TRUE LIES-PUZZLE FROM ANANDNAG

1) WELCOME TO AISHMUQAM

A leaflet fell off its pistle in the western wind and it accidentally dipped in to the heart of 'lidder' river. It floated so light over the drizzling waters which rode over the mountain rocks, singing lullabies for the fishes which were busy quarreling to feed on the tadpoles floating over.
Ignored by their fiddling the leaflet turned red and later browny, lending a floating hand to those antlets trapped in drowning depths.
It moved with the flow as if searching a bank to rest its shoulder, but never could find one as it couldn't swim across the stream like me. I kept trailing the leaflet sitting inside my gypsy which was totally covered with barriers to save my soul from hidden bullets, as my driver was taking me from awantipura to aushmuqam to my new workplace.
Like the leaflet I wanted to jump out of my vehicle have a dip in to the lidder and click some mighty photographs of the valley but I couldn't. This place wasn't a heaven like earlier, as once the mughals and Nehru said. Though it had maintained all its beauty up to the history, its people had turned stone pelters who felt it could wash off their earthly sins as does the stones at mecca.
Ever since those days 'Ashwa mukham' also called 'Face of a horse' turned down in to 'Aishmuqam' after the darga where Mehbuba mufti lost her pinna, I have been anticipating a travel to this deeper valley. So when a call came up to my commanding officer in need for a reliever for his RMO, I jumped in to it without a second thought. I even forgot I had a date with 'Shakti' at Bagdogra, two weeks later where we had planned to explore the beauty of seven sisters over road.
At Aishmuqam, I was greeted at the head quarters of rashtriya rifles by their senior JCO and CHM not as anticipated.
"Welcome to Rashtriya Rifles Capt Maddy. So unfortunate that our CO and rest of the officers aren't here to dine you in, but I stayed back to cater your needs." Capt Uday who was eagerly waiting for my arrival to leave the station for his pre-planned marriage at Jodhpur invited me in to their mess and served me the day's late lunch.
Before I could even finish those yummy custards served to me, he waved goodbye and mounted on his vehicle to Srinagar airport. I walked out of the mess with my backpack not knowing where to go and whom to approach, suddenly I stepped on to this tall gentleman Hav Khushwant singh.
A well built muscular man six feet above tall with a dark green turban & cheetah uniform too fit for his middle age walked up to me and introduced himself.
"Myself Hav Kushwant singh ji. I am the CHM of headquarter company and Capt Uday has detailed me to take you to our guestroom and do the needful." A high pitch feminine voice for a giant man made me laugh inside but his hospitality impressed me in quite a big way.
He took me to the guest room, served me warm coffee through his buddy and arranged all my stuff neatly inside a cupboard with in. Then he gave me his phone number to call in case of emergency whenever necessary and walked out of my room. Once he had left I called up my buddy to enquire more about this new unit.
"Sir, I shall take you around here if you don't mind. Khushji has detailed me to introduce you with the whole unit location and rest available troops." My new buddy, sep ramnaresh told me and I was ready to have a walk around that evening.
The valley was greener well lit with the mountain roses which dressed up the bottom of snow capped peaks giving a clear cut demarcation between treeline, timberline and snowline. Tree line had mighty oaks and firs head straight covering the jungles around the batallion giving enough camouflage and concealment for the troops. Timberline above it had a few forward posts guarded by batallion with shrubs and bushes dying out from cold. And above all the mighty white snowlad peaks where survival of fauna and flora were quite impossible.
We walked appreciating the beauty of the valley and suddenly my eyes struck on to a building in the slope of smallest hill, looked too much religious on its appearance.
"Naresh, what is that building over the west were the green flags are flying high?"
" Sir, that is the famous 'Aishmuqam darga' were the adnan sami's song from the movie 'Bajrangi Bhaijan' was shot." He replied.
I was so excited to see the place I always wanted to visit so long.
"How much far from here it would be?"
"Nearly ten fifteen kilometres from here. But we faujis never go over there as it is run by few priests who are monitored by militants." He put forth a refusal before I could even ask to go there.
"What if I want to go over there?"
"Sir, you will have to go as a tourist with enough beard and moustache, not with a typical crew haircut though." He smiled pointing to my typical appearance that would give off my identity so soon.
"May be after sometime." I smiled at him and continued walking on the banks of the river towards the battalion office.
I was surprised to see the offices of adjutant, commanding officer and 2IC empty which was not so common anywhere. So when I met SM at his office, I enquired.
"Sir, there has been a hint regarding few militants at nowshera village of anandnag district and our tiger has taken all cordon over there. We are awaiting a contact anytime and that is why you don't see any officers over here"
He further introduced me to the senior JCOs and elucidated the details of our area of responsibility as a part of my orientation. Same time the bulky man Khushwant singh walked in to our OPs room.
"Sir, he is our CHM Khushwant singh, sena medal recepient last year." I was quite surprised by the way SM reintroduced him to me. "Great to hear that and of course tomeet a Sena medal recepient. Could you please elaborate his act of valour?"
"Sir during an operation at anandnag last year, he single handedly shot two militants himselves and saved the lives of two officers held captive, unfortunately one of them dead later at base hospital srinagar."
