Yes! I am an Army Doctor.

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