Mishal Raheja as Major Dutta Patil
Painful Rapture ~ chapter: 27
"the forms of things unknown"Shakespeare
It was evident that Dutta withheld dissemination of security information, he had given as much and nothing would come out of nothing!.The family, looked on in acceptance as he trailed off towards the wooden stairs which led to his room. Naku looked on reassured that he was unharmed ,and gazed at his tall stiff figure as his legs carried him up the stairs. Khan bolted up and said to Naku "Iam fine Naku I have to talk to Sir", and Naku's protested at Khan's agitation but ,fell to no avail as the officer dashed up towards Dutta's study "Sir she blurted need a feedback". Dutta looked up at her abruptly "Pardon"? he muttered "have you lost your mind Khan, this not the time nor the place, to discuss such matters" he said with frigidity . "please Sir ",she stood to attention I implore you to give me a feedback, I have a lot to sleep over ,seeing the information you have given me about me going to the anti terrorism off shoot, pleaded Khan. Dutta stood tall before her his hands behind his back, "well If you must know ,I will be presenting a written report of this serious incident, or rather assessment..however I can tell you officer your sudden collapse in a faint, upon the sound of a small blast, has some what forced me into revising my decision, as in a terrorist attack many blasts may ensue and your reaction ,however minute it may cause serious hindrance in an offence onslaught" he reported in his guttural voice ,and now I suggest that you get some sleep as we have to set off tomorrow morning back to the Military school" ,he added and went into his room.
He pottered about, in a sulk as he noticed that Naku had not, taken his night clothes out and he went to his wardrobe and pulled out his white night kurta and pyjmas and went into the bathroom to shower. He came out shortly, his red towel sitting on his shoulders and his hair wet, sat on the foot of his bed and pulled on his pyjamas. Put on his kurta ran a brush through his hair and patted on his cologne. He turned around at his made bed and looked around searchingly for his chunni ,what the hell where is it ?he moaned ,who the hell has dared to touch it ,he scowled as he tossed and turned the head cushions,in frenzy! where the hell what the bloody hell!he swore!
"Saab",kya hoya hai itne gussa ? he turned around "mera bestarr kis ne theekh kiya hai subh ?he demanded his eyes forrowed as he faced her "bol jaldi tune bunya tha kiya Naku? he roared "haan Saab mein he banya hai kyon? "Meri chuuni kahan hain you bloody woman! he bellowed his mouth screwed up "aap ki chunni Saab?oh bappa the man has serious issues", Naku held her hands up as he moved towards her and caught hold of her wrist as he blew steam at her "look lardki don't try to be smart with me ,where is tell me now! I want it now! where you've hidden it ,I am in no mood for your damned jokes ! "Saab look calm down ! I took it for it wash , it smelt " Naku tried to defend "shut up ..!!shut the #up he swore, smelt hain? pagal aurat us mein teri smell the !!!! and he twisted her arm "awwh" she cried "chorein mujhe leave me!!! she stamped her foot ,he let go off her wrist and pierced into her eyes dangerously "theek he na de!!! ,and before she knew it he viciously pulled off her the purple chunni from her neck so hard that she yelped ouch, and he put the purple chunni under his nose and took great sniffs "fine this will do", he settled down. He stood and looked at her face with cruel delight ,she looked at him while she rubbed her neck that displayed a carpet rub...he looked at it and his eyes tendered and he came towards her, held her face up and looked into her tearful eyes "ohh baaby chaal let Saab kiss it better" .she pushed his hand away ,"don't touch me Saab ,kab ab janvaar bun jata ho? Naku kabhi nehi samjhe saki aaj tek" ,he went towards her again and put his palms on her shoulders gently and said tenderly with meaning in his eyes "dekh Naku ,woh chunni meri jaan hain ,us chunni mein tu hai, ,meri theniyoon ki saathiye hai , teri judai mein mujhe tootene sa bachaati hai , jab tak ke tu meri puri tharan se nehi ho jati, mera jeena ka sahara hai woh chunni , teri kushoobo hai us mein ,and he held her close to his chest tera badan ka nisha hai us chunni mein, mera sakoon , mera sone ,mera jagna hai us chunni mein ....Dutta nehi reha sakti teri chunni ke bagher , he muttered in full vulnerability, as he held her close and kissed the nape of her neck. She released herself from his embrace and ran towards the terrace and stood against the wrought iron metal railing ,as he saw her womanly frame and walked towards her back and held himself close to her his muscular arms took her into a fond yearning