THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BETWEEN 01 to 29 January 2021.
Irrespective of the date when the map was made and
the blogged, It has been published backdated, to maintain
historical sequence.
These backdated blogs are written as much to record our travels and
places seen all those years in the past, as they are to present a photographic
record of the growth of Ajeet and Anuj through those early years.
Aizawl - Agartala - Udaipur - Kumbhigram. 03 - 10 May 1989.( Likely dates.)
This is a screenshot of Aizawl - Agartala - Udaipur - Kumbhigram Trip we did in 1989. This Screenshot is just to give you an overall picture of the relative locations of Shillong and all the places visited by us. Details can not be accessed here. Full details of journey and description can be accessed in "interactive" google map
Link for the album with photos of Delhi - 1985 - 1987. trip is given below
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4b2Zrb2JnXHkohiAA
This album shared from the main 7ALBUM.85/4-10/86 and 8 Album 11/86-8/88 @
As is well known by now a lot of details of these old trips are based on the recollections of Priti. In this case photo sequence in which we visited these places did not confirm the sequence in her recollection. So I consulted Ajeet as well as Anuj. Anuj was as vague as me. Ajeet was a great help. His recollections were as good as or better than Priti's.
Big problem - their stories and sequence in which we did the trip did not tally. The details and description of this trip is based on memories of Ajeet, Ajeet and Priti combined and with some modifications.
Aizawl - Agartala - Udaipur - Kumbhigram.
At the end of the course, postings were received for officers of all three services.
Naval fellows all went to coastal cities.
From the Air Force to various air force stations. Bajwa and I were posted to HQ EAC at Shillong.
Quite a few Army officers were also posted to North-Eastern states. Army officers are very hospitable. When they came to know that we were posted to Shillong, they asked us to come to visit them and offered to show us around their area of operations. We did take up their offer during our stay in Shillong.
Knowing we were going to Shillong we took some policy decisions.
First was that we may not be able to visit relatives in Pune, Mumbai so we should visit them before going to Shillong. It resulted in the Pune Mumbai trip during joining time, before leaving for Shillong.
The second was, home visits will not be possible in the 'non-warrant' year.
Third, Dring non-warrant years or the year when we do no go home, to use Shillong stay as an opportunity so visit "Seven Sisters". As seven states located in the North East were collectively called.
Must have been within a month of our settling down at peak, I was waiting to see the SASO with Wg Cdr Narwekar who was SO to SASO. During chit chat, I told him that Ajeet had just got in 9th standard. He suggested that I ask for "screening from posting" for 4 years. He informed that all 18 Regional Engineering Colleges in India have a certain number of seats reserved for those students who do their 12th standard board exams from any of the NE states. He said he had done it and now his son was doing engineering in one of the RECs.
He further said that due to Bodo land agitation screening will be 100% agreed as people were not willing to come to the valley. That day after I discussed this with Priti. We both felt we should apply for the screening.
I applied for screening for 4 years plus the estimated time required for results to be declared and all the formalities for admission to selected REC to take place. The screening came through. Eventually, Ajeet completed his 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th from Shillong. He also got Admission to a reserved seat in the Meghalaya quota of Calicut REC.
After celebrating Ajeets birthday on 6 Jan 1989 we moved from peak to quarter no PQ 55/4 at upper Shillong. Life became a bit easy as Ajeet Anuj could walk down to the KV and I also did reach my office within 10 odd minutes.
Our trips to northern states were to start from quarter number 55/4, our new home for the remaining stay in Shillong.
One of the first of the seven sister stats to be visited was Tripura, followed by Mizoram and then Kumbhigram in Assam. We had made plans and fixed dates for travel. In this trip, the Army was not involved. Instead, it was the Assam Rifles.
As told by Ajeet this is how for Agartala, Aizwal and Kumbhigram visits involvement of Assam Rifles came About.
I had gone to attend some meeting as Air force rep, to Lower Shillong in the office of some high ranking civil official. Among people from other civil departments, there an Army brigadier, on secondment to Assam Rifles was also present.
During a break, I happened to mention to him that we were planning to go to Agartala and Aizwal and thence to kumbhigram. Also mentioned the date we were travelling from Gauhati to Agartala by Indian Airlines flight and planning to stay with some Army unit. By some great coincidence, that Brigadier was also travelling by the same flight to Agartala. He was very nice and told me that he will look after our accommodation and transport requirements at both Agartala and Aizwal. I was thrilled to hear this.
