THE NAVAL SUPPORT SYSTEM – ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE
Mrs Archana Dixit
Preamble.
In the middle of the night preceding the launch of the Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao, the Anuradha Building at NOFRA experienced a freak accident of Fire. The news of the incident spread like Wildfire, through Social Media Groups and word of mouth. While, different aspects of the incident – how it occurred, how the residents responded, how the administration responded, how the fire was brought under control, after effects of the incident etc are still being deliberated in different groups, I would like to dwell upon the overwhelming manner in which the Naval Support System rose to the occasion by giving our family Moral, Psychological, Administrative and Financial Support. I would also like to undertake a little bit of introspection about how we the residents of 1A, Anuradha, could have been better prepared for the eventuality.
The Incident
In the wee hours of Friday night / Saturday morning, while the Dixit Family was peacefully asleep, some kind of parking in the two wheelers parked right below the Living cum Dining Room initiated a Fire. Being a light sleeper, I was quickly awakened by some noise which sounded similar to bursting of crackers which probably was from the bursting of burning motorcycle tyres. However waking up my husband, the typical Fauji, who can sleep peacefully even in the middle of a thunderstorm, was bit of a challenge. However, my alarming shouts after seeing heavy smoke in the Living Room, got him out of the deep slumber. While, I went across to alarm the servant and neighbours, Shishir woke up the children, which again was a small challenge on a weekend night in between exams. As we moved downstairs, we noticed that the Fire was spreading rapidly due to large amount of inflammable material (fuel, rubber, paint etc) available on the vehicles and the high winds caused by the Weather phenomenon called Elephantas in September.
Soon several residents came out of their homes and assembled in the Parking Area. Each resident tried a different approach to control the rapid spread of Fire. Some residents got busy in taking the children and elderly to safe zones. While I brought some buckets of water from the neighbouring Shravana building, Shishir went upstairs to prevent the fire spreading into the house from the windows by dousing the smothering windows with water and stomping out the flaming curtains. The Fire Brigade and NOFRA QRT arrived and together with the residents brought the fire under control after sometime.
Our home was closest to the Fire and it therefore suffered the maximum damage from the thick smoke and hot soot entering all the rooms from different windows, which were always left open to ensure good cross ventilation. In trying to save our belongings and put the children to sleep, the events unfolded so rapidly that we could hardly think about the well being of our neighbours and other residents. However, the manner in which they responded to our dilemma was remarkable.
The Overwhelming Response
One neighbour invited us home to rest for the balance hours of the night / morning. After an hour’s rest when we returned, hot cups of tea came in from another neighbour, who also kept watch for visiting officials and requested them to visit upstairs to have a look at the damage to the interiors of the house. Soon there was a flurry of visits and telephone calls by senior officials from NOFRA, Angre, MES, HQMNA and HQWNC as well as from friends and acquaintances. The response from the complete spectrum of the Naval Fraternity was not only unanimous but also soothing with the underlying sentiment that – We are integral part of your family and we will ensure that all of you get back to normal routine as soon as possible i.e. Hum Hain Na.
Saturday morning breakfast arrived – literally from thin air, a la Harry Potter. An Anuradha resident, whom we had never met in the past, dropped in with buttered toasts, omelettes and piping hot tea. Subsequently, HQMNA and Angre assured us dining, lodging and boarding facilities along with change of residence to a suitable vacant house. MES commenced repairs to the house on a War Footing. Lunch arrived amidst heavy rains from the retreating Monsoons, from an ex-Anuradha resident who had shifted to ‘A’ type accommodation recently.
Post Lunch the MES Staff realised that the repairs to the house would take longer and suggested that we move to an alternate accommodation which was in a good condition since it was vacated recently. HQWNC accorded the necessary permissions, MES assured essential maintenance in the new house where required and the NOFRA Administration provided transport facility with help from NT Pool on Saturday and Sunday. Kids were swept away by a family friend with strict instructions that they would stay for the next full week. US Club offered the warm hospitality of all its facilities without any restrictions or time limits.
Naval Wives are quite used to shifting and setting up their new homes very quickly. However, this time I was taking much longer for resettlement since every piece of cloth, linen, furniture, home appliance, electronic item, book, utensil, crockery and other belongings had to be cleaned multiple times before we could decide whether to Use it or Junk it. At this juncture, as the enormity of the task ahead was sinking in, Angre and the NOFRA Administration accorded the most critical assistance to our family – the Laundry facility. This news on a tiring Sunday afternoon de-stressed me greatly and we continued setting up of the new house with renewed vigour.
Over the next full week, continuous rain from the retreating monsoons tried hard to dampen our spirits. But the support that poured in from all quarters beat the intentions of the Elephantas easily. The home made Lunch, Snacks and Tea came in at regular intervals during the day and the nights were spent in the hospitable environs of the Command Mess or the IMSC. While several aspects of the house are still getting back to normalcy, the whole family was able to get back to the usual Office and School routine within a week.
Introspection & Conclusion
Two weeks from the incident, as I continue to fine tune the arrangements at the new home, I recollect that there was a Fire exercise conducted recently on a Sunday Morning at Anuradha building. All residents were requested to participate. On hindsight, I feel that if we would have participated in the Fire exercise, our attempts to control the Fire could have been little more effective. However, as I think about the profound role played by the Naval Support System in getting us back on our feet within no time, I am filled with emotion and gratitude.
In my opinion, the Naval Support System is an omnipresent entity which we take for granted while continuing to complain about the various difficulties faced by a Naval Family. Having undergone challenging times Two times in the last few years and having experienced the strong and positive response of this potent entity, I would like to submit that our whole family is overwhelmed with gratitude and proud to be part of the Naval Fraternity. I would therefore like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to this great entity through the Veerangana Magazine which circulates far and wide within the Naval Fraternity. I wish great success to this magazine and hope to convey the message that we all are integral part of the Naval Support System and will continue to be : “One for All and All for One”.
With Warm Regards,
Mrs Archana Dixit
M:- 9969858959
R:- (022) 2214 6944
