Myriad hues of Navratras

THE Indian Army believes in celebratory secularism — the troops take part in festivities together. Navratras are special for me as I was commissioned in the Rajput squadron and their religion and festivals became mine. My regiment, 63 Cavalry, has Rajput, Jat and Sikh squadrons. I grew up and studied in Rajasthan and can speak the Marwari dialect.

Navratras started with mandatory fasting on the first and last days. There was the bali (sacrifice of goats), executed by a single stroke of the sword. As young officers, we had to do the honours. It was a test of sorts that required mental conditioning. In my first year, I was lucky to be mentored by my senior subaltern, Lt Manbir Hundal, who always volunteered for this activity. Durga Mata was kind and I lived up to the expectations of the troops.

Puja included ‘Durga stuti’, a more complex form of aarti than ‘Om Jai Jagdish Hare’. In a bit of mischief, troops would go silent during recitation in order to test officers. The same drill would be repeated in a gurdwara during ardas. Prasad included rum served in glasses — it used to be a Patiala peg. Most officers would reduce it to a small peg and pour the rest into a separate glass, which kept getting filled up. It used to be offered to the veteran drinkers, like the towering Gurdeep Bai. There were many Gurdeeps, with nicknames such as Mota and Kaala. This one’s nickname was derived from his Army number’s last two digits, 22 (Bai in Punjabi).

In 1993, when I returned from a UN peacekeeping mission in Angola, I found that my squadron was unhappy that the sacrifice on Durga Puja had been discontinued. Respecting the soldiers’ sentiments, we decided to revive the ritual. My challenge was compounded as the only youngster around proceeded on a mandated course. I had no choice but to undertake full nine days of simple fasting. I did not let down my boys and the bali was blessed by Durga Mata.

Fasting takes many forms — simple (one meal), abstaining from eating grains, or not even having water. Nowadays, with grain substitutes like kuttu flour, the rigour of fasting has been reduced. I call it ‘assisted’ fasting. Once when I did it a few years ago, I ended up putting on weight.

After ‘re-attirement’ (yes, we only re-attire rather than retire), I keep receiving calls from ex-servicemen. Rajputs greet me with “Jai Mata ji ki”, Jats say “Ram-Ram” and Sikhs “Sat Sri Akal”. There is also “Eid ki Ram-Ram”. The one I love the most is by an old head clerk: “Jai Mata ji ki, Ram-Ram, Sat Sri Akal, Jai Hind Sahib and copy to all.”