Brij Mehta Diaries

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 also pertinent to mention that Nasirabad also happens to be my Birthplace.

The Formal Interview

As an entry protocol, all new recruits were taken for an interview with the Commandant, wearing only the kit-issued white underwear. Commandant Col. Shivji Singh, accompanied by Adjutant Major Nagender Singh, walked past the batches, glancing at the aspirants. He barely spoke to one or two recruits, as the focus was more on intake numbers and class composition. I was recruited against Dogras, being from Punjab — Khanna, District Ludhiana. The interview seemed intended to assess the general physique of the recruits.

Training Days at GRC :I was assigned to No. 2 Training Company, also called Santacruz Company, named after Santa Cruz, which was associated with World War II operations of 11 Grenadiers.

Training began in earnest. I witnessed the transition from .22 rifles to .303 rifles, and then to 7.62 SLRs (Self-Loading Rifles), which were replacing the World War II-era bolt-action rifles. Physical training included a weekly mass PT session every Saturday, attended by the entire GRC, including the Commandant, with the military band in attendance. It was a spectacle to see the whole Centre engaged in one activity.

The GRC had an open-air cinema hall, where I watched my first movie, Raj Hath, on 27th December 1967. Training was tough, but I adapted quickly, being an ex-sportsperson. My immediate senior NCO section commanders were NKs Samay Ram and Abhay Singh. Because of my education and personality, I was made Toli (batch) Commander.

My colleagues in my Batch as I remember some of them included Ful Chand, Garib Das, Kartar Singh, Magha Ram, Inder Singh, Mata Din, Ganpat, and Mahesh — a Boys’ Entry recruit from the Signals Training Centre. We trained together for eight months, building strong camaraderie. Later, I met Inder Singh in my battalion after commissioning, and Kartar Singh at Grenadiers RC, where he had re-mustered as a clerk. Hav. Suraj Ram ex my father’s battalion was our drill instructor.

Lights out was around 9:30–10:00 p.m., and the day began at 4:00 a.m. with Samay Ram ji’s call: “Uth jao, Brij Mohan, char baj gaye hain.” I would ensure my batch was ready to collect DP (Drill Practice) weapons from the armoury and proceed to the parade ground. NK Samay Ram was strict and disciplined. I learned much from him, though once he punished me by making me stand in the sun with my steel trunk on my head for misunderstanding his orders.

Life Beyond the Parade Ground

Festivities brought relief. I celebrated Holi first festival after joining army at GRC, dancing bhangra with Dogras and Punjabis, and tasted my first tot of rum. Transport was scarce; recruits carried trunks on their shoulders from Nasirabad Railway Station to No. 2 Training Company.

Entertainment was limited to the weekly Hindi film at the open-air cinema. Sundays were for Mandir Parade and visits to regimental canteens, where I met Seth Gokul Chand and Banarsi Das, former contractors with my father’s unit. I also met Rajinder Bhai Ji’s friends in the Brass Band and often shared lunch with them.

Attestation and Posting to 12 Grenadiers

After successfully completing training our Attestation Parade was held which marks culmination of training of Recruit. . An attestation parade in the Army is a solemn ceremony that formally inducts recruits into service, marking their transition from trainees to soldiers. It symbolizes their oath of allegiance to the nation, showcases discipline and military decorum, and celebrates their commitment to serve with honour and integrity. . Following the Attestation Parade, newly attested Grenadiers were dispatched to their units. I was allotted to 12 Grenadiers.I felt immense pride on my achieveing first milestone of my career.

I travelled with a draft NCO to Pathankot, where we parted ways — he took a batch towards Jammu, while I boarded a narrow-gauge train to Nagrota to join my unit at Yol. After a five-hour journey by train, I reached Nagrota Bagwan Railway Station and was transported in a three-ton truck to Yol. At the RP Post of 12 Grenadiers, I was received and escorted uphill to the company lines.

Thus began my journey as a combatant soldier in an infantry battalion at Yol Camp. I felt proud to join one of the oldest and most elite regiments of the Indian Army, with its motto “Sarvada Shaktishali”, fulfilling my father’s desire that I join his regiment.