Mishal Raheja as Major Dutta Patil
Painful Rapture ~ Chapter:37
"the lady doth protest too much"..Shakespeare
Dutta stood before the dresser in his flat in the Military School. His eyes sparkled , as he pulled a breath in and his lips slanted into crooked grin. There hardly remained a doubt that family, love, friendship all dwelt in the side wings as far as his sense of duty was concerned. He squared his shoulders as he gazed at his reflection. With weather conditions and army decorum in mind he was dressed in a dark olive green ribbed pull over, with black faux leather shoulder straps, held by gold infantry carved insignia knob buttons on either sides of his broad shoulders. Underneath he wore his olive green woodland combat trousers tucked in above the pair of ankle lace- up black polished boots. He turned around , bent his back and reached out for the black leather belt, embellished with a broad gleaming buckle. He faced the mirror again and placed his broad palm with polished nails , smoothed his jumper and encircled his belt round his waist and secured the belt clasp on top of his abdomen. He appeared well pleased with his look , clean shave and all ,he discerned his facial hairs displaying a natural poke on his cheeks ,hummh she likes it coarse and forceful, he smiled but ran his fingers on his cheeks and chin as he narrowed his eyes ,whilst he dabbed his face with his Armani cologne. With furrowed brows, he continued to peer into mirror, he'd better be braced for some unusual attention towards his person, he mused and eventually ran the brush through his hair and moved away from the mirror ,walked towards his bed side gently pulled out her white ravagedplus crumpled chunni from under his blanket bunched it up to his nose ,took a deep breath in, closed his eyes, "hummmhh see you later baby"..he whispered and folded his love life ,putting it on hold ,slid the chunni gently in the inner pocket of his lap top case. He , stood tall , and taut reached out for his olive green beret ,slanted it into position on his head, walked over to his bedside drawer unit, grabbed the mobile phone, his key fob, picked his leather brief case and made an exit from his flat. He walked in long strides and his leather boots made a strong distinct noisy swishy grind against the tiled surface he walked over . A few heads turned and saluted him as he made way towards the dining room. He entered, face firmed and expressionless and his keen eyes took in the general Monday morning focal point of Outs and tutors. He was in no particular hurry to check out who was who, so he collected a cup of tea and moved over to a single seat table and chair. His waiter arrived , saluted and placed his usual plate of sandwiches. One look at them and a lump formed in his throat, he had to forget these for a while he thought and looked up at the waiter ,wide eyed," ummhh ,sorry but not these today till further notice ,just some toasted brown bread with low fat butter ,and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice ,that'll be all thanks very much "he said as he sipped his tea and looked around. He rolled the tea in his mouth, even tea not made by her hands tastes like bloody dish water he mused aggravated . He spread his arms across the table and concluded , tu meri aadat begarte hai Naku, itna pamper kerti hai ke jina mushkil ho jata hai tera beghar, he brooded as he tweaked the corner of his lower lip,in wait for his breakfast, why do you do it Naku? is it because you want me tied to you in every way?..it's fine baby If I was with you all the time, but when I am not like now ,it's bloody hell to face the things that are exclusively linked to you ..like sandwiches...now do you do this as a strategy that engrips me, like you make sure that wherever I turn, I encounter something related to you..bas tu he tu hai har jaga Naku, kya jadoo kiya hai tuna ? pas na ho ke bhi har jagaa dekhai deti hai...," ah excuse me Sir ,your breakfast "said the waiter as he set it before Dutta. Dutta nodded ,"shukreiya", and focussed on the task at hand.
Khan perked up and nearly choked on her tea ,"this is unbelievable, it cannot be true.." she said quietly, the rest of her course mates ,their alert sense aroused looked up in the direction of her eyes. ."hain! exclaimed Kapur oh my word what a chikna!",all the officers males and females stopped breakfast mid way and stared across to where their tutor sat.."oh lordie! he went home for a long weekend and changed his look from the mighty Goliath to a boyish David! Hai hai!" mourned Rao as she beat her heart softly with her fist, "hamara pe kya guzzre gi yeh bhi nehi soocha zalim ne" chipped in Tiwari as she pouted her lower lip out. Bhatnager looked across and bit into her toast, "oh stop it you lot !love torn females! The man's shaved off his stubble what's the big deal ,underneath ,I bet he's till the same , hard hitting tough nut of a Tutor ,so I suggest ,stop leering over him!", she said dryly. But the girls were damned to let his tasty topic let slip by, "actually I quite fancy him in this look ,have you checked his skin? enviable must say all kind of glowing", continued an otherwise withdrawn Bannerjee," oye people do you reckon he goes to have facials done? jested Kapur, as he looked at Singh ,who gave a high five to Kapur and almost shouted "haan yaar ,we should get facials done too and we'll look like a pretty boy ,and all the girls will be lining up for us as well!" he chuckled, Khan who listened to everything ,silently suddenly retorted loudly, "actually he's not a pretty boy, he'ss... he's an elusive ,unapproachable man, and with his stubble shaved off he looks a lot younger and fresh, sort of un-tampered ...concluded Khan demurely. Every one stopped and looked at Khan, "oye kurriye are you sure you don't have a bad crush on him ?"questioned Kapur rather alarmed inside. Khan blushed with immediate effect and defended her self, "no I don't have a crush on Sir, why would I ,he's already spoken for ,in fact his wife to be is like a close friend to me, but yes I do admire him and respect him as my mentor, nothing more..she explained for the millionth time to her course mates. But all else , especially Kapur could not really find sincerity in her statement, so hence forth Kapur leaned forward and whispered in her ear "listen ,can I see you at some point today?..kuch kehna hai tum se Khan "he said. Khan nodded and replied "yeah sure" , without giving it much thought.
