THE BREAD CRUMBS & LIFE'S OPERATIONS

Bread forms an important constituent of our food intake today. Large variants of breads greet us in the markets and we choose our pick depending upon our tastes and health. People of all ages patronise the bread. Bread is a staple food prepared from dough of flour and water, usually by baking. There are many combinations and proportions of types of flour and other ingredients, and also of different traditional recipes and modes of preparation of bread. As a result, there are wide varieties of types, shapes, sizes, and textures of breads in various regions of the World.

          

Good old days of the yore, the shops were few in our town. Bread was considered to be a luxury and as children we used to wait for Sunday breakfast to enjoy our bread. Rest of the days, it was Chapatti (or Roti) in all 03 staple meals and with different combinations of vegetables, pickles and pulses. All 03 meals were simple to make and easy to digest. The early morning breakfast was made out of left over Chapattis of the night. The old chapattis were converted into a hand meshed mixture of Desi Ghee (Clarified Butter) and Sugar and was popularly known as Churma. High in calories, Churma along with a glass of milk would give adequate sucrose shot to the brain and as students we were absolutely live and chirpy in the school. The school break Tiffin box would contain Paranthas (Parantha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough) with seasonal pickle. All classmates would sit down together and savour the mid day meal. This togetherness built up bonhomie and long lasting friendships. The dinner was again a simple affair around the hearth where warm Chappattis would be affectionately served by the lady of the house.

          

Sundays would usually be the days when we were given a chance to indulge in the modern breads. Our city, Rohtak, had badminton clubs where fathers and sons would play games together. The clubs would start functioning from 5 am onwards and some amazing contests would take place. As children, we also got chance to play with our elders and this led us to pick the threads of the game with great ease. By Class 8^th we were matching our sporting skills with our elders and there were days when we clinched game and match from them. After the games, the entire club of 10-14 people would sit down on the roadside shop (Om’s Tea Stall or popularly known as OTS) to enjoy a well deserved bread sandwich and tea/juices. We would intently listen to the animated discussions of our elders and picked many a threads about the World happenings from those discussions and debates.

          

Soon came the time, when all my classmates were ready to move to the professional institutes. Circa 1988, we moved to our respective institutes for further career oriented courses. I along with 03 of my classmates joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Pune. I was the last one to leave for the Course and my mother had packed the food for the entire journey to Pune. The Churma tasted exotic as I finished the last of the packed items as the train moved into Pune Railway Station. The first meal at the NDA was a lunch. The chapattis were different in taste and profile than the home made ones. Soon the routine of the Academy took its count and each meal started becoming prized.

           

This was the time; the bread emerged as the most important constituent of life. Time was always at premium and in the minimum possible time, the Cadets had to fill their ever churning stomachs to the full to survive the day. Soon, I got accustomed to finishing my power breakfast ranging from a few seconds to a treasured 10 minutes breakfast. The magnificent dining hall of the NDA could accommodate almost 2000 cadets. The first day at the dining hall, I was mesmerised by its sheer size and clockwork precision in which the food operations were being handled by a calm kitchen and services staff. It was clockwork precision at work as 1800+ cadets would move in and out to have their meals in the Academy. The management of bread became a grand affair for the junior cadets. As we were being taught the nuances of military training, I saw a neat packing of sandwiches going into handkerchiefs or paper napkins. Time was always at premium and so were resources such as butter and jam. The bread was never an issue and was available in plenty. 25 grams of butter and 50 grams of jam could be used to make 5 double sandwiches to satiate our hunger. The packed sandwiches would be carried to classes and shared with mates who would then grow to become Brothers-in Arms and live with the bond forever. These sandwiches packed in various forms and methods tasted out of this world and their value can never be re-paid to the generous soul who brought them hidden in his pocket of starched uniform. Many a days of tough tone could be successfully encountered through charging of the blood’s sugar levels by these bread sandwiches.

