“There is tension” this military friend of mine admits as I get to learn that in Kashmir, everyday is a challenge, especially if you are a man in uniform, having to take care of 120 other soldiers. But the indomitable spirit in Tsuknungwati Jamir refuses to give up what he has been trained for 9 rigorous years.
The first Naga graduate from the reputed National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune to be commissioned in the army, he has an adventurous story to tell, although faced with uncertainty most times.
He actually wanted to become an IAS officer, he says, but his admittance to the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehra Dun through an entrance exam had slowly instilled in him traits of a military man. However, he confesses that he had also wanted to give it all up at one point. “I wanted to quit when I was in Standard 9 and I told Dad I’d run away if he doesn’t come and take me home,” he recalls.
Next thing he knew there were bundles of letters from relatives encouraging him to stay on. Today, if he has survived 7 years and two months in the army besides 9 years of scrupulous training, he credits it to the strong support of his family that has kept him going.
He joined NDA in the year 1999 having made it through the written test and Service Selection Board Interview where he recalls his first year as a sort of culture shock. “I got punishments for mistakes I didn’t make” he confides. But perhaps, all of those went into making a soldier out of him.
Commissioned on 10th December 2002 as Lieutenant in the 8 Assam regiment, he was first posted in Darjeeling for a brief period of four months after which he served in Kashmir from May 2003 to November 2005. Following this, he was in Hyderabad until November, 2007. Then, he served as Instructor, Commando School, Belgaum from November 2007 to 2009.
Back to Kashmir for the second time, he holds the welfare and honour of the country as his first priority. Or so, he told me is their motto. “Then comes the welfare and wellbeing of the men you command”, he explains.
But I gather life is different here even as he professes that “being in the army is very challenging, much more than any other profession”. Living it like any other soldier fighting terrorists in Kashmir, he points out that “it’s different from other places I’ve been posted before, on the grounds that here, I’m fighting terrorists whereas I was training for war in other places”.
“Here we do not know what will happen next…” it’s the voice of many soldiers in a crucial place like Kashmir even as Tsuknungwati goes on to explain that when you’re in a war, you know who your enemies are, but here you don’t. There are terrorists everywhere who can merge easily with the civilians, he says.
If you go in depth, you’ll also find that there’s indeed tremendous pressure to work in such an environment, keeping in mind, human rights’ issues or collateral damages which go against them sometimes. “We have to take care that nothing of this sort happens while neutralising the terrorists” he states.
When asked about some of his experiences in the army, he said he’d been in fire fights on several occasions. With training, time or experience, we will never know, but already committed to his 24/7 profession, he counts it a joy to be in service with job satisfaction.
Proudly placed among the first few Naga Army Officers serving in the Indian Army, he is currently a Major commanding 120 men and although he misses home sometimes, he has decided to pursue it for a lifetime.
A man of many traits, he has also always loved sports. To prove his worth for instance, at one point of time, he was Top-3 in National Squash Under-14. Besides, he also participated in the Under-16 category in his teenage years. But he insists Football is his favourite and has come a long way playing it in various capacities as Football Captain for various teams since his high school days.
It may also surprise one to know that he’s into sketching. Time seldom permits him to pursue these interests but he’s content to go where duty calls.
In a message to youngsters here, he feels that Nagas are the most talented in the country but thinks that they are afraid to venture out…to live their full potential. “Our youth should venture out, get exposure, get something and come back to help our people,” he says. Now in his late twenties, this promising youth from Mokokchung also feels that “if all the youths come and work together, we can slowly change what Nagaland is today”.
The first Naga graduate from the reputed National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune to be commissioned in the army, he has an adventurous story to tell, although faced with uncertainty most times.
He actually wanted to become an IAS officer, he says, but his admittance to the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Dehra Dun through an entrance exam had slowly instilled in him traits of a military man. However, he confesses that he had also wanted to give it all up at one point. “I wanted to quit when I was in Standard 9 and I told Dad I’d run away if he doesn’t come and take me home,” he recalls.
Next thing he knew there were bundles of letters from relatives encouraging him to stay on. Today, if he has survived 7 years and two months in the army besides 9 years of scrupulous training, he credits it to the strong support of his family that has kept him going.
He joined NDA in the year 1999 having made it through the written test and Service Selection Board Interview where he recalls his first year as a sort of culture shock. “I got punishments for mistakes I didn’t make” he confides. But perhaps, all of those went into making a soldier out of him.
Commissioned on 10th December 2002 as Lieutenant in the 8 Assam regiment, he was first posted in Darjeeling for a brief period of four months after which he served in Kashmir from May 2003 to November 2005. Following this, he was in Hyderabad until November, 2007. Then, he served as Instructor, Commando School, Belgaum from November 2007 to 2009.
Back to Kashmir for the second time, he holds the welfare and honour of the country as his first priority. Or so, he told me is their motto. “Then comes the welfare and wellbeing of the men you command”, he explains.
But I gather life is different here even as he professes that “being in the army is very challenging, much more than any other profession”. Living it like any other soldier fighting terrorists in Kashmir, he points out that “it’s different from other places I’ve been posted before, on the grounds that here, I’m fighting terrorists whereas I was training for war in other places”.
“Here we do not know what will happen next…” it’s the voice of many soldiers in a crucial place like Kashmir even as Tsuknungwati goes on to explain that when you’re in a war, you know who your enemies are, but here you don’t. There are terrorists everywhere who can merge easily with the civilians, he says.
If you go in depth, you’ll also find that there’s indeed tremendous pressure to work in such an environment, keeping in mind, human rights’ issues or collateral damages which go against them sometimes. “We have to take care that nothing of this sort happens while neutralising the terrorists” he states.
When asked about some of his experiences in the army, he said he’d been in fire fights on several occasions. With training, time or experience, we will never know, but already committed to his 24/7 profession, he counts it a joy to be in service with job satisfaction.
Proudly placed among the first few Naga Army Officers serving in the Indian Army, he is currently a Major commanding 120 men and although he misses home sometimes, he has decided to pursue it for a lifetime.
A man of many traits, he has also always loved sports. To prove his worth for instance, at one point of time, he was Top-3 in National Squash Under-14. Besides, he also participated in the Under-16 category in his teenage years. But he insists Football is his favourite and has come a long way playing it in various capacities as Football Captain for various teams since his high school days.
It may also surprise one to know that he’s into sketching. Time seldom permits him to pursue these interests but he’s content to go where duty calls.
In a message to youngsters here, he feels that Nagas are the most talented in the country but thinks that they are afraid to venture out…to live their full potential. “Our youth should venture out, get exposure, get something and come back to help our people,” he says. Now in his late twenties, this promising youth from Mokokchung also feels that “if all the youths come and work together, we can slowly change what Nagaland is today”.
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