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Continue reading →: A Crucible of Resilience
Rejection at Bangalore The third week of January 1971 found me at the Services Selection Board (SSB) in Bangalore, appearing for the Short Service Commission I the Army. I threw myself into every group discussion and activity, convinced I had done well. Yet, when the results were announced, rejection struck—not…
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Continue reading →: Snowfall, Discipline & Dreams of Commission
After a short tenure, we moved to Jammu & Kashmir and were posted near Drugmulla village in January 1971. The railhead was Pathankot, and our transit route wound through Pathankot, Jammu, Udhampur, and finally Srinagar. The unit was spread across the hillside, with our company barracks perched on a knoll,…
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Continue reading →: Gaya ji-Yearning for Education, and Attaining Success
My tenure at Gaya Ji was a short one, but it was filled with memorable and eventful experiences. Gaya was then a small town on Howrah Line , and I continued to assist the Company Clerk in his daily duties in my role and responsibilities in the army. The town…
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Continue reading →: Foundations at Yol: “Discipline, Sports, and Brotherhood”
Arrival at Yol (December 1968) My journey as a Grenadier (Sepoy in other Regiments) began at Yol Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh when I reported for duty to 12 Grenadiers. I was placed in Alfa Company, composed largely of Dogras and Punjabis, and allotted No. 3 Platoon. Under the guidance of…
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Continue reading →: From Nasirabad to Yol :Making of a Soldier
Arrival at Nasirabad After my recruitment process — documentation and medical examination — was completed, I reported for duty at the Grenadiers Regimental Centre, Nasirabad, about 14 km from Ajmer on Kota Road, on 27th December 1967. The formal training commenced the very next day, on 28th December 1967.It is…
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Continue reading →: From Khanna to Jodhpur:Life in Sun City
My father retired as a Sub Clerk and was granted an Honorary Commission as Lieutenant in 1964. Soon after, he was appointed Assistant Recruiting Officer at Ajmer, and later Administrative Officer with the 6 Rajasthan Battalion NCC in Jodhpur. With this posting, he made the decisive choice to relocate our…
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Continue reading →: From rejection to resilience
Delhi to Khanna Returning from Delhi after an unsuccessful attempt at better academic environment felt like a setback, but Khanna offered me a second chance. My grandfather, determined to see me educated, took me to AS Higher Secondary School—the only secondary school and was located at the GT Road ‑Samrala…
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Continue reading →: Memoirs of Khanna: from partition roots to adolescent dreams
After an year of unsuccessful stay at Delhi returned to Khanna to join the family and grandparents. As I recollect it was House No 330,Mohalla Dhobian (Could never figure out why it was named so as there was not even a single Dhobi around) ! May be it was named…
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Continue reading →: Under the skies in Delhi
In early 1962 my elder brother Rajender Rai had got employed in the Ministry of Defence as Civilians and my father was nearing his retirement so I was sent to Delhi in 1963 to continue further studies and travelled by Bus/Train from Jammu & was accompanied by his colleague Anti…
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Continue reading →: Humour in olive greens
In the crisp discipline of uniformed services, where duty, decorum, and danger converge daily, humour finds its own quiet command. Whether it’s the witty banter between soldiers in a bunker or the light-hearted jests exchanged over get-togethers, humour becomes more than just comic relief—it’s a resilient coping mechanism, a bridge…
Hello,
I’m Brij Mehta
Welcome to my blog! Here I share inspiring stories from my life and experiences from soldiering to second innings.
Brij Mehta Diaries 