LIFE AS AN ARMYMAN
After completing the essential basic qualifications to be a doctor, my dream of seeing
the world out of my hometown(Mumbai) and facing the various challenges in life came to reality. I applied, appeared for appeared
for interview, and got selected in the elite ARMY MEDICAL CORPS on 24th June 1998 as a Short Service Commissioned
Officer.
MILITARY HOSPITAL-KIRKEE:(12 Feb 1999-13
Mar 1999) I wore my olive green (OG) uniform for the first time when I got commissioned at Military hospital, Kirkee(Pune-Southern
Command)on 12 Feb 1999 as CAPTAIN. My pride, confidence, and determination were elated to sky limits that day. Then followed
the hardship! Getting up at 0500,PT at 0600,Breakfast at 0700,Report to duty at 0800,Working tea at 1000,Lunch at 1400,Game
parade at 1700,and compulsory occasional parties at2030 at the officers mess.Oops!! On top of that, the culture, working arena
and procedures at Military Hospitals was very different and unknown to my colleagues and me. Learning right from how to salute
to presenting medical cases with a military touch, I graduated from a raw newcomer to a responsible officer
MOBC 138: (14 Mar 1999-08 June 1999)My stay at MH Kirkee was short
as we were sent to AMC Centre,Lucknow for our mandatory MOBC course(Medical officers basic course).This was inevitable so
I had to enjoy it!Can you imagine Doctors into ropeclimbing,marching,parading,running Battle proficiency tests(BPET/PPET),using
arms and ammunitions,commanding squadrons,map reading,studying army organizations,military laws,etc,etc..It was drilling soldierly
qualities into my personality.Although we had good company(Buddy doctors)and
some good get togethers,the tenure in lucknow became grim because OPERATION VIJAY(Kargil)commenced and all of us were required
there at the heart of action,real action!!
13/73 ARMOURED REGIMENT:
(09 June 1999-14July 2001)Jammu and Kashmir-Samba
I got posted as regimental medical officer in 13
Armd Regt(known as Triskiadeca)
And reached Jammu railway station to join them.To my horror,I
found the whole patch of railway network from Pathankot to Jammu absolutely deserted due to curfew!The seriousness of the
conflict was imminent in the air.My heart was thumping with anxiety.Frankly,I wasnt comfortable after leaving all my near-dear
ones.My regiment people received me at the station and taught me my 1st lesson-to smile/be normal under any circumstances.then
started my journey of leaving my medical proffesion away for a while and learning about WAR!The planning,setup,deployment,manpower,equipments,goals,analysis,formation
of combat groups,orders,execution,support,and finally emotions;everything related to WAR!!I wondered about the capabilities
of Human mind!I got unique opportunity to see live firings,militants in action,our casualties,morale of troops,etc.Thanks
to Army and thanks to the neighbours too! The middle third of my tenure in Samba was peaceful with brighter things on personal
front(Getting married,parents visiting,enjoying Cantonment life,etc)The later third was again a repetition of the first when
OP-PARAKRAM was launched;trigger being attack on Parliament on 13 Dec 2001.Again the same change in the envoirnment but this
time on a massive scale!It seemed there was no hindrance this time as the plan was to launch a full scale attack.Fortunately
it didnt happen but the 12 months long deployment was an excellent opportunity for training on all fronts-physical,mental,professional,etc.These
days ended for me as I was posted out to Ahmedabad after completing the tenure
BRANCH
RECRUITING OFFICE-AHMEDABAD (15 Jul 2002-12 Feb 2004) After the adventurous and thrilling
tenure in the northern section of the Indian borders ;I deserved a relatively cool and peaceful tenure.I was appointed as recruiting medical officer in BRO Ahmedabad.
It was an excellent tenure because ,not only did I get promoted but also god
gifted with a cute beautiful angel named MRIDINI .
The job was highly responsible-to recruit youths from the
states of Gujarat and Maharashtra into Indian army. I feel proud to say that our team under my boss COLONEL A.K THAPA successfully exploited the resources and help rendered from Govt of Gujarat and became the first BRO in the country to be fully automated even
at the rally site. It was a phenomenal achievement as it totally eliminated touting.the maintainence of records became comfortable.today,the
other BROs and many recruiting agencies are following these footsteps. I managed to take out lot of time for studying for
my PG course which proved fruitful as I came second in the common entrance test at INHS ASVINI. Today, I am released from
INDIAN ARMY service and am enrolled in INHS ASVINI (UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI)as a PG course in MS-Orthopaedics.
PLACES VISITED IN ARMY :Pune,Samba,Jammu,Rajauri,Patni top,Vaishnodevi,Pathankot,Udhampur,Dayalachak,Gurdaspur,Lasian,Pong
dam,Hoshiarpur,Talwara,Una,Amritsar,Dalhousie,Kulu Manali,Macloedganj,Dharamshala,Suratgarh,Sriganganagar,Ahmedabad,Himmatnagar,Gandhinagar,Vadodara,Surat,Godhra,Mehsana,Porbandar,Junagarh,Jamnagar,surendernagar,Palanpur,Sangli,Kolhapur,Nagpur,Chandrapur,Osmanabad.
EQUIPMENTS/ARMOURY LEARNT :
RIFLES- SLR,AK47,AK56,INSAS,SNIPER,AGL,CARBINE,LMG,MMG.
PISTOL: BRETTA.
TANKS: VIJAYANTA,T-90,T-55,MBT ARJUN
BIG GUNS: BOFORS,MEDIUM-155 MM
MISSILES FIRED: KONKUR,ATGM,MILAN.
TANK AMMN FIRED: APDS,FSAPDS
MEDALS
:
Op Rakshak,OP vijay,OP parakram,J&K Medal,Sainya seva medal.
WORK
EXPERIENCE :
Regimental medical officer(Family
Physician),Military Hospitals,Field Ambulances,Casualty evacuation,Medical officer in charge during operations/excersises/deployment,Anti
Human and Anti tank mines laying support,Health Education-Lectures,Conferences,Seminars,Clinical meetings,Presentations.
MOST ADMIRED MOMENT :
My tenure of one month in CBS(Corps Battle School) Rajauri,during
the extremes of cold in the midst of thick militancy with the pleasant company of chetana and staying in the temporarily constructed
hut by the ENGINEERS.here we celebrated Diwali with candles in the background of live crackers(gunshots).
MOST DIFFICULT MOMENTS :
1)I had to leave to Jammu for the 1st
time during the KARGIL WAR leaving my dear-near ones.
2)It was also very difficult for me to leave Chetana back in Samba
during deployments on borders especially during her early pregnancy days.
IN A NUTSHELL
The
Army asks DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?
I say the Indian Army makes a man out of
anybody,inserts dynamicity in ones personality in the form of confidence,strength,resilience,smartness,lively and positive
attitude.
Every citizen in his young days should feel the pulse of such a
life style and serve for atleast 5 years in INDIAN ARMY nomatter which branch he belongs to..