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Dutta walked boldly towards Parekh's office and presented himself before his commanding Officer and clicked his heels and saluted, "aah Dutta my dear boy , good to see you at last , here at ease and take a seat .Dutta muttered a thanks and sat down with his legs slightly apart, his hands on his knees ,in an air of formality and decorum before his senior officer. Parekh sat back straight on his leather recliner chair and placed his hands on his desk ,he studied Dutta's face and smiled, "so I note that you shaved off your stubble, you young son of a gun! so what is this aid off. Dutta flushed his lips fell apart and he almost turned his head the other way coldly but upon realising where he was he just lowered his eyes, and replied, "nothing really Sir, it was just to bring a smile on my Aye's face, sort of in way of surprise", Parekh laughed loudly, "smile Dutta , the sort of change I can see you young cad! must have created shock waves in PN... still have to say my boy innovative idea ,this image tweaking, not letting the world take things for granted, army style unpredictability Major like it! but tell me is this look here to stay or will you revert to the old school of things ..the conventional and personalised!" jested Parekh. Dutta , smiled shyly with hooded eyes and replied ,"by the response I have had Sir, particularly from one particular person ,it looks that I would be reverting to follow conventions" confirmed Dutta. Parekh nodded with a smile and jumped on to the next question, "incidentally, something I should have asked first how is AS, now?, Dutta looked up and with a firm face replied, "she seems settled for the moment , but will need monitoring of her BP ,more so by the hospital and by family members at home Sir, and I will have to visit home frequently over weekends , so just keeping you in the loop Sir", Parekh nodded in agreement, "of course Dutta, that is expected ,and even the army encourages maintaining family links, whether it be soldiers or officers ,so that shouldn't be a problem. Parekh , stood up and formally gazed across to Dutta "ok. now have you got Khan's assessment report? questioned Parekh. Dutta placed the formally completed 10 page hard copy of the assessment profile before his boss, who turned over the plastic wallet pages , and skimmed through the headed and sub-headed assessment areas of Officer Khan. Parekh, near satisfied by his fast perusal looked at Dutta, "perhaps you can summarise your verdict with particular reference to the Rifle range activity ,he suggested. Dutta stood up formally , with his hands behind his back and began, "well Sir first and foremost , I have to praise your judgement which challenged my decision about Khan's capabilities in the undercover ,unannounced assessment task she performed over Diwali. I have no qualms in admitting that I miscalculated her ability with the use of weaponry, that which became clearly evident on the firing range , she was exceptional in identifying, both static and non-static targets ,visible and non-visible ,exceptional in marksmanship or aim tested against various distance ranges, she dithered once ,but once shown the method of rifle manipulation, was brisk to learn.." Dutta paused for a moment and brought his hands foward in a conclusive fashion, "therefore, Sir I have no hesitation in recommending her for the specialist Anti terror Squad", concluded Dutta. Parekh looked at him , his brows in a slight crease , "umhh ,yes Dutta ,thanks for your succinct report ,but we are faced with a slight problem here, as Officer Khan came to see me during your absence" stated Parekh, Dutta put his hands behind his back ,and squared his shoulders , "she came to see you Sir?, slight alarm prompted Dutta to enquire "pardon my curiosity but concerning what? was Dutta silent reaction , but he decided to withhold his piece in the presence of a senior officer, "well Dutta shall I say to gather answers you will need to have a word with your pupil. I have regarding this matter set up a meeting between you and Officer Khan in your office at 11.00 hundred hours sharp this morning, that'll be all Dutta come up with a solution the squad needs able officers" concluded Parekh. Dutta , saluted and retreated.
