My Hero ! (VKV Jairampur days...NSCN)

Ok... this is just an encomium to my real life Hero,who's also a very close friend of mine.

How many times in our life do we come across a deathlike situation, grim for extra bravado's that we boast of, and certainly a time to subside by the ignominy of looking helpless ?
And how many times do we help being helpless though ?

I get nostalgic (whenever I see covers of TOI newspapers flashing down its own brigade of new age leaders), about this friend. And I can't find the mot-juste to define how this guy really influenced me.

Date:5dec 2001
It was way back during my class 12 days in VKV jairampur. Everyone busy with their own self styled preparation for the board exams in next few months. Some inside their room, some in the walled closet of bathrooms(independent room one could boast of) and some with temporary huts built by bamboos with their own fantasies of cast away for exams style.
It was just the usual evening,juniors in the playground, and most of the batchmates , nowhere to be seen.
Me and three of my friends planned for a Maggi n Samosa trip to Shatroh(17th)mile's canteen. Its a km walk from the hostel, and the favourite stop junction for all the Jairampurians(VKV) to pacify the Hunger or the distasteful elementary taste buds having sedated by VKV MESS FOODs. And the Munims , marwari styled talks certainly made it sure that we come back at the night too. Whatever anyone says, we Jairampurians devoured Eating Munimji's Maggi and half plate plain rice. Atleast it appeased more to our olfactory cells... and its hard arguing them(the cells offcos).

OK..its deviating...got bit nostalgic....

The Story actually starts from here....
As soon as we were done with our Snacks, we came out of the canteen to find three Local guys in bikes parked outside the canteen, staring us... and one of them heavily drunk.
As soon as we passed through them, One of them started shouting and calling out words, and ya...few of those words for VKV Jairampurians. And offcourse this was hurled on us, we being the only VKVians there.
It sounds hilarious when I think of it now...the kind of VKV Patriotism we used to have for our alma mater and Seriously, none of VKV Jairampurains would have patience and let things go, if its about VKV jairampur, but most importantly , If and only if I or any other VKVians happens to be in Jairampur. Hmmmm sounds Doggy logic.

So we looked back, gave them a stare... and offcourse got nothing of the responses that we would have devoured. Hmmm... disappointed we returned back to our hostel.
And all of sudden, one of my companion, got impatient and regretted of having done nothing about the above Incident.
Well, I tried to pacify him , but he insisted on going alone...
Well... the rest is History... Jairampurian History.

It's now.... 10pm....
the Bigger part of the History was yet to arrive, :)
I was discussing with a friend of mine, if we should go and sleep in the classroom... Hmmm he rejected my offer and said there was nothing to worry about.

Some of my classmates , were discussing about the Historical event that we just did, and some in their own Bedshetted Cabins.

Ten minutes passed, I could hear some guys shouting outside.... Thought, it might be some juniors playing around.
Within minutes, the voices became more prominent with , THUDS and SCREEches... and off course, the UHH AHHs part(how can I miss that).
My fears were about to come true...
I could see two gun totted person(militants actually)inside our hostel, and shooving and kicking my other mates out of their room.
Hmmm... with all my fears and prays, I was inside my cabin, breathlessly... and how I wished I could turn invisible to them.
But, alas , it didnt work.
I was forced outside of my room, banged with the gun behind my head, kicked to the walls.... Opps.. Ya...none landed any punches on my face though.

Once I was out of the hostel... another mahabharatha was getting unfolded outside the dormitory. Well, we(VKVians) were offcourse forced to enact the evil sides of any Bolly flicks.... You get all....and take it all.... the punches and the kicks.

Hmmm.... I was terrified looking at my frens getting furled up three or four rounds , in response to just a single kick.
Well, My friends enacting this part of diving and defying newtons law of equal response certainly, didn't amuse the Gun totted militants, numbering 25 to 30, with their china imported guns(as one of them proclaimed this... hmmm.. well we had to buy that line though, all disciplined)....
Some even showed grenades right infront of us.... Well, I didn't know they were from some Suicide squad... :)
Jokes apart... All my friends were terrified, and so were the juniors, held captive at gun point.
They told they were from NSCN militant outfit, and were here looking for class XII guys involved in the fight with one of their informants.
Well, so much for just disciplining... Were they insane ?

We were asked to line up(both class 11 n 12 students)...
One of my closest friend was dragged out from the line and was brought at the front of the queue to sort out the class 12 students who were actually involved in the scuffle.
I was the first among my classmates in the mixed up line,in counting
.... I could see few of my juniors who were infront of me with their terrified mixed feelings about the whole happenings.
So the sorting began....

"Was he among them ?" NSCN cadre with the gun pointed at my friend asked.

"NO " came the reply from my friend ...

"Was he ? "
"NO".... He's kicked everytime toward the end of the row, after every counting...

"Was he ? " ...
"NO "....

Well...answer would obviously have been a "NO"... since all those were asked to identify were from Class XI....
My Number was nearing... I didn't know what they would do to me...

Ya... I remembered my Gods, my parents and my other fairy angels.
I prayed to them... I wanted to Live...

My long waited turn finally came up...

I could see my friend's bruised up face, but a bold glow in his face surprised me...
I showed my grim pale face, so that he could sympathize upon me and say a "NO" just like he did for the Class XI guys. He showed me no response that I would have expected to be kind on me.... save my life.... atleast save me from the beatings.

Well.... " Was he there ?"

"NO"...said he, again kicked ahead.

I was taken aback my his answer... how could he be so foolish to throw such kind of gauntlet to a Militant group, who doesn't spare Military personnels even.

Well... He kept saying NO... till the last guy.

I was amazed by his Courage or what we would say rationally..."his foolishness"...

But, he certainly has won a place in each of our batchmates' heart.
He is my HERO.

****
Sorry, can't disclose his name.
****