The Girl Who Joined Infantry

CHAPTER- 10

The cab dropped me near the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre.

We ( me and dad, mom couldn't come) arrived here the day before. Dad came with me near the rally centre, but then lingered behind. I was on my own. The place was already full of candidates, thousands and thousands of them. All boys.

As I walked through them, trying to locate the area for checking in, they looked at me weirdly. I decided to ignore them.

Was I the only female candidate?

I found the check in area just in time. There was only one boy before me. He left and I placed my papers on the table. The person in charge looked at me and frowned. " Only candidates are allowed to check in, not anybody else as a proxy. Go bring your candidate. "

-" But I am the candidate. " I said.

His frown deepened. " Name?"

-" Tanisha Saha."

He looked something up and said, " You are one of those candidates Singh Sahab referred?"

I figured, by Singh Sahab he meant Lt. Col. Singh, and nodded.

He pursed his lips and went through my files, took my signature in a register and handed my papers back to me. All that time he wore an unpleasant expression. He told me to go to the place from where the rally would start and called after me in a rude voice, " Apni tange mat tor aana."

I turned back to smile sweetly at him. No good in arguing.

As I walked down the pavement, I saw the face of the first girl that day.

Full pants, full sleeve t-shirt, hair in a bun and face all nervous and worried.

I found myself walking towards her. " Candidate?"

She nodded, "You too?"

-" Yeah" I said and held up a hand.

She took it and asked," Did you check in?"

-" Hmm."

-" Where?"

I pointed to the table. She left and I continued on my way.

As I approached the starting point of the race, a bearded soldier around 35, stopped my way. Naib Subedar, I understood from his batch.

-" Madamji kitthe ja rahi ho?"( mam, where are you going?). He said," Only candidates allowed. "

-" But I am a candidate."

-" Mam, it's not a time to joke" he said strictly, " Rally chal rahi hai. Please mazak na karke jayiye yahan se. ( a rally is going on. Please don't joke and leave. "

-" But I am a candidate" I insisted. " I checked in there."

He looked ready to explode For a second but then he seemed to remember something. He went through my papers and scoffed, " Bhul hi gayatha ki iss saal ladkiyan bhi daurengi" ( forgot that girls will run this year too.)

In the meantime the girl met earlier came up.

The soldier looked downright irritated. "another one" he said under his breath and left.

The girl smiled at my sight, I smiled back.

Then a soldier came to us and asked, "Checked-in?"

wow! The 1st person I didn't have to argue with about being a candidate since morning.

He ushered us to a place and gave us labels with numbers to put on. I felt stupid wearing that, but then again, since when did I started to care about appearance.