Dutta checked his watch it was 10.30 , he had to brief his class about the next step of the course. He clutched his brief case and walked in long strides towards his classroom. He pushed open the door entered , walked over to his desk and placed his brief case, spread his legs a bit stood tall and straight on of his feet, ready and responded to the salute of his stood to attention Outs... who stared, at his face which appeared leaner, his square jaw pronounced and chiselled highlighting his indented chin, but his narrow eyes seemed the same, although now they somehow carried a deathly cold look about him in his clean shaven face. His eyes shifted gradually as he took note of his officers expressions, concerning his different look ,but his eyes allayed a bit as he observed no obvious change in their expression other than his expectations of a dead pan look., "ok officers at ease and be seated please ,he began . The officers in the process of seating rolled there eyes at each other, especially the females with a slight smirk ,little does he realize that we all had already checked him in the dining hall this morning .Dutta waited for them to settle down ,and tipped his hands towards them, "now would some like to remind us all about the next segment of your training officers?" he questioned sharply, Rao raised her hand, "yes Sir! it's surveillance and communications ,she informed, Dutta nodded and replied ,"well I am pleased to know that you are informed about your timetable.. yes so surveillance and communications is pivotal to any combat ,dispute, war, between two opposing sides, he explained, take for example past times of yore, some of the methods used were smoke signals , setting of rockets , sending sos through messages in bottles".. he paused to check their understanding, Bhatnagar, raised her hand up and sought a clarification, " what was the method behind surveillance ,Dutta looked at her with keen eyes, "well put it this way ,it's imperative to work as a unit and a team in a disputed situation, keeping each other informed at all times is crucial so that no one is left out of the circle of awareness, at all times the link between a unit must be with held in order to overpower the other side", he instructed, "to be watchful of the opponent's moves means one step ahead of your foe! , understood!" he continued. Kapur , held his palm up," in modern times where do you see these two? he enquired. Dutta held both his palms and continued, "officers, it is crystal clear that information is power, and our Army has the most powerful information systems around. Commanders must be able to talk to their units at all times whether it's by voice or data, satellite link or landline. Our IT specialists make sure we (and no one else) have access to the information we need to win" explained Dutta. Khan questioned ,"what kind of communications are used by the army?", Dutta looked at her as he replied to her, "it goes without saying that modern electronic communications systems are the means of receiving and sending information to and from any part of the battlefield". Singh ,enquired, Sir!, what other types of communications are in use by the armies of the world, not just ours, he waited upon his tutors answer, Dutta nodded his head gently and blinked his eye as he looked at Kapur with his answer ,"good question Officer, Kapur , overall in Signals, Satellite Communications are responsible for the provision of all of the Army's tactical satellite ground terminals which, in conjunction with the military satellite constellation, can provide high quality, high bandwidth communications links". With, an eye brow raised ,and a subtle lowered to the side head, Dutta visually lapped up the quizzical expressions of his pupils...verily! the same expressions he had in moments of education where taught information whizzed past the top of his head. His face tendered a tad and he gently rubbed his palms before him, as he paced before his all eyes on him class. He turned his head to face them and with a slight deep breath , assured ," ok officers wouldn't want you to worry too much about the trade jargon, never was one to believe in it , more so a hand's on person I am, with an aspiration as a teacher to transform each one of you into a modern day fighting fit soldier! So eventually you will learn about the tele communications core", he concluded as he shifted his eyes on their faces to note their expressions. Dutta veered over to the flip chart , and it was clear to his pupils he would further provide clarifications as to where this segment headed. He turned his head to note that all heads were bowed for note taking, and with a scrawl with his black marker he scrawled and instructed, "right here as they stand in no particular order are the five areas you are expected to have knowledge in, digital communications; tactical communications; satellite communications; information technology; and electronic warfare systems...now as Officers you are expected to lead and support your soldiers in these areas to score the upper hand on the opposing side", he explained "so for today after lunch we will begin with.. tactical communications, with a short outdoor activity and finish off with a short session on information technology, and for now is class dismissed" he ordered as he bent and reached for his brief case ,saluted and walked towards the class room door. He surreptitiously looked at Khan who briskly gathered her file and almost followed him hot on heels down the corridor towards his office.
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Dutta stopped in front of his office door unlocked it and turned as he felt her standing behind him," hummh officer ,yes our meeting" he said dryly and pushed open his door , stepped back as he gestured by his hand for her to enter, and closed the door . Khan's heart pounded as she sensed the enclosed space and pin drop silence of his office .He stood above her like a erect tower, strong and robust. With an influx of gradual courage she looked up into his fixed ,unsmiling face ,with an almost cowered expression. "hummh, I hear that you went to see Brig.Parekh "..and after a guttural clearing of his throat he continued, "in fact it was Brig's idea that we meet, so Khan, what is this all about ? he asked slightly irritated, and upon seeing her silence ,he rasped, "you do realize I do not have the whole day to stand here to await upon you ,so come on ,make a move". He looked down at her and decided to sit down opposite her at his desk in case she felt intimidated by his standing form. He avoided looking across at her with a degree of discomfort for it was not part of his nature to look into women's faces other than his mother, his sister ,and his woman, but he bit his lower lip and chided himself, it was only professional politeness that he makes use of appropriate body language . He took a deep breath and his lips parted to speak, but by now she had got her act together and she asked respectfully, "Sir have you completed my assessment profile, and dare I ask how I