The Sentinels of the far east

17 days in Assam.
17 days of being a specialist in a helicopter squadron.
17 days of not feeling guilty about not studying.
17 days lazing around without moving a muscle.
17 days of missing Shaurya.

It has been 17 days since I joined in my new unit in Assam. The first time that i have actually been to the northeast. The first myth that got demolished was that tea gardens have to be on hill slopes..well they are asmuch present on the flat plains of the brahmaputra basin. and if i ever decide to employ a gardener i would want someone from a tea garden..the way they meticulously maintain the trees..!!.
Ohhh and it is hot ...and humid...it rains ...as if someone is pouring down buckets from the sky..days on end and there is no sun ..and then one fine day you have a bright morning..within minutes it becomes sweltering hot ...everything seems to steam..the floor looks as if it has just been wet mopped..!!
But the loveliest are the insects. the spiders would put any self respecting crab to shame and the beetles would give fright to most birds that decide to make a meal of them. They are everywhere ..creeping buzzing..flying around and their buzzing gives them a sense of urgency as if they are in a great hurry to finish some urgent work somewhere. the extra-large dragonflies stare at you contemptuously with huge eyes  when you sit around whiling away time in a land that stirs to life at the unearthly hour of 4:00am and winds down to darkness at 5:30 PM.
while my sweat glands acclimatise to the 100% humidity and the BSNL guys drag their feet over an internet connection I count the days left to meet my son.