          

The dinner at the NDA was a combination of bread and Cow Peas curry (Lobia). Hungry and raring to charge our energy levels to meet the further unknown challenges, we would wallop bread after bread pieces with the curry. The filled stomach can become empty any minute, but who was worried at that stage? Running against time, we could easily finish our meals in record time and that too with exquisite table manners. This was a grand part of the Military training. As the life moved on into the Navy, the bread moved with us as an important part of our life. Life onboard training base mess, sailing ships and then Submarines had bread in all its meals. The quantity of butter and jam grew as life moved on from a Cadet to a young Officer. The importance of each meal remained steady with the growth of life. Not a morsel was wasted as the value of food remained a high priority.

          

Today, breads of various varieties are consumed by us. We have encountered new combinations and formations of breads. The sides of the breads taste better and the fresh bread boasts of many ingredients which are marketed as elixirs for humans. The traditional Churma, parantha and chappattis have steadily disappeared from the dining tables and tiffin boxes of school going children and adults alike. Canteen and corporate lunches have now migrated to various hues, tastes and styles. The pint liquids have been added on as stress busters. Food joints near schools and colleges see footfalls from young generation and the food consumption patterns have seen a big change. New market trends are firmly in saddle now where food industry is related to fitness and other ancillary products including medicines. The cycle of stress and strains coupled with complex food and sedentary habits castes its vicious gaze on every human being. Many fall victim to the unprecedented attacks as we sit more than we walk/stand.

         

Now is the time to move, keep fit and make those bread crumbs precious. The pattern is clear and precise for each one of us. The predictions are bleak as medications are catching up with humans at an early age than before. Shall we look back and visit the good old days again-keep the food simple, walk a mile longer each day and sweat out those extra calories to meet the complex challenges of our lives. The cost of life’s operations needs a merited look, isn’t it folks?

THE FIGHTING SPIRIT

1.       Early August 1988, the early morning alarms in the mechanical, hand wound watches went off from 4 AM onwards. Every Cadet in the 1^st Term of the National Defence Academy (NDA) had a varied routine of getting up to get saddle ready for the day’s routine. The Ist Term Cadets were kept isolated from the main Academy for first 06 months to bake the youngsters and prime them up for an entry into the grand Military Academy from 2^nd Term onwards. The hard core veterans from the various Sainik Schools and Military schools were accustomed to the grind from the 6^TH standard onwards and would be last ones to wake up just minutes before the Cadet’s muster was announced. The ones from the public schools and non-military environment were the pre-Sun risers and trying to get accustomed to the whistles and Bugler’s call. As the Cadets number swells each day in the 1^st Term with newer mates joining in, the alarm routine sees many variations. By the end of July, the NDA Wing had settled down and the mind gets accustomed to the ringing bells. Those were the days when snoozes did not function efficiently if the alarm shut button of the mechanical watch had become victim of a brutal attempt to shut its high pitched bell. Being a hard core Public School types, I had also settled down into my new routine and the 4^th Alarm Bell at around 0430 Hours was my rising signal.

2.       I had joined the National Defence Academy on a few nudges from my Father. He wanted me to fulfil his dream of becoming an Indian Army Officer. The nudges were gentle and also hard, at times as I was keener to pursue a Medical degree. My first cousin’s marriage took place when I was in my 9^th Standard in 1983. The exams had got over and I had scored a good percentage. Those were the days when we used to possess 02 types of shoes- one pair of black Bata Shoes for the school and family events and one pair of White Bata Fleet Shoes. A new design and more spongy Sports Shoes with a Velcro strap locking mechanism had just been introduced into the Indian market. It was a rage and every youngster wanted to wear one such shoe. I was also not left away from such an urge and banked upon my exam performance and brother’s wedding to tilt the decision of my Father in my favour to buy one such pair of shoe.

3.       At a favorable moment, when the new bride had arrived at the home and the entire family had sat around her to conduct a “Ring Finding” game, I brought all my guts to my mouth and requested the new shoes from my father!! The hard nudge that I received in front of the entire family firmly pushed me away from my dream to be a Doctor and I vowed that I would join the National Defence Academy (NDA) to get my dream shoes. My Father gave me a princely sum of Rs 2000/- in April 1988 to undergo the NDA interview at Bangalore. I saved each penny till I cleared the final selection and bought a Rs 1400/- worth of new shoes when I left Bangalore for New Delhi after my selection for the Academy.