embrace and his passion poured through his hands that pressed on her warm heaving belly ,and his burning lips slid on the back of her neck "thuje se maine ne sawal poocha tha koi jawab nehi deya tune ne? he asked as his lips grazed her neck gently .She continued to enjoy the moment of closeness with her Saab, "oye" her pecked at her ear and he hoarsed shaadi ker layen Naku? she held her breathe as he moaned hummm in her ear and gently turned around to face him and held his stubble face in her soft warm hands "meeri kushi aap ke kushi mein hai Saab, magar Naku jante hai ke ap ki kushi is mein hai ke phela hum done apna lakhsya pa lein jo humne kaha tha ke hum kare gayien.. I fullfil my duties at the hospital and you finish your course of tutoring , surely you would want your students to pass out first and me ,yes I would like to see one my patients , walk first and then may be we could consider marrying", reasoned Naku .. "so basically you are saying no than" Dutta moaned "no I never said no all I am saying is I know you more than you know yourself..if we marry now in a wave of passion, you would never reach your peak of happiness for you will regret you hadn't finished your job as a tutor you would feel you failed your pupils ,and my happiness lies in your happiness" explained Naku... Dutta bent his head down and rubbed both his lips side to side on hers ,and whispered "yess baaby ,but sometimes you talk too much ,now act and respond a bit..and he held her hard to devour her mouth, and bent forward on her and she leaned over the railing as his famished lips run and dragged themselves all over her long neck .. Saab ?she intervened "you'll break my back"! , "oops sorry my love" he apologized and moved back and suggested "chaal aunder chaalte hain waise bhi its' getting chilly and I don't want my baby catching a chill" he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and the two walked into his room .He let go of her and flopped on his lime green sofa and put one arm on the sofa back as he looked up at her with his mouth pulled to one corner of his dimpled chin, in a strong jut, his eyes unwilling to let go of her for even a second , "ah ja Naku" he said as he eyed and headed towards the space next to him "nehi Saab" she said as she sat on the floor her arms folded on one his knees. He gently shook his other knee as he stared at her beauty ,he took a deep breath ,tune subah wapis jaane ke tayari ker le he kiya"? he asked her, no sooner had he uttered the words that her large doe eyes met his gaze and he detected tears in them and he brought his palm to her cheek and stroked it with the knuckle of his fore finger "oye silly girl rooh kyon rehi hai , "Saaab challo Naku tayeer hai", she blurted with a glazed look .He pulled back his hand and shook his head as his lion eyes looked into hers "hain? Kya bole tu?" she withdrew "Saab mei kya bole gi", she replied shyly, "woh jo tune kha ke main tayeer hoon, I take it you meant getting married, he paused to confirm and she lowered her eyes , he sat up and sucked his lower lip "look Naku , stick to your earlier stance of realizing our short term goals and purposes ,but now let me clarify more aagar humari shaadi ho bhi gayea tu thooje kahan rekha ga tera Saab? "why in your apartment where else, Saab, she chipped in simply, main ap ka khana banayoon gi kaprete press karoongi, har cheeze kya khayal rakhooongi , he threw back his head and chuckled "waise in saab kamoon ke liya mera pas Rahman hai Naku, so tell me another reason why we need of get married"! he looked at her greedily biting his lower lip ,she lowered her eyes and shook her head "main nehi batye ge Saab she replied, "nehi batye gi? ,sun Naku tu kiya aaj pheli bar mujhese se mil rehi hai ju itna sharma rehi hai"? he said pulling her off the floor as he forced her to sit next to him on the sofa and he put his arm around her shoulder and moved his fingers in deep fondness on her neck and clasped shoulder, she looked into his drowsy eyes and closed her eyes as he touched her forehead with us, listen Naku, "kitne munnos de gi tu apne Saab ko? he nuzzled around her neck, she moved back sharply "what Saab humari shaadi bhi nehi hoi aur ap ko munnoon ke khawab ah reha hain ,and excuse me munni kyon nehi koi, don't you want daughters? she challenged, and he nodded "haan ya munnis ,but ,he chuckled as he threw back his head "oye besharaam aurat tu ready bhi ho giye hai !you must be joking! ..no bacchas yet!..I don't want my Naku looking like my munno's older tai! he teased "oye Naku tu to abhi khud baachi hai", ..he said slyly as he looked the other way his eyes lowered in a sly smile ,for a woman loves to be complimented about how young she is... but the real reason was he wanted her for himself till...
Naku walked back to her room, however an unexplained need prompted her to Khan's room ,she opened the door to the guest room and let herself in, "Khan are you asleep? she asked ,Khans 'smile led Naku to sit by her on this officer's bed. Naku held her hand " listen Khan just came into check if you were OK? began Naku , but really I wanted to say also how proud I feel when I take on board all that you stand for ,your profession ,the sample of your prowess that we all saw tonight, Naku paused a bit ,actually let this not tomorrow when we part, be good bye ,as I would really like to maintain ,contact with you, what do you think? completed Naku, Khan clutched on to Naku and smiled drowsily ,"yes this has to be a mutual admiration for each other, actually we both are alike in some ways ,like we are both small town girls ,both have desh sawa feelings, and both are brave and diehard said Khan with a laugh ,"yes we must keep in touch tell you what let's exchange mobile numbers , what do you reckon? suggested Khan, Naku laughed "yes,that is a great idea ok give me your mobile number!!. Both women exchanged numbers to keep in touch...
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After Naku was dropped off to the Dera , Dutta was submerged in his loss of her once again, ah well duty calls he thought , he will harken to the sounds of the bugle .He looked at Khan who sat at her back in her uniform. "Khan he said ,"yes Sir"! she alerted and sat up straight in the back of the jeep her hands on her knees "I would like to know the answers you're likely to give your course mates with regards to your stay at your at Patil Niwas" he enquired formally "well Sir my answer would be that it was part of a staged exercise ,which could be happen ,any time announced ,and anywhere without stipulated reasons, my job as soldier is to act as required to the best of my acquired capability and skills to encounter the enemy tactic and defend the lives of innocent unharmed persons against suspected or confirmed threats to the peace and security of the nation ,Sir!" confirmed Khan stoically, duty bound . Dutta looked at her briefly with narrow eyes through the rear mirror, "I commend you officer on your focussed thoughts, and would expect at all times that you refrain from narrating personal related substance regarding my family, he instructed, "I assure you Sir such will not happen, as I have tremendous respect for the treatment I was given by each and every member of your family, and I hold the protection of your privacy in high regard" ,she said meaningfully .
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Naku dressed in her PT uniform and went up the wards straightaway ,Nandi looked up at her straight away as she sat in her wheel chair .Naku moved towards her and smiled at her broadly ,"happy belated Diwali Nandi maaf ker de, had to dash off in a hurry so couldn't see you before leaving, here this is a small pressie from me said Naku as she pressed a small gift wrapped box .Nandi beamed and unwrapped the gift box and smiled as she saw a the tiny marble statute of Bappa "oh thank you Naku! she said as she lovingly held it on her palm while she inspected it ,do you know I needed him perched on my patients side cupboard! exclaimed Nandi, and Naku ,pulled out a bedecked and fancy red brocade kerchief and reverently placed Bappa on it ,"there what do you think asked Naku ? "I think you are the world's most caring PT who heals people by her soft touch, said Nandi dewy eyed, "hey come let's go to the therapy room shall we say I'll show you my not so soft touch , quipped Naku and both women giggled. Naku eased Nandi on the foam floor mat and sat beside her and showed her this 12.5cm x30cm roller , "now Nandi she said this is called a rumble roller ,you see the surface contains specially designed bumps that are firm, but flexible, much like the thumbs of a massage therapist, as I roll over the top of the Rumble Roller, the bumps continuously knead the contours of your body, gently stretching soft tissue (muscle and fascia) in multiple directions". Nandi asked "why do I need this action Naku? "well replied Naku, this action erodes trigger points, helps restore flexibility, and brings quick relief to common types of muscular pain, you know Nandi, by design, the Rumble Roller's bumps are firmer than muscle tissue, but much softer than bone, so they deflect out of the way if it comes across bony protrusions. Naku continued using the roller on Nandi and explained "Nandi I can control the pressure, when applying the bumps to your legs, see the bumps are closely spaced to one another 2" apart, so several of them simultaneously contact your body during most exercises. "now I am explaining this to you because you need to know the purpose of the therapeutic equipment used on you and also , if at all you wish to continue exercises on your own ,at home, which I recommend that you should do ,you'll speed up your recovery, suggested Naku, however, with a slight shift of your body, you can reduce your area of contact with the rumble roller, which increases pressure and provides deeper, more penetrating relief. "ok