AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 6 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 115 of 332 He was familiar with the Jonga and its idiosyncrasies. It was famous for its peculiar axle arrangement where wheels often took off on their own at a certain speed! That was something that had to be avoided at all costs. The lone generator was at present servicing the office where the General sat hunched over the maps calling out instructions to his command via the outdated magneto systems or the Field telephones used for communications that drew power from the sputtering generator. The radio technician was at hand to splice up any troublesome hitches in communication. The Office Supdt/ Jemadar was also hovering around to lend a hand if the need arose. So it was Hurricane lanterns that were the source of light for a ‘Dekho' of the underbelly of the Jonga. Nonplussed, the major lay down on the muddy floor and crept under the Jonga to assess the possible damages. Fortunately, the troop had hosed down Jonga before it had entered the shop floor. It was a blessing to find a clean underbelly having seen much worse in his days at this workshop. No time for reveries ... work had to be done. Naik Limbo was at work on the gear shift as usual, quick, thorough, and cursing profusely in Nepali, at all the womenfolk and relatives he could muster! This was a source of amusement to the Major who wondered how women folk were responsible for the Jongas' ills! The lone South Indian JCO, Mechanic Narsiah went to work on the brakes and muttered to the Major in companionable broken Tamil that the brake linings had been shredded beyond repair. Quick thinking and improvisations were called for. Get the spares from the store roared the Major and they were deftly cut to size and fixed into place with Narsaih beaming like a proud father! 'Test it Narsiah,' advised the Major, and Narsaih was only too happy to oblige. Narsiah turned next to the shock absorbers which had been really ‘rugdowed’ in army parlance. Work started on this valuable element considering the terrain which the Jonga had plied earlier and the route ahead! The Suspension and the piston pumps were all attended to in a brisk automated manner by Narsiah, getting the Jonga roadworthy. The engine and the chassis were the Major's domain. He would tinker with the engine once done with the axle rods, wheel nuts, and wheel alignment! The latter in tandem with the shock absorbers was an essential drill. It was already 9 pm - time for the Major's daily epistle to his wife left behind at Deolali. ‘Prem has to wait,’ he decided as he hunkered to the job. At last by 10 pm the work on the wheels was over. The rest of the workforce tightened all the errant bolts and nuts and the under chassis was clear of any fuel leaks. The silencer tube was given a thorough brush down using a Naga spearhead appropriately covered with soft bristles of bamboo! This always worked miracles! The Major, a whiz at improvisations, had once driven his car to Triambakeswar, Nasik, and back, using a band-aid to hold the accelerator cable! The engine took time as the major cocked his head this way and that to ensure smooth