fared in it ? she questioned. He sat up straight and entwined his fingers and almost half smiled , but finished off with a nod in his reply, "yes I have finished Khan, and I am pleased to inform you that I too without any hesitation recommend that you join the anti terrorist squad, however after submitting your report this morning to Brig. Parekh, I am now led to belief that during my absence over the weekend you have some qualms about the issue", he said icily and he studied her with his narrow eyes. She looked up him and flushed a little under his rigid stare, which he dismissed completely and waited with a twitching jaw for her answer. Khan ,looked down unable to sustain his peering looks, but replied "Sir ,even though I am pleased that I have passed ,which in turn has earned me a recommendation for more further challenge , however Sir ,I don't know how to break this to the seniors and to yourself, that ,I would like to decline this sideways move" . Dutta almost jerked up ,as he pulled back his out stretched arms on the table ,only to cross them over across his chest, he took a deep breath in calmly , "right Khan , so you don't want to do it , but you haven't told me the reason for this decision, so tell me that ,now! He almost commanded with authority. She concealed her fear of his rank ,the power he held ,but continued with piped up courage, "well with due respect, there are two reasons , firstly my mamma is aging and ailing, I am his only family, as me to him, to enter into a risky job which is life threatening ,would be unfair to him, and secondly ,Sir ,within myself I feel I am not ready yet to undertake such a responsible task. Dutta , could feel the bout of rage rise within him upon hearing her answer ,but he was quick to remind himself who he was, and with who ,he blinked his eye gently and hauled himself from his desk chair and preferred to stand as he replied to her, "now Khan, as far as your first reason is concerned , we all have family commitments and responsibilities , in terms of Army personnel families ,they usually serve as a motivation for soldiers to fight to the full! as you remarked about the risk factor in the job, so in present day there are other public service jobs that can be life threatening like , policing , fire fighting, cheap labor working on high rise buildings ,window cleaners, radiologists ,nuclear plant workers..and so on.. one's life stands risk at every step one takes, so Khan ,as your tutor ,I do not consider any of your reasons good any enough to turn down this offer!" he grated. Khan , was shell shocked by his manner but continued to defend, "but Sir ,if my heart is not in it ,what is the purpose of undertaking something half heartedly". Dutta pierced her with his eyes how dare she use the word heart ,he irked ,he was more and more flabbergasted at his erroneous judgment of this ,this very able officer, "may I remind you officer as I have done so before , in the army there is no place for the romantic, poetic harp strings of the heart ,which you mentioned ,here you and I follow orders given, no questions asked ,just obey commands!"he yelled, he paused and continued his affirmation, "perhaps you are in the wrong profession, may be for now what you need to consider is perhaps moving to another profession, where there is flexibility of working hours ,where one is one's own boss and the only orders one follows are your own! he hollered .Khan's innocent oriental eyes were beginning to sting with hot tears, she never dreamt that her decision would make him react the way he did .She took off her beret and wiped her brow with her hand , Dutta swallowed and moved over to his desk to pass her a tissue. She mopped her brow and clutched her beret in her lap and looked up at his tall muscular form, "Sir I am sorry if I disappoint you ,but I had to tell you the truth, the whole truth" she said. He stood over her and looked down at her innocent face ,her hair parted in the middle, with tiny curls escaping from the parting near her forehead, and twisted into a tight bun at the back of her head, Dutta lowered his eyes turned his head towards his closed door and rolled his eyes, and gradually brought it forward to face her," yes the truth Khan, the truth is I am let down by your decision, you see as your tutor it is part of my role to encourage professional development of deserving pupils, in my professional opinion you are such an officer at the moment as it stands"..he expressed and then ,compressed his lips and went silent. He mused that Parekh had told him earlier to get results from this meeting and so Dutta bowed his head ,looked at his manicured nails and concluded that he would have to venture for that goal, after all its was his role as a tutor too that was at stake too , so he finally spoke , "now look here Khan, this role you are being offered ,weigh the prestige involved in it, only the best has to be chosen, which happens to be you, think that being part of the elite anti terrorist squad is a privilege , many would give an arm and leg for it, just to be given the opportunity to even be considered for it, let alone be given it".. he could see from her face and in her eyes ,that she was giving in to his onslaught, he squared his shoulders ,one final game move and he would have her answer, but he waited like the lion in hunt mode.. "however Khan, as someone who has known you for a short while ,I have to say I personally am deeply ,deeply disappointed by your dithering, yes very disappointed by you ,he repeated with almost a stealth concealed smile , and bull's eye ! Khan spoke. She stood up her hands behind her back her eyes looking straight up into his narrow eyes "I will do it Sir!, for I would hate to see my tutor disappointed in me , I will take on the challenge ,that you and Brig. Parekh have bestowed upon me, and continue to fulfill my role as soldier.."she confirmed. Dutta smiled down at her from his height, "well I am glad to see that you have reversed your decision, he lifted his hand and pointed his index finger at her and continued, "oh and remember you are getting this opportunity because of your exceptional ability at being a sharp shooter, presence of mind ,and great courage ..so not because of me and Brig Parekh, but your own skills and intelligence ..now any questions? he asked. Khan stood before him in full attention ,and she lowered her eyes and smiled as she looked at his boots from her hooded eyes , she heard his question and slowly lifted her eyes up to him, "yes one question Sir, when do I start the course ?"she enquired, Dutta almost threw back his head and smiled, "I hate to tell you this Khan ,but you have to finish this one first, became 2nd Lieutenant , then head for your special duties, is that clear? he asked lightly and finally said "you can go Officer and I'll let Brig Parekh know" he said dismissively ..Khan stiffened and saluted her tutor and he stood away from her and saluted back, pushed open the door to let her out . Khan left his office , a little giddy , he was disappointed in her , now for that she'll