18,19 and 20th

No honeymoon for us

After marriage i could not get approval of 45 day's earned leave and had to leave my newly married wife at Fatehpur on new posting in Assam. While i was given 15 days' leave post haste, nobody tried to to get additional leave so that two strangers could be together to know each other to start new life.I contacted the Commandant of 4th Bn where i was posted as Assistant Commandant. He said that i could avail of the leave in anticipation of approval but he won't give it in writing. My father-in-law who had suffered in service due to such slips advised me to go and come back when leave was granted. Marriage had not brought cheers in the family. Their was atmosphere of despondency. The Commandant wanted me to work as Adjutant of the Battalion. I preferred a field posting.I left for Baladhan to take over as Wing Commander of the area. I was in charge of three Border  Posts in NC Hills district of Assam. These were connected by foot tracks. One could visit them by day long trek at high altitudes. Nagas hostile to Govt too reportedly moved in the area. We were quite alert about their  movement to thwart any attack by them. My father-in-law was quite worried about my safety. He was instrumental in getting my posting as SDPO Sibsagar. I spent three long months at Baladhan. Venita and i used to exchange long letters. Whatever i wrote to her  and she to me was read by IB officers at base camp, Mahur. We were operating in an Operational area.I got her open letters. She also got my open letters. This did not deter us from writing 6/7 paged letters to each other more or less on daily basis . In the letters i invariably mentioned about  the growth of a wild plant, named by me as Vini (short form of Venita's name). It was known and called as such by all in the only Jemi Naga village of Baladhan and all Border Posts of Baldhan Wing. When not patrolling, i used to spend some time playing rummy with post Commander and the Unit pharmacist,of course,without stakes.....One day a Jemy lady (about 20) came to meet me. The Post commander told that she had been selected as Miss Baladhan last year. She told me her sordid story. My predecessor,a Muslim officer had promised to marry her and lived with her in the post for three months but was not responding to her after going back to BN headquarters. I reported the matter to the Commandant. I felt bad for the lady. But could not do much. I told her that i will pursue the matter at the BN headquarters....I was given a touching farewell by the local villagers (including Miss Baladhan ) and the post. At the BN the Commandant told that he could not do anything except reporting the matter to the IGP. I did try to pursue the matter in the office of the IGP. But none was bothered about it.......In the meantime approval of my leave came. I was allowed to avail of it. I was keen to go back to Venita and left for Fatehpur as soon i got reservation which was not difficult for us to get. In a conservative family like ours there was no scope for honeymoon. We cerebrated togetherness in the scorching heat of May and June at Fatehpur and left for Sibsagar at the end of 45 days on posting as the Sub-divisional police officer.

Quotable Quotes :"The learner always begins by finding fault, but the scholar sees the positive merit in everything."Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel