Facing life resiliently
By Reet Singh

IN everyone’s life, there comes a time that nears perfection. A time that stands out crystal- clear, a time when we are sure that life could not have been better. One takes so many things for granted — and that’s when one makes the biggest mistake — for one can lose everything one has in a second. And many never recover. But some do pick up life again — learn something from every experience, think positive. They realise that life never reaches a dead end as there is always a diversion or an alternate route to take. Such a crisis situation was also faced by Major U.P.S. Gill and his wife Apeksha who were leading a perfectly happy life with their two little sons. They could not have asked for more. Life was one big picnic — transfers after every two years, setting up home again, taking admissions in schools, attending parties — it was a party all along. Time passed happily. But on November-2, 1993, their world came crashing down.

Each word uttered was a jolt to Apeksha who just could not understand what had happened — her world was shattering into pieces and she could do nothing. "I could’t believe what I was hearing, thinking it to be a cruel joke for my husband was absolutely fine till yesterday — then how can this happen?"

Major Gill recounted that day, "It was a normal morning schedule to first open the highway to the Army convoy and then to dominate the built-up areas on and adjoining the highway so as to ward off any threat and militant action. While my party cleared the built-up area, the second party assumed positions along the river bank. The area of responsibility was just 5 km due to Bijbehara being a hot spot and hub of militant movement. As per information gathered, there was a threat of an ambush. Most of the time IED (Improvised Explosive Device) is used to ambush. Along with two jawans, I started to check the berm of the road, trees and then moved to the first culvert and carried out the religious mandatory drill to ensure it was free of explosives. We found wires embedded in the ground — these devices had been buried earlier for if it had been a fresh implant one would have easily located it. I took the detective rod myself and started a visual check for tell-tale signs. The device was detonated 5 feet away from me by remote control as I learnt subsequently."

After that minute life changed for Major Gill, "It was like a knock-out punch! I regained consciousness immediately, heard gunfires and screams... and cries for stretcher..., stretcher.... I was put onto the vehicle and driven straight to the base hospital. On the way, I thought about what had happened — was thinking, talking, moving my limbs and then I realised I was continuously spitting and it dawned that it was blood and something had happened. Meanwhile the soldiers, who gave me a lease of life, rushed me to the hospital, 50 km away, yelling at road users to make way and pushing the vehicle when it broke down, not waiting for the relief vehicle to appear."

Apeksha had reached Srinagar too. The full impact and realisation of the accident was too much for her and she broke down. She saw the body covered with splinters and blood oozing from almost every pore. The worst was the face which was just a mass of blood, mud and flesh and was swollen to ten times its size. There was only one eye left, lips were totally gone, tip of the tongue was blown, index finger of the right hand was gone, while some were hanging loose. The pulse was dropping and he had to be given 18 units of blood to just pep it up. Meanwhile Major Gill came around after 20 hours of extensive surgery and was told by the doctor of the magnitude of his injuries, "Your right hand and leg is in a cast, the thumb and finger have been amputated. Your mouth has been wired, so do not try to speak. You have lost your right eye and the left one is medicated. A rice tube has been inserted into your throat and the liquid diet and medication will be administered through it."

Major Gill never could imagine how critical his condition was. He felt as though he was confined to the bed merely for a severe stroke of viral infection. He was to later learn that he was responding and recuperating fast. He believes in blessings of the supreme power. He was taken off the dangerously ill list after nine days on November 11, the date of his late father’s birth. He cannot imagine what he would have done without his wife’s constant support. Apeksha’s very presence through the whole ordeal was a solace, a balm which saw the months at the hospital fly. Communicating with her was wonderful — I would write an alphabet and she would speak out the word She started attending to me immediately along with the nursing staff." Then began gruelling sessions of physiotherapy, painful eye injections, ultrasounds and application of local medication till a little eyesight in the left eye was restored.

Major Gill remembers that the opening of the wiring and elastics was the most painful time. He had to start from the beginning with a baby brush to clean his teeth and to take small bites of food. Since the jaw muscles had slackened, the jaw would fall to the side he lay on. Gradually, he was better with the reconstructive surgery for patching the right eye socket alongside the eye treatment. In April 1994, he was finally released from the hospital after five months — with many dos and don’ts for the eye.

It is amazing to see how the family has accepted the fact that their lives will never be normal again and they are not bitter. "We are so grateful to God that my husband is alive — nothing else matters. Things could have been worse," says Apeksha with tears in her eyes. All of them had to learn to accept and adjust to their new lives.

Major Gill today is actively involved in bringing up his sons. Apeksha has once again opened a beauty parlour which she operates from the house and which is doing very well. She and her husband are thinking of starting a parlour for men too. She has employed deaf and dumb girls in the parlour. She has full support of her husband in this venture. Life is once again a picnic and they are happy in their own world. Major Gill, however, strongly feels that soldiers who lost their lives or became disabled in Kargil war are being extremely well looked after, while those who suffered in Kashmir insurgency operations are a neglected lot. The Government should give them the same treatment too.