Reminiscing Childhood - I

My father was posted in the interiors of NEFA, now Arunachal Pradesh, during his early days in service to the nation. CPWD was entrusted with building of roads following the Chinese invasion of 1962. There was much work to do and the deadlines were strict despite non availability of skilled labour and licenced government contractors. The recruitment then was huge in numbers. Reaching the place of posting was a herculean task. One may say, difficult area posting instead of hard area. That made the life of an engineer more challenging to sustain, who first studied the subject for a life unlike the one he encountered. They all travelled by train to a certain point and then by launch or steamer up the mighty Brahmaputra and then, by a bus that would ply once a day loading all it could, both within, atop and some tied to the rods wherever available. Then there was the arduous treks and elephant rides across the crazy Himalayan streams from the nearest motorable point. Well, all for the sake of the fire in the belly and the family that consisted of ageing parents and growing siblings.

For those traveling from other parts of the country, it was at New Bongaigaon Junction where all had to change trains, from broad gauge to meter gauge, for traveling further up to Arunachal border with Assam. There was a popular joke with all the appointees bound for their toughest part of their lives that, Lord Vishwakarma would appear on the platform, approach each KeLoNi official and, offer free safety lockers for their brains with an assurance that it would be instilled in place while returning back. The place of posting was such that, if the human brain worked, the person wouldn't stay put followed by immediate resignation. All luxuries of life were distant and survival in harsh Himalayan conditions was the forte. Only comfort were the pristine bounties of nature.

Camp sites used to be a small clearing in the jungle with space to put up a tent or two. Bonfires cooked the meagre food and the fire kept wild animals at bay. The most truant were the elephants and Himalayan bears who knew no rules. Tigers were rare except for black panthers and leopards. The calm and gentle mithuns (gayal) would simply cast the look and kept grazing on their own, keeping the inconspicuous intrepid human presence. For someone who grew in towns and cities, their mere distant cries were enough to freeze blood and shatter all the bravado out of them. Many quit within a month's posting fearing their lives to wild animals and a dreaded predator, the leech. Leech were in abundance and their bite painful if not removed by salt. Any forcible removal left their suction needle inside and that worsened the bite area further. Medications were distant and the knowledge of the wild helped cure. Tigers, black panthers, leopards, Himalayan bears, foxes, jackals, snakes of many species and wild elephants, to mention a few, was scary but then, they always avoided human engagements. In daytime, these ferocious carnivores barely ventured out due to poor visibility under sunlight and that lessened the chance of direct confrontation. There were ample deer in the jungles, sufficient for sustenance, lest they should confront humans, unless threatened. Every passing day was difficult and distressing with the only gleaming hope of a month's paid leave after 6 months. That was the measure of milestone in the service journey of their lives, representing transition from their feckless youth to painfully employed adult.

Posting in the divisional office, that was located in the district headquarters, would come only after 5 years' of remote area service with backbreaking perusals as reliving officials were hard to find.

It was finally after 6 years that someone could be coaxed to take up the assignment and that was the sigh of relief!