Known as BRATS … so be it !

Born and Brought up in Cantonments

I belong to a time and again misconstrued ethos known as ‘Military Brats’,  the children of armyofficers and personnel who had grown up on army bases or in military Cantonments .  I grew upon military stations in sixties and seventies spread out across India, from Madras to J&K.

You might think of Military Brat as a rather abrasive term to call the children of our serving personnel; even I thought so at first. But in time, it became connected to us more or less as a term of endearment.

 But how did BRAT come into being

A Theory was found in blog Published by Lt Gen M Dunn in 2011 .President of NDU. He was asked to research the origin of the term ‘BRAT’, and came across this term of reference in the annals of British army archives. Like many of our military traditions, this also has roots in Britain. The story goes that when a member of the British Army was assigned abroad, perhaps even to India, the family went with the member as an organisational status entitled:

BRAT. It stands for: British Regiment Attached Traveller. Over the years the term stuck only to the children of the military officer.

In some World War Army camps, the children were also referred to as "barrack rats," which might have been shortened to "brats."

A few other guess works came to be heard.

o    Born Rough and Tough

o    Born Raised and Travelled.

o    Bold Responsible Adaptable Tolerant.

Closer home Shyam Renganathan altered it to

o    Born Raised and Transferred.

However, Dr Grace Clifton found the earliest reference in a satirical play called ‘The Recruiting Officer’ in 1707….there was a song lyric- Brats and Wives.

Time on a base is an unmatched and inimitable way of life that we adapted to in our own unique manner and style to grow up as highly talented hands on kids of fathers in uniform.

So it may be interesting and illustrative to offer a little vignette of my time as an Army Brat.  The unique experiences I’ve had growing up as a nomadic traveller, the challenges I have had to face, and many I continue to face to this day with aplomb   due to my Brat upbringing.

Moving a family with retinue  two kids , two dogs ,with all of  our  belongings along with our permanent  retainers every  year or two  did generate  anticipated exhilaration for us kids , but it  must have been  an enormous logistic  pain for parents to navigate. Big black trunks form the primary permanent packing material, Listed locked and sealed. Then come the cartons and mothers take on the onerous task of being the packers.

Now come the movers. At the appointed time the big olive green Shaktiman trucks roll in and the baggage is loaded and then reloaded in railway freight wagons for long distance, or it is direct onto Roadways load carriers with sexy sobriquets  like 'Sapno ki Rani' and quaint bumper stickers. Some philosophical and some funny.

Though the system does take care of the move to the new Station of posting and temporary housing on landing, it still must have been nerve-wracking nightmare as plans seldom stick to a plan and go awry. I do recall, once the freight truck was stuck for days as the bridge was washed away and my father had to depute men on security  or it would have been ransacked. Nevertheless, once the railway wagon did get ransacked. The seal on it were broken, the locks unhinged and mothers precious silverware stolen and Wedgewood crockery broken.

As a child, we found life on the military base awesome. The pomp and show of the military Parades, the Sports day march past and the raucous rooting for Regimental Sporting competitions like in boxing and cricket. Once we had the West Indies and Indian team in a friendly match with our local boys.

There were many new friends to make in the neighbourhood and so many things to do. It was an out-and-out blast.

Making new friends as a new kid on the base block wasn’t too difficult, since the other kids on the new military community were also Army Brats, and were often very open to meeting new people. The community was always in a state of flux. Transfers were a way of life,some families were coming and some were leaving.

The amity and generosity in these communities is unlike any other communal bond I’ve ever experienced. When fathers went off to war, or training exercises or temporary duties, the others and mothers took care of each other. People in these communities looked out for each other, and friendships, though transitory and short term, are as strong as they come.

It was in the growing up years that I learned that growing up as a Mil Brat meant not just being part of a military attached traveller, but we the families were integral part of the military family. This was our comfort zone and the military network was our safety net.

One of the hardest parts about life in Army life is dealing with deployments. A deployment is a military reassigned placement in line of duty, especially in areas of internal conflict and in war zones.  As kids many have to endure the anguish of watching their parent get onto a plane or train, knowing fully that they are being deployed in a hazardous hostile zone.  Sadly, for some these children, that is the last time they will ever see their parent. 

For the ones whose parents return, it is a blessing though they too endure a struggle to get reacquainted with their Dad, especially if he was away during formative years in a child’s life. The insecurity of a child gets compounded if some friend of yours has lost their Dad in encounter. Despite attempts by the system and parents to insulate kids from the jeopardies of war, it always continues to surround them.

Another big struggle with   Brats born and brought up in cantonments is the concept of ‘home’. This is a question that kids of civilian citizenry find so naturally simple to answer. 

Where are you from?

However,  it is an enigma and not so simple to answer for the Military Brats, as home is where your parent is.

 As a consequence of this rootless phenomenon the transition to the civilian world sometimes is a struggle for some, they often bounce around between jobs looking to find a place where they feel like home and not feel like outsiders.

As a result, in the older days some Military Brats like us  took the line of least resistance and joined the service or married in the services, appreciating that the military is the closest we will ever have to a home.

But things are changing and the Military brats today find the wide angle view of their life a kind of an eye opener, liberating, and downright exciting. These talented open minded kids  speedily learn to realign and adapt to new environments and make new friends and exploit the exposure of many colours on their canvas of life. Their mixed group of friends helps them to see the world from a new perspective - one that adopts liberal, tolerant and considerate of varied worldviews.

As Brats they are always open to learn more about new cultures, traveling to beautiful places around the world, and carrying the warmth and camaraderie that permeates though all military bases with them.

 I would agree that my growing up days were the old days and things may have changed some more some less. All the same it was a dynamic and crazy upbringing that has enriched our lives with colour and experiences and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

If you have an experience to share as a Mil Brat please do put it down in the Comment Box below.