The world is a fine place and worth
fighting for - Ernest Hemingway
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Dussera Celebrations Dussera was the day after we reached the station of the unit, however the festivities were to start from that night onwards, the first of the pooja was the Kalratri, which was to start at mid-night.
In the center of the complex there was a well decorated clearing which was the focal point of the activities. At the stroke of mid-night the poojaris of the unit started reciting mantras and the CO and the Subedar Major conducted the pooja. The pooja started with balidan of a goat and ended with the firing of a gun salute
Early next morning the day started with Kumari Pooja where young girls from the neighboring villages were worshipped as a form of the goddess Kali. Clearly the villagers around the unit had great affection for the unit as could be seen by their active participation in all the festivities. The Kumari Pooja was followed by the Shastra Pooja and a hawan.
After this we adjourned to the tent for a fun afternoon of cultural program by the jawans and the children of the neighboring villages. There was a prize distribution to the outstanding students. The afternoon was topped of by dancing the traditional Jamre dance to the beats of the battalion band. A word to the uninitiated, Jamre is a very very tough dance and keeping up with the gorkha soldiers is not easy and I have aching legs to prove it!!
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The
furious display of the Khukri followed next, this is the famous Khukri Dance of
the Gorkha regiments, Lt. Nawang was to have led this dance on February 2001 but
fate had destined otherwise. The dance consists of 10 basic Khukri thrust to the
beats of drums, the tempo is slowly increased with each set and the towards the
end this becomes of blur of blades and muscles with the Gorkhas wielding their
deadly Khukri. In battle like in dance this weapon remains unsurpassed in
its ferocity. 