Opposite 12 SSB Bangalore- April 1988- After Selection to NDA

(extreme right and the shoes say it all!!)

4.       The story did not end here. It was just the beginning of a new twist into my life. The new shoes got locked in my NDA Trunk immediately on the arrival to NDA Wing and we were back to wearing the Bata White Fleet shoes. The 4^th Alarm bell went off at 0430 hours and I got up to do my rituals before the morning muster for physical training (PT). It was the 4^th week at the NDA Wing and each alternate day we were running 5-6 kms to build up our strength and stamina. These runs through cross-country routes left our not so accustomed limbs and especially legs aching and the thin soul of the Fleet Shoes did not add any succor either.

 Centered between Mates NJ Singh & Deepak Bhasker

5.       As we reached the fields for the PT, we found that a Boxing arena had been rigged there and from that day the Novices Boxing Bouts were beginning. The hard core veterans smelt fun whilst the Public School variants did not have much clue apart from a few remembrances of Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky-1” antics. The trainers at NDA are seasoned professionals and their plans are perfect. As the luck would have it, I was selected for the first day bouts and pitched against a stocky Sainik School, Bhubaneswar veteran from the other Squadron called November Squadron. A mere look at my opponent and I realized that it was an unmatched battle. Here I was a commoner, who had never fought a school or a lane fight, had done all my home works and assignments on time, had never been punished and had taken pride in my discipline. I had to sustain 03 rounds of 2.5 minutes each against my versatile opponent who by then did not understand/appreciate the meaning of being a Course mate or a Brother-in-Arms as we all become from 2^nd Term onwards till death does us apart.

6.       The only sign of good luck were my 03 classmates Satyapal Sindhu, Navdeep Dahiya and Anil Tahlan. Though these gentlemen were also in November Squadron, they opted to be my seconds. As the gloves went into my hands and a rooky head gear was put on my head, these 03 mates kept on egging me to just withstand the onslaught. They were also extremely worried and knew that my face would soon be converted into a pulp. My legs were trembling as I had never taken a punch from anyone in my 17 years of existence on the Mother Earth. The frenzy of the boxing bouts was raking the air and soon the 5^th bout of the day was announced. I faintly remember as Navdeep escorted me inside the ring and pumped in my ears,” Do not fall down, get up”.

7.       The bell was shaken by the mallet and the stocky opponent sized me up nicely and properly. He was as dark as I was fair and looked menacingly into my eyes. A little training before the bout was given by a PT instructor and I ached my mind to remember those pearls of wisdom as November Squadron raised the war cry. The boxer moved towards me and I raised my guard. His first punch landed on my chin and I hit the rope. My 03 classmates also raised the battle cry and told me to move on. Mike Squadron had fallen silent as they feared for the worst too. The punch had shaken my bare roots, but now I knew that how a punch felt. The heat had sunk in and I moved within the ring. Soon, my opponent came in again and this time. I decided to put in my best. One of my punch landed on his lips and I made the fist bloody cut. The “Rocky” inside me rose too. The opponent was very angry and annoyed. The battle had seemed a cake walk for him, but, I had managed to land a few punches and also made the cut on his face. He let go his fury on me and I also did my best to counter his brute force.

8.       The second round began and he punched me harder and harder. The frenzy in the arena was mind boggling. Each save by me was cheered loudly as a commoner fended off a titan. At the end of the second round, my arms were refusing to pick themselves up. Navdeep and Satyapal were very worried and knew that in the 3^rd round, I would be injured badly. My arms felt like 50 kgs each. They did their best to revive me and soon the bell rang. My opponent was now working against time to flatten me for a knockout. I was barely able to hit him as my mobility was not responding. Halfway through the round, his punch flattened me. My squadron Mike raised the tempo and I got up on the count of 5 to face some more barrages. My lip was cut open and I again went down on my back. But now, the bout was not in boxing arena but in the arena of the respective minds. My opponent had also tired down and his punches did not make give any pain to me. I again got up on the count of 6, fended off a few agonising seconds and the end of 7.5 minutes came all too soon. I lost the bout, but, my bar of undertaking the pain was raised from a dead Zero to a perfect Hundred. The pains and stitches remained for a few days but the fighting spirit had been inculcated, the Novices Boxing had achieved its purpose. I had arrived to follow the famed NDA Motto- THE MAKER OF MEN.

