Romancing the Uniform 07-December 2015

    I retired from Army on 31 December 2011 but continued to wear the uniform for another four years, for having been re-emplyed. Thus I finally removed the uniform for having worn it for 33 years and 04 months. It was quite an emotional moment for me, the day I removed the uniform. As luck would have it, I wrote an article about it and it was published on the day I removed the uniform ie 07 December 2015. Please read the article :-

Romancing the Uniform 

HAVING worn the Army uniform for 37 years, I shall now switch over to civvies in the next few days. This uniform has become my ‘second skin’ (as General Pervez Musharraf would say when politicians were hell-bent on him removing it). It is indeed difficult to come to terms with the much-loved uniform resting in the wardrobe. If you see a person in civilian clothes dress up in Army uniform, you would be amazed to see the aura it adds to his personality. Medal ribands, including those of gallantry awards, brass stars with coloured backings, shoulder titles denoting the regiment, the red ribbon worn on a turban by a Colonel and above ranks, and other accouterments give the soldier a sense of high esteem which only he can feel. 

Every morning, I wore the uniform ensuring that my stars were shining, my boots were polished, and no thread was missing in any uniform buttonholes. There was never a dilemma of choice because the Red Book issued by the Army clearly defines what and how to wear. In fact, dressing militarily over the years gives a sense of aversion towards persons dressed rather slovenly. Once I was horrified to see my son dressed in jeans resting halfway at his posterior and about to fall down while he was going to college. My rebuke to him brought no change to his sense of dressing. Admonishing him, I silently wished that he joins the Army which would teach him the basics of sartorial manners. It gave me immense pleasure when he joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and I saw him immaculately dressed and his trousers neatly perched at his navel level, with just three buttons of his shirt visible. 

I remember a very nice ditty jotted by an Army officer in Punjabi — Ek mainu vardi piyari, duja tera piyar kude. Kihnu lahwan, kihnu pawan aukha eh sawal kude. (I love you beloved and my uniform,  in equal measure. Rather it is difficult to choose between the two.) 

I may be out of my uniform soon, but once a soldier, always a soldier. Being in uniform for so long becomes a way of life. It has got in my bones, and my skin, and cannot be removed from my body. It will be reflected in my daily chores being done in a military fashion, be it talking, walking, eating, or having a Chhota peg in the evening.

This article can be read here on the internet Click here