Stealing my own car

Sounds funny!But at times such situations arise which force you to perform such an act.

I went to collect my driving licence at ‘Suvidha Kendra Patiala’. I parked my car and took the necessary documents in a small handbag. After reaching the counter I waited for my turn in queue. There were lot of computer terminals at each counter akin to a multi counter reservation office of railways. Soon after collecting the licence I came out and went to the parking area where I had parked  my car. As I searced for the keys in my pocket I found them missing. Oh my God ! Where is it ? I searched all my remaining pockets for if inadvertently I would have kept it elsewhere but all my efforts went in vain. I started to recall the events after I got down from my car based on which I started to act. I went back to the counter where I stood in queue and carefully observed the floor for the fallen keys from my pocket while taking out the documents at the counter. Though most of the person standing in the queue had changed I still asked some of them if they had seen any fallen keys but noone could help me. I then asked the counter clerk but was wasting my time. The thought of getting  duplicate keys was out since it was located in other station.

 Now what should I do- Take a bus to get the duplicate keys?But with no other solution which my mind could suggest I proceeded towards my car again to see if anything important is kept inside by peeping through the window before mounting the bus to get duplicate keys.  I was  cursing my ownself for being so careless not being able to keep the keys secured in my pocket. It was hurting too much as was eating away my self confidence. I reached my car and had a peep through the windows. Everything was normal and there was nothing important inside which could be stolen. So I started to move out from the parking area to board the bus. However on my way out I felt something unusual which my eyes had noticed but the brain refused to decipher in turn adding to my discomfort. What is it I stressed my mind again and again?

‘Anyway forget it’ I said and soon boarded the bus. Sitting on a window seat I was envying the cars passing under my eyes when the bus stopped at a red signal. I saw a car halted to my left just below the bus window with a charming lady sitting on the driver’s seat. I glanced at her to relax and divert my tensed mind while both the vehicles waited for the red signal to turn green. She had an attractive hairstyle whose beautiful left hand rested on the steering while the right  fondled the car keys with her slender fingers.

 Car keys! The sight of keys again caused turbulence in my mind and brought it back to the same state but this time with a solution. Oh my God! Now I recalled what was causing discomfort to my mind was that I had seen my car keys hanging in the ignition slot of my own car with the door locked. It was now clear that I had forgotten to remove my car keys while debussing from the car before reaching the counter and the door was inadvertently got locked by me with the keys inside the car.  I immediately rushed out of the bus before the signal turned green. After reaching the side of the road in the jammed traffic I raised my hand in excitement to thank that charming lady who had helped me in getting out of this predicament while she looked dazed and confused in reciprocating to a stranger. I soon reached my car within a few minutes as the bus had not left far from the city. Now there was another problem waiting for me. How do I enter my own car as the keys were inside?

Since once earlier I had faced a similar situation when the keys were left inside the car and I had taken two days to locate the duplicate keys for finally opening the car. I had learnt it from a mechanic how to open it without the keys. Most of us know that in 'Maruti 800' one can open the locked door of the car by inserting a scale from the window glass just above the door handle from the window glass forcing the scale between the window glass and the door vertically downwards till it hits the obstruction which  pops up the locked lever inside the car. But my car which was 'Zen' did not have that popping lever but a horizontal knob. The mechanic however convinced me that it also opens similarly and  demonstrated the process after which the door  opened the next second.

Now the search for a steel scale commenced. I went to a photostat shop nearby and asked (this time again a sweet girl) to lend me the steel scale lying on her table on which my eyes were locked. She lent me the scale after which I  sped towards my car. Now the third problem was if anyone sees me opening the car in  this way he may think I am trying to make away with the car for which I damn cared. As I had thought  of, a man waiting for someone in his own car parked behind mine was watching my actions making me feel embarrassed for sometime.  Like an expert I slid the steel scale and jerked it between the window glass and the door knob and opened the door at last. Thanks to the demo of the mechanic.

I thanked God and took a sigh of relief. I immediately took out the keys from the car and placed them securely in my pocket. After locking the car I went back to return the scale to that Photostat shop girl conveying my thanks. When I finally opened the car again with the keys the man sitting in his car was still observing me carefully and would have said to himself.

‘There goes a car just stolen in front of my eyes.’

 Stealing own car is not a crime I convinced myself as I drove out of the parking area. Thanks to those two sweet ladies who had made my day successful after 4 hours of trauma without knowing what had happened. Maybe they may realise it some day after reading this incident.   

Academy days: The wrong hand

The days in academy can never be forgotten in an army officer’s life as it forms a part of his childhood in services. If you pickup any biography of a renowed army man it will definitely have a chapter on his academy days. It is during this time that all of us coming from different parts of this diversified nation come to a common grid after the trg period. During this process various incidences connected with humour take place which become memorable for life and such nostalgic times are cherished during the course socials even after decades where everyone  forgets his rank and falls to the same grid to recall the past memories of academy days.

One such incidence took place in 1987 during a ‘Grenade session’. The ustaad taught us in a theory class on how to launch a grenade after explaining its parts on the blackboard placed on the easle which we all listened carefully sitting on a semicircular concrete bench under a  banyan tree besides river tons in IMA. He very clearly explained how a clip is removed with the left hand while holding a dummy grenade in the right with its lever facing the palm so that the lever is not released even inadvertently. After this he made each one of us practice by taking us to the actual grenade firing site. Every one  waiting in a single file  was called  one by one with a dummy grenade wherein after extracting the pin from left hand the grende was thrown behind the protective wall with the right hand. After this the clip was handed over to the ustaad and the cadet ducked down his head for a few moments depicting to hear the sound of the blasting grenade and thereafter came out of the trench allowing the next person to follow the same drill. After doing sufficient practice the D day came after two days when actual live grenade firing was to be carried out.

The first cadet came and performed as practiced. After taking out the pin from the grenade with the left hand and throwing the grenade behind the wall with the right he handed over the clip to the ustaad and ducked down his head to hear the sound of the blast before proceeding further to get out of the trench. After hearing the blast with excitement  he proceeded further and came out of the trench. Likewise he was followed by the second cadet and it carried on with everyone. Finally it was Prasad who came for his debut grenade launch. He was a left hander and could understand hindi with great difficulty but by watching everyone the drill was set in his mind with the visual mode of learning. He came with the grenade in his left hand took out the pin with his right hand and threw the pin behind the protective wall instead of the grenade and handed over the grenade to the ustaad while bending down to hear the blast ducking his head between his knees.

“Arey yeh kya kar rahe ho GC “shouted the ustaad and with a good reflex action and his wisdom he  threw away the grenade behind the wall and also ducked down joining Prasad. The grenade blasted after 3 seconds.

Thank God ! Such Ustaads with mettle are posted to IMA to deal with such situations.

Prasad is now a Brigadier in the Army and has more than three commendation cards to his credit.