go jump in the lake ,to make him happy! she smiled as she yanked her beret on her head, oh and she was happy she was still with him for some time ..how could she let even herself know that her main reason for rejecting the prestigious course was because of him, but now the reason for acceptance was also him... . After, she left he sat down at his desk, his legs parted under his desk , and with a stroke and caress of his long slender fingers he felt the pokey spikes emerging on his face he brought his fingers to his forehead and moved them lightly to his eyes deep in thought. He moved his head to the side, his eyes set on the kaleidoscope glass paper weight. He revolved it gently in circular movements on his desk , his lips feel apart as his eyes caught the spin of the paper weight , hummh she bloody spun me around today the bloody woman !,oh yess! he grunted he was miffed in side, his senses and brain were baffled by her reactions , he was on the verge of mixed emotions surprise and disappointment, yes he thought he was surprised not by her , but more so by his flawed calculations of her as his student, how could he not see that there could have been a probability where she would fall short of his expectations...that therefore led him back to himself , is he beginning to lose his shrewd quality of being an sharp arbitrator of people? ... was his judgment turning cloudy? He sat up , he cannot let his happen ,for as a soldier in battle mental agility and the ability to give and take the appropriate ruling and decision was of paramount importance. He took a deep breath in but yes due to that he was dissatisfied with her as well, why wouldn't he be , as far as he was concerned as her tutor ,he lived in contentment that he is training his Outs to be strong leaders, ready to accept challenges at the click of fingers!, but because of Khan ,he now has to step back and review his current practices as a tutor ,he pondered. Still he smiled with a degree of contentment, he got his way in the end , so he must still have it in him somewhere ,he pressed back against his chair and folded his arms , entwined his slender fingers and rest his head on them with a chuckle said "sher tu sher he hota hai, jungle mein , ya jungle se baher !.he lurched forward and picked up the phone, "Brig. Parekh please" he commanded. "yes Dutta, so what's it to be ?asked Parekh, "well Sir the lady doth protest , but...yes she'll do it! reported Dutta ,"oh well done you son of a gun! knew you would twist her arm, excellent! work", finished Parekh, Dutta put the phone down ,ran his fingers through his hair and positioned his beret in a slant upon his head, and left his office...
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Naku walked bright eyed and bushy tailed towards her patients ward, Nandi caught sight of her and shuffled her legs to the edge of the bed and lowered them ,tips of toes poised to stand. Naku watched with a glimmering smile, and gravitated towards her and allowed her to put her arm around her shoulders , "well ,well I see the determined young Nandi has been working on exercising her lower limbs ,come on let's see if you can balance your legs to get to your wheel chair she encouraged. Nandi tottered a tad , yet by Naku's help she made it to her wheel chair with a loud sigh. Naku looked at her with amusement, "now tell me why the sigh Nandi ,kahen ye tu nehi ke you are putting on weight? and what's this? she remarked as she as poked Nandi's belly. Nandi giggled underneath a tickle , "haan Naku sitting on my back side or lying down is heaping pounds on me", Nandi admitted with a smile, "well we'd better work on stopping the pounds pile on you then shouldn't we? replied Naku, "so from today you walk the parallel bar for longer periods ,got it !commanded Naku firmly, "oh dear the task master has returned, but hello do I detect a "had a great long weekend look on your face "come did you meet him ? teased Nandi, Naku countered her patients tease by a raised eyebrow , to which a determined Nandi chivvied on , "him the man you are Major in !",she sniggered. Naku smiled shyly and decided to tell Nandi what she desired to hear, "yes my dear Nandi we met ,but only to part again" confessed Naku, Nandi pulled a face and asked directly , "tell me Naku, tum dono shaadi kyon nehi karleta? what's to stop you Naku? , Naku looked at her young patient and gave her distinctive quiet simple reply, "because my dear Nandi, I have set myself a short term goal, which is to see you become mobile on your legs again, so you see Nandi, if you want to see me married ,then you need to help me to fulfill my goal". Nandi watched Naku's face ,how self less she was ,it was almost unreal in this day and age. Naku smiled at Nandi and held her hand, "you see Nandi, life will teach you, especially so in these times ,that the profession one chooses for one's self can impinge on personal life and commitments , the real secret lies in knowing your self , recognizing what you want from your life, both in professional and personal terms , understanding how best to fit them so as to avoid discord". explained Naku , "but how do you combat a flux of events or personal commitments from bogging you down Naku, like when things just are thrown at you to deal with, asked Nandi, Naku ,smiled and nodded ,"well Nandi you set targets for yourself both in personal life and professional , which you break down into short term ,medium term and long term targets , however Nandi ,always keep this in mind that allow yourself a set time to work towards or achieve these targets ,and oh another pointer make sure the targets you set are realistic and achievable!... see with regards to your temporary disability , certain target setting was required and I am pleased to say your progress is well within the target I set for you, my marriage will come after I achieve my target of giving mobility to my first patient as a qualified PT, smiled Naku I hope I make sense, she concluded," tell me something Naku the words of wisdom that you give ,I mean ,the bhashans ,have you conidered becoming a naita! ..teased Nandi.. Naked raised her hand in a slap ,"chalk let's head for the Physio room , and get you moving on the parallel bar. Naku helped Nandi on to the parallel bars and instructed her to move forward gradually, Nandi began the activity while Naku watched over her vigilantly but also made assessment notes. She was pleased to see that with almost no help from her ,Nandi was able to bend her knee ,lift her foot and place it on the bar surface without losing balance, she walked towards Nandi as she finished her forward walk ,"now my dear Nandi your target is that you have to complete 3 forward and 3 backwards walk on this bar on your own" ,and added ,"use ke bad he you will get a hot choc treat from me in the cafe"! ,so your goal is the hot chocolate Nandi ! go smash the targets!" Naku chirped and Nandi who was about to embark on her back wards walk ,smiled and tapped her forehead with her index finger," ay ay! captain ,my captain! targets here I come! ...
