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all the regimental bugle calls, none is so easily recognisable than this
call! The Adjutant would have laid out the charge sheet (AF B252) in
front of the CO, based upon which the CO informs the accused of the
charge for the offence committed. If found guilty, depending on the
offence committed, the CO’s punishment could range from
‘thunuwa
ma parnu’
(detention) to
‘billa jhari mangnu’
(reduction in rank), or ‘
jari-
mana tirnu’
(simple fine), ‘
talab katnu’
(forfeit of pay), or ‘
sakkhat warning
paunu’
(severe reprimand/admonition) to the
‘khali khutta ghar janu’
-
literal translation is ‘going home barefoot’ - i.e. top of the sheet admin-
istrative discharge within 24 hours. A person locked away in the Quar-
ter Guard becomes a
‘kaidee’
(prisoner) for rest of his spell in the cell.
If someone is having a ‘
tuppi tharo’
they are extremely busy. If you feel
‘wak dik
’ you are fed up with something or someone. Then you will be
susceptible to
‘notice ma parnu’
which is to come under observation of
the seniors or get picked on. To be singled out as a
‘
Figure 11 Target’ is
another way of saying this! When you hear the word
‘danra pari ko
gham’
(setting sun) it means you are made redundant, probably as a
‘hak katuwa’
(superseded in rank) earmarked for pension. A
‘Lal Book’
(Red Book) is the certificate of service and discharge, otherwise known
as Testimonial (AF B108).
‘Cocktail nautch’
is the final ‘free for all’ dance on stage at the end of
the
Dashera Kalaratri
programme. No
Dashera
party would have been
complete without one and one could probably tell why!
‘Mess tin ko khabar’
(by clanging mess tins)
refers to an unofficial way of
passing information through rumour and gossip which is unlikely to
be true. This normally happens in the big exercises where no one
really knows what is going on! In the ‘
cookhouse’
(dining hall), eating
‘bhat by hat’
(using hands)
is not permissible, so by no means accus-
tomed to, or particularly appreciative of, men use
‘gnaiti ani belcha’
(pick & shovel) alias fork and spoon. To call someone
‘jhoosay-moosay’
is generally regarded as a mildly humorous put-down without malice
way of saying that you guys are not too important,
eg
. Battalion Vol-
leyball Team ‘B’, transit-wallahs, Mr Vice, or your leave is cancelled,
etc
.
