The life of an army brat

By the age of seven, I had already changed five schools, lived in six different states of the country, lived outside the country for a year and a half, lived in almost every climate that the Earth has to offer and changed a whole lot of best friends. Being a ‘Fauji Brat’, as we call ourselves, life was a river with travel and experiences written across every meander.

I consider myself very lucky to have been born in a family associated with the Indian Armed Forces. Life for someone living such a life is absolutely glorious and vibrant. It is the kind of life that people dream of when they are young. Name a facility and you will be provided with the best of it. A car, a chauffeur, a chef, a beautiful house with gardens all around it, a gardener, helping assistants, canteens and shopping complexes to name a few.

When I was two years of age, we got posted to Haa in Bhutan for a year and a half. I remember that on my third birthday, every member of our little Army community came to my birthday party and by the time it was over, my bed was full of gifts. The child of daddy’s every friend was my friend and vice versa. You would know everyone in the cantonment and every celebration was a community celebration. The environment was always so full of life.

I remember changing my best friend every year as my family and I would move on to our next posting. ‘Letting Go’ is something that the Indian Armed Forces teach very well, for you have no other choice. Life is a constant expedition. You move to a new place, a new state. You shift into your new house and unpack everything and set up your house within a week. That’s right. A week. Packing, loading and unpacking is something that we get used to. Furniture and all electronics go into custom-made containers. You go to a new school or a new office. Find new teachers, make new friends. Find a new bedroom and a new garden. And once you are used to that place, it is time for everyone’s farewell, since everyone moves out together. Everything gets renewed.

The best part? At the end of it all, you are very thankful for it. Travelling to a new place every year should not be confused with weak bonds and friendships. Some of the best friends that I have are those that I made through my Army circle, for we have so many memories to share. I have friends with whom my family had three consecutive postings together. We still remember how we used to be crashing at each other’s places all the time because our homes were within the same building complex. From things like going to the bathroom together as toddlers to each other’s first crushes… we have shared it all!

One thing common and worthwhile among all Fauji families is the bond that the parents share with the kids. You best friend’s mom is definitely your mom who will even fight for you when you need her to. The kids don’t need to lie to their parents to go out for drinks with their friends. Us as kids had our first drinks with our parents, and I wasn’t even 15 then! We have been exposed to everything. It is simply a matter of choice and conduct of what we would want to embrace or let go. Late night parties are something that we were a part of since the day we were born. It is a common misconception that faujis live under a lot of restrictions and discipline. However, that is not true at all. The kind of trust, freedom and opportunities that our parents lay upon us are unlike any found in civil.

My father left the Army after sixteen years of service to pursue other goals. When we entered civil, it was quite a shift for us. People barely knew their neighbour’s name in the society where we lived. No weekend family parties, huge gap between the parents and children was prevalent everywhere. I was the only one who played golf in my entire school, let alone everyone else who had never visited a golf course. I felt proud of myself, come of think of it!

To sum it up, I think that the social circle, the etiquette, the opportunities, the character development and the experiences offered by a life of the Armed Forces cannot be matched by any other in the country. It is truly a life to look forward to.

#exploration #lifestyle