Wednesday, July 29, 2009

My last days- being bratty

Life takes a full circle and comes back at you… you think it was all over but hey’ nature gots it own way to make a backstage entry before the curtains fall.
My last days - being “bratty”…
A little background-
Brat is an adjective attached to fauji 2nd generation by default.
If you born to a fauji officer (pls let me specify infantry especially) you automatically acquire “fauji brat” status.
Since childhood you are entitled to see and live in the best n sometimes never seen or heard locations. Eat the best, Act the best, Look the best and Please the best !!!
There are frequent “mess parties” where you can gulp down all the softdrinks and snacks(which are yumm always).
If not mess parties then you’ll be entitled to get in to the Officers’ Club, and let me be honest its only cuz of the kids that Officer’s Clubs are so successful.
It’s a place not only for adults to socialize but for fauji brats its an excellent place to enhance their peoples skills along with showcase their talents through various competitions and functions organized in such clubs.
Since childhood one beloved ‘bhaiya’ (bhaiya is an internal fauji term which refers to the helper(rank- ORs) an officer is entitled to; this is for the officer’s assistance) is the brat’s friend, your extended family, usually fauji brats have nick names for their bhaiyas and sometimes smaller brats love their ‘bhaiyas’ more then their actual family.
[there are controversies about the officers, who make take their “helpers” as actual household helps and much worse”.. but from what I have seen in my personal life there are actual very few extreme cases of exploitation and with growing awareness it definitely will be a part of history. Rather I have seen that “helpers/bhaiyas” actually respects and cares for the officer’s family he is attached to and embraces the family as his own. There has to a be a mutual respect between the office and the OR(other rank)]
The brats have the privilege of special fauji bus pick ups to school and back, there s a vehicle available most of the times and its always fun to be sitting in the rare of a green army vehicle with daunting authority in the middle of a busy market.
These examples are just too small to actually express what a privileged, spoon fed life a fauji officer’s kid lives.
I remember my father arranging a big 2-ton heavy truck like vehicle so that my entire class could go for a picnic in 4th grade.
I remember my perfectly shining black shoes, neatly ironed school uniform and other clothes (courtesy: unit’s ironman, who was paid just to clarify), my bicycle having the perfect air balance in its tyres, my basketball bouncy all the time.
I remember taking help from the signals unit to do my Science Project.
Those were the days .. but thanks to my proactive parents these privileges stopped as soon as me and my sister were old enough to take are of things of these nature.
But this doesn’t happen for every fauji brat and some kids/parents go overboard.
There is always a flipside of things and this bratty bringing up too has its share of downturns.
Therefore, I must tell you that plenty of these brats have problems facing the real world, which is not so protective and facilitating. Where the things are to be done by you and not some ‘bhaiya’. A lot of times a brat is standing alone at the threshold of a protected childhood and unknown adulthood. It does sometimes take a lot outa this bratt to make it his own in the real world.

My moving back to home with parents, living the army cantt life of superlative comfort, where my parents are ready to feed me with nything anytime and on the toes with my “demands” it all feels like… that life did come around the second time and I got a chance to relive my childhood days, experience my bratty days again and act like a li bratt my self.. as long as I got my last chance!
Cheers to Evergreen “fauji brattyness”!!!
I am dedicating this post to all my bratty friends around this country and plenty more in the making !!!

4 comments:

  1. I simply loved it... awesome!!!!

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  2. Oh so nw i knw wats keeping u busy! okeh..take ur time..:)

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  3. w-t-.. wot busy? i thot u were at home? i seriulsy dindt get ur comment.. lol nway.. its nice to have u arnd this space ... ahem ahem.. u knw im js laughin thinknin abt random jpr things now.. y god y ?!!! shrutttttttttiiiiiiiiiiii !!!

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  4. Very true....I can very well relate to this not because I am a fauji brat but because I have seen so many fauji brats around me...Evn my mom is one :P...Would like to add here, apart from the fauji brats, this happens with the "Police brats" as well...the one beloved bhaiya n all tht comes along being a Police brat...Well...must say...a nice insight into my past as well :)

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