I Want to be a Foot Soldier (standard:non fiction, 1166 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Aug 11 2013	Views/Reads: 4610/1800	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Juggernaut's day camp experience with his school civic's teacher turns into a memorable event in his life.

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then the foot soldiers follow into the fight.” 

“Sir, with my flat feet, bow legs and drooping shoulders I am 

not physically fit to carry a warrior on my shoulders and fight,” 

appealed Juggernaut. 

“You will be either an elephant or a horse and that's the 

command you have to obey on the battle field,” Mr. Raju spoke like a 

real commander on the battle field. 

Each student was given a slender bamboo stick around 5 feet 

long as weapon to carry with strict instructions not to hit a  person 

but only in stick fight to create a  sound effect.  A line was drawn 

on the ground at the center of the circle with warring fraction 

standing on either side around the circle.  Mr. Raju with a large pink 

conch shell and a boy with brass symbols were stood near the center 

line.  Mr. Raju announced that he will blow the conch as a signal to 

start the war, then the elephants carrying the warriors would enter 

the battle field fist followed by the horses and then the foot 

soldiers. 

Though Juggernaut protested vigorously, he was designated to 

be a horse to carry a worrier on his shoulders. The boy selected to 

ride the horse albeit Juggernaut was big, When Mr. Raju blew the conch 

as a signal to start the war, the elephants entered the battle field 

carrying the warriors with sticks in hand towards the center from both 

sides followed by the horses; but Juggernaut had tough time getting up 

from the ground with a big boy sitting on his shoulders and needed 

help to get up; two foot soldiers came forward to lift Juggernaut from 

the ground and pushed him into the battlefield. Juggernaut with his 

week wobbling legs stumbled on to the field and immediately lost 

control while moving forward with a big boy sitting on his shoulders 

and fell to the ground throwing the mounted warrior to the ground as 

well. Juggernaut was immediately disqualified and pulled to the 

sidelines since a fallen horse cannot fight as a foot soldier, with no 

stick in hand to fight, Juggernaut had no choice but to stand on the 

sidelines. 

With loud crashing sounds from the brass symbols and high 

pitch intermittent sound from the conch; the warring factions started 

fighting with sticks but without separate uniforms to distinguish 

between the warring factions, the warriors fought randomly among 

themselves.  After few minutes into the battle, Mr. Raju stopped the 

battle declaring that good won the war over evil. Except for the 

sounds of crashing brass symbols and conch, the event was more like a 

pandemonium rather than battle. As the evening sun setting in, Mr. 

Raju called off the camp to march back to the school yard. Again all 

the members of the camp stood in a circle and made to salute with 

right hand stretching out. Mr. Raju blew the conch for the last time 

as a signal that the members at the camp were dismissed. Mr. Raju took 

every opportunity to blow the conch shell as if he enjoyed blowing the 

conch shell the most. 

After a horrible experience as a horse on the battle field, 

Juggernaut decided not to participate in any Sunday camps.   Mr. Raju 

with patriotic zeal decided to contest the local elections on a 

platform of less government interference in peoples' lives; his 

philosophy was more like of present day Libertarian party in the 

United States.  Juggernaut asked Mr. Raju whether he could work in his 

election campaign as a foot soldier.   MR. Raju erected a bamboo shack 

not too far from the school as a campaign headquarters. In the evening 

after school hours, Juggernaut with few school mates gathered at his 

shack to distribute pamphlets to the pedestrians, few received and 

others refused to accept them. On a colorful pamphlet, Mr. Raju's 

picture was depicted as a statesman with one hand stretched forward 

just like his signature salute and the other holding a large pink 

conch shell near his mouth as if he was blowing the shell. He was 

standing on top of a podium with ten steps with each step carrying a 

bold command, a total of ten commands for good citizenship were 

printed in bold. At that time an American movie 10 Commandments was 

showing in a local cinema theater. 

On election date, Mr. Raju received a handful of votes mostly 

from his fellow teachers at the school. 

Though Juggernaut fell flat as a horse in the battle between 

the good and evil, he was happy to be a foot soldier in Mr. Raju's 

election campaign though he failed to get elected. Mr. Raju kept his 

day job as a civics teacher and declared moral victory though lost his 

deposit. 


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