Guns and roses: How BSF jawans balance duty and dreams

At the Border Security Force camp in Jammu, uniform isn't the only thing common; it's the shared passion for singing, dancing, and a heart, which beats as much for the nation as for their secret dreams.

The jawans in the camp train hard everyday. Their routine - strict and demeanour- tough. But scratch the surface a bit, and some of them carry not just guns but aspirations which never came to life.

One such, Kishore Kumarnamed after the iconic singerhas been in the Jammu BSF camp for six years and says, when he watches singing reality shows, he often imagines himself on screen.

"When I watch singing reality shows, I feel happy to watch others win. Of course, you feel you could've also sung that particular song in your own way. But I keep telling myself: so what if I didn't get into Bollywood, I got into the force and I'm proud of it," he says.

Born to a family of musicians, Kumar's father was a violinist, and being the youngest in the house, he grew up hearing the tunes. But in the camp, there's little he can do, not that he's complaining.

"My practice time isn't rigid. I can't keep singing and disturbing everyone so, I quietly practice whenever we get time. When you join the defence services, you have sworn to protect the nation, you need to balance everything. You need to do your duty and keep a good friendship with your hobby."
"I always listen to 'Sandese aate hain' from 'Border'. When we miss our homes, that's our ideal song. I listen, I hum, I sing, I match the notes and miss my home, may be have tears in the eyes but then get back to the job."
"I learnt dancing on my own, through Internet. It started when I got hooked to dance shows on TV and I picked it up slowly from there. Dharmesh is my idol. When I saw him dance, I was blown away. I thought I should do it too and started dancing around 2011."
There are women in the camp as well, and one such, Sandeep Kaur from Punjab, has been here since 2017. Joining the force was her decision. So every moment here, is like "living my dream."
But sure there are moments when the chips are down and one is feeling low. What does one do then?
"I don't sing. But I play good music... On the Internet," Kaur laughs. "I was never into singing. But I love listening to good, entertaining music. It keeps us going."