AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 132 of 167 Next candidate was a twenty-one-year-old commerce graduate and his command over the languages was good. Was pretty tall and neatly attired. I did not waste much time; marked ‘P’ and asked for the next candidate. As I was looking at the application form cum CV of the next person, there was a knock on the door and a young girl, not very tall, asked for the permission and entered. I waved her into the chair and looked at ‘extracurricular activities’ that she had mentioned in her CV. Her height and build was giving me negative vibes. • ‘Black Belt’ in both Judo and Karate, • Teaching ‘unarmed combat’ training in two schools and • Teaching the ‘self-defence’ in a college in Matunga, That interested me. I took a sip of water from my glass and asked her to tell me about her ’self-defence’ training to others. Next to her house there lived a young policeman who was a trainer in the local police training center. It was him who introduced her into Judo and Karate at the age of fourteen. I went straight on to her Extra Curricular Activities. “Black Belt, aren’t you too young to be one? What made you pursue it as an activity?” She put right hand forward and unrolled the sleeves. I saw scars apparently caused by a knife. “I chased a chain snatcher. Yes, Sir, Three platforms I ran and chased him. Yes, they are my battle scars. No, during my NCC days. Kandivli station, I think. Chain snatching after the Church gate bound train started. This guy was just hanging outside the ladies compartment. He snatched and jumped out. I had to jostle my way to the door and then jump off that train that was accelerating. Nothing deterred or stopped me. Then he ran and crossed over to the next platform after the train left. So did I. On the third platform I caught him by his shirt and I tried to hit and pin him down. In defence, he swung a blade and I felt the slit and the sting. He threw the chain when grounded. Now, I just threw punches to his faces. I picked the chain, pocketed it and started kicking him. There was a big crowd around us there by then. I was wearing black shirt and jeans. A few buttons of my shirt had been ripped off. A lady there gave a few safety pins. Railway Police came there by then and caught hold of him. Someone else stopped my frenzied attack on that thief.