The Journey begins.
PQ 55/4. Home.
During those days travel to northeastern states was restricted. One had to have a permit issued by the state government to enter that state. It was called a "red line permit". So, well in time, I had obtained red line permits for all of us for our travel to Tripura and Mizoram.
I had taken some casual leave so that we could avail 50% concession offered by Indian airlines to defence personnel proceeding on leave.
No memory of how we travelled from Shillong to Guwahati airport.
Guwahati Airport.
While waiting for the flight I had to make contact with our benefactor, the Brigadier from Assam Rifles. Here the problem was that I could not recollect how that Brigadier looked :-(
I thought it may look ridiculous me asking likely looking people if he was Assam rifle brigadier. I got around this by urging Ajeet and Anuj to ask every person we felt looked like a brigadier:-).
Till the time of boarding, we had not contacted our brigadier. I was worried and sourly disappointed as I was really banking on him for our accommodation and transportation. I was so sure that the Brigadier will arrange everything that I had not even contacted any of my army friends from LDMC course.
Any way boarded the aircraft and proceeded to Agartala.
.
Agartala Airport.
During the flight, all I could think was where we were going to do for our stay.
Anyway Collected the baggage. At the exit gate, an armed guard stopped us to check our red line permit. Having satisfied himself he allowed us to leave the airport.
Went out of the airport. Within a short time, one army jawan approached me and asked if I was captain from the airforce on my affirmative response he told us that the brigadier had informed their unit that one airforce captain will be arriving with family and the unit was to look after their all arrangements. Accordingly, the jawan had brought transport to take us to the Officers mess.
I was extremely happy. It was a very nice and thoughtful gesture on the part of that Brigadier to remember to give necessary instructions to the units at Agartala and Aizwal.
Will forever be grateful to him. Unfortunately do not remember his name.
Officers Mess, 46 Assam Rifles. Agartala.
Being the guest of Brigadier we were given good accommodation and looked after very well..
It was a nice little place.
Despite all those years, some memories of that place are etched forever/ Occasional leafing through the album has also helped.
There was a small lake. The officer's mess was located near a small lake. There was a bamboo bridge spanning the lake. They also had boats, Ajeet Anuj and all of us had a great time boating and rowing the boats.
There were a few jackfruit trees outside our rooms. They were fully loaded with jackfruits. The jack fruits grow right from the main trunk of the tree and look as if they have been stuck or just attached to the trunk. Considering the size of those jack fruits it was quite an unusual sight.
Mess premise also had a huge pile of fossilised full-grown trees. They had the texture and the looks of a natural tree but in reality, were as hard as stones having been subjected to tremendous pressures for thousands of years and has been fossilised. Must have been millions of years old. Their presence would have been most welcome in most of the museums of the country and the world. We picked up two or three small pieces of a portion of a branch. We carted those around for years and years and displayed them in the drawing-room. Getting knocked around in the packing on every posting, eventually, the wood grains which could be readily recognised as wood fossils were rubbed out and their resemblance to wood fossil was lost completely. They just looked like any other ordinary stone. During a move on one of the posting, they were not packed and just left behind.
We have no idea what eventually happened to that archaeological treasure lying around in the officers mess at Agartala.
Governer's House / Pushbanta Palace.
As per the briefing they had received our hosts had planned a sightseeing trip to, Raj Bhavan, as The residence of a state's governor is called. We were told that the governor's house and adjoining grounds are quite good and worth visiting.
Raj Bhavan was known as the Pushpabanta Palace in the pre-independence days.
As per wiki
It was built by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarman Bahadur (1909-1923). He selected a spot on a green hillock known as Kunjaban, for its scenic beauty for building a suburban palace for a retreat. The palace was constructed in 1917. It was named as Pushpabanta Palace and it covers a total area of 1.76 hectares.
The trip was an unqualified success. It was quite grand and a big sprawling place. During the visit, we were told that Rabindra Nath Tagore had stayed in this place for some time in 1923. Visit to the surrounding grounds is a bit hazy. From the photos, we know that there was a giant stone statue of a human head and some old barrack-like structures.