Dutta walked towards his class , pushed open the door and shouted,"single file please and follow me ,he marched out and behind him walked his officers with lap tops and wireless handsets. He looked behind to ensure a single file and the school corridors occupants moved to one side as the Tutor Major Dutta heading off his officers towards the main exit door of the school building. Once out, he saw the two military jeeps ,he had ordered for his officers, for this exercise ready and waiting. Dutta ,screwed his nose a bit in the sun light and commanded "all aboard officers and remember mixed gender please", he reiterated. That brought a smile on Kapur's face as he settled next to Khan in the jeep. Dutta's eyes arrested the moment but he lowered his eyes and placed his fingers on his cheek ,"ok now officers , needless to remind you however as your tutor still will do.. here commences the short tactical communications exercises ,I am pleased to see that most of you have radio sets ,one to be shared between two, and a fully charged lap top , this here and he held one up as he stood outside on the ground within their visual range, is a bow tactical radio which provides the army with HF ie high fequency, VHF ,i.e very high frequency, and UHF ,ultra high frequency voice and data communications from formation headquarters to the fighting units, so you can envisage the range of sophistication this set holds, and yes in a paired situation, turn the radio set and get familiar with it's working." he commanded, as soon as he instructed the officers set themselves to the task and became totally engaged in task related verbal inter change . Dutta walked over to the other jeep to repeat his instruction. He sat in his jeep with his personal radio set and laptop and decided to continue the rest of his lessons on the lap top and relayed typed further information to his officers ,who were being driven in the two tele commincations set up jeeps. As the journey progressed with Dutta in the lead jeep , he switched on his radio and with extreme dexterity .typed in the messages required to be transmitted... The Outs meanwhile , like exuberant children gleaned the information he was churning out to them with his tapping fingers on his lap top.. there excitement was broken by his sudden question on their radios .."your GPS ,repeat GPS, over and out". Dissatisfied by lack of response he ordered the halt of the jeeps , jumped out of his jeep and hollered "what the hell are you doing ? having a bloody jolly? off! disembark now with your radio sets and lap tops! and sit down on the ground now! in a semi circle, he bellowed. They rolled their eyes sheepishly , caught out in their failings. "now you lot ,where the hell are you ?in the warmth of your households ! No !you are in the middle of no man's land ,with a hair breath away from death, does your unit know your whereabouts? ,of course not! you haven't notified your global positioning have you?, may I know what kept you from doing so? he demanded. "Sir , we couldn't decipher your voice" defended Kapur, Dutta pierced him with a your'e dead look, did you manoeuvre the controls of your radio to unable you to have voice access , no you didn't ! you were too busy else where I suspect" !Dutta almost slipped up ,and a perplexed Khan along with others looked ill at ease. Dutta cleared his throat ,and continued ,"right tell me your GPS now ,some one smart enough also, Bhatnagar, give me my sent briefs to you all ...come on with it we are waiting " he reinforced cuttingly, "Sir, you talked about the Bow system provides integrated digital communication network across the battle field, she answered ,Dutta gave a single nod hummh ,what else Singh ,he questioned, "well Sir ,you also mentioned that personnel in command position can acquire a secure voice and data information as well as an integrated global postioning System, answered Kapur, Dutta peered in approval as he observed heads nodding ,"right and it tells me that what I had relayed to you , has been received, so I conclude that in this session you you have gleaned some information, so we head back now for the school and after a short break resume to continue with the final in-class session on.. information technology"concluded Dutta.