9.       My venerable opponent did not complete the Course as he left the Academy half way through the Course and I did not get a chance to be his Brother-in-Arms. I fondly remember his punches and the baking that he gave me to achieve the NDA Motto. The Fleet Shoes made the fight easier. They helped to keep the feet firmly on the ground as sweat fell like rain on the floor. They do not offer a good sponge but they ensure that the feet are firmly in touch with the ground. The good fight and the saving of a knockout earned me a few hours “Liberty” from the NDA Wing to visit Pune City. I proudly wore my Velcro Shoes and enjoyed the day out with my friends.

10.     Yesterday, I saw the epic on “Mary Kom”. I saw Mary Kom mending and wearing the same Bata White Fleet Shoes as she learnt the nuances of Boxing in the trouble torn Manipur. The movie moved the tears and the pain of that first punch on my chin came back haunting. The gentle nudges of my Father to buy a shoe only if I can afford to wear it stood stark in front of me as I saw Mary Kom climbing the hard grinding mountain called Success with the dint of her hard work and raw, brute courage and conviction. I treasure my Shoes. They have taught me the efficacy of labor, sweat, determination, conviction and courage. They have to be earned to keep the legs going. There are many out there in India’s vast lands who would one day wear the shoes that they desire. The essence of the battle is in fighting hard and strong. The opponent may be strong, powerful and agile, but, a Fighter’s spirit can win the final battle. Cheers to all the sports persons of India who have overcome each and every odd to bring laurels to the Nation. The National Flag goes up with the National Anthem playing in the background as they turn gritty battles into medals for the Nation. The fighter’s spirit is unmatched- The Fighter Never Quits, the Quitter Never Wins. Raise the bar, move on and meet the battle head on to get the glory.     

GURU DAKSHINA

The late noon Sun was its zenith. We were toddlers in a “Start-up” school at the sleepy little town called Rohtak. I and my classmates Satyapal and Rakesh Vig held our hand together as the classes got over and walked 500 metres to the main road to catch the rickshaw of Gopi. Gopi would wait near the main road to pick us up after the school as he had other children from different schools too along with him. A small canal ran along the main road and also there was an old well under the shade of a Peepal tree. Gopi had not yet arrived when we reached the assembly point. There was no soul on the deserted road as the mighty Sun blazed away to glory. Three of us were curious to see the well for many days and now were alone. We went near the well and looked inside- our cheerful faces reflected on its water holding. Playful as we were, we picked a few pebbles and created waves inside the well. Soon, the size of stones got bigger and Gopi was nowhere in sight. We dropped a big brick inside the well, it created a big wave and it hit the walls back and forth. The wave settled down and we saw the reflection of three of us being joined with our teacher Mrs Keswani. A pleasant personality, Mrs Keswani was an ex-Air Hostess of KLM and had settled down into Rohtak after her marriage to a leading Doctor of Rohtak Medical College. She held our small hands, cleaned the dust and calmly explained us about the dangers that the well posed to three of us. The well looked so docile but yet it could have led us to a fatal result. She waited with us till Gopi arrived and sent us back to safety of our homes and waiting mothers.

The Start-up School did not hold us for long. The next year, me and Satyapal moved to a bigger school called Mahendra Kinder Garten which had classes till VIth. We were happy that Mrs Keswani moved with us too. In the new school, we joined the class of Miss Taru Gupta. She was a bubbly, young girl just out of her College at Rohtak. In the days of the peak hippy culture, she would be smartly dressed in trendy faded hippy denims and would teach us all the subjects. Neither the teacher nor the students ever felt fatigued. She not only groomed us in studies, but also groomed our personalities. I still wear the same hair style that she carved out for me in 1977!! There were no PTMs as she would meet our parents every now and then and help them to understand our growth patterns. We were so fortunate that she took us right from the Prep School till Class VIth. She brought out our talents to the fore and I had the honour to lead the School’s dramatics team under her tutelage. It was great excitement as I would present the School’s credentials to the Chief Guest during the School’s Annual Function.

