YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PURE BREED FAUJI/AF KID IF:
1. You were born in a Military Hospital
2. Half your toddler years were spent being looked after by
Bhaiyas or didi's(aaya) ( no xplanation here)
3. You went to school either on Bhaiya's cycle or in a Shaktiman.
4 .You know what a shaktiman is. ( No! it isnt the TV serial
about half man and half machine starring AB lookalike)
5. Jeeps & Jongas dont excite you - they were your regular mode of transport!
6 .The only alternative to the Central School was the Army School.
7. You always called Kendriya Vidyalaya Central School/KV. Gosh
even today that > sounds better!
8. Your entire family could survive in one room temporary quarters with 25
trunks, wooden crates, the dog, the bedroll and two bhaiyas flitting around.
9. The smell of Brasso & shoe polish was regular staple.
10 .Mess was not what you created in your room, it was where you went every Friday for the free "english" movie.
11 .The "English Movie" was very often a western and you couldnt follow a word! Sometimes you just went for the samosas and the local
drink that they insisted was Cola.
12. At the end of the month your dad had to pay for many pink slips showing how many samosas and local drinks that they insisted was
Cola you had consumed. They never missed any!!!
13. You attended many May Queen Balls before you knew what Miss India was.
14 .Your mother regularly got dressed, perfumed and dissappeared for the
Ladies Club.
15 .You knew towns like Mhow, Wellington, Deolali and Yole
16 You werent a millionaire but hey you had Swimming, Horse Riding, Squash, Tennis and Golf!!
14. You thought the main reason to have a Golf Course was to have a Holi Bash.
15. You can still take one quick look at the epaulets and figure out the
rank.
16. You discussed wednesday's Chitrahaar in the Shaktiman.
17 .You can still recall the special & particular smell of the CSD canteen! A special prize for the correct concoction - mine is - it was a mix of Hamam Soap, Ponds Dreamflower Talc & Surf i think. In some corners it had overtures of Brooke Bond red Label as well.
18. Your vacations were a package deal consisting of Warrants, Sharma Uncle Ka jonga and Army Mess ka kamra.
Nostalgic ain't it??? :-)
Despite being only remotely related to the fauj,the long and comprehensive list you've compiled impresses me highly.
ReplyDeleteHi Anita,
ReplyDeleteThis is Vidwan827 ...
( all other Vidwan(s) names were taken ... for the google account ... )
... I follow L A Crossword Corner ... for help when I get stuck on the difficult entries.
( ... as opposed to L A Crossword confidential, edited by puzzlegirl )...
LACr.Corner is very well written ... it is edited by a young chinese immigrant, named 'CC', ... who moved to the US, about 4 years ago, but NEVER studied here ... and not a native english speaker !!! ... her knowledge of English, parsing grammer, american culture and knowledge of US and world events is immense ... - very amazing ...
( and others, also 'guest' blog at the site ...).
Their blog on the Xword is out of this world. They give you all sorts of linkups, with hypertext and explanations, which is a great learning experience.
I am an Indian, perhaps twice your age ... have lived in the US, 30 years ... and I really liked reading your blog ... which would only appeal to another Indian, of a certain background. I never lived a life of an army 'brat', as they are referred to in the US, but I can appreciate the camaraderie and the atmosphere, that you, so reminisce about. A couple of years ago, my brother in law, in Pune, retired as Navy Commodore ( Brigd. ? ) , and now teaches in a merchant marine college.
I was educated in a public school, 'Scindia'... in Gwalior, , stud Chem Engg, came to the US and did my MBA and have lived here ever since. I have 2 daughters, 26 and 30.
May I wish you the best of luck, and alvida..... phir kabhi milenge' ... Atccha, to hum chaltey hain....