They returned to the school and Dutta resumed his session on IT.The Outs all occupied seats before spanking new computers hitched on to work stations .The atmosphere appeared more relaxed as his pupils sat mostly in friendship pairs ,if there was room for such a thing ,Dutta thought as he walked in the clear space whilst he checked the officers were task oriented and not on the sly playing Solitare or something similar in the nature of past times computer games! He felt his cheeks and moved his compressed lips in to a tiny concealed hint of a smile as he mused while in a pace. He stopped with interest as he noticed ,Kapur's hands pressed on the key board, head leaned towards Khan sitting next to him at the shared computer. He sauntered over, and with hands behind his back he leaned over with a question, "anything interesting he spoke silently ,Khan with instant effect spun her swivel chair and looked into his hooded peering eyes, Kaput noticed and turned and replied , "yes Sir we were checking sites on the importance of IT in modern day warfare ", Dutta shifted his eyes from both the pupils faces on to their screens ,"hummh interesting ,try checking up past wars in the last ,say twenty to thirty years, ago, both ours and international ,like Vietnam, Gulf , Kosavan ,Falklands to name a few , and pick out the measures that have changed in the use of IT in wars".., suggested Dutta as he stroked the bottom of his lower lip, and left them to it. He walked decisively towards his flip chart ,"right just a quick verbal brief and afterwards you need to gather more information from your computers, he stretched his brawny jumper clad arm to scrawl on the flip chart ,as all eyes and bodies turned towards him in their swivel computer chairs, he began, "right the first is the over task of Signals that covers and informs of the complexities of changing IT systems, systems that are pivotal to their support to land environment. Signals and particularly use of IT gives you strategic, tactical support that help you to gain situational awareness, he instructed , but jutted his chin a bit and peered with a degree of silent sarcasm and continued , "and it promotes collaborative work plus gives you E-mail access, so find out more about over task features." He commanded. Khan , raised her hand and with innocent eyes asked, "Sir, is there a particular focus you would like us to explore? and perhaps make up a mini assignment, asked Khan. there was a general sigh that ran through the Outs ,but Dutta folded his chin and, glared at them and replied to her question for all to hear ,"yes there is Khan and everyone else ,you will need to focus on how various information systems that provide battle management systems, alongside office automation as well, and yes Khan it's commendable that you should read my thoughts on requiring a mini report from you" all he commanded, and after a pause he looked at his wrist watch and announced "you have an hour ,complete the task and then it's over and out for the day!" he declared tersely to his officers, and walked over to peer over the heads of his IT involved pupils...
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Khan , changed into a emerald green warm shalwar kameez and covered her the top half of her body with a warm ,embroidered border black shawl. She walked away from her dormitory and caught sight of a figure, dressed in jeans ,polo-neck jumper with a stylish quarter length ,dark brown over coat. Upon seeing him she recognized the figure by his turban , she walked up towards him and asked ,"Kapur what on earth are you doing here outside the female dorms?" , he smiled, "why waiting for you to emerge out of your palace ma'am" he said with a bow, " "I am glad you remembered, that I wanted to see you, and drifted over to meet me" he continued nervously .Khan ,looked around ,"what are you talking about Kapur , I came out for fresh air and my nightly short walk before I go to bed, explained Khan, "oh good ,then we'll walk together now and talk ,please Khan" he pleaded with his eyes and voice. Khan consented as he was a course mate, and yes on a number of occasions they had conversed on a subject that was of interest to her..her Sir, may be Kapur want's too talk about Sir's fantastic style of teaching...They walked together and looked at the heaven's ,a few stars blinked mechanically calling for their attention. Kapur glanced sideways at her ,and held his breath ,she was so ingenuously eye catching, her strikingly narrow dark brown ,slightly spectacular oriental eyes ,underneath , naturally curved wide jet black eyebrows ,a finely shaped nose over a set of full wide lips ,over a chin which showed off a seductive dimple ,yes there was no doubt he had yet to see a more feminine soldier than this one .She looked up at him and gave him a wide smile ,the little tight curls around her face danced in the breeze, "so come on Kapur shoot! what did you want to talk to me about?",she asked as they carried on walking towards the officers apartments. Kapur stopped, faced her and reached out for her hands ,before she could react he looked into her eyes and addressed her, "look Khan would you be terribly surprised if I told you that I fancy you?, I mean I like you ..very much, he continued .Khan looked straight into his eyes and replied," no I had an idea that you did like me" ,his eyes shone and he blurted out "and , what about you kurriye, kya tu bhi mujhe pasand karti hai?, Khan looked at him with an unflinching expression ,"yes of course I like you as a mate ,a course mate, nothing more nothing less she replied curtly . Kapur's face fell but he persisted to make his point, "no Khan I don't mean that kind of like, I mean do you fancy me as a man, he said stupidly, Khan shook her head in dismay ,"I don't believe it that in the middle of the night in the military school , opposite the officers apartments you have come up with his this preposterous proposition, have you been drinking or what Kapur"! ,she asked in jest ,as he continued to hold her hands, He pulled her out stretched arms and almost pressed her palms "oye kurriye , I am in love with you and want to marry you!" he declared. Khan, without batting an eyelid responded, "well hate to disappoint you officer but I am already spoken for within my own community, you see from where I herald, daughters marriages are arranged within the community by the elders, so officer you don't stand a chance" she explained, " Well ,I am ready to break rules to attain my love said Kapur defiantly, Khan looked at him pensively, "Kapur love does not always mean fulfillment , one can still love someone from far ,without any hope of accomplishing love in totality, for one still has within ones 'self the emotion of love for the other" Khan said with a degree of profundity, "besides Kapur you're the first to know , I may be leaving for areas of greater responsibility and so ,no hard feelings but marriage is really not on the cards for the moment, so let's make the most of our friendship and be friends forever , smiled Khan across to a devastated Kapur... for a few more seconds Kapur continued to hold her out stretched hands..
