Contributed by AK Ahlawat, 24 May 2020
It was 20th of December 1971 and the War had ended a few days ago. Ajay was a pre medical student in DAV college Chandigarh. Ajay reached the Chandigarh bus-stand to catch the first bus to Jammu.The morning was cool and winter's haze hung on the roof of the lined up buses.A few minutes before seven, the sikh driver in khaakhi climbed behind the wheel. By evening Ajay was with his father,an army colonel posted at Udhampur where the army's 15 Corps was headquartered.
The family was grieving. On 6th December they had lost Flight Lieutenant Vijay kumar Wahi in aerial battles over Chambb Akhnoor. He was flying a Sukhoi-7 fighter with the IAF's 101 Fighter Squadron. The mood of the family was sombre and quiet. Vijay Wahi was the hero brother, the fighter pilot brother whom Ajay hero worshipped.
Then one day his father said, "Ajay I have to visit the POW (Prisoner-of-War) camp here in Udhampur.Would you like to come along." So they drove in an army Jonga, turned left from the nullah before the Base Hospital and reached the barbed wire cage of the POW camp. The elderly time-scale Sikh Colonel, who was the Camp Commandant, took them to his hut and gave them tea and biscuits.
"Anyone from Khooshab Sargodha area in the camp?" asked colonel Wahi.
"I think there might be a few?" He said pressing the office bell. An orderly appeared. "Go call the Pakistani Senior JCO."
A man in Khaakhi came in, saluted and said his name, Army number, rank and unit name.
"How did you get caught as a POW? JCOs are at gun position in the rear." asked colonel Wahi.
"Janab there is a lot of difference in our armies. In Indian Army, officers do Artillery Observation Post duty. In our Army, officers remain behind at Gun positions and JCOs are at Forward Observation Posts to direct artillery fire. My observation post got over run by Indian infantry and I was taken prisoner."
Colonel Wahi was silent for a few moments trying to recollect something,
"Isn't there a Pakistani athelete of your name who had competed with Milka Singh in races."
The Pakistani came to stiff attention and said, "Janab I am the same man."
They exchanged notes about their old native province for some time and then the JCO asked, "Gustakhi maaf howey to janab ek arz karan (Sir, if you permit I have an appeal.)"
"Bilkul dasso kee (sure go ahead.)"
"Janab ek munda hai, ohh nu bayonet lagya hai. Doctor saab rozz aande ne, oh nuu dekhdey ney, parr ohh thik nahi ho rayaa (Sir there is a soldier of ours who has a bayonet wound, the doctor comes every day to attend to him but his condition is not improving.)"
"Badaa tezz bukhaar hai mundey nuu aur saadey paasey daa he hai (The lad has high fever and he is from our province itself.)"
"Janab if a surgeon sahab can have a look at him, badi meherbani howeey gi sahab. (He is slipping away fast sir. If he can be transferred to the military hospital. May be his life can be saved.)"
The senior advisor surgery in Base Hospital was a white bearded Sikh who also came from Khooshab. He was Colonel Wahi's tennis partner. They give him a call from the POW camp and related the case. The surgeon Colonel Baldev Singh asked for the POW to be sent to the Base Hospital and sent an ambulance.
In the evening the surgeon met Colonel Wahi at the tennis court. The young school boy also accompanied his father.
"Thank God you sent him just in time. The bayonet has gone deep inside and he has peritonisis. Very serious infection has developed inside him and he will have tobe operated. We need some blood for him.I have told the staff that I will operate him after I play tennis and in the meantime they are to look for some blood donor of the same blood group."
The school boy ,Ajay Wahi who was overhearing the conversation asked,
"Sir what blood group is he?"
"He is B positive."
"I am also B positive."
The surgeon looked at Ajay,
"You will donate blood for this Pakistani soldier?"
"Yes I will."
"Are you sure?"
"Off course,I will."
"Come son then, let us go to the hospital."
They reached the hospital and the senior surgeon said, "Here is the voluntary donor, I will just change and operate."
Then the father and son came back.The father said, "Son I thought that you were still a kid, but I have realized today that my son is no longer a boy, he is a man."
xxx The End xxx
Postscript.
Colonel Ajay Wahi, pathologist, has made 130 blood donations till the time he reached the age of 65 years.
Subedar Abdul Khaliq of 8 Medium Regiment of Artillery was an ace sprinter of Pakistan whom Pandit Nehru had called,"The Flying Bird of Asia."
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