From the forest green jeeps to their boots and bedding, the life of a jawan has quite a few iconic associations. But the most understated of those are the humble steel trunks the jawans pack their whole lives into. For many, the trunks, with their names on them, carry deep emotional significance.
“We carry our uniforms, bedding, family photos, battalion memories, gifts and almost our whole life in it wherever we go. It is like our identity,” a 37-year-old CRPF jawan told News18.
But soon, the trunk that carries their memories could become a memory itself as the government plans to replace the steel trunk with a trolley suitcase for new recruits.
The steel trunks have been in use since the inception of the forces and were among the things issued to all new soldiers. The trunks remained with the jawans till the end of their association with the forces or were replaced with a new one depending on wear-and-tear.
“We carry everything in it… our transfer orders, sometimes medals too. There was a time when jawans used to live in the force with just two things – the trunk and his gun. Things have changed now, but this trunk will have a special place in our lives,” the jawan quoted above said.
News18 has learnt that the government has formed a committee to study the use of the trunks and replace them with trolley suitcases. According to an official communication, a meeting was held last week with members of the Central Armed Police Forces, representatives of suitcase manufacturers and other agencies like the Bureau of Indian Standards and Bureau of Police Research and Development. The committee will hold discussion and frame specifications for the suitcases to be issued to new jawans.
“During the discussion, various points were deliberated upon, including the use of three-way locking system & zippers, use of material such as polypropylene/polycarbonate, the size and capacity, durability and warranty, flexibility, weight and cost viability,” an official communication said.
The government is reportedly planning to replace the steel trunks with trolley bags from brands like Samsonite and American Tourister, which are already available in defence canteens.
“These trunks belong to jawans and they carry these everywhere. We issue the trunks at the beginning of their career. In the unfortunate event of a jawan attaining martyrdom, we hand over the trunk to the family. It’s like handing over the jawan’s memories to the family. It has historical as well as emotional value,” an IG-level CRPF officer told News18.
According to the official, who is part of the committee, there is nothing unusual about the move to replace the trunks with trolley bags. “The new trolley suitcases will help the jawans store their stuff safely. The items under consideration will be easy to lock and easy to move. We also tried to modify the existing one, but that is tough so we are in process of exploring modern options available in CAPF canteens.”
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