Film songs, banter soothe weary troops

The three main pockets of resistance — Jubar Hill, Kukarthang peak and Khalubar ridge — have fallen and the troops are enjoying hard-earned rest. They have fought well.

After the victory in Batalik, troops sit in the R&R camp with their feet up.

After spending a month and more with their guns, it’s time to gaze at the latest Bollywood craze and indulge in jokes — most of them ribald.

“You know at Jubar, when the first assault did not bring the desired result, the soldiers camped at the base for one night. One obviously drunk Pakistan soldier screamed: `Give us Madhuri Dixit and take Kashmir. Who wants the rocky wasteland of Batalik anyway?’ We screamed back saying, `Why just Kashmir, we will also give you Kanyakumari, but not Madhuri Dixit’,” says one soldier.

All of his mates brushing their teeth on the banks of river Indus are in splits. It does not matter whether the exchange took place or not, but it clearly reflects that these diversions serve as a stress buster for soldiers.

Their Subedar Major saab too smiles. But only to admonish them moments later to hurry up and start cleaning their personal weapons. “You can’t grudge them a little fun,” he says, out of earshot.

Sipahi Ajay Singh of the Bihar regiment begins his day by touching the feet of goddess Durga and then winking at or lovingly kissing the glossy poster of Madhuri Dixit. Then it is time to listen to the radio, the soldiers’ only contact with the outside world. News in Hindi, English and even Urdu, broadcast from both sides of the border, provides the perfect early morning entertainment for the troops.

The Hindi songs are reserved for the evenings. And if they can got hold of some magazines or old newspapers from journalists, the soldiers are very happy, fighting over them like children.

In a tent nearby, six soldiers are furiously working and despite the early morning Batalik chill, are sweating. Leaning over the fire, they are cooking food for almost 500 troops battling the enemy pockets of resistance. The food is simple — puris and potatoes. The aroma is divine and the stomach begins to rumble.

However, the troops for whom these hot puris are being made at dawn, will only get them after sundown four days later.

“In 10 minutes, the food will be packed and sent to the base camps in a truck. From there, for another two days, ponies and mules will carry the food and on the third evening, the fighting porters (those who carry food and use weapons) will take them to the troops. But if the firing is too intense from the other side, the porters will lie low for another night,” explains a havildar.

A majority of the troops are back to base. After breakfast, they relax in the lukewarm sun, washing their clothes, bathing in the Indus — many after 20 to 25 days. Of course, with Madhuri’s foot-tapping, pulse-racing, Choli ke peechey and Kajol’s Zara sa jhoom loon main numbers playing in the background.

“Among the rocket launchers, grenades, gas masks, machine guns and mines recovered from the enemy bunkers, we also found audio-cassettes — most of them pirated — containing hit numbers of the famous Bollywood actresses,” adds another jawan, glancing lovingly at a Madhuri Dixit cassette cover lying close to his two-in-one.