Nandi now I am going to change the massage action and movement from a back-and-forth rolling motion to a side-to-side rocking motion. Nandi listened and somewhat rolled her eyes , as Naku continued the exercise and explained the reason, "that's because the Rumble Roller's bumps have an asymmetrical shape that allows them to flex more easily in one direction. Now, Nandi if during rolling movements, if you try, like I am doing now the most common roller exercises, with the roller moving beneath you, you'll find the bumps flex relatively easily, and provide a wiping-type massage pressure, however, if you rock from side-to-side toward the rumble roller's ends, the bumps are forced to flex in a direction in which they're designed to be somewhat stiffer, this, Naku continued, creates a deeper "digging" pressure see! can you feel the difference? Naku questioned Nandi, and Nandi nodded "okay Nandi this rocking technique nearly doubles the number of ways you can use a foam roller. It's especially effective for penetrating dense tissue like that of your calves, as well as hard-to-roll areas like your upper lats and even your neck,if you want to use it on those areas ,but I would recommend that you continue to concentrate on your lower limbs ,as I have showed and explained to you ,and I hope I didn't bore you young lady, said Naku apologetically, "oh no! said Nandi as she touched Naku's arm, as a matter of fact your explanations have motivated me use his gadget more intensely ,tell me Naku are all the PT as committed to their jobs as you are my sweet Naku? said an awe inspired Nandi. Naku stopped and smiled at Nandi she rolled her on her back , "now look lady I shall leave this by your bed side and would like you to use it may be once or twice in between PT sessions on your bed, use it on your under leg muscles,". Nandi smiled back and gave a mock salute and said "aye !aye ma'am, so tell me did you see your military man then Naku?" Naku smiled "oh yes indeed I did! he gave me a pair of payals as a diwali gift!".. Naku said dreamily... Nandi laughed "oh it's good to have you back ,and oh yes could you can wheel me to the TV room ,you'll be happy to know I have made some friends there with some aunties we watch morning soaps together !she giggled as Naku wheeled Nandi out of the therapy room.
Naku came out of the therapy room and made way for a coffee, Harshad saw her and walked over and leaned on the table she sat on "well hello Nakusha and happy Diwali ,well some colleague you are ,you left without even wishing me happy Diwali ,dismayed he asked permission to sit down ,"be my guest" Naku said dryly, he peered at her across the table dera kaye tu kya? , he attempted to make small conversation, "yess I did briefly ..she said disinterested in him , aur us ke bad apne Saab ke ghar gaye kya? ,"well if you must know yes" she said aur kuch? she retorted ,"oh come on why are you always so short with me Nakusha? ,tune nehi kiya maaf mujhe abhi tuk , he complained,but Naku raised her palm,"Harshad this is such a repetitive subject that you consistently bring up ,can we move on , tell me then did you visit your family ? asked Naku , "erhh yes very briefly but had to return here as there was some work here that needed my attention, he explained "what work Naku? asked "I thought there were locum PTs here to grant us few days off that's why I left, "errh well I have been recently been given an additional responsibility for mobility aids" he said pulling his collars up."Oh? sounded a surprised Nakusha ,he leaned forward "oh yes Nakusha the MS called me and asked me if I would carry out the responsibility and I said I would be interested, of course, have you know that it's in an honorary capacity ,but I took it for boosting up my reference for the future..ahem! ahem!, he went, as he sipped his coffee.
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The, telephone rang nonstop as the reception staff felt in inundated with calls hello "yes this is Lauren head of PT dept. Military Hospital put me through to the MS please.. yes of course one moment ma'am said the reception and pressed a few buttons and shortly said you're through "hello Ms.Tendulkar, how are you this is Lauren", "why yes Lauren haven't spoken to you people for a bit ,how are things ticking away at the military hospital up there?" asked the MS, "yes everything is fine ,actually I wanted a huge favour from your hospital", pleaded Lauren, yes how can we help ?asked the MS, "actually we were wondering if at all, is it possible for us to have about 8 wheel chairs on loan ,you see our stock is in the shipping process ,but in the mean while there are patients here who are ready for wheel chair aid to boost their recovery progress and independence, so I was wondering if you could oblige us" requested Lauren. "Yes that' shouldn't be a problem, however I will have to check if we have any spares, I tell you what I'll get back to you later on this one ,in the mean while Lauren you leave it with me ,and give my regards to your MS ,and glad to be of service.. said Ms.Tendulkar ,and instructed her PA to ask Harshad to come to the MS office.
