C’est Vraiment Arrive! -Premiere Partie

The tittle is in French and its English translation is “This Really Happened-Part 1.” Personally, I found Paris far better than London! The flip side is that our venerable readers prefer the English language. Therefore, French is confined to the tittle only!

Yes, this really happened and I intend sharing the narrations with you. The incident took place during the 1965 war at a location in the Western Sector.

An Engineer Regiment was deployed for laying mines ahead of the forward defences, This was not known to an Infantry Battallion when they occupied their trenches. The border was fairly close and the terrain was plain and open, devoid of vegetation. In the early hours of the morning, after finishing their task, the Engineer mielaying party was returning to their Regiment and had to pass through this Battalion. “This actually happened” when they were halted by the sentry.

Sentry- Madubala Nachegi.

Capt Mohan from the Engineer Company looked at the sentry in the dim light and smiled and said, “Acha, kab aur kahan Nachegi,” he said.

Sentry – Password Kya hai.

Mohan- I do not know.

The sentry raised his rifle and shouted out loudly, “Ghutne ke bal ho Jao sab log,” Mohan’s party consisted of his sewadar only, who promptly knelt down, laying his rifle on the ground.

The sentry looked at Mohan who did not kneel He shouted out loudly “Thum bhi ghutne ke bal.”

Mohan – Tum apne Company Commander ko bulao.

The sentry again shouted more loudly, “Tum pehle ghutno per ho,” and raised his rifle mencacingly.

Hearing the commotion the company Havildar, Diler Singh arrived at the scene.

Diler – Kya ho raha Sukhdev? Ye log kaun hain.

Sukhdev – Sahab inko password nahin pata hai aur yeh border ki taraf se ayen hain.

Mohan – Dekho Havildar, main Capt Mohan hoon aur hamari party ne tumhare trenchon ke samne mine lagaya hai.

Diler- Password kya hai?

Mohan – Hamen pata nahin. Hum kayi dino se yehan mine laga rahe hain aur roz isi raste se wapas jaate hain.

Diler – Aap ke paas koi saboot hai ki aap hamari army ke hain?

Mohan - Dekho Havildar hume ghussa mat dilao. Apne officer ko bulao unse baat karenge.

Diler looked at Mohan and stepped forward pointing his rifle at him.

Diler – Chalo ghutne per ho nahin tho goli maar doonga. Tum Pakistani ho border cross karke aaye ho.

Mohan- Hum Indian Army officer hain ,,,, Before he could complete the sentence he felt the swish of a bullet pass very close to his right arm and heard the noise. He immediately knelt down and shouted out loudly.

Mohan – You bastard! Have you gone mad! You nearly killed me!

Diler – Pakiatani, tum mujhe bastard kahte ho. Ab nahin chodonga!

He pressed the trigger and fired again. The bullet went over Mohan’s head barely missing his helmet.

The firing alerted everyone in the Battallion and they rushed forward with their weapons. Among them was Major Rathi, the second command of the Battallion. He promptly instructed Diler to cease firing and asked him the reason for his actions.

Diler- Sahab, Inko Password nahin pata hai, yeh Pakistan ki taraf aye hain, hamara kehna nahin sunte aur hume gaali dete.

Mohan- I am Capt Mohan from the Engineer Regiment returning after mine laying near the border. We have been laying it, well before you arrived here.

Rathi – I know about it and was about to alert my men regarding it. Rather unfortunate.

He held Mohan’s hand shook it,

Rathi – Please proceed to your Regiment. You jeep is waiting in our car park.

Next day Havildar Diler was marched up to his Commanding officer and was demoted to Naik, not because he had fired at Mohan but beacuse of his poor marksmanship!

Major Mohan, veteran and I served together in an Engineer Regiment and are in touch.

(All names mentioned are fictitious though persons are real and alive)