of some valiant men
in Siachen. Heat or cold, they work, they serve, they guard the nation and I am
so very proud that I could be of some service to the Armed force.
I had
never imagined that I will land up in Army with the hectic studies and campus
politics which used to involve me fully in my college days. My sister and her
husband working as civil staff in defence directorate those days had a strong
role in motivating me to join the Army as a young medical graduate. I was also
thrilled by the uniform, the shining stars, the huge repute and above all the
handsome salary which made the pauper Medico extremely happy. Little did I know
that I was to embark on one of the most exciting journeys of my life.
After joining Trivandrum Military
hospital as a Captain, we went for our basic course in Lucknow. Those two
months of rigorous training rebuilt me from a weak civilian to a tough army
man. Seldom did I do any exercise before that and would easily tire even while
running to catch a bus, but after the training, jogging and long distance
running became a passion. There was a camp in our course when we were even
trained to use a deep trench latrine, two logs of wood kept over a trench,
where we were supposed to relieve ourselves. Most of us found it very funny,
least realising that even that would be a luxury in future. I still remember
the tough training in the shooting ranges from where we all returned with heavy
bruises on the shoulders. The trainers kept reminding us that “the more you
sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. I was thrilled when we finished the
course and I could obtain the awards as the best outgoing cadet and best
shooter in the batch. We lost no time in packing our bags and reporting to our
areas of service, mine being Hisar.
In fact I was one of the lucky few
who got posting to a reasonable town where we could reach by bus and train.
Many were posted to remote areas in Arunachal and elsewhere at big heights and
far off land, where even reaching the destination was a big challenge. Posting
in a location in Army means that with that spot as centre you draw a huge circle
of a few hundred kilometres, within which you will keep moving. Mine was a
modest hospital setting in Hisar where I was one of the junior Doctors handling
the causality and daily Op. We had some academic clubs as well. But frequently
we had to move out, accompanying army units on exercise and firing missions. We
used to spend months together in the firing ranges in remote Rajasthan and live
in make shift tents. Officers have a small adjoining tent with a hole dug out,
which was the toilet. Mostly, men and even officers used to go out in the
fields in the dark to address nature’s call which was often risky as the
deserts were full of dangerous reptiles. The tents used to be erected with
snake trenches dug all around and on many mornings we used to wake up to find the
deadly night visitors trapped in them. Those were not the days of mobile phones
and communication to home was only once in a blue moon when we got access to
some village with STD facility. We used to get free envelopes to write letters
but replies would take weeks to reach. Getting back from the firing ranges and
desert tracks after months of staying in the open, even a small bed room with a
cot and a decent toilet seemed a luxury. Yet we loved it, the opportunity to
serve the nation in uniform.
Army did offer lot of aristocracy
too. I had lived in Trivandrum all along but had never visited the palace. It
was while I was serving as medical officer to a Madras regiment in Trivandrum
that I got the opportunity to visit the palace. The royal family had hosted a
dinner for all the officers of the unit. We used to have numerous parties and dinner
nights as well. The one on promotion as Major, still remains sweet to me. Parties
were there not just in the warm and cozy officer’s mess, but even out there in
the wild.
Life for the young Medico was truly exciting and adventurous. Army
took me to see the country like never before. Whether it be the golden sand dunes
of Jaisalmer, the historic forts of Rajasthan, the Chambal valleys of MP, the
gorgeous Kullu Manali, the snow capped Himalayas, the breath taking Rohthang
and Kunzumla pass, there were probably few spots left in north west India where
Army didn't take me. We could pluck fresh apples form the orchards in Himachal,
enjoy the love of people, travel in the Army trains and even tanks - life was
full of vividly colourful experience. The numerous courses Army offered from warfare
sessions to religious overviews could never have been experienced in any other
world.
Army did give me a great career too.
Not only that it looked after me as an officer but also offered me chance to
follow my passion and get trained for MD in Medicine in one of the prestigious
Medical colleges of the country, the AFMC, under some of the best academicians.
So, what was Army to me - service, adventure, fun, despair, achievement? Perhaps,
it was a mixture of all. To me the Indian Army means a lot. Twenty years after wearing
the uniform last, I am still very proud of having worn the olive green attire
and the shining stars of the great Indian Army. It did give me so much that I will
never be able to repay. I love my country, I love my Army.
Dr Sreejith N Kumar
Former
Major Army Medical Corps
