Securing the parade

The new troop leader is more cunning than the old one he deposed after the failure last year. He is determined to take part in the parade, and is secretly mustering his legions in the forest, biding his time.

The new troop leader is more cunning than the old one he deposed after the failure last year. He is determined to take part in the parade, and is secretly mustering his legions in the forest, biding his time.

He had realised that the tactics last November had been wrong. The build-up to D-Day had been too prolonged, too obvious. Too many kitchens raided, too many housewives and children terrorised. One of the troop, bolder than the rest, had even lunged at an officer on his scooter who fell off and broke a leg.

No wonder the commandant had decided that enough was enough. “Rungli Rungliot” was the order. (He was from Sikkim: Thus far and no further!) Conferences were called; committees formed in the best traditions of the armed forces; even the press was briefed. Sure enough the headlines followed: langurs attack NDA. Commandant calling for tenders to curb the menace.

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But he had not counted on the objections from the foresters: the NDA is in the jungle, and its officers and men must abide by the law of the jungle, which truly belongs to the animals. Man must live in harmony with them. The commandant had no wish to take on both langurs and foresters. After all, his real objective was the imminent passing-out parade. It must take place, langurs or no langurs; no disruption would be permitted. What would all the hoary old generals say: “Never before in the history of NDA’s parades…”

So a red alert was the order of the day. Extra sentries by the score; crack sharpshooters positioned on the sidelines with orders to shoot any langur which tried to join the parade. All the schoolchildren above 13 were told to report with drums, thalis, utensils, anything to create a din when struck with a stick. They were positioned on the edge of the forest with their backs to the parade ground.

Is it any wonder that the honour of the NDA was saved? The passing-out parade went off without a hitch.