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Dutta ,picked up his leather brief case slid on his beret at an angle and made his way out of his office towards his classroom .He entered, tall, smart and stiff ,walked up to his desk and placed his brief case on his desk turned, with his hands behind his back and legs stationed apart slightly, and began in his guttural authoritarian brisk manner "I trust you have all had a restful break ,and are ready for the your piece of dessert the ,officers stood erect and looked into his face expressionless , Kapur kindly refresh our memories regarding the brief for today ,as I suspect that, there may be some haziness in attitude in terms of time table, he said with a slight sarcasm. "Sir" said Kapur "the lesson today involves a brief on our first field exercise, said Kapur, "that's 'correct" said Dutta and looked up to read a certain alertness in the eyes of the officers .please be seated he ordered, and all sat ..
Dutta, gravitated towards the flip chart easel and scrawled in bold with the marker Field Training Exercise briefing ,"now as you are aware from your timetables this is the next bit of the course in the 2nd and 3rd weeks, ok let's do some mind mapping and I suggest that you make some hard copies or notes, for your selves, he commanded so I'll fire some questions he said as his eyes narrowly scaled his class how many platoons ? he questioned "well Sir we could have two of 7 and 8 said Rao ,yes he nodded once, mixed gender may I remind you! Rao smiled "of course Sir, shelter and meals?, Dutta questioned, "yes Sir each platoon builds their own shelter, and meals yes 3 meals a day per, soldier said Kapur, humm and will the meals be in a ration sequence? questioned Dutta ,I suggest they should be he said firmly, as he delicately ran his forefinger on his forehead and he continued "and each platoon should have a commanding officer, who maintains an inventory of all sensitive items ,which he or she will provide a copy of to the supplies officer, is that understood, reinforced Dutta. He folded his arms and continued the "FTE is a three phase operation officers and lasts for two weeks ,he stretched sideways and scrawled Phase 1-Preparation, so questions ,thoughts , he waited "Sir, to confirm location said Bannerjee, and Dutta wrote the idea and added "yes correct but not without a recon, Dutta, waited and looked up for more from the officers, "Sir a commander will explain concept and assign platoon duties stated Chauhan, "yes said Dutta and then the platoon officer in charge will back brief their plan to the commander on their assigned FTX responsibilities, and the commander will then provide a detailed summary of the operation to the High command , this is so you can clearly see the detailed accountability and order of procedures, that which is of vital importance in war operation, explained Dutta clearly ,as he stared at his class to detect heir understanding. He looked up and enquired "any questions so far"? Khan said Sir "do we need authorisation in terms of location assimilation? Dutta looked at her "good question Khan and the answer is yes you will require permission from range control of the area to erect a road barrier, dig fighting positions, erect wires, coordinate medic support and furthermore you'll need to give them dates ,location and grid ,have you understood stated Dutta as he looked up to see his officers making foot notes . Dutta raised his hand and pointed a finger and added, "and you have to test all these before going to the field". Dutta noticed that his soldiers looked a bit nonplussed at the details that had so far emerged, he explained "he as the commander of the operation will over see the setting up of the shelter, there will be battle drills including reaction to ambush ;reaction to in direct fire, reaction to enemy contact. "Now! he commanded your lessons for the rest of the next two days is to read up and make notes on and he scrawled, patrolling techniques ; please make a note ,make notes on patrol base fundamentals; movement techniques wedge, ranger file ,he stopped and stared at them, then find out about hand and arms signals, like go, halt, enemy direction, wedge ,file, pace count ,head count etc, he explained, as more and more eyes rolled, he paused "and for heaven's sake don't look so aghast ,I expect you to know about his any way ,you are all 2nd lieutenants ,and yes if you need memory joggers than use goggle ,he said acidly, right thats' not all he continued "find out about light and noise discipline; POW search AID and litter teams ,have you understood? he challenged as he looked at them with narrow lion like eyes. Dutta and scribbled in bold principles of defence "ok any thoughts ,"Sir would that be standard for a two man fighting? asked Singh loudly ,"right but not quite officer are you going to forget the hasty one man fighting postion? Dutta retorted back , He continued to write Fieldcraft, "and in this Dutta pointed with his pointing stick "comes your personal hygiene and compass skills ,he instructed. Dutta wrote in bold the word tolerance, "ok now a quick word on compass skills ,this has to be built up so a gradual increase by 4 hours throughout the FTE, also Dutta reminded with his palm raised, "practice threat weapons on a uniformed dummy, and another thing officers the focus at all times should be on discipline he wrote, for in the field each soldier is his own worst enemy, he said with eyes that pierced with gravity. Dutta, wrote in bold pre-combat inspection , right any ideas on this one? Dutta questioned his eyes narrowed, "Sir the inspection ensures that the soldiers are appropriately packed and that their clothing is water proof "contributed Subramanium, Dutta nodded and said yes correct, carry on what else? "Sir continued Subramanium, platoon officers will maintain a serial number inventory of all sensitive items, including miles". Dutta paused briefly and announced "ok officers 15 minutes tea break and the lesson will continue afterwards! the officers gave a small sigh of relief, which he noticed and gave them a wandering freezing look! The officers stood to attention and saluted and left the room. The cafeteria was hubbub with other course tutors and OUTs, Dutta helped himself to a bottle of room temperature still water and held it to his mouth ,Khan stood by his side shyly ,"Sir shall I get tea for you then? she asked innocently "no ,Khan I am settled with water thanks , but you grab a drink or something, he replied formally and busily looked away.Khan moved away from him and smiled ,interesting she believed, he actually looked out for me and told me to get a drink, maybe he is softening towards me , "oye Khan edher ah! called ,Bhatanagar, from a table occupied by her course mates "hey you didn't tell us about your stay at his residence, "well replied Khan as she lowered her eyes but remembered his privacy protection ,and lifted her eyes up ,there's nothing to relate ,you all know I couldn't go home due to landslides ,so General Parekh arranged for me to go to h Major Dutta's residence, as he knew the family and because both officers were duty bound for my care and welfare so ,I was sent there before you go any further Sir has an exemplary family his mother, sisters and brother "ohhh shrilled Rao brother!is he as dishy as Sir is ? ,"listen stop it" said Khan agitated, "wait! wait" so is he? or is he not? the officers asked , Khan had a blank look on her face and camly said "well I don't know what you mean listen stop it let's go back Sir is on his way back to the lecture room" .Dutta, walked past and looked at the officers lowered his eyes ,compressed his mouth and went back to the lecture room ,he took his marker without delay and scrawled in bold. Suggested course of Action, "ok or in other words officers deployment ..day 1. "right officers Dutta explained, expanding his long slender beautiful long fingers ,"first you have training areas your TAs and then you have your hunting areas ,HAs . "now please note Dutta explained utilize soldiers who cannot foot march out to the site. Postion someone to spot the enemy; now receive your ammu, and set up the barrier with guard, also make sure you send an report to the range control, he said in complete control. "Sir" ,asked Venkatesan , "could you please outline the tasks of the rest of the platoon. 2. Yes continued Dutta, with his brow furrowed and eyes piercing his class "the platoon or company will foot march at least 10 klm to the site. 3. no one does any setting up of tents/digging until the perimeter is verified by the commander. 4. The platoon officer ensures that wooden pallets, concertina wire, a fire extinguisher, radio, and a tarp to cover the ammunition. "Sir what about guard duty" asked Gavde, Dutta looked at her... 5. "Yes guards rotate regularly throughout the FTE , stated Dutta. Kadam asked timidly "Sir once the company has arrived what would be the procedures to follow , Dutta nodded and put his hands behind his back "ok officers he continued in his guttural tone 6. once the site is established, you break down into responsibility roles ,he raised his hand and peered at the officers ,the platoon officers will conduct a terrain walk after dark to familiarise ,he said firmly ,some officers rolled their eyes at each other, but Dutta continued with a firmed stiff face and also, he continued "ensure that radio signals are working and guard status is maintained, once that is done, officers the platoon can bed, confirmed with one nod of his head...
