To sir with love

Caring in disguise
While a major army exercise was in progress I was detailed by my unit to participate as an engineer representative in a task involving selection of a site for construction of bridge over a nullah and was made the confirmatory recce party commander. Due to the nature of work I had to stay with a Sikh Light Infantry unit (known as Sikhli). It was real fun staying with them and experiencing their hospitality. I had to stay in a tent and was given a sahayak, Sepoy Bhupinder singh of their unit to assist me in my administration work. They used to follow their normal routine of PT in the morning and thereafter attended the training classes and this was to be carried on till the time we were to receive orders for our move. One day I was dead tired and was not wanting to get up early in the morning when he came to wake me up with a cup of tea. He said ,
“Sahib ji chaa lah lo.”(Sir please have the tea)
I said to him yawning ,
“Huh! uthda ha” (Huh! I’ll get up) and took a side roll to other side to have some more nap.
He again said,
“Sahibji chaa table teh rakh ditti hai”(Sir, I have kept the tea over the table)
“Thhek hai”(OK), I said, keeping my face below the pillow as was still feeling sleepy .
After some time when he saw that I still did not get up he said,
“ Sahibji chaa thandi ho jayegi”(Sir the tea will get cold)
I annoyingly said,
“O Yaar main pee langa to bus rakh de te ja( O dear I will have it, you just keep it and go)

He then replied,
“Sahib ji chaa nahin pini hai tey naa peeoo par PT tuhaada Peeoo karooga”
(Sir if you do not want to have tea then don’t have it but will your Pop do the PT”)
I at once jumped out of the bed and shouted at him as to how can he speak like that to me. He stood in attention and innocently said,
“Sahibji Main ki galt kihaa hai ki tussi mainoon khan nu pai gaye ho?”(Sir what wrong have I said that you have pounced to chew me up )
My sleep vanished in thin air and I could not find the appropriate words to answer him so frustratingly I told him to get out and get a bucket of warm water. He said,
“Sahibji ooh teh main pehlaa hi saveyray rakh ditti si taa ki tussi late naa ho jaao.”(Sir I had already kept a bucket in the morning so that you do not get late)
Hearing this my anger dropped like a ripe mango and I told him to get the breakfast. I could not imagine he cared so much for me without any of my briefing given to him earlier and realised it later that it was only the way in which the troops in that unit were used to talking and there was nothing intentional. A very unique way of showing how you care.