An elderly army couple was travelling from Delhi to Pithoragarh to attend a wedding. The small bus whirled and bumped through tunnels of dust on broken roads. Yellow dozers and JCBs worked clearing the debris.
The bus screeched to a halt, raising a shower of dust in its wake. They were at the Ghat bridge. The green waters of the Saryu river raced southward, singing over rocks. The elderly man had been a much respected general in the infantry. A tall, rugged man with flowing pepper silver hair, he looked every inch a soldier. His long moustaches imparted to him the aspect of an 18th century warlord. After retirement he had started writing books and memoirs about army service. The books brought him acclaim and satisfaction. He was working on his book called, "Be, No, Do of Generalship" when this wedding journey had pulled him away from his desk. He alighted from the bus and offered his hand to his wife and helped her get down.
They saw retired Havildar Mahesh emerge from a chai khana where two gaily caparisoned ponies stood ready for the remaining journey. Behind old Mahesh walked his son whose wedding it was. He was also a soldier in his father's Paltan. The two old comrades met and bear hugged warmly without a hint of the wide chasm between their ranks. Mahesh's village lay three hill hours away. Mahesh had been the General's batman many years ago.
The year was 1993 and Major General Sengar was then Maj Sengar. The Paltan was at Sopore, a Kashmiri town famous for its apple orchards, the Wular Lake and its free roaming, badminton playing terrorists. It was also called the militants' rajdhani.
In those days, bullet proof jackets were just being introduced and were in short supply. Issued thirty per battalion, barely 3 or 4 came to a company's share. The officers avoided wearing them thinking that the men didn't have them. The men said, if our officers aren't wearing, we shall also make do without them.
One day in Sep '93, Major Sengar was leading a column through terrorist haunted Sopore town. The ominous alleys were narrow and the houses welded together in rows. Militants started raining with heavy fire. Bullets clanged and sparked and ricocheted all around. Maj Sengar pinned in a doorway fired back at the enemy. He found himself receiving a tremendous amount of fire and he felt it was only a matter of time before a bullet found him. He saw a figure of a man come darting through the spray of bullets and jump in front of him. It was his batman Sepoy Mahesh.
"Mahesh, what gall....Get back. You got two little kids to look after back home. Get aside and stop shielding me", protested the officer. Major Sengar also had two sons aged two years and three and a half years. Mahesh had two daughters then and this son whose wedding it was, was born later.
But the adamant soldier didn't budge. He behaved like a deaf man and ignored his officer's entreaty. Other guardsmen were advancing now. Retaliating and picking up militants firing from upper storey windows. Gradually the terrorists' firing diminished and they melted away. The Guards battalion again started probing through Sopore.
After the day's battle, Major Sengar called Sepoy Mahesh and admonished him sternly, "Mahesh, why did you take such a grave risk. Why did you become a human shield for me? It's lucky that both of are alive".
"Sahab, I am assigned to you. It is my duty to protect my company commander. If a bullet had struck you without first going through me, I would have failed in performing my duty properly".
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