Dutta looked at his officer's ok we now look at day 2. Dutta wrote 1. "point one platoon gains accountability of personnel equipment, can anyone explain what could be point 2?, invited Dutta, Singh chipped in "Sir, to eat breakfast ,conduct hygiene and camouflage self and equipment ,Dutta nodded as he suppressed a smile at Singh's contribution. he turned towards his class as he wrote point.. and on seeing that his officers looked blank he spoke and wrote 3. "Prepare fighting positions around the platoon perimeters, he was pleased to note that they were clued on as he determined that he was losing them. He turned with his mouth pulled to the right and scribbled point 4. any contributions officers sir, next would eat lunch and conduct, drill said Khan and paused, Dutta looked at her and helped her complete, "camouflage Khan" he said and she stared into his eyes and said "yes Sir construct and camouflage shelter halves." Dutta nodded and looked at the class. He wrote 5. and continued in a commanding voice as he wrote on the easel "right after all clear, platoon eat dinner, and then begin to construct a two man fighting position to maintain standard of platoon, he firmed up his posture .He turned to face the class, "ok officers to sum up" he said standing before them his legs slightly apart 6. the final point for day 2, would be that the platoon commanders continue to reinforce training, review platoon ,battle drills and compass skills ,and yes he said as he raised his palm and said with gravity, "to maintain 50 percent security throughout the night, he paused briefly and joined and pointed his fingers forward. "Take a half an hour lunch break and report at 13.30 for the rest of the lesson" he commanded . They saluted and he stalked out of the lecture room .
The cafeteria was as usual brimming with lunch seekers and there was general chatter amongst officers eating and commenting about. Dutta queued up with the the rest of the people however officers of junior ranks moved out of his way in front, Dutta spoke with a stiff face "stay where you are officer you shall remain in front of me" the officer stood to attention pleading and Dutta repeated coldly "that's an order"!. She stood behind him in the queue she could almost feel him ,so close to his tall broad frame ,this man whom she supped with at the table of his home. She stood and looked at his back and lowered her eyes as she fondly recalled the jibes angled at her Sir,and bit her lip or rather Naku's Saab ,she shook her head, as the little kiss curls flickered around her chiselled ,slightly high cheek boned oriental face, with a sigh she realized that Dutta had gone from his place in front of her in the line she looked sideways and found him sitting next to a fellow tutor tucking into his green leafy salad ..she ordered and collected her lunch and morosely joined her fellow officers on the round table ,Singh sat opposite her and whispered to Kapur "sarder ji waise kehana partha ga ye Khan soni kuri hain ,"oye watch it if sir finds out teri ankh us per hai to tu gaya man! ,and both the men chuckled even the rest of the officers noticed Kapur had the hots for Khan ,Bhatnagar ,daggered him with her looks "oi watch it Singh! ,don't give us these cheap leering remarks" ,"what! said Singh come on we were justing admiring our fellow officers ,Bhatnagar ,continued ,"oh stop it stop being so patronising" she snapped. Khan put her hand on Bhatnagar's arm "just ignore them ,besides remember we have to work with them" .Dutta saw his officers and glared at them he was certainly not going to stop and remind them of the time and he with long bold strides walked out .The officers left their plates and scrambled out of their chairs straightened their uniform and in heavy step raced to the class right in time, proceeded to their chairs , stood erect and saluted to the their tutor who stood near the easel. "Stand at ease and be seated" he, ordered He wrote day 3 FTE, "right point, he began 1. and he looked around "Bose give us the answer ,"Sir conduct stand to ,hum Dutta nodded, he wrote point 2. "Kadam next please" he commanded "Sir to conduct personal hygiene, eat breakfast and re-camouflage" ,Dutta almost smiled at his timid Mahrasthrian lad. Dutta wrote point 4. "Ok this one I report to you you'll be examples of how to conduct lane training; chosen platoon members need to move as a member of a fire team; also you need to learn reactions in war for example Dutta explained "to react to indirect fire, react to contact, apart from this you will be given experience of aid and litter team activities. "Sir, will there be a lot of foot march involved" , Rao asked Dutta looked at her sharply and said in a factual voice "INFANTARY he scribbled on the easel "means foot soldiers, so let it be known to all that yes there will reinforcement of land navigation skills with legs approximately 300m in length, and yes may I let you know that the walk squad leader will be the evaluater. ,and good Rao for bringing it up as it was point 5,and may I add another issue here that you can take note of is that you will learn to rotate compass, finished Dutta. "Sir will there be any lesson on compass course? questioned Gavde, "there can be, but really I expect that you would be au fait with use of a compass seeing that you have passed intial military training Dutta confirmed strictly ,"but I would like to point out here that all soldiers are to stay off roads thorough out the course. right the last and final point would be that the platoon commanders will have their platoon members fill in all the dug the holes and trenches, take down all the shelters ,pack and police the area till transfer vehicles arrive and you are transported back to base. Dutta took the marker and clicked it's lid back on and faced his class and spoke in a guttural voice "right officers thank you for your output ,I hope that today's lesson gave you a quick synopsis of field training exercise, and I suggest you continue with your readings that I have given you, he said in finality, and paused briefly and then announced , "incidentally your next lesson will be either on assault course or obstacle course ,I shall inform you via the notice board scheduled so I suggest that all of you be on the ball , he reaffirmed "that will be all officers ,class dismissed .They all stood and saluted in unison .Dutta accepted their salute and collected his brief case and walked out of the lecture room and all the lady officers followed his frame with their eyes...
