It was the winter of 1971. I was 29-year-old and had joined the job of government teacher at a school in Delhi’s Prahladpur Bangar area merely a year ago. Things were new for me and I was trying to figure out the functioning of department when one fine day, the announcement was made by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, that India will provide training, arms and logistical support to Mukti Bahini Sena, a guerrilla force engaged in sabotage, intelligence gathering and conventional warfare against Pakistan for East Pakistan’s independence. The tensions between Pakistan and East Pakistan were escalating for a long time and now India made an entry into the war.
With this announcement, we were also told that all government leaves were cancelled due to the emergency situation. That day, I stored some non-perishable food, coal and kerosene. The next day, all the schools were told to be prepared with first aid facilities in case a person suffered injuries or an injured army person needed to stay here. All the schools were functioning as usual with principals and teachers bearing the responsibility for students’ safety. In comparison with today’s situation, I experienced that people were more aware at that point because they had seen the war of 1965 between India and Pakistan. They knew what to do when the sirens blared and what not to do during blackouts. I remember trenches being dug in open places like parks and big plots so that people could take shelter in case of an air strike. The mode of communication was not like today, we all used to assemble at a place whenever any war update came on the radio. Still, the situation was better than that of 1965 and people were more prepared this time.
As I was posted in a rural area of Delhi, I could see that people were not much bothered about the dangers of wars posed by it. Farmers who lived in that village were fearless and used to say that they could fight for the country if needed. Such courage was commendable. The only time I saw alertness in their eyes was when the siren blared. Also, there were regular blackouts and we used to light candles for daily chores with black paper pasted on our windows. One of my cousins was fighting for the Indian Army in the war and achieved martyrdom. We are proud of him.
We were of the same age and shared a very close bond.
(As told to Vaishnavi Mishra, correspondent, The Pioneer)