With a heavy heart and tears in our eyes, me and Satyapal bade farewell to our middle school and joined the VIIth class in Model School, Rohtak. Miss Taru Gupta wished us all the success and continued to monitor our progress as we kept meeting her every now and then. Model School was a big school. Each class had 03 sections and the competition was large. Coming from a smaller school, we were outsiders as compared to the older students. We had to carve out our places in the new school. The hard work of studies started getting noticed and during the Annual Day selections, I was picked up for a small role in the famed English play enacted only by our School in the entire district. The English plays used to attract large audience especially from the University and Medical College which were Rohtak’s attractions. The role was that of a servant of a rich lady. The play began on a right note but halfway through the play, the lead actress forgot her lines as I made my scheduled entry to remove the tea cups!! The curtains were drawn as audience kept rapt silence. Backstage, the play director gave a dressing down. The lead actress, a Class XIIth student pointed an accusing finger towards me, a VIIth class student for forgetting her lines!! The play director, a lady teacher, slapped me hard without investigating the matter. The Assistant Play Director, Mr Ishwar Singh Varma, was watching the whole incident unfolding. He held me tight and wiped my tears away. He took me under his wings from then on.

Next year, Mr Ishwar Singh Varma became the play director as the previous year’s failure was still fresh in the minds of the School’s management committee. Mr Ishwar Singh gave me the lead role of a 70 year old widower who manages to marry a young girl whom his son also likes!! It was a challenging and demanding role and a central character for a Class VIIth boy. The play went like a song and we re-enacted the play for 02 more occasions. Mr Ishwar Singh Varma always kept his hawk eyes on us as we grew in the School. He would always counsel us and keep our focus on the righteous path. His admonishments were never to break our growth pattern, but he would guide us always to meet the looming challenges on the horizon. His famous lines on my report card were,” Intelligence is only 1%, 99% is the preparation.” He silently and effectively nurtured our energies and helped all my classmates to transit from School to meaningful institutions. We last met him at his house, when Satyapal, Vivek Chugh and me went across to present him a Tie as a mark of our eternal respect to the man. Satyapal and I were already in the NDA and Vivek was heading towards his MBA in the Kurukshetra University.

As I moved ahead into my life, my association with Teachers has continued to grow deeper and deeper. All my teachers have influenced my destiny with their actions and thoughts. They have set forth the challenges and helped me to achieve my aims. In each role of life, a teacher emerges. The first machinery round on a mammoth Air Craft Carrier with a senior Lieutenant of the Electrical Department or the first Dive under the careful watch of the Executive Officer of the Submarine could not have been enjoyable had the Teacher inside them not emerged out. They held my hands as I went through the challenges of meeting the ultimate operational tasks of the Indian Navy.

The creative angles rest inside each of us. Teachers emerged here also and nudged the writer inside me out into the open. My writing bug was kindled by Wing Commander Unni Kartha (popularly known as Cyclic in Blog circles) and Colonel KL Vishwanathan (or Kelly). Both these gentlemen are my Squadron Seniors from the Foxtrot Squadron of the National Defence Academy. Their writings stirred my Hornets Nest and keep me going on.

The latest teacher who has made a difference into my life is Brigadier Rajiv Divekar, the present Director of Symbiosis Institute of Management Sciences. He has guided my latest thesis which I am submitting for my MBA degree. The process has been smooth and the final prints are ready for submission.

We begin our lives with friends and teachers. They are the witnesses as our lives get shaped, moulded and transforming into new avatars. They are never away from us and keep waiting for us to come back to them to seek our solaces. Can we ever pay them back for what these individuals did for us? As times have changed at a fast pace, we are witnessing a more student-teacher disconnect than the connect that should have been achieved by all the modern gadgets at our disposal. A course is getting over again in my life and I am moving on. A new teacher is emerging in my life again. This time, he is oceans away into a University in the US. He is my virtual teacher and will start teaching me the nuances of Business Finance using Digital Tools through a MOOC. I am not alone in this World with my Teachers and friends all around me. All it needs is to take a break and connect with these wonderful human beings again to regain the bliss of humanity.