"So proud of you Khushwant singh, soldiers like you are the real pride of this country." I congratulated him from the bottom of my heart and shook hands with him. Like a grounded man despite of his achievements he smiled to me with shyness and we're further on to the gallery of achievement section of the paltan.
"Sir, this rashtriya rifles is basically a sikh paltan from its origin raised in 1968 by home ministry amalgamating the Sikh Light infantry officers and jawans. Since then we have prooved ourselves worth in counterinsurgency operations with in the valley." Khushwant continued narrating me the background knowledge about their RR regiment.
"So basically you all come here out from your parent units on deputation and serve here for 3-4 years, Am I right?" I asked from a vague light of knowledge I had.
"Yes, sir. You're absolutely right. Myself am about to complete my tenure here as I have been on deputation since 3 years."
"Is it that officer who got 'Kirtichakra' last year, the one you saved from an operation at anandnag?" I asked seeing the photograph of Maj Diljith Saxena, who was quite familiar to me
"Yes, sir. Diljith saab was heavily wounded with a bullet on his chest so that we could evacuate him but couldn't save his life. It was actually his valor that helped us eliminating the notorius 'Irfan waani', we were just following him" Khushwant emotionally narrated the whole story and I thought I should move on before he run in to tears.
"So service in rashtriya rifles would add some elegance in your service records, right??"
"Yes sir. But I don't care about all these things in my life. From the days I have been recruited as a sepoy I have been unsuccessful person in saving my comrades. I lost my best friend Savinash at bagdogra, my coy cdr bastola saab at Op rhino and last year I could have saved Diljith saab at anandnag.
I was that unlucky guy who couldn't climb siachen in my unit's induction as I didn't have a scarpa fitting for my feet and couldn't go for UN mission because of my 'errectile dysfunction'. What is so great about loosing your loved ones and earning lot of medals?" He looked at me so pathetically that I came to know, behind this courageous stout big man there lies a soulful soft heart.
"So how many of them are there in your family?" I asked trying to prevent him from a pitfall in to depressive talks.
"Me, my wife and her grandmother, we have a very small family because I was an orphan. It is for harleen I have been living my entire life so far." He opened up his wallet and showed me the face of a weak ill looking woman who seemed too old for her age he spoke off.
I didn't want to hurt him for long, so I asked him the way to my MI room consoling him with a pat on his shoulder. Enroute I was keenly thinking about the lives of our soldiers, who leave their families far away and guard the country so passionately sacrificing their own lives.
"So khushjii how is the routines here at aishmuqam?" I asked as we crossed the 'Tiger's den' where I could see two children fighting in the garden for a ball.
"Sir, we have no routines except our doctor saab. Int regarding militant activities comes with atmost surprise, otherwise each company occupies an area far apart, we do our LRPs and ADPs regularly morning and evening. Start off before dawn and may be return by moon light." He narrated me their working scenario.
"Sorry I didn't get what you meant by LRP and ADP. Coukd you please elaborate?"
"Long range patrolling we call it LRP which often last from days to weeks in our territory searching for militants, once started we don't even know when we are back to rest. Area domination Patrolling, we call ADP is generally meant to ensure that in every kashmiri houses with in our area of responsibility, people are safe and healthy. We do it twice a day so that no teenager or adolescent go missing from their huts nor new uninvited guests arrive to spoil their peace." Tall man explained me with a vicious smile hiding many things we doesn't want to discuss.
"Okay, how do you get idea about militants?"
"Sir, we have a sensus about the crowd we safeguard; individuals per house. If someone goes missing off records most probably they would have turned anti nationals and joined a militant organisation.
Mostly adolescents and teenagers are being misdirected to this thing for power, drugs and women. This stupidest thing is that the 'anti national campaign' is most propogated through religious institutions here around.It is being injected like a poison from the very childhood and that's why we have intelligent IITians like Irfaan waani joining militancy instead of contributing to science and technology." He described his own agitation against the talented youth of the valley going so spoiled to end up in their gun shots.
"Khushji you're right. But how long will they continue fighting against the army and we will keep killing them? Will that again create a venegance between the people and the fauj?"
"Of course sir, that is the main reason this has been a disputed land for long including in UN. Pakistan is supplying feed for the militancy here and we have been defending since decades. Its a crude business for those who sell and buy weapons and those who wish to add up their medal tally. I literally hate this instability and I wish we had strong rulers to solve this crisis for long time."
"Yes khushji, the only solution to this would start the day, we would remove the special position of the state under article 370 and let them mingle with the rest of the country. Once there is cohabitation and intermingling the people will know about their surroundings and would start to live in harmony." I expressed my opinion after hearing all his experiences, fortunately he didn't laugh out to them.
Before leaving me that evening at my MI room emphasized onething for sure;
"Sir, please be prepared for a long hunt anytime tonight. We are anticipating a contact at any instant."

*******Tobe continued***********