AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 251 of 332 8 The Lone Vigil Wg Cdr Arun Kaul Genre: Camaraderie hat our boys in the Air Force blues are ready to give up their lives is not new to me. I’ve been one of the force 20 years of my life. But all of a sudden when I come face to face with the unquestioning loyalty and patience of my men who refuse to give up even when I have done, in what is purely a personal matter, my eyes gomoist and it warms my heart. This is one such happening of Hawaldar Ram Singh. It was another cold, grey afternoon in Srinagar. We were in the middle of November, working outdoors in the lawn, our desks temporarily moved out, as we usually did in the afternoons for the little warmth that the pale winter sun sent out. I had walked indoors to collect some papers when the phone rang. It was Ashwani, my brother, posted in Kargil. The operator, used to his calls by now, had immediately connected him to me. After finishing his post-graduation in Delhi, Ashwani had joined the Intelligence Bureau and was assigned to the customary initial field posting at Kargil. Being at the enemy border, he was for administrative purposes attached to the Army contingent based in the area. Born 6 years after me, my chubby-cheeked baby brother was maturing into a tough, no- nonsense individual, even as he retained his chubby cheeks. Yet, to me he remained our munna. He’d caught me by surprise when he’d told me a few days ago that he had decided to marry his childhood friend. He would be travelling soon to Delhi to formalize the engagement. Although the years between us and my move to Delhi for my graduation kept us apart, since our family remained in Jaipur, Ashwani and I had grown closer after he grew up. “Bhaiyya!”I strained to follow his words through the howl and the crackle that accompanied his voice, and he had to repeat himself before I could understand. “You are picking me up, aren’t you?” he called out. “I am taking the bus from Kargil the day after. I’ll be in Srinagar by nightfall.” T