Well, when most people refer to us as Army Brats and tell us that we are lucky to have the life that we do, its only us who know how we went through with it. Being an army officers kid sure has its perks. We do get some facilities which the others might have to work hard for. But, can u imagine changing 12 schools in the course of the 15 years of ones education, every time you got close to making friends or almost settling down in a place we had to move to a new one. Emotions were rarely considered and every time one set out a sad sigh you hear your parents shrug and say "you have to get used to this".
We have had our days where our fathers were posted in remote locations of a Jammu and Kashmir and we sat with fingers crossed everyday for their safety. We have had days as small kids when we didnt recognize our own fathers because we didnt see them for months together. Anybody coming home in the army uniform was our messenger to know that our fathers are safe and will be back soon.
It breaks my heart every time when I hear a bunch of good for nothings discuss whether the army is being given a lot more privileges than they require, or, when they say that army officers get everything for cheap in the canteen and they think its unfair. Well, its times like these when I feel like going and shaking up their superficial intelligence and questioning the fact that is it unfair to provide facilities to live a comfortable life to a person who has given his soul to the country and shakes up even at the thought of some militant entering the country. Is it unfair to provide a good lifestyle to somebody who left his wife and child at home for weeks and months together just to give us all the good night sleep and a safe environment to live in? Is it unfair to provide good medical facilities to somebody who has spent months together without any entertainment source in areas like Siachin looking at the white snow and never knowing when an avalanche can come by an take their life away?
It is us kids and our mothers who have prayed everyday for our fathers/ husbands to be safe and I think its not unfair.
And yes, we are not brats, we are strong and independent individuals who have seen the better of everything and have faced our fears, we have come far from our security blankets and left our hesitations behind, well, we didn't have much of an option. We are not spoilt kids who got whatever we wanted, like the others we have been said no too. We like the others were also bribed for good marks and scolded when we came home late. We have traveled in open buses to school in peak winters we too have traveled long distances to go to good schools and we more often than others have had to give entrance exams in each new school, can you imagine how that was as a kid?
I am thankful to my father and the Indian Army for the lifestyle I have been given, coz, it is what has made me who I am .
I am proud to be an Army Brat.
We have had our days where our fathers were posted in remote locations of a Jammu and Kashmir and we sat with fingers crossed everyday for their safety. We have had days as small kids when we didnt recognize our own fathers because we didnt see them for months together. Anybody coming home in the army uniform was our messenger to know that our fathers are safe and will be back soon.
It breaks my heart every time when I hear a bunch of good for nothings discuss whether the army is being given a lot more privileges than they require, or, when they say that army officers get everything for cheap in the canteen and they think its unfair. Well, its times like these when I feel like going and shaking up their superficial intelligence and questioning the fact that is it unfair to provide facilities to live a comfortable life to a person who has given his soul to the country and shakes up even at the thought of some militant entering the country. Is it unfair to provide a good lifestyle to somebody who left his wife and child at home for weeks and months together just to give us all the good night sleep and a safe environment to live in? Is it unfair to provide good medical facilities to somebody who has spent months together without any entertainment source in areas like Siachin looking at the white snow and never knowing when an avalanche can come by an take their life away?
It is us kids and our mothers who have prayed everyday for our fathers/ husbands to be safe and I think its not unfair.
And yes, we are not brats, we are strong and independent individuals who have seen the better of everything and have faced our fears, we have come far from our security blankets and left our hesitations behind, well, we didn't have much of an option. We are not spoilt kids who got whatever we wanted, like the others we have been said no too. We like the others were also bribed for good marks and scolded when we came home late. We have traveled in open buses to school in peak winters we too have traveled long distances to go to good schools and we more often than others have had to give entrance exams in each new school, can you imagine how that was as a kid?
I am thankful to my father and the Indian Army for the lifestyle I have been given, coz, it is what has made me who I am .
I am proud to be an Army Brat.
Very well articulated...
ReplyDeleteWell written
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that when they are talkingg about how army personnels get cheaper things etc... they forget the fact that they are able to sleep peacefully in their house due to the service of the very people they are crapping about......
And yes we do hav some rights to be a brat ... we do take pride in the fact that our fathers serve to protect our country.... and personally I am planning to follow my fathers footsteps..so that he too can prodly point at me at the passing out cermony and say "that my son"... to his colleagues...
cheers to all Army brats...
Jai hind