LIFE OF ARMY PERSONNEL IN PEACE STATION

 Most of you who have followed my blog know that most of our postings were in peace stations. But of course if you are in the Army it is of little concern where you are posted. When you are posted in a peace station you are actually living in a Cantonment.

 

"On the way to work @ Khadki Cantonment Area" by Anil Wadghule is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

A Cantonment is like a town specifically for Army Personnel and their families. These Cantonments can vary in size from small localities to as big as a small town itself. These are generally set up at the outskirts of cities, though nowadays you will find many of them at the centre of cities, since the cities have expanded considerably in due course of time, assimilating the Cantonments in the process. In this cantonments all needs of the personnel and the families are provided for, sine the rules are stricter in the cantonments than in a Municipal Corporation or Council, you will find public amenities like roads, playgrounds, water supply facilities, sewage treatment plants in optimal condition. You better not throw trash at any place you want instead of the dustbins or break any other rule like driving on the wrong side unless you want to get on the bad side of the Military Police.

"Join the Indian Army" by Wendy North is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Many of us wonder what the Army does in peacetime when there is no war going on. Some people believe that they live a life of luxury, drink a lot and generally waste their time in playing golf or card games or hunting. This is far from the truth. As you know our Army is deployed all along the Himalayas borders with China, and along the L0C in J& K. Most of this borders are inhospitable, lacking in normal facilities. Even drinking water is not available in some areas.

"US and Indian Armies Conduct Exercise Yudh Abhyas in Washington" by #PACOM is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

 Despite all these facilities, hardships are still a part of everyday life. The day of Army Personnel begins with basic physical training which involves running for 5kms without stopping in a specific interval of time, followed by other tough exercises like long jump and many more and all the physical exercises including running is to be completed with carrying the battle load of 15–20 kgs on their shoulder and with their personal rifle weighing up to 7kgs. And after all this exercise, they have to complete their duties for the day.

"Gorkha Regiment | Indian Army" by ⌡K is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Most people who are working professionals get Saturday and Sunday off but many army personnel work all seven days throughout the week, receiving only a little time for their family and rest. They also have to at times conduct duties not actually meant for them, for example, during demonetisation due to scarcity of staff, the Army was called for printing new currency notes.

Well, this was part of my father's life. But as a family we were deprived of the guidance and love of our grandparents. At times in spite of being posted at a peace station we couldn't meet our grandparents for 3 years straight because of the distance between our hometown and our posting. Some postings were so far away from our hometown that more than half of our summer holidays would have been spent travelling to our hometown.

We have learned to live in any kind of situation this life throws at us. For us, home is wherever Army sends us.