EXPECATIONS FOR MESSY MOMENTS

PART  III : Portraying defense family  

                                                             ------Dedicated to Lt. Anvesh Reddy (LOVE U :))

My life until now has been full of ups and downs so as I started writing this narrative, far away from that paradise and from a different country; Apparently this time when I visited India I didn't get a chance to meet my dear brother but both of us were able to keep up with the situation .There are men sitting with rifles at altitudes of more than 15000 feet, at temperatures of -35 degree Celsius, vigilantly monitoring the Indian borders. If there’s a lapse in their attention for even a second, they might lose their lives. Is that what motivates them to get frost bites, to celebrate Diwali and their children’s birthdays in an isolated, deserted mountain far away from civilization? I am so sorry; it must be the glorious salaries. But hold on, the money does not seem to be too much; So why would any man with a sound mind, sacrifice everything; his family and comfort of living, and risk his life for an ungrateful nation which sits back and talks only of the “privileges” he gets? I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.

I don’t know why they didn’t think twice about their families that they left behind. What gave them the courage to spend days in trenches without food or water, ensuring that a fellow soldier doesn’t have to spill a drop of blood as long as he is breathing? How did they breathe at all for that long? At that altitude? And for those who didn’t, what fire must have burned in them, to die fighting a war. How is it that these men didn’t once think about the religion or caste of their brothers fighting with them in that trench, for a nation. Why did an officer take a bullet for his soldiers and die with a smile on his face? Why do we not even know the names of these martyrs whose last words were “Jai Hind”? What could possibly motivate any man to live a life of anonymity and sacrifice everything for the glory of a nation that fails to recognize his contribution? I don’t know.

All I know is that I am an immensely proud daughter. A proud daughter of a man who has given his everything, for a cause he’s believed in. The proud daughter of an exceptionally talented woman who sacrificed her career to raise a family almost single-handedly; and taught it to respect her husband’s contribution to the nation.  I am proud, because all those times, my parents were looking at the bigger picture and serving a larger family, expecting absolutely nothing in return. I was NOT born privileged because of all those perks I had as a child. I was born privileged because I had parents who taught me that living only for yourself is a life not worth living. I am privileged because I learnt through their actions and the lives they have led. They taught me that as long as you live in accordance with your ideals and beliefs, a life of passion and courage, you can hold your head high. They taught me that you don’t serve, expecting returns. You serve because it’s your duty to give back to the society, to think beyond yourself. But it was only last year that it hit me, that all the chivalry and courage I had seen in the people around me, the ridiculous amount of patriotism they had; the spirit of expectation-less commitment, the pride they took in adorning their uniforms and the fervor with which they saluted the ‘Tiranga’ shouting Jai Hind, was unique. Does it infuriate me, when people don’t value it? Yes. Do I expect them to understand the lives the soldiers and their families lead in return for a salary they could have got anywhere else; but choose to remain in the army, serve and sacrifice because of the pride they have for their nation? Yes. But if they fail to comprehend this, will these exemplary men and women stop serving us? No. They signed up for a lifetime of commitment to “Service Before Self”.