At
the stroke of the midnight hour, India became free on 15th Aug 1947. It
then remained a dominion of the British Empire till 26th Jan 1950 when
the Constitution of India declared India as finally a sovereign Nation. A
price had to be paid for achieving the Independence and the prize of
Independence continues to ask for the price even today.
Early in the 20th Century, Ernest Shackleton, a British
Adventurer, set out to explore the Antarctic. This was the one remaining
conquest- crossing the continent via the southernmost tip of the Earth.
The land part of the expedition would start at the frigid Weddell Sea,
below South America, and travel 1700 miles across the Pole to the Ross
Sea, below New Zealand. The cost of the expedition was estimated to be
about USD 250,000. The World War-I was raging and with limited finances,
Shackleton set out with a crew of 27 men on his 350 Ton Ship Endurance.
The ship got stranded in harsh winter and icy conditions, drifted off
North and finally got crushed under the pressures of ice. She sank on
21 Nov 1915 and the crew evacuated themselves to the tiny Elephant
Island. Shackleton left 5 men behind and embarked on a 800 miles of
journey through rough seas to find help. Eventually, he found help and
rescued his entire crew. Not a man died and not a man mutinied.
Somewhere in 1986 and in Shackleton's mould, Alok was a
strapping young Captain from the Corps of Engineers. Bubbling with
energy, Alok would meet each challenge head on. In 1986, he got married
to Neena who dreamt of being a lawyer. Soon, they were blessed with a
charming girl- Aneela. A year after the birth of Aneela, Alok's posting
came to Border Roads and he was posted to the remote Dibang Valley of
Arunachal Pradesh to make the first of the motor-able pathways. After
settling in Anini, the district headquarters of Dibang Valley, Alok came
on a short leave to fetch Neena and little Aneela to his remote
location. With dreams still in her eyes, Neena was happy as she
undertook the journey to Dibrugarh. Soon the three passed Itanagar and
met with the Blue colored Border Roads Jeep. Alok's driver was an
affable old Sikh. Alok's helper loaded the family's luggage onto the
Jeep's top and the family soon commenced their journey to their
destination- Anini.
was amused as Alok sat between her and the driver and the Jeep
circumvented the boulders and dirt tracks. After over 4 hours of bumpy
ride, where at many places the luggage from the top fell down as the
Jeep created steep angles of inclination, they reached a river bed.
Neena thought that they must be trying to wash the Jeep. Her amusement
increased as she saw an approaching river raft. The Sikh driver drove
the Jeep onto the Raft and the family set out on a winding 2 hour
journey down the winding river. Finally, the Jeep set for another hard
patch of journey through the boulders and then came across a large pond.
The Sikh driver got down and knelt in front of the Pond. Neena was
highly amused and Captain Alok sat still as young 1.5 year old Aneela
maintained her sleep due to the constant yaw , pitch and roll!! After a
silent prayer, the Sikh driver started the Jeep, clutched the 4 wheel
drive and waded through the Pond. The Jeep waded into wheel deep water
and came out safe at the other end.
Soon, Neena and Alok settled down into their Border Roads Accommodation
at Anini. Alok moved on with his pioneering works of creating roads in
the most inhospitable terrains and Neena would wait days on end before
Alok would come back home. Young Aneela was Neena's constant companion. A
clear weather at Anini would mark the arrival of the Indian Air Force's
medium lift MI-17 choppers. The chopper would land at the helipad near
Neena's house. The humming sound of the big blades of MI-17 would make
the entire town run towards the helipad. The MI-17 would be loaded with
all sorts of assorted items including the animals which were being moved
from place to place. Neena would pick her share of fresh but shriveled
vegetables and an occasional letter. Young Captain Alok was an
influential name in the area and soon the IAF Pilots developed a high
regard for the young lady with her small daughter. The chopper's next
stop used to be the site where Alok was blasting through the tough
terrains to make the motorable road. At times, Neena and little Aneela
would hitch a hike amidst the goats, hens and other locals to visit Alok
for a small picnic rendezvous. These rare family re-unions were
cherished with a quick bite along-with the brave IAF Pilots who kept
their rotors turning before the weather packed up. The MI-17 would again
lift up and drop Neena and Aneela at Anini before shaping course for
Dibrugarh.
Finally, the day came , when Alok laid the last piece of the road and
connected the Eastern most tip of the Dibang Valley with the mainland
India through a maze of roads. He became the pioneer as he powered his
vehicle up the road to the last point on the Indo- China Border. The
news of his achievement was rewarded with a posting to Pune. Neena and
04 year old Aneela mazed their way back from Anini to Pune via Dibrugarh
along-with Alok.
The independence of India is a gift of the toil and hard work of many
many Indians. They all contributed in their own ways to achieve the
independence and the contribution has continued through the 68 years
since Independence. The Independence would continue to demand many more
sacrifices. There are still roads to be laid and there are still places
where a hovering Helicopter stirs the citizen's frenzy. I have not seen
our venerable freedom fighters, but for sure, I have met Alok Sir and
Neena M'am. Aneela is now married and settled with her husband in Pune.
Alok Sir has since retired and is now at New Delhi. We spent the
Independence Day's eve with Col Alok Bajpai/Fox/52 and Neena M'am and
re-lived their fond remembrances of the tough times at Arunachal
Pradesh. Today, the town of Anini is a favorite tourist destination and
it is due to the grit of many an Indians who have enabled the
transformation.
Do you have it in you? If yes, then keep the prized
freedom intact and continue to pay the price for enabling this freedom
as it is a never ending process.
Jai Hind.
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