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Khan's phone rang and she fished it out of her breast pocket , "hi ,Naku, kaise hai?" ,"yes me fine" ,haan just finished our lecture gosh bahut lambe tha, now don't ask me what it was about giggled Khan, "nope won't" said Naku, "but what I will ask is did Saab have lunch"? queried Naku, Khan giggled again, "haila Naku , worried about Sir ,I should have known, yes he did my friend thore sa green salad kahya tha ,leave him alone sir is a grown man Naku, he can look after himself you pamper him ,chaal tell me did you eat yourself or have you been fretting about Sir, chaal listen ,take care have to dash off now library mein reading kerni hai .see you pal" ..and the call ended.
Dutta , entered his office and placed his leather brief case on his desk ,humm he thought ,the lecture today frightened the little blighters! he chuckled as he sat down and ran his finger over his brow ,well those who are thinking about a cushtie life style perhaps need to think anew he mused .prrring prring ,he reached out for his mobile and his mouth stretched into a smile and his eyes looked down boyishly ,"haan bol naku kya thaleef hai? he said as his chest shook a little with amusement, "Saab kaise baat kerte ho apni Naku se", she flirted, "okay chaal tu phir tu baata kaise baat karoon tera se ,kuch love numbers bolon , yeahhh baaaby want you ..wannnt you now" he drawled, he could hear her giggle , "Saab mujhe ap ye bato ke aap ne lunch mein sirf green salad kyon ghaya" demanded Naku ,Dutta sat up alert "kya? he raised his voice "thuje kaise pata chaala?, tu kio batakti atama hai kya? ,she giggled , "oye shut your face and tell me this instance how the bloody hell did you know? ,he roared, "well I have my informers , replied Naku Dutta was agitated ,"informers Naku what is this? you keeping bloody tabs on me , he yelled "ohh Saab please calm down" ,"no I will not! let me have you know, I am not amused, for it makes me uneasy got that ?and what it tells me about you is that you don't trust me and no shut up and don't bloody butt in ,ye tera pyar nehi hai Naku tera insecurity hai!! .and he hung off... he sat and racked his brains for a bit, who? ,Khan of course he thought ,he didn't need rocket science to work that one out...of course how typical of Naku to befriend her or use her as a sleuth!... he will need to be mindful ,all the more for security reasons if not anything else!
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Harshad entered Ms.Tendulkar office, and stood before the MS. "Yes Harshad thanks for coming is some covering your duty? she asked, "yes ma'am Nakusha has taken over ,it was her tea break ,so yes I am covered for a few minutes he replied. "Right I'll come straight to the point ,the military hospital has asked for a loan of 8 wheel chairs ,so I would like you to oversee the final check and delivery of this requested stock ,any problems?. Harshad looked up slightly perplexed "ahm no ma'am it's just that I was wondering how much time would I be allocated to complete this task and who would be the locum who'll fill in for my PT duties?, he enquired. "Yes Harshad, I think two days should be sufficient, all you need to do is to check the stock and deliver it to the destination, and as far as locum is concerned , yes my choice would be Nakusha ,she has good management skills she can manage her patients as well as yours, decided Ms.Tendulkar, "ok Harshad that'll be all"...Harshad stepped out of the MS office,this was an opportunity and it would be stupidly to let go off ,he needed to act now as things were in his favour... to be continued Hammie. 12.11.11
Precap: "ye load karo, aur ye wali peeche rekho, kahan rukna hai main bataoon ga tumhe", said Harshad
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