Being good and bad...

The classroom door banged opened and the class came down to pin drop silence, seeing the commander. "is there a fight going on?" "no sir". Someone replied from the back in a low voice. "you are panting like an animal.calm down." "yes sir I am fine". I replied,and went back to my seat. "dont fight.ok?" "yes sir". The class replied in the same voice. When the door was closed again, the whole class started discussing about the whole incident which happened a few minutes ago.
I hope you remember us partying in our dining hall, late night. Most of them do so,a few in their bunks too. But I was surprised,moreover shocked to see the leftovers of someone's party in the classroom. Floor was stained and a polythene cover containing a pepsi can was also leftover. I waited for the person who partied to clean the place. And in a few minutes,the place was clean, but didnt know who did the job. While the lecture was about to begin one guy passed the same polythene cover and asked to keep it in the front. That was just an absurd idea,as the instructor will see the place as untidy. So my mallu friend refused and passed it back. Now the other 'northie' started arguing for no reason. The whole class' attention turned towards them. My friend stared for a while and that provoked the northie. He kicked and stamped on my friend's chair ruthlessly, just like an uncultured person. I got fed up. "naresh behave yourself" I shouted. "mather ch0d, chup re bho$&i ke.."he shouted back to me. I raised from my chair and warned him again. "y are you interfering in their matters?" another northie questioned me. "just because he s my friend and I cant see him being insulted by anyone."
"tho phir aja bho$&i ke." saying this he charge towards me. I stood there while others stopped him approaching me.. He was struggling to get near to me, shouting more and more absurdities. "dosth hein tho aja sale, dum dikha thera." saying this he somehow managed to give me a push on my chest. Now frankly speaking I am such a person who dont get into any kind of fights, and who surrenders even if the person on the other end is wrong. But if someone challenge me like this then I dont think about the history of the person on the other end,nor about my future. I just fi ght back. I rushed to him with my fists closed,ready to make his nose bleed. But my friend pulled me back,while others tried to keep away the other guy. Words were flying in air like daggers,while the commander literally broke into the scene. I was panting like anything. I could smell adrenaline in my nose,which was sufficient enough to make the other guy smell blood in his nose. "is there a fight going on?".....
In one sense, it was a good day. If the commander saw our fight,things would have gone wrong for both of us, at the same time, I had to see my friend being insulted by his counterpart. I dont know whether I did the wrong thing today. After reading this,my new blog visitor,my dad would be saying that what I did was wrong. But being bad for a good reason is good, isn't it?.. What do you think?

Life onboard..

If there is someone who hates rain,come onboard with me to the ship. Every morning we pray for rain,so that we can skip morning PT. Thats how our day begins here. Welcome to the second phase of my training...
Our day begins by the pipe's call (a small curved pipe that produce a soft sound) usually referred as hands call at 0530 hrs. We pick up out toilet kit and rush not to be late,for the fresh water will be available only for the next 10mins. Shave,brushing or anything else using water which forms the routine has to be completed within this short span. At 6,we gather for morning pt. It ends at 0730hrs. Again the fresh water will be available for the next 10 mins.
Soon after breakfast, people designated as messmen for the day carries out cleanship,and rest of us arrange our beds to the so called ship state condition. Believe me,ship is a congested place to inhabit for us,but a paradise to bed bugs,cockroaches,rats and diseases until and unless we keep it clean.

Lectures are boring,a few are good. Its the time meant for second slumber until we hear the announcement "hands to lunch ". The much awaited lunch and sweet dish vanish from the kitchen in no time. But that is the time I hate the most. There are a few rascals who always break queues and fight for food. And believe me I dont stand there with my hands tied and mouth shut as before. I react,and atleast a few have changed their attitude.

Evenings are beautiful. We may get an hour's liberty,which is more than enough to have a 'chai n snack'. Dinner begins at 1830 hrs,but we go to bed only by 2230 hrs. Dinner will be light on account of the snack and taste. So we order buffer food via civilian bearer. This is the best part of stay. Upto 2000hrs we will be fiddling with our phones,and soon after that,when we settle for study periods,we will be struggling with the apetite to have porotta,or brosted chicken and the fizzy drinks.

Privacy is the factor which lacks here. May it be the bathroom or the bunker. If there is a piece of biscuit,there will be a hundred hands to share. So eating under cover,is not just a matter of stealth,but a matter of survival. 4 mallus and a manipuri forms our peer. We have found the serving berth of mess as a cover and the big blower pipe's platform as a haven to have food. The duty cooks will b doing their duty adjacent to our dining area. So we have to be extremely careful not to crack jokes, whisper and not to choke and cough while having food in a haste. Even the soft drink bottle has to be opened without a single fizzy noise. Thats the funniest part. We learn how to communicate through actions. Sometimes certain looks even convey some meanings. Thats how we learn about each other, thats how we learn comradeship... Will be back with more stories. This is just a beginning.. Stay tuned.

Tangled in a knot..

I was waken up from a sweet dream. But I was sweating profusely and couldnt make a sense of what was happening around me. I could see the faint light falling near my bed through the hatch of deck. I twisted my wrist and the indiglo screen showed a time of 0234 hrs,and the bunker was like an oven as there was no ac vent near to my bed. Usually there used to be a fan far away from my bed,but that breeze was more than enough for me. I just went to check out what was wrong. The fan was switched off on account of the chill air comming out of the vent,and the fan was secured in such a way that it was facing the adjacent beds. 'Selfish rascals'..they have ac and cant lend me the fan,and dont even have the generosity to turn the fan towards me. I felt the knot with my fingers,but it was some random multiple knot which we tie with an intention that it should not be opened in a lifetime. I tried to pull out the knot. Nothing worked.

Hmm...May b I have to get it ripped with a seaman knife. Mmm... Nope that wont be a smart act. My hands should be clean. Like a thief, I began the operation. I pulled the knot desperately,but with no success. At the end I thought to give up and go back to bed. Soon I remembered my divisional officer's words. 'Deepak,u give up quickly.' miles away,days much behind, those words were pricking my mind. I tried pulling. After some time my fingertips were paining like anything. Still I kept pulling. Somewhere In between,i felt the knot becomming loose. I thought that I may be hallucinating,but it worked. I looked at my watch. It said 0308. I oriented the fan towards me,switched it on,and closed my eyes enjoying the breeze...

"What a fucking story!" this might be the thought that goes through your mind.... "u screwed my time telling a story about knot. U should have used a blade and saved our tym,asshole."-jana may comment.

By the time I laid on my bed,i remembered the essop-birbal story of the man who dared to stand in a lake on an icy cold night,and when king asked how he could survive, he said that he saw a faint light somewhere far away in a house. I think u know rest of the story. The words of my divisional officer said above was something that hurt my mind so badly. But today I felt it like the faint light which enlightened my spirit to fight and survive. This post is dedicated to a friend and to all readers who are tired of being strong. At times we are about to give up,think about moments we were underestimated. Try to prove them wrong. You will win...