Solo Enigma

Chapter Six: Flight of stairs – First, Second and Third year.

Eventually, after few hours, when the time is nearly 2:00 Pm, there was a sudden buzz from the hidden speaker. Lobzang was just beginning with the last chapter of the book and caught attention by the throaty accent. The sound doesn’t differ from the one, back at Paro International Airport on commencing the flight. He was again reminding the passengers to get set with the seat belt as they are nearing their destination.

The silent environ got aroused into the stridency sigh, chuckles, giggles and melodramatic chaos. However, flight attendants were found giving their best in maintaining the silence with courtesy and respect, irrespective of class and identities. Lobzang carefully placed a mark to read next time, getting ready for the landing. After few minutes, the Airbus was retiring into the port. He got amused with identical 100 storied apartments jam-packed without endings.

The landing was followed with sudden jerk and screeching sound from the wheel. Thimphu, ever biggest city he knew was nothing compared to it. On making a way down from Towable Aircraft Crew Passenger Stair, he was thunderstruck with everything digitalized and techno-linked structures. He was lost for a moment, forgetting everything around. “Excuse me, dear” he gawked back and found a white blonde right behind him. “Sorry, Madam” Lobzang made a way for her. She raised her eye brow nodding with affirmation and was making her way down the rung.

He manipulated idiocy shameful situation happening with him. However, he felt little confident with Dendup by his next, though he was also making for the first time. Lobzang made up his mind to take every encounter and confronts as a test for the betterment of self. He felt like Archaic from rural area with those new settings. A group of ten personnel were welcomed by one of an Indian army just next to Check-in desk.

They were greeted and asked to follow him with bag packs. There is no more words from that serene gawky man. Everyone was awestruck looking into each other’s eye, just following his footsteps. They were leaded into a commodious room at the extreme corner reading army longue. There is nobody other than army personnel with various brands and patterns but identical suits getting in and out from the back entry. He ordered to get ready for the next flight towards Pune in another thirty minutes. “Nobody should turn late or will miss the flight” concluded him and went into the compartment making too short.

Everything was completely alien to Lobzang though, he hadn’t got a chance to ask one of his friends about the view of new surroundings. From head to toe, every nook and corner Lobzang sensed vast dissimilarity between the two nations. He was just wandering who stay at the top of that hundred plus storied erections. Even five to six storied apartments back in Bhutan was wonder some for him to imagine. Nothing around, even his friends’ bother him as he was already deepen, drifting with thousands of question marks. The large LED light sign board reads New Delhi International Airport, India.

While he was just trying to gnaw the situation around, unlike Bhutan all the passengers were made to go through a series of gateway in a glass box. The flickering green rays run from head to toe and back scanning, at each access. Nearly, the final test gets over with seventh room issuing different visa and passport. Lobzang saw another entrance reading departure lounge from that seventh compartment.

On just stepping the entrance of the lounge, there was an army personnel handing a duffle bag, identical plain dark green dress and boots. “There is a dressing room right next to the luggage chamber, everyone should get changed into it in next five minutes” break off little and continued “Training begins now” and was out of the sight. Lobzang and his other nine friend was just getting nightmares, feeling uneasy in a new place with comprehensive customs.

Dendup broke the silence insisting everyone to rush, almost running towards the dress chamber. Like every person, Lobzang also trailed them into the room and got into new dress. The aroma of the shirts and trousers was appealing making him light hearted. ‘I am army now’, he told himself with fluttering woe of satisfaction. Among them, he was the one who was swift and fast. “Hurry chums, we got only sixty seconds” Lobzang too made short and hurried back to the platform tailed by others.

To their dismay, he was already waiting for them and was eyeing each of them in turn, making sure everyone was present. He took a glance on watch and was grinning a little with serious nature. First impression from the group of trainee won his heart and was just supplementing to work harder and expressed break a leg to every one of them. He assured them beforehand that the training would be tough but rewarding if an individual gives bloods and bonds. Their minute conference got over strolling behind him towards chopper.

There was two of them, four handed fan swirling into an open air. The choppers appear camouflage with army dress and was clearly distinct as NDA with white coat. They were divided into two group randomly. Lobzang was allotted in the one at the right hand side, both facing eastwards. It has a capacity of five passenger, excluding pilot and one crew. Both of them were in uniform. Right after getting ready with packs and bags, second flight of the day starts with few passengers in a cozy room like structure. Lobzang found feet to make a more compatible friends there, though Dendup was in other one.

The journey by the time was double than first flight but was one of the memorable with bloods of same nation. The atmosphere were filled with new friends and new talks killing the time. The momentary joy came to halt upon the advice from the pilot. They are already at the zone after more than three hours of flight. The academy was stretched along the thousand acres of land with helipad and every other facilities which is out of their knowledge. Lobzang was just taken aback through his finding on scrutinizing the place through internet, nearly four month ago. He concluded that it holds an upper hand on knocking the place in person.

The team were welcomed by an Army officer with a short and hasty welcome. They were queued right after the speech. The luggage were out of their sight into a different room. Lobzang like others too got a sheet of paper and were ordered to follow the instruction. There is no welcome show which was a thing expected by every individuals. Though the structures and premises were outnumbered, Lobzang noticed a pin drop silence and nobody were to be found. He pictured back in the mind that it is never same like his school days.

