Dinner Night is a very solemn occasion, one that offers the cadets a glimpse into their future as officers. In short, it is a formal dinner that requires the cadets to display their dining etiquette, taught to them during their training in the academy. The dinner would be their first exposure to the army culture that has existed from the British days. The protocol that the cadets imbibed had to be followed on this special night, hosted during the visit of a very senior officer or VIP.
Although it was just a rehearsal, there was a buzz around the campus as excited cadets prepared for the dinner.
Dressing up in the ceremonial uniform of white shirts with the dazzling company tabs on their collars, black trousers, and a red and black striped waistband, along with a peaked cap, never failed to give the cadets a high. The uniform had a magical effect on everyone. It straightened postures and made everyone feel just a bit smarter. With their additional shoulder tabs, the appointments looked most impressive.
‘Why is it called a dinner night?’ Nutty asked a relevant question as they made their way towards the mess.
‘Dinners are always held at night, so it is called a dinner night,’ explained Lucky patiently. ‘Not every dinner is known as dinner night. Only the ones hosted to honour a VIP or one held on a special occasion are known as dinner night.’
‘So if a lunch is hosted for a VIP, it should be called lunch noon, or noon lunch,’ Nutty pointed out.
This time, no one responded to her silly idea.
‘A dinner night also means that the menu will be special,’ said Billi, who was looking forward to good food.
‘That’s good news,’ remarked Nutty, rubbing her hands in anticipation. ‘I am going to bloody hog like nobody’s business.’
‘Unfortunately, my dear Doughnut, you will not have the freedom to do so,’ Lucky informed her gleefully. ‘Don’t you recall the warnings issued by the Reichsführer?’
The paltu, Major Sherawat, had devoted an entire half hour to issue warnings and instructions about the forthcoming event. No use of hands while eating, no pigging, no spilling, no whispering or laughing, no elbows on the table, no rushing, no scraping of chairs, the list of no’s was a long one. She ended the lecture with a stern warning, ‘You will eat as long as the band plays, and stop as soon as the music stops. Don’t make mistakes. I will be watching.’
The LCs entered the dining hall and stood transfixed. The place looked magical under the light thrown by the chