Whole Facts – Bollywood Movie TE3N relates to Three interesting Facts of my Life Journey

Three interesting facts about Bollywood Movie TE3N:

Bollywood Movie TE3N is a suspense thriller set in Kolkata. Industry’s best actors Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui coming together in one film. There are three interesting facts about Movie TE3N which refers to the numerical number 3. 1. As the movie is set in Kolkata, it reminds me of my lifetime’s first journey, a maiden Sea Voyage of Three Days to the City of Kolkata. 2. Interestingly, this movie features a scene in which a framed portrait of my Indian Army Photo ID Card is displayed. The Indian Army Photo ID I had on Tuesday, January 25, 1972, the day I visited Kolkata and during the Liberation War of Bangladesh was different from the photo image featured in movie TE3N. The photo image shown in movie TE3N in June 2016 was from photo image of February 1972 that was taken after my posting to Doom Dooma, Tinsukia District, Assam. 3. As a survivor of childhood abduction, the theme of movie TE3N is of great interest to me for it involves the suspense associated with the effort to find the child abductor.

TE3N Movie inspires me to review my 1972 Journey from Kaptai, Bangladesh to Kolkata, India

TE3N Movie produced by Sujoy Ghosh and directed by Ribhu Das Gupta inspires me to Review My Three Days or “TEEN (3) Din”  Journey to Kolkata ( formerly known as Calcutta) in January 1972. I was camping at Kaptai, Rangamati Hill District of Chittagong Division during January 1972. On January 10, 1972, Bangabandhu Shiek Mujibur Rehman arrived at Palam Airport, New Delhi. He returned to Dhaka and assumed office as the first Prime Minister of independent Bangladesh on January 12, 1972.

Operation Eagle concluded its Bangladesh Operations on January 22, 1972. Special Frontier Force contracted Indian Merchant Navy Cargo Vessel to arrange our departure from Port of Chittagong to Port of Kolkata, a distance of about 361 nautical miles. Our ship may have traveled at a speed of about 5 knots/hour and my maiden Sea Voyage took 3 days (Teen =3 in Hindi). We arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday, January 25, 1972.

Port of Chittagong, Bangladesh to Port of Kolkata, India

My Journey to Kolkata – Past is not Dead – It’s Not Even Past

My Past is not Dead for I survived my childhood abduction. My Past is not even Past for it just resurfaced in Kolkata.

This Movie takes me back to Kolkata which I visited for the first time in my life when I sailed from Chittagong Harbor on Saturday, January 22, 1972  to arrive at Kidderpore(?) Docks in Calcutta on Tuesday, 25 January, 1972 still wearing the badges of rank of a Lieutenant in spite of my promotion to the rank of Captain on July 26, 1971. After disembarking at Kolkata port, there were no formalities, and we quickly proceeded to military vehicles that were waiting to take us to Howrah Railway Station, the oldest railway station in India. I received information that the Train is not ready to depart giving me several hours to spend in Kolkata.

I took a ride in Cycle Rickshaw to reach Purna Das Road, Gariahat, via Rash Behari Avenue after crossing Howrah Bridge for the first time in my life. My eldest brother lived in Gariahat and was working in Hindustan Lever Company (Unilever of India) factory famous for its Lipton Tea. It was a long road journey but the ride was pleasant. Myself and my brother walked over to my uncle’s house for he lived in the same neighborhood. My uncle served in Indian Airlines as a Pilot. I returned to Howrah Station using the City Bus Service to continue my train journey to Dehradun.

I never expected that I would serve in Assam – North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) or Arunachal Pradesh or D Sector (Delta Sector) of Special Frontier Force. I was keen to visit Leh, Ladakh or A Sector (Alpha Sector) of Special Frontier Force. In my debriefing interview held in January 1972, I expressed my desire to serve in Ladakh Sector and eventually visit the entire Himalayan Frontier from West to East. Ignoring my desire to be dispatched to Ladakh or “Alpha Sector”, Special Frontier Force Headquarters in New Delhi decided to post me to Assam/NEFA or “Delta Sector.” To my surprise, I took a flight provided by Aviation Research Centre (ARC) at Sarsawa Airfield to reach Doom Dooma town, a name I never heard before. However, it is famous for its Tea Gardens and it seems Hindustan Lever had a large factory to process tea leaves. I had no time to visit that place. But, my camp is surrounded by Tea estate with plenty of Orange trees used to provide cover apart from fruits. It was again, a pleasant surprise as they used to sell us fresh fruit across our barbed wire fence. We used to buy bucketfuls of fresh oranges for our Officers Mess as they were so cheap. As water in that area is not very good, we used to drink freshly squeezed orange juice all the time. We used to visit Tea plantations where lot of friends known to my Unit Officers worked as managers. Many of them served in Army or Police before.

My picture image that appears in TE3N Movie was taken in a photo studio at Doom Dooma and I still have two copies of the same. I lost that Picture ID Card when my belongings (suitcase) got stolen. This is the only photo image of my Army ID that still lives today and I have not saved copies of others.

In this picture, I have no medal ribbons to display. The medals for participation in the India-Pakistan War of 1971 had arrived later.

It surprises me to find Bollywood Movie ‘TE3N’ includes a scene in which my Indian Army Photo ID picture is revealed. This Army ID along with my army uniform and other belongings contained in a black leather suitcase that I purchased in Kaptai of Bangladesh during 1971 Liberation War got stolen at Cuttack railway station while I was traveling to Tinsukia, after my 1972 annual leave at Rajahmundry. I tried to contact a person who was proceeding to the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), Charbatia Air Base which was a clear mistake I made.

I lodged a complaint with Cuttack Railway Police and could not get immediate assistance from duty Police Constable. For I missed my train journey to Tinsukia, Assam, I was left with no alternative and had to call the Aviation Reserach Centre (ARC), Charbatia to provide me with assistance to travel to Doom Dooma Air Base. ARC Charbatia provided me with immediate assistance and provided air lift to reach Doom Dooma Air Field. For the loss of my Indian Army Picture ID Card in 1972, my Commandant at Head Quarters Establishment 22 at Chakrata punished me on January 10, 1973 with an official, verbal Reprimand that entered into my Service Record in ‘Blue Ink’. This disciplinary action taken on January 10, 1973 lives in my memory for it also revealed the problem of Espionage at Chakrata that ultimately impacted my career in Indian Army.

In recent months, when I reviewed that theft, it aroused a suspicion of some unknown enemy agent who may have stolen my Army Photo ID Card at Cuttack Railway Station as I got distracted by my desire to find a person who was proceeding to Charbatia and was in the same train that I was traveling. Since TE3N movie is entirely shot in Kolkata, the stolen Army ID Card may have resurfaced in Kolkata to get included with three other photo images in a scene imaginatively created by the Movie Director. I will be happy to recover my Army Picture ID Card if the film company found it in Kolkata. I have noticed increased site visits to my blog post in which I included this photo, and now I think this movie released on June 10, 2016 could be the reason.

Special Frontier Force – Operation Eagle – Liberation War of Bangladesh 1971:

General Sujan Singh Uban had narrated his story in his book titled ‘The Phantoms of Chittagong : The Fifth Army in Bangladesh.

I am pleased to claim that I had established an entirely new record in providing medical support to the battle wounded in an operational area of Chittagong Hill Tracts during Operation Eagle 1971, Liberation War of Bangladesh. To provide medical support to the battle casualties, I reached the casualties at the enemy post that we had just captured. I was the only Army Medical Corps person on the ground. We had no stretchers, blankets, and resuscitation fluids. The casualties could not be airlifted as per the prior Medical Evacuation Plan. The men felt outraged. I comforted them with my assurance that I would accompany them to the nearest helipad that was located over forty miles away at the  Border Security Force outpost of Bonapansuria near the border in the Indian Mizo Hills. The men prepared improvised stretchers. We had no Infantry Officer to accompany us. A party of about 65 men, a Bangla Refugee as a guide, carried all the battle casualties in stretchers and had camped overnight in the forest and had reached the helipad at Bonapansuria the next day morning. I had acted as the Medical Officer, the Nursing Assistant, and an Ambulance Assistant for the battle wounded during this foot journey through the difficult hilly and forest terrain. My patients reached the Field Hospital in Lungleh in very good spirits and in a stable condition in spite of being critically wounded.

The sense of resolve, determination, and confidence with which I had accompanied my patients and had performed a foot journey walking over forty miles through the forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts during Operation Eagle 1971 had given the sense of comfort and reassurance the men needed to boost up their morale. In the medical evacuation of battle casualties from the battle field, Army Medical Corps typically uses several Nursing Assistants and Ambulance Assistants who perform a variety of tasks. I had the unique privilege to perform their duties for I have a true sense of appreciation for the valuable services they render in providing patient care and comfort. I had actually self-learned the tasks they perform and knew it would be of a great value and an asset for my success as a Medical officer of Indian Army.