Take a peek into the “puntastic” (as one of the readers described the Musings of this Military Mind) collection of articles, anecdotes and topical commentary of global events. The range is huge starting from the US Presidential Elections and Covid 19 to the training regimen of the cadets in the Defence Academies. The author has captured his ruminations in a lucid and simple story narrative. “The Trump Card” The Trump(ets) of the world have heaved a sigh of relief after four years of having been blown non-stop, no wonder all that they produced these days was " Vivekamunandan..." When they were queried on their misery, they responded tongue in cheek that "They were 'biden' their time". “Independence Day the NDA Way” 2475 ft. was one of the peaks of the small hills in Khadakwasla. Why was it called 2475? No one knows. The actual height was probably a couple of feet less. Corporal then explained the modus operandi of the day's climb; we had to front roll up the slope...? Now this was turning out to be literally a bolt from the blue... a royal kick in the derriere provided the much needed booster. So began our very own freedom struggle, we the wretched second and third termers… the very lowly creatures in the food chain bore the brunt. “Oh those Bats” Apart from the social distancing, lockdowns and migrant labours, cricketers and baseball players are up in arms; they have asked for a change in the nomenclature of their “Bats”, they would not like to touch anything so vile in their wildest imagination. “Ode to NDA Masters” "Giving meaningful looks!” was how the charge read, forwarded by Dr (Mrs) SK Singh; the cadet was summoned to the squadron office and questioned. He was punished to be sent on liberty to Pune next Sunday to leave the instructor in question alone... “Quarantined” Covid 19 after all is a teen, adolescent, neither an adult nor a kid, quite confused, not taken seriously by the Americans nor by the Chinese. He is out to prove a point. How I wish the Chinks had waited for two more months before letting it lose, then it would have been christened Covid 20 and would probably have been more reasonable. “A Close Shave” Today's youngsters are all Virat Kohli look alikes... clones, same bearded chins with hardly any clean cut faces. I wonder why this reverse evolution has commenced in the men folk, where they have got so entangled in the facial hair that they have messed up Darwin's treatise itself. At this rate, soon they should be growing their vestigial tails on their derriere! “Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind(!)” The reason why we start to dread the visit to the saloon may be a matter of research. But to me it appears as though the blame lies squarely with our age old ‘samskaras’, ‘mundan’ as we all are aware, is our first introduction with this species of barbers or hair dressers, as they are addressed these days. Naturally after the ignominy of making a public spectacle of being shorn of one’s precious locks, the relations with the barbers were destined to be acrimonious.

Mavericks Musings starts with a tender tribute to a soul-mate. The young officer (YO) who had wooed and won the heart of a girl from an alien land shares his Jab We Met (when we met!) moments of 1958. There was little in common between them except their humanity and core values of two ancient civilisations. They overcame impossible odds to create a relationship that lasted for 55 years. It is a heartwarming story that triggers emotions at a deeper level. The episodic narrative then follows a linear timeline. It runs on two intertwined tracks. The personal thread follows his life from infancy to an awkward adolescence. Fortunately he finds a more confident life partner. The Greek girl uproots herself in pursuit of love and finds a new family in the warm folds of Indian military-life. Their life together matures into a well-rounded family. On the professional track the YO becomes a General in 30 years, after a series of trials and triumphs. The challenges include a resignation, a traumatic war injury, some sadistic seniors, a cadets suicide and so on. He survives and succeeds. The family goes through phases of agony and ecstasy. Their ability to roll with the punches lies in their inner strength which this narrative shows in flashes- that source may be explored later!