Evolution of Love 2

Effectively Present, yet Visibly Absent*

(Somnambulist Skeins of Sleepless Mind)
God Bless Gen SF Rodrigues' Noble Soul. Though I never could meet him up close, I did come close to it. Notwithstanding my loss of not being able to meet a Chief at that early stage, I do owe a wonderful first visit to Idyllic Barot in Himachal Pradesh to Gen SF Rodriques.
In order to take a well deserved break from his hectic routine, he deigned to take 6 days of CL at a small village called Barot nestled in the salubrious environs of Himachal Pradesh. Barot is a village nestled in a beautiful valley against the backdrop of the majestic Dhauladhars on the banks of the fast flowing Uhl river, gushing to merge with the Beas much later.
The approach to Barot is either through a tedious winding road turning off near Jogindernager, or by an amazing feat of engineering where two sets of rails laid up the hill along the Fenstock run a trolley on ( Believe me ) Counter weights. This precarious journey too is divided into two parts, first from the Shannan electric project till a place called *Head Gear*, and secondly a steeper section ( reaching more than 44 degrees incline at some stretches) upto *Winch Camp*. From here after a short trail walk, it is a thrilling ride all the way down to Barot Village.
This idyllic village had an huge reservoir for running the turbines at the Shannan hydel plant Jogindernagar established in the 1940s by Britishers.
In the early 1990s Barot town was not on any tourist map. It was an exclusive Getaway for VVIPs. A comfy log Hut made by the British completed the picture as a scene straight out Swiss Alps. The delicious trout in the Uhl was abundant and the tiny kidney beans grown by the villagers, out of the world in taste.
The T2BSN teleprinters at Yol signal centre started clattering noisely, almost protesting against the disruption of peace which this short VVIP vacation was going to cause. Instructions to ensure availabilty of infallible communications INCASE required came from the highest level. With a caveat - we were to be *effectively Present, yet visibly Absent*. A whole division was soon going to descend into the Tiny Barot valley and become *Invisible* !
Our CO a seasoned Signaller and more cavalier than many cavaliers I came across in my career, called me to his office and told me that I would be solely incharge of providing this *Need Be* communication. Paucity of officers or considered as an exercise in futility, I was thrilled to escape and set out with only one clear mandate from my CO.
_A Chief never has a vacation and is always in Operation,_ so I should ensure that we are *Through at ALL TIMES* and *Invisible at That!*
If the COAS at any point of time needs communication then I should just emerge from the nearest bush and hand him the phone with Delhi at the other end. Tall order indeed! but then Failure or it Fear, rather its consequences seldom occupy a youngster's mind .
As a 2lt Lt fresh from YOs who was equally keen as an MTO, I was entrusted to carry two RR dets ( bulky 3 ton vehs) in that relatively dangerous terrain and establish a RR link to Yol with a Rptr at Sitingiri.
Extensive Power Balance calculations taking in account precarious FFZ (First Fresnel Zone) clearances and Multiple Knife edge Diffractions on numerous Path Profiles followed. My YOs instr would be proud!
The responsibility of organising the COAS' stay was eagerly, rightfully and thankfully taken over by the Artillery Bde at Alhilal which incidentally was the nearest Military formation.
The bemused GoC at Yol instructed the Bde Cdr to ensure that the famed Rainbow trout only should bite the bait which Mrs Jean Rodrigues would use whilst fishing, whilst the equally delicious Brown trout be advised to Stay Away till it found its way onto the plate. ( Local lads wading upstream were commissioned for this task I believe)
Then there was the difficult issue of getting the Right Red Wine with the White Meat and its corresponding White wine with Red meat ( A healthy porker from Dharamshala had been requisitioned)
All went as per plan. Each and every bush in Barot became some Fauji's abode. Hiding two 3 ton RR vehicles was a difficult task so we dismounted our equipmentt and dispatched these vehicles further up the road where we knew no one would come.
We never had to extend a call to the COAS for his entire stay, however I became very popular with numerous youngsters and even senior offrs from various Arms and Services as my Line to Delhi was always Through and the sweet voiced operators at Delhi were only to willing to extend us, youngsters late night calls to our girlfriends and let Romance remain in the Air! Barot brought more opportunities again when I was tasked to escort a General, his wife and their pretty young daughter to the Barot drawing from my vast experiences. Regardless to say I gained some fresh ones too! The visit went flawlessly with Trout from the trout farm making its presence felt again. The experience less the tension of providing communication worked well as well as the company. Romance was relived by the General and his wife and some did shower on us young souls too. Travelling down a hillside on an antiquated trolley left as a legacy by the Brits does make a young girl to cling to the nearest and only Captain seated besides you for her Life albeit not For Life !.
🤪😁