The auditorium was packed. The Annual Cultural Festival went on full swing with various talent shows. The dark auditorium gleamed as the audience scrolled through their mobile phones watching random reels.
Finally, it was the chief guest, Major Arvind Nair’s turn to give a speech.
Smiling wryly, he cleared his throat. Dressed in his uniform, with an upright posture, his sharp eyes scanned the crowd.
“I see that people have diminished attention spans. You get bored easily and scroll mindlessly. However, it’s a different scenario at the border. With great patience, we await the enemy’s arrival.”
Embarrassed, the phones were tucked into the respective pockets.
“It was 2021. We were in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district,” Major Nair continued in his commanding baritone. “A local informer had apprised us about his suspicion on some terrorists holed up in one of the neighboring houses. Captain Dixit and I decided to confirm. It was around 3PM when I casually knocked at their door.”
A rapt audience sat at the edge of their seats.
“A little girl, about 10 or so answered. Her unblinking large brown eyes conveyed her plight. I asked for water. She shut the door and later arrived with a glass of water.
Are your parents in?
I asked in Kashmiri. She nodded and sprinted into the house. Her body language screamed of the terror she’d been undergoing. Dixit and I stealthily hid inside their cowshed. We couldn’t attack without a solid proof. We weren’t sure how many terrorists were present. Though it’s our duty to annihilate the enemies, our primary responsibility is to safeguard innocent civilians.
“Patiently, we awaited the sun to set. Forget mobile, we couldn’t even talk to each other,” Arvind chuckled. “Finally, darkness set in. A tiny lamp lit in one of the rooms. The shadow of a rifle-clad man loomed behind the glass window. I untied the cows. Mooing, they created a ruckus. A woman nervously stepped out. As she began tying the cows, her eyes met mine. She gasped as her eyes darted around. Sweat drenched her body even in the chilled weather.
How many of them are inside? I whispered.
She didn’t answer. But she coughed four times before leaving.
I gently pushed the ajar door open. A masked man walked towards us. In lightning speed, Dixit slit his neck.”
The crowd gasped.
“We had to move stealthily. Gagging the other two terrorists, we killed them. The fourth guy recklessly opened fire. Bleeding, I collapsed but emptied all my bullets into his body.”
Thunderous cheering echoed.
“I woke up in the hospital. My commanding officer patted me sympathetically. That’s when I realized…” Arvind steered his wheelchair ahead.
The crowd gasped in unison. Until now, no one had noticed the wheelchair behind the podium.
“Freedom comes with a price- paid by those who don’t work for your ‘likes’ and ‘subscribes’.” His voice softened.
Tearful applause erupted after a brief pause, the weight of his words sinking in each heart.
