Preparing tea in Territorial Army

It was in 1987, I was a part-time Territorial Army (TA) Officer of an Infantry Battalion. It was located in the same city where I am living. I was a company Commander. We had Sunday and 14 days annual training camp in a year.

On 25^th January 1987 we went for Sunday parade, we were handed over a letter addressed to my employer, My service was requested under the TA rule. I was released from my civil employer. I had reported for military service. My family members were at my place.

We went to somewhere in the northern part of our country. My company was assigned for ground defense of an important air force field. There was hardly depth between the runway and perimeter road. We had tentage for our living, the cooked food used to come from outside the airfield. It was in winter. Our men were given winter cloth after reaching this airfield. The first day we had a plan to return our campsite after the recce the area. In the evening the order was to stay back at our location. The food was served at this location the personal items were also brought.

It is an open area the wind speed was more than 30 km per hour, it was very cold. We got tea ration but no utensils to prepare that. I was searching for an item which can be used for heating the water, I could locate a part of an aircraft at the salvage point it looks like as ‘Gamla’,

 there was electrical wiring. We used this item for heating the water and tea was made and served to all.

Social media in our present life.

Very recently we were not much aware or liking social media in our daily life. At present, it is quite popular among the young generation. It was difficult to identify our schools and colleges in the virtual world. Now facebook is very popular our educational institutions are making use of it. It is one of the good tools to spread the messages among the common people.

At present these activities may not be official by the educational institutes of our states. A group has started to disseminate such news West Bengal Educational Instittues

You can join this group to make this group more purposeful activities.

Expedition Manirang (6,593m/21,630ft) the team is leaving from Kolkata

We,  the Indians will be celebrating our Independence day which is after 5 days. Six mountaineers who left Kolkata by train on 10th August 2018 on the way to Mt. Manirang Expedition(6,593m/21,630ft). They have reached Manali on 12th August 2018. It was raining at Manali on 13th August 2018.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia

It is located in Lahul & Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.  The team is from The Institute of Exploration (IOE), Kolkata, West Bengal. They had organised their first mountaineering expedition in June 1972. This was the first time NCC flag was hoisted on a mountain peak of Himalayas. 

The team will attempt this peak may be on 25th   and 26th August 2018. If they are successful in ascent this peak. They will hoist our national and IOE flags on the top of the mountain.

The r Keylong is the district HQ. The Official web site of lahul & Spiti district  as per their forecast weather condition will be as follow.

15-Aug	15.0	26.0		Rain
16-Aug	15.0	26.0		Rain

There is a scope of bus ticket booking online.

Himachal Roadways Bus Service

a)      CHANDIGARH → MANALI Rs 984 (Services: 5, Seats: 158 available) Duration 10 hrs

     b) Manali to Kaza duration of the journey is 16.30 hrs, leaving from Kulu at 05:30 → 22:00 the fare is 310.

I could speak on 10^th August 2018  to his mobile no Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Kaza, he is Sri. MUKESH KUMAR, HPS. He is an officer of the Himachal Police Service. He mentioned that he got the details of the expedition and public bus service between Manali and Kaza is now playing. I have sent an email to him with a request to keep the telephone no and email id for any emergency requirement.

This Institute organise basic, standard and method of instruction Rock Climbing course in a regular manner since 1971. A special training program for Territorial Army Batallion was organised in the past. Next year they will be organising their 50th Rock Climbing training program in February.



Video link on Manirang Expedition by Assam team

58th State Athletic Championship : 2018

It is the rainy season, the ground and track were wet. of  Yuva Bharati Kriangan, Salt Lake. It is once again active to conduct the 58th Stat Athletic Championship. The district, club and Police teams were lined up at the eastern side of the stadium. The pipe and brass bands of Police were playing tunes for marching. The boys and girls were marching in front of the dais. They were displaying their names of the contingent. The first contingent was from the North 24 Parganas district, they were the champion of last state meet. A good number of athletics from East Bengal Club was there, they were in their club jersey. Only a few athletics were theirs from Mohan Bagan club. The only impressive parade was from West Bengal Police.

About 1200 athletics have joined this meet, they are under 15, to 20 age groups and 120 events will be held during this meet.  It has started on 2nd August and will continue till 5th August.

The flag hoisting ceremony was done. The Chief Guest of the function was Arup Roy, Minister in charge of Sports and Youth Welfare of the Government of West Bengal. He congratulated West Bengal Athletic Association for their performance in National and International events.

It was announced that West Bengal bagged about 50 Gold, 59 Silver and 59 Bronze in last competitions in National meet. This is the highest medals West Bengal earned only from athletic.


At present only one event record is holding by West Bengal

Event      New record time     Name of the athlete                    Record created on at loc

200M     22.82     0.8          Saraswati Saha  West Bengal       28-Aug-2002       Ludhiana

Javelined throw by Girls under 20 from the district of North 24 Parganas

A case of snake bite of a Territorial Personnel

• India has 216 identified species of snakes out of which 52 are poisonous.
• There are approximately 20,00000 snake bites cases are reported in a year and 45,900 deaths are there. 
• The death is 5% of all injury deaths.

  ( as per Sainik Samachar 1-15 July 2018 , page 13).

