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Fin Feather and Field
Simren is a retired army officer's wife. Through the book, she has shared her husband's rise from the beginners' rank to becoming a Lieutenant-General. Her narrative is impressive for the sheer resilience shown in adapting to a variety of challenging situations. Making the best of a bad posting calls for grit and humour. The author in her entire story-telling process did not even once complain about the challenges of almost-nomadic life that army men have to lead. Forever positive, the author's attitude reveals how the Indian archetype of submissive housewife fails to factor in the life of free spouse. There is a refreshing absence of the gossip and cattiness born out of frustration. As a writer confident of her insights, Simren Kaur analyses rather than judging the situation and finds in old and lasting friendships her reservoir of affection and support. With a partner who shares her love for the outdoors, Fin, Feather and Field, is a chronicle of how all their precious free time is still devoted to conserving India's threatened security. I remember after all these years also when a social worker who had witnessed Himalayan blue sheep being shot from a defence services' helicopter raised the question with a panel. The chairman pretended that he couldn't hear the question and being a seasoned bureaucrat regretted about passing on to the next question. This book, on the contrary, has excerpts of life of a senior officer serving on a punishment posting who understood the boredom of his troop. He encouraged them to cultivate interest in bird watching and observe the rare species of wildlife found only in these isolated areas instead of taking out their frustration by killing them.
Like so many ardent conservationists, they began as hunters conditioned to view animals as a fair game. Only with time, they realised that even the most modest of living beings can be a source of wonder as well as a fascinating subject of research. It has been my experience that military men, perhaps because of their constant exposure to death, often display a heightened level of humanity. They learn the hard way what an extraordinary privilege it is to be alive. The same must be true of military wives forced to live with uncertainty about their future. This book scores well, for instead of apprehensions, the reader finds a never-say-die approach to live life. The couple adopts different pets found in their station of posting. Besides doting on animals, they accumulate a lot of little-known knowledge about their pets' habits. This book also boasts of original field notes that make for fascinating facts. For example, I had always pondered about what lends the floor of the Padmanbha Palace, recently declared a World Heritage Site, its marvellous sheen. Simren Kaur lists the magic. I was pleasantly surprised to read that wild boars can provide ultimate security to a homestead. I was also astonished to know that mules — the most underrated of all Himalayan mountaineers — enjoy eating raw onions. It is true that Partridge books come without frills but those who treasure invaluable information will have no hesitation in adding this paperback to their shelf of well-thumbed reference books. After watching the TV news with its catalogue of gloom and doom, Simren Kaur's fighting spirit is sure to act as a tonic. ss
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The
adage, "Everyone has a book inside them," in the time of
shrinking publishing opportunities has been catered to by Penguin's
recent imprint Partridge books. The sister branch of Penguin has been
designed to promote and print authors who believe in their own worth.
I find Simren Kaur's voice a welcome arrival in the world of what TV
channels call "News," which sounds more like calibrated,
corporate promotional pieces to our morbid instincts.
The
couple has maintained their notes on nature meticulously in all these
years. They observed the subcontinent's endless natural wonders to
build up a bank of valuable information. Commendably after retirement
also, they continue with the task of educating public about the
crucial role of environmental balance when delusionary development is
only benefitting contractors and politicians.