Page 88 - Love Story of a Commando

‘I know! You see…I am very passionate about this job. I love
teaching these kids. I never felt like this before in my previous job,’ I said.
‘By the way, there is some big news too,’ she said.
‘What?’ I asked
‘The prime minister is visiting us next week. It was being kept under
wraps due to security reasons, but the preparations have been going on for a
while. He wants to connect with the locals here and spread his message of
love and peace to them directly. He wants to project a secular image to the
Kashmiri people and shed the outsider image, especially after so many
Kashmiris voted for him in the previous election. He is also coming to our
school to meet the kids.’ She was almost whispering.
‘That is great. Who told you all this?’ I asked casually as if prime
ministers visited rural Kashmir all the time.
‘Mr Khan himself! He got the call from the state home minister
directly from Srinagar and had been asked to keep it under wraps and not
inform the media. They anticipate the media directly on the day of the visit
or they might even bring their own media personnel with them.’
She left after a while and I also resigned for the day by slumping
against the pillows on my bed.
I was feeling much better the next day.
As I stepped out of my room to join the classes I saw a convoy of
military trucks on the dirt track connecting our shelter home to the village. I
walked towards the willow and poplars near the aluminum fence of the
school to get a clearer view and I saw moving military vehicles, armed
soldiers, armoured cars with machine guns mounted on it and even army
battle tanks.
My mouth fell open.
I mean, military convoys? Armed soldiers were not an alien sight in
Kashmir but the intensity of the view I had was different. By now the entire
school, hearing the loud rumbling noises of battle tanks and extraordinary
military movements, had turned up on the common grounds. The trucks in
the first row of the convoy screeched to a halt at the gates and with them the
entire convoy halted systematically. The soldiers were moving in and one of
their officers asked for the ‘in charge’.
After some sharp murmurs, Mr Khan moved from his place and
stood before him claiming his authority. The officer said something to him in
an inaudible tone unlike their loud and commanding voice and I could see
Mr Khan nodding nervously. After a few minutes, the officer went back to
his convoy and started giving instructions to his chaps.
Mr Khan wiped his profusely sweating forehead with a handkerchief
and instructed us to take the kids back to the classes. We herded the students
together and took them to the classrooms. The soldiers set to work fast. In a