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Paranormal Phenomenon and Mystical Occurances in Itbp

SUDHAKAR NATARAJAN

DEPUTY COMMANDANT

SVO,ITBP

PARANORMAL PHENOMENON AND MYSTICAL OCCURANCES IN ITBP

A Soldier who has been dead for more than two decades, alerts ITBP sentry at Hot Springs in Ladakh Sector? Avoiding visiting Changla Baba during journey to Forward Posts in Ladakh leads to mechanical problems in your vehicle and unforeseen delays? Seeing Ohm Parbat at dawn on Vaikunt Ekadashi brings luck in the Kumaon Sector? See four black neck cranes in Dungti and your promotion is just around the corner? If you don’t visit Kali Temple in Leh then you will be posted to Ladakh for the second tenure? Always blow the horn of your vehicle while passing a war memorial so that unforeseen problems during transit are nullified? Salute when you approach ‘Captain Mor’ on way to Karu for an uneventful passage?

These are a few of the mystical beliefs in ITBP that are difficult to prove but traditions have a way of seeping into our psyche and percolating into to the very core of our unworldly and psychic belief systems that is far removed from logical, rational and scientific thinking.

Though it goes against your scientific upbringing, one cannot but listen with awe to a upright and simple soldier’s report that he was indeed slapped by someone on OP duty at Hot Springs when he dozed off on duty. It was as if the dead soldier’s slap was a warning to the Himveer to ensure fool proof border management. Or you could attribute the experience to hallucinations of the sentry on a lonely duty in subzero high altitude terrain due to oxygen deficiency. Simple rustic ITBP soldiers have told me that the slap is always followed by some good news from home. Nearly all soldiers who received the slap at the observation post received news either about their marriage being fixed or alliance for their sister being finalized or his name being approved in the promotion list. Call it coincidence or the mind playing tricks, for me it will always remain a mystery.

During my first tenure at Ladakh in 1992, the late Assistant Commandant Lakhan Singh Khair told me to visit the Kali Temple near the Airport to avoid a second tenure in this cold desert. I ignored the advice thinking that the ramblings of a old soldier are best ignored. Exactly after 10 years I was again posted to Ladakh in 2002. It was only then that I ensured that I visited the temple to avoid my third tenure at the excruciatingly debilitating forward locations. Still keeping my fingers crossed, though I belatedly followed the so called unscientific advice. Many other officers who forgot to visit the temple during their first tenure have been forced to go to Leh again. I just can’t give a logical explanation for this. Thanks Lakhan Sir, you must surely looking down at us from your heavenly abode.

Previously I had held the record of having the dubious distinction of being the senior most directly appointed Assistant Commandant in Indian Paramilitary Forces upto 2005 putting in nearly 14 years in the appointment rank. One day during my visit to Dungti I saw 4 black neck cranes flying in an arrow head formation and I reported this back to my boys at the post. They said that Sahib aap ka promotion aane wala hai. I replied that that it was impossible since there were no vacancies in the cadre. But lo and behold within a week I at least got my Deputy Commandant pay scale, thought without rank, due to a change in policy to give ACP to stagnated Assistant Commandants putting in 6 years service. Now it has been reduced to 4 years. Therefore it was at least a partial fulfillment of my subconscious desires, which was a mere coincidence but my troops attribute it to the rare bird sighting.

On way to forward posts in Ladakh there is a spot where a Captain’s Jeep went down the gorge into the Indus river in the early 1960s. As a mark of respect to him the border roads personnel have named the turning as “ Captain Mor†by marking the spot on the mountain face with white and green paint. An old tradition has it that a crisp salute from the party commander keeps all obstacles at bay and the Captain's spirit helps the party during trouble. As a personal tradition, whenever my convoy used to pass the spot I used to wish the good Captain with a shout, “Morning Sir†coupled with a smart salute, all of this from the moving vehicle. One day my vehicle broke down on the way back from the posts and my driver reported that nothing could be done for the major fault and we would have to spend the night in the wilderness till some help arrived. I took out my sleeping bag and with a heavy heart tried to wriggle into it. Just then my driver shouted,†Sir, I see headlights of a heavy vehicle coming our way†. As luck would have it the heavy vehicle was a Army EME 5Xtonner carrying spares for the Army Post at South Dungti. They stopped and the Army Captain in the vehicle happened to have served as an Adjutant to my Brother-in-law, Col Bala, during his previous tenure at Kankinara. The Captain immediately authorized the repair of my vehicle and told his mechanic to change a costly spare part in my off-road ITBP vehicle. A Captain came to my rescue, all thanks to spirit of the dead Captain at “Captain Morâ€. When we become helpless, one falls back on the supernatural. This miracle was difficult to explain scientifically. Coincidence or a miracle?

In my days during my first tenure, the road to Tsogtsalu used to be a 2 days walk from Phobrang via Bao-nala. This small transit camp was a tin-shed and tent affair with only two jawans deployed there. On my way back, there was a blizzard and the morale of my troops saw an all time low due to our extended halt at this camp. An old Ladakhi soldier told us that there was a rock where an ITBP soldier named Kailash had died just 3 months back. I remembered Kailash because I was involved in evacuating his body to the Army Hospital at Tangtse for Post Mortem. The troops took some halva and agarbatti to pray at the rock where dear old Kailash had breathed his last. One of the boys shouted,’ Kailash sir, rasta khol de. Yahan humko mut phasaâ€. A slow miracle took place. The weather improved and the sun shone brightly and it seemed as if the dark clouds over Marsmikla at 18500 feet above sea level, had just disappeared. Was this a miracle or just a chance occurrence?. I find it difficult to explain.

Did you hear of the incident when ITBP troops saw a large monkey at Nabhidang in the Kumaon Sector, believed to be the Great Hindu Monkey God. Have you heard of how 14 ITBP jawans were saved by the great spirits of Baralacha when their Mazada got struck in the snow for 7 days in 1993?

Well, I will save these stories for my next article.

Believe it or not, it is all up to you.

(SUDHAKAR NATARAJAN)

DEPUTY COMMANDANT

SVO,ITB

About the Author

A veteran veterinary soldier of Indo Tibetan Border Police, an elite paramilitary force of the India

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