With those heavy heart, he went through that sheet which talks about their squadrons and battalions. It is not like a collaborative group (CG) in school. The academy consist of twenty Squadrons and battalions with exact number of two hundred cadets in each of it. Lobzang, on the other hand knew that he was placed in Alpha squadron from the sheet. He is wondering where his friends were allotted to. In a minute, they were headed into different Squadrons and Battalions.

Lobzang was aided by one an Indian officer like man, maybe in late thirties to find his Squadrons. The one squadron is further divided into compartments with a capacity of twenty cadets in each. Later, that man was squadron leader like a Warden of the schools in Bhutan. Lobzang was a last person to turn in the room at extreme corner of the squadron. As alien to other nineteen of them, he have no choice than to make himself to final and last deserted bed. Squadron Leader introduced me to other comrades as a new member and a family.

The sudden loud spluttering frequent whistle jolted Lobzang with other friends making a way out from the room, hastily. Not only him, there was other two of them, may be from different nations numbed upon perceiving the scene at first time. The man told them about a punctuality and self-respect which holds significant theme as a trainee and army as a life. The sound was an alarm for the dinner. They joined thousands of others in an enormous hall, yet without even little noise. All the cadets from twenty squadrons and battalions were seated in rows, with one leader each by side.

Lobzang was scanning the whole place trying to look for his friends from a same soil but was all in vain with identical dresses scattered all over. However, he noticed a different squadrons and battalion of senior cadets marked with its name, though the news ones didn’t have one. The dinner was sumptuous but he could not win a plate with tiring journey and complete new dimension. Despite all those wanders and wooziness, the recruited ones were reminded to assemble at the parking lot right after the dinner.

Yes, it was just after the dinner as ordered by one young but older than the new ones. There was around fifty numbers of new members from every squadron. Lobzang and other hundreds of them were briefed about the campus, rules and regulations, discipline and daily routines. It was grueling to stand till midnight right after our arrival, nearly five hours after supper. Finally, Lobzang knew that they were last team to thrash out of other friends from another fifteen nations.

Right after the orientation, everyone got name tag of their squadrons and battalions with different color of hand books. Before dispersing to their respective units, each person were noticed carefully highlighting about the disciplinary action on delaying by a second also, after high frequency whistle. Yet nobody was informed about the time but will have maximum of five minutes for the gathering. Likewise, Alpha units were further run by again, from their Squadron leader. On wobbling back to the unit, Lobzang found his stranger comrades getting into the sleep and some after him into the room.

Aloof and worn-out, he was into the deep slumber after one and first, full of activity day in his life. The first night at elsewhere was deemed with a dream of his first high school girlfriend for the first time. She was there in national dress as charming, adorable and amiable as always. Though, it didn’t happen in bygone days, Lobzang was taking a long ride with the person he loves by his side. Tenzin Wangmo as in high school was personalized with short hair, chubby dimpled cheeks and kind in nature making him forget everything around. He was leading an outstanding life, then.

Sudden buzz jerked him from dream and there is no one around than the mates rushing out. It was disheartening in reality for him but jumped and ran out, recollecting the words from last night. Most of them were ahead of him but many following. Lobzang could perceive few of them doing roll down and push-ups until one orders to stop. His quizzical thought was caught by familiar personality trying to hide his red carpet face at distance. On nearing they are Dendup, his new friend back at Bhutan and Choki, who became his friend during second flight.

The first day of training got launched with shearing of heads. Next handing them another set of uniform dress and one strange thing being an army was declining secrecy and was mandatory to restrict using first name of individual. Lobzang was approved with his code name ‘TIGER’ with diverse of name given to one by self. The code name signifies everyone as single person regardless of colors and background. Lobzang was immersed into the system of sameness, studied in one of the English subject during high school. Right after those things, they were dispersed for morning workouts.

The first, second and final year before service training was followed with highly controlled daily routines. Even a small lapses with unattended beds, unpolished boots, and stacks of clothing were punished for they believe in conformity as a whole. Even those simple thing would determine ones achievement in future. Like everyone but not all, Tiger didn’t craft a forum to get punished because it is one of the meek thing than others.

The cadets who joined the National Academy Defense were kept deprive of sleep, needs like food and shelter, verbal abuse and even to the extent of using physical strength. Apart from it, for last three years, from basic to final skills such as military tactics, medical knowledge, mission diplomacies in the field and use of diverse weaponry and arms were completed by the time cadets accomplish their three years training. No one after reaching the base were allowed to leave/quite an armed forces and everyone from the Bhutan was able to fulfill their goals.

Though it was challenging for Tiger to get acclimatize with the environment for first one month of first year, after six month, he was appointed as junior under officer in first year. Rolling with the time, his services and dedications were rewarded as Senior under officer in second and final year. Moreover, the Alpha squadron was recognized consecutively for three years as best squadron wining Championship Trophy for three years. For that reason, Lobzang, Tiger on the one hand was highly regarded for his enthusiastic dedication during the training.

After certifying as a fit for service training, everyone who concluded three years training were given preferences with service training for another year long. They can go for either to Air Force, Navy or an Army for a pre-commission training as a final and bidding. Coming year in the training would be his fourth, without any vacation. He was missing his country and loved ones though he didn’t show any presence in any form for last three years, neither wants to picture for a year again. He was desperately waiting to serve the country after yearlong training and meet with his near and dear ones.