It was in 1990 an Indian was on military duty somewhere in Western Sector. He was in the advance party. The main party reached by a special train on 1st July. The troops were deployed for ground defence of an ammunition depot. They were outside the depot, which was 5 km in diameter, the area is snake infected. The National High way no 2 is very close by. They were from an Infantry Battalion of Territorial Army. They were called for military duty from their civil occupation.

There was a first heavy rain on that day, the 180 lbs tent was pitched on the cultivation area of civil land. Appropriate precaution against snake bites, such as snake trench four sides of the tent, snake bite kit, a new blade, clean water, soap, and tunicate was available for emergency use.

Rifleman (Rfn) Bindu Ram, a resident of Uttar Pradesh was on duty up to 2 am. After his duty he went to sleep on his bed,it was on the ground. A groundsheet on dry straw was made, due to heavy rain the area was flooded. The snake stretch was filled with water. A snake was under his bed. He slept 2 am to 4 .05 am, he might have changed his sleeping position when the snake has bitten at his finger. No mosquito net was issued to them.

He shouted when all the tentmates wake up immediately and applied tunicate. The representative sent a message to their Company Commander who was located inside the depot under a tent. It took about 2hrs 30 mins to reach the message. The message was sent through the sentry of Defense Service Corp (DSC) personnel who was at the other side of barbed wire. The Ambulance reached in no time
at the victim site and rushed to the nearest Military Hospital via Medical Officer's residence. He was admitted at the ICU of the hospital.

As per norms, the details of his next of kin was provided to the hospital authority. The Company Commander can see the patient in the presence of the Medical Officer of the hospital, he was then under an artificial respiration system. He could open his eye with great difficulty when he was called by the doctor after 3 days. He expired at the hospital, his family member reached there after his death.

The Company Commander received a letter from his father adressed to Rfn Bindu Ram that he can include his wife name in his record. There was no scope to do that. It was great help his attestation parade was done. His mother was sanctioned family pension.

Prepartory meeting for 50th Rock Climbing Course and Golden Jubilee celebration of The Institute of Exploration, Kolkata, India

It was on 1st July 2018, afternoon  a group of veterans and young people assembled at Metropolitan High School of central Kolkata. They all had the affinity for a mountain adventure, some of them done or conducted rock climbing courses, trekking to Himalayasor Indian coast or even participated mountaineering expeditions.


An Institute name the Institute of Exploration (IOE) was formed in 1971. It was then located at this was the renowned physician chamber of Dr. Manindra Lal Biwas. 11 B Indian Mirror Street, Kolkata 700014.

Dr. Biswas & Mrs. Biswas were regular trekkers to the Himalayas. Mrs. Bhakti Biswas a book on her trekking experience. Dr. Biswas had an 8 mm movie projector to present his experience of various trekking. They went to Amarnath cave from Pahalgam and reached Batal when this route was not much familar to common trekkers.

Presently the Institute is located at 41, Creek row, Kolkata 700014 the office is generally open during the afternoon of Satur day.

Dr Robin Chatterjee of Chinchura, Hooghly who was in Scouting,Indian Red Cross Society a bachelor who had framed the memorandum and rules and regulations of IOE

Dr Robin Chatterjee at FaceBook

The meeting was presided by Mr. Durga das, President, Mr Asit Roy, VP at FaceBook   and Ms. Arti De, VP of IOE at faceBook assisted the proceedings.

There were participants from IOE Regional Unit Behrampore.

Shyamsunder das at FaceBook, Saradendu Chaudhury at FaceBook  & others.
,
FaceBook page of The Institute of Exploration

The Institute of Exploration Google Blog

Institute has started its 1st Rock Climbing Course at Sushunia Hill, Bankura, West Bengal in the year 1971. Institute started not to bring the instructor from the mountaineering institutes of India. The renowned mountaineers of West Bengal were requested to be instructors for the said course, they were Mr Nitai Roy, Late Pranesh Chakraborty, Mr. Amulya Sen, Mr. Sisir Ghosh, and Late Sanatan Bhattacharya.

The participants were mostly from NCC. The first graduation ceremony of this course was held at the Maidan Tent of BNR (Now it is South Eastern Railway). Major General Premanshu Chowdhury, General Officer Commanding Bengal Area.  He was keen on the adventure. He took an interest in our activities.

Chanda Gayen was a trainee of this Institute who had done rock climbing. The Institutes memebrs gave a farewell to her for last attempt to Kanchenjungha in 2014. I mate first time her at the Institute office on 15th January 2014.


The Institute's first mountaineering expedition was in June 1972 to  Central (20 620 ft) & Lion (20100 ft) Peak of Lahul & Spiti of Himachal Pradesh. NCC flag was the first time it was at the top of the mountain. A book on this expedition

You can locate this book in your local library.

The climbers of Lion Peak Mr. Nitai Roy, as Technical Advisor, Mr. Asit Roy, (Left in the pic), Mr. Keshab Chandra Mukerjee (Right in the pic) & High Altitude Porter (HAP),

 In the pic  others are Maj (later)  S K De (Retd) & Swapan Kanti Pal.

Central Peak Mr Nitai Roy, Asit Roy, Keshab Chandra Mukherjee, Late Asit Moitra & HAP.

On 18th July 2018, a representative called on the Librarian of State Central Library of Kolkat,Mr Abhijit Bhowmick and discussed the program of IOE Golden Jubilee event.  He is now a regular trekker of Indian Himalayas.

Opinion survey on IOE 50th RCC and Golden Jubilee celebration

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