SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain sion), I got away from my moth- (Veteran) er's gaze and decided to take a Excelsior walk. No time and space Established 1965 y relationship with Jammu of the fifties restricted my mind so I walked Jammu goes back Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra a jute sack (probably a sand bag) nothing about). I am not even ments of the city. Pedestrians ents. I was petrified by snakes, and walked, past parked vehi- Malmost 60 years. What cles and troops. I was told later and have Inder Singh, my sure what the distance was but were not permitted on the bridge then. can humans remember from the that I was missing for over two time they are aged all of three father's loyal World War II bud- there were about 10 kids in my and had to walk on a most dan- In 1957, my father's tenure dy, tether the sack to a stump on brother's tanga and Ram Singh gerous pedestrian walkway on as Brigade Major was over but hours by the time I was found World Hindi Conference years. My family and friends and restored to my mother. laugh at my ability to recall the bank and immerse the sack the tanga man would tie them up both sides and the path was bare- luckily his unit First Garhwalis, into the water. The more ingen- because they all fell asleep while ly 12 inches or so. I was mortal- moved to Jammu. We had our Jammu being close to the mong a plethora of problems that faced the coun- details of my days when I was a border has always been vulner- try after its independence in 1947, one was of lan- mere infant but there is nothing uous was my father's technique going and coming to/fro. ly scared of this walk and clung shortest move ever, from of cooling his beer bottles,in a Between Damana and Jammu to my mother as I saw the water Damana to Jammu. The GOC of able to espionage activities. I guage. Unlike big countries of the world, the US, I can do about that because pic- was exposed to the needs of A tures of the past are stuck firm- sack with a stone attached to it was a huge khud and the tanga of the Tawi swirling below. the Division I learnt much later security very early in life Russia and China, India then lacked a common language. because cool water would flow had to negotiate the down slope It was hot as hell at Damana was first Maj Gen PP Kumara- ly in the mind. Of Jammu, there because every evening the night People wondered how the country could make progress at the bottom of the current in very carefully. I have tried and there was no power. We did mangalam and then Maj Gen are just too many. password would be conveyed by the canal. Once in a while the searching for that khud or not even have a petromax but for SHFHJ Manekshaw. I never in absence of a lingua franca. The question was not to be There was no railway from the Havaldar Major to Inder brushed aside. The British propagated English language Pathankot to Jammu then, in canal would be shut down for depressed road today but never my father's homework (BMs are knew that the Tiger Div was Singh in whispers and then to and used it for official business. Though vernaculars were 1955-56. My earliest memory is such a high profile one which my father in whispers again, lest not discouraged, yet English remained the medium of of the journey from the Army produced two successive Chiefs some Pakistani spy gets to know transit camp at Pathankot with and later a third in Gen Krishna it. It fascinated me that they all expression. The good thing emanating from this policy Rao. We were now staying was that after independence, we did not feel isolated in my parents, cuddled in my spoke in hushed tones at this mother's warm lap and seated at somewhere near the Tawi bridge particular time in the evening. our global relations because English, like French, had the back of an Army 7 ton vehi- and the river flowed about a So I also joined in conveying been accepted by the world as the main binding language cle. It was raining and the water kilometer away from the house. things in whispers. That was the of the people of the world. Fortunately, India had not to go in the numerous nalas was over- We were in luxury as the house beginning of my security train- through the ordeal of learning English to run the flowing. Jammu was a sparsely had cement walls and asbestos ing. Government. Our political leaders were well educated in populated city but we were roof. Evenings were spent on My first ever trip to Kashmir shikar with my father who English, with many of them having completed their educa- headed to one of the satellite was also undertaken at this time, would walk us a distance and tion in a British university. military locations at Damana probably in a JKSRTC bus and where my father was being post- shoot 'Tilyar', a delectable table Nevertheless, the three -language formula had to be it met with an accident enroute, ed as Brigade Major (BM) with bird. Shikar was not banned then nothing too serious though. I adopted for school and college going students just the famous Brigadier (later Lt and all good faujis had BSA 12 distinctly remember the drip- because the largest spoken language in India, meaning Gen) Harbaksh Singh (of 1965 bore guns. Once in a while a pic- ping roof of the Jawahar tunnel. Hindi, had to be given space to develop in due course of fame). Damana was located nic was organized by the unit. Adoos was the favorite for the time. Although English language remained the language with the Ranbir Singh Pura The most common spot was the most delectable cold coffee and Akhnoor bridge; the same iron for official communication yet local or provincial lan- canal next to it. Our house was my parents could not get enough bridge which was the objective virtually on the canal; a mud of Suffering Moses. guages also continued side by side. Notwithstanding of the Pakistani armour in 1965. baked, thatched house with no When it was pack up time in deep set prejudice for provincial language, something I have been able to discover the power but a huge compound. 1959, after almost four continu- very natural, the Government adopting very flexible and exact spot of these picnics dur- My elder brother was admitted A panaromic view of old Jammu. Courtesy:-http://gojkl.blogspot.in/2010/06 ous years in the City of Temples, resilient attitude, gave a long time to Hindi to develop as to the Presentation Convent. It ing visits to Akhnur in the recent maintenance I suppose and succeeded. Even once in three very busy people) there was a past. none of us were happy to leave. the national language of India. The popularity of Hindi was the best school and all fau- Jammu had grown on us and we today after nearly seven decades of independence is very ji children studied there; admis- those were bad days in our house months outings in Jammu were battery powered light; the bat- The Army had many sports because our provisions were not by tanga, with my parents. A tery was recharged every two competitions in those days and had grown used to Jammu. Ram satisfactory in almost all parts of the country. The Central sion was guaranteed. I was too Singh's 'tanga', Kwality's ice small and perhaps too unintelli- cool enough and my father's very famous Kwality restaurant days. We sat in the compound for us children there was no bet- and State Governments did make substantial investment weekend beer with his head- existed somewhere near Jewel cooled by the evening ter occasion for entertainment creams, Presentation Convent's in theoretical sense to promote Hindi among the citizens gent to be given a chance at edu- annual days, Division sports of cation. So I whiled away my quarters mates was incomplete. theatre, I think. I recall that the 'chhirkao', or sprinkling of water and to munch some nice Army the Tiger Division, the RS Pura of India. Radio and television as well as the print media time in my own world. The RS How did children get trans- best ice cream served anywhere on the parched earth; all seating snacks besides sipping ice cold Canal (our ever present refriger- played significant role in its promotion and popularity. But Pura canal was our home's ported to school in those days? in India could be found at Jam- was on 'sarkandamundhas'. At Vimto and Orangeade made by ator), long journeys by bus and the largest and most effective role in popularizing it has refrigerator because its water The Army was poor in funds so mu Kwality; a particular ice night we had cobras that fought Army units. No television, no back of Army trucks; all this is been played by the film industry in Bollywood. The simple was ice cool at most times. My there were no school buses cream called 'My Fair Lady" with each other on the tarpaulin video games and no internet, we a maze of memories which gives and sweet use of Hindi vocabulary by the Bollywood mother would put milk bottles, authorized.