Dutta still in uniform was returning from the officers bar to his room. He was fairly sober and pleasantly light hearted , he stumbled slightly against a pillar leading to his flat and slowly raised his head up against the pillar ,he gazed into the semi lit road and squinted once like a lion to make out two figures facing each other holding hands he straightened himself and walked closer to the figures and from a distance he questioned "who goes there? and added "friend or foe? Hamlets famous line from the play.., the figures let go of their hands , Dutta approached a little closer "what the bloody hell"! and he further neared them... and looked in somewhat disbelief, "Khan and Kapur! what in heaven's name is going on he yelled..."don't you know Major Dutta does not allow romance to bloom amongst his students!.. you shall hear more from me ! now get the hell to your dorms double quick!" he commanded ,as he turned, limped and hiccupped back to his apartment.
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He just flopped face down on his bed. In a few seconds later , Rahman ,emerged and started on his duties of his jee Saar's boots, peeling off his socks to uncover ,pristine clean pink soft soles. Dutta , rolled over on his back as his long legs stuck out of the foot of the bed ,he shoved oan elbow under his head and opened his mouth, "haan Rahmaan ,bas skureiya ,mere raat ke kapre nikal do aur tum ja saketa ho, aur kuch nehi chahiya ab".."jee Saar", bowed Rahmaan and left the room. Dutta sat beside his bedside table reached out for his laptop case ,took out the white chunni from its hiding place and lifted his quilt cover put one end of the chunni round his neck and levelled the rest against his body and slid in to bed with his beloved ..," hummmh ,are you warm enough baaaby? , look Dutta holding you close ,very close to him , hummhh..and the phone rang. He smiled dreamily as he put the receiver on his ears, "hummmh, ah gaye tu Naku? hummh bol what took you so long? Thujhe pata hai mujhe wait kerna tera liye bilkul pasand nehi ,it drives me up the wall, he drawled, Naku smiled ,"Saab...ooh Saab bahut yaad aata ho ap , Saabb, she sobbed, "oye pagal aurat here's me thinking ke aaj roondhu chup hai aur tu challo ho gaye hai, tell you what ek din main bhi thujhe roo ke dekhai ga"...Naku intervened "Bappa na kere ka ap ke ankhoon mein kabhi bhi ansoo ayen" she sobbed , "haan true tu , hai jo apne Saab ke ansoo gutta gutta peene ke liya, waise tera Saab to abhi whiskey ke do peg gutta gutta charha ke aye hai ,tabhi tu tuhje apne saath lagna ka saroor kuch aur he hai...hummmhhh ahhh uff, he teased, Naku flared her nostrils , "bas karo Saab awazien nikalana ..she flirted, he chuckled ,haaa ha ,kyon na nikaloon thuje kuch kuch hota hai ,kya? he flirted back ,"jee nehi mujhe kuch nehi hoota ,Naku chided , "hain? thuj per meri ahhh! oooh hai ..ka kio asaar nehi hota ,baat sun Naku kehani thuje koi jismane problem tu nehi ? hummh if so tu Dutta ko line change kerne parhe ge ...meri gare tu pathree se waise he neeche uther giye hai! ...haaa ha he teased her, Naku giggled ,and Dutta caught on "bare haasi aah rehe hai thujhe , aur bolte hai ke kuch nehi hota...aye Naku mujhe sab pata hai tujhe tu mujhe se zayeeda kuch kuch hota hai sarf aadien dekhati hai tu, Dutta ko ghayal kerne ka liye, haina ?bol Naku , Naku sucked her lower lip in and whispered ,"waise meri safeed chunni mera kaproon mein nehi hai ,ap ka pas hai kiya? , he rolled his eyes plucked his lips and caressed the chunni entwined against his naked torso , "haan mera pas has , mera saath, tabhe tu tera sher shant hai apne sherni ke bina", he replied in a guttural tone. Naku changed the subject briskly, "Saab, aur sham ko kya kiya ?ye tu aap ne bata diya ke aap bar mein bhi gaye thi, use ke baad kya keya tha?",he was about to blow his top on her ,about asking about his work but decided to let it pass, ..."haan woh mein ne do premiyoon ke upar zoor se bomb phoraha! he chuckled..."kya kiya aap ne Saab , do premi kahan pe? aap ne unhe alaag ker diya ..Saab aisa kiya ap ne? she repeated... "oye chup ker bloody premis my foot ! zorr ke laat perni chaiye unhe...chaal ja ab sune de neend aye hai... and the call ended. To be continued Hamlet ~10.2.12
Precap: "were you ? or were you not with officer Kapur last night, officer Khan? ,kindly answer what you are asked" said Major Dutta...
but D was in no mood so whips out the phone for the mechanic and wants to get back to work pronto!!
oye of course he has to be foussed responsible aadmi hai ...
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