Ever wondered the life of a fauji kid? Just like any other civilian kid? No! Dull and monotonous? Not a chance!
Some people are consumed by wanderlust but don’t get that many chances, for some it is a basic necessity to move around from place to place as travelling for them is the binding ground to meet the demands of their jobs and family, some have pukey and sickening experiences of travelling, for some travelling is like any other form of meditation that keeps them vibrant and sparkling throughout and unravels the knots of messy minds in this mundane atmosphere. Well, we all try to inculcate something extraordinary in our ordinary lives to keep the circle moving. And yet, in many fractions of this world there we have our military mates, for whom travelling is a thing of next door! They deal with a kind of life that has plentiful adventure and thrill at its store and no matter how accustomed they get with this custom of living in more places than they can actually count on fingers, changing schools more than the number of grades, packing and unpacking a hundred times over, and hey, they always look forward to it each time! Because they have now become established travellers!
So what makes them different from a regular traveller? Or let’s shift to the more obvious question– why a fauji kid is a better traveller than you?
- They get attuned to it and love the life of a globetrotter: As aforesaid, travelling for most of the time make people feel sick of it and it becomes a reason for apathy and de-escalates enthusiasm in them. On the contrary, military brats love moving, making new friends from different cultures and traditions, getting to know their lifestyle, learning new languages, incorporating a variety of cuisines in their own customs, getting to adapt and live in almost all kinds of topographical terrains. Exciting, huh??
- They don’t belong to just one place: They belong to more places than we actually cover in our own cities! Their identity isn’t stuck to just one place in the country, but innumerable to account for.
- Their interaction with strangers is fast: Having to change schools for so many times, they are awesome at the art of making friends. Befriending any stranger and communicating with them, with or without the barrier of language is a way of life for the fauji kids. It actually enhances their capability to know the place better.
- Never a tourist, they are remodelled into travellers: Visiting some crowded tourist places and clicking selfies, isn’t their thing. They will wander to the remotest of the places in their locality, know the most famous dishes and cuisines of the various street corners, celebrate regional festivals and collect all experiences and memories for life.
- They can find a home anywhere. Even in a bunker or a tent: The best moments are spent under the sky full of stars on a windy and wild night. Fauji kids love the rough and rogue lifestyle. Travelling, scouting, sleeping under tents with buddies give them more happiness than cosying around in a snuggly bed of a hotel.
- They don’t just survive and endure, they adapt: One thing is for quite sure, they never resent anything. Put them in any part of the world with any geographical condition, they will not just survive but also adapt efficiently to all kinds of climate. And language, people, food, lifestyle have never been an obstruction to their adjustments. Just bring it on!
- They are one of the best backpackers: Be it their chess boards or treasure boxes, Hot wheels cars or Barbie doll sets, presents from relatives or secret gadgets passed on from friends; they can pack it all in just one trunk! With every bit of things necessary or unnecessary, they have it all covered.
- They have been trained in survival skills, no terrain is severe or harsh to them: We civilians take coachings or join camps to learn outdoor activities like swimming, rope climbing, shooting, playing golf, driving, riding bikes, rafting, etc. But for the military brats, it is just another day of progressive development and blossoming, right from the age of 5! This is because when you have fauji parents, your entire life is a summer camp! Experiencing different levels of body physical training, getting acquainted with the life of a soldier without electronic gadgets or GPS and much more; all of it makes them stronger each day.
- For the fauji brats, picking up a local tongue and accents is something to be proud of: For them being cool is picking up the regional tongue and accent and also incorporating the local tapori style. This gives them a sense of belonging and they easily connect and identify with others.
- What amaze the army brats is, the people who have lived their entire life in that one same place: Hey! now they are called fauji kids for a supposed reason. They unquestionably critique people who don’t share the spirit of travelling! They are vagabonds, who do not wish to wake up to the same outlook for all their lives.