Tripureshwari Temple
The next day a visit to the famous Tripureshwari Temple, also known as Tripura Sundari Temple was planned. The temple is quite famous not only in Tripura but also among devotees of Shakti. The temple is located in Udaipur about 55 odd kilometres from Agartala.
Now I do not recollect which type of vehicle we did this trip because one of the two long-distance trips was done in one tonner.
Not much is recollected about the temple surroundings and the temple itself. What I do remember is at least a couple of gleaned sacrificial lambs being taken to the temple.
Another memory is of a pond full of fishes, this also because there is one and the only photo taken there shows Ajeet, Anuj feeding the fish.
At that time we did not know it but the reason for its fame is that it is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. As per the legend, the little finger of the left foot of Shakti was dropped at this place.
For more information go to the link @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripura_Sundari_Temple
Officers Mess, 46 Assam Rifles. Agartala.
At this time do not even remember how long we sated in Agartala. Was it 2 days,3 days or 4 days?. Could not have been less than 2 nor more than 4. But just no recollection.
After enjoying their hospitality it was time to say goodbye to Agartala.
At this juncture, there is a lot of confusion. As per Priti, we went by road. Ajeet says we went by Vayudoot. I agree with Ajeet. Why I am positive of travel by Vayudoot is due to the harrowing experience at Aizwal airport which is firmly etched on my mind.
Agartala Airport.
Boarded a Yayudoot flight for Aizwal. The flight was run by a Dornier 222 aircraft. It was almost a chartered flight because there were only 6 passengers. So besides us 4, there were only 2 more fellows.
Aizwal Airport.
I agreed with Ajeet that we had travelled from Agartala to Aizwal by Yayudoot because I distinctly remember a very hard time given to me by the local security police at the exit of the Aizwal Airport.
After landing at Aizwal security police at the exit asked to produce the redline permit,
I realised that it was in the suitcase which was checked in the baggage. The police checkpoint was between the arrival hall and baggage collection point which was just beyond the exit gate. I told him that the red line permit is in the suitcase which was checked in and if he will permit me to collect my suitcase I will take out the red line permit from the suitcase and show it to him.
That character refused to let me go the suitcase which was just beyond the barricade and within our view. He was behaving in a very aggressive manner. Won't permit us to exit without a redline permit which I could not show him as it was in the suitcase and I could not go to the suitcase as it was just outside the exit barricade.
It was a stalemate. Eventually, he escorted us, almost at gunpoint to the suitcase. I took out our redline permit showed it to him and eventually could get out of the airport.
After this harrowing experience, We were very happy to see another army jawan waiting with transport for 'an airforce captain'
Officers Mess AR, Aizwal.
Looking at the google maps today I see that it was a long drive from Aizawl airport to Aizwal town and officers mess. Sadly I have no recollections.
For some strange reason, it seems that we did not go roaming around or sightseeing in Aizwal town. All we have, are the three photos taken in the balcony outside our room.
The only lasting memory I have of Aizwal is almost unending lines of empty water tankers going down almost 1000 feet to Chute Lui river which flowed at bottom of the valley,
There the tankers were and filled with water. Filled tankers ccame up the valley by the same route.
There was no piped water supply in the town of Aizwal. Water tankers were the only source of water supply to each and every household of Aizwal. To an enquiry as to why water can't be pumped up from the river and for establishing a proper piped water supply system, an officer of Assam rifle informed me that all the water tankers were owned by political leaders. They were minting money. It was they who did not want a proper water supply system.
No recollection of length of stay Aizwal.
Left for Kumbhigram by road in a one-tonner of Assam Rifle.
To see the zoomable photo with caption go to the link @
Officers Mess Kumbhigram.
One ton-journey details are long forgotten. I vaguely remember that Ajeet did suffer from road sickness.
Looking at the photos of Kumbhigram it seems we must have reached there either on a Monday or a day after the holidays.
This I can say because when we went around the mess, there were telltale signs as if a big party was held in the mess just a day earlier. There were stalls, lean-to in the shape of bamboo huts which were used as a bar, as a Dhaba for food items etc.
One day went to see Coomber Tea estate.
Do not recollect many more details.
Maybe after a 2-3 days stay at Kumbhigram Returned to Shillong by regular bus service.
For photos go to link
PQ 55/4.
Priti is very firm in her recollections. She says from Kumbhigram we returned to Shillong by regular bus service.
END OF TRIP.
