AFVOA Newsletter May 2020

Section 3 - Memoirs Newsletter No. 1 / 2020 P a g e 62 | 101 So, we landed at Kolkotha on 28 Januray 2018, and first paid homage at 4 Engineer Regiment, our mothership, which was located at Kanchrapara. The CO, Col Burman and his gracious team, treated us to some rare hospitality that we veterans had forgotten, and we felt blessed and recharged. The Officers Mess was just divine!! Naale Po Munnale was our Battle Cry and we felt ready for action. The next day, we left for Agartala, and at Hotel Sonar Tori we ate the most delicious fish curry in true Bongla style with ample mustard oil, which I love. At Agartala We began our real trip here on 29 January, and visited what we had done in July 1971, to prepare the launch pads for the war to come in December 1971. The mud roads that we built using local labor, had become blacktopped highways, and the wooden floating mar boat bridges that we had built, had become modern concrete ones. It was a singular pleasure to take Mrs Amar Singh to Amar Point, which had been named by Col Das, after 2/Lt Amar completed this vital feeder road in record time. Today it is a highway. Everything had changed – it was 50 years ago that we were here. Our nerves were tingling, and our wives felt the palpable excitement too. We planned to cross the border at Akhaura, after obtaining passes at the Bangladesh High Commission office at Agartala. We went to their office with great apprehension and were told that it was closed, and we needed to wait for two days. I took a chance and walked up to the Chancellor (with great difficulty) and when I told him that we were ’71 veterans, he was a man transformed. His alarm bells rang, and he invited the delegation to his office as VVIPs. From then onwards our trip took a different dimension. Passes were accorded in no time and the border post was alerted. The Border Crossing at Akhaura The next day when we reached Akhaura Border Outpost, a hero’s welcome awaited us. We were completely floored and had not expected such a grand welcome. The entire team of custom officials, Border Police and staff came out to shake our hands and take pictures with us. We were made to feel that we had been instrumental in liberating Bangladesh!! The Border Security forces of both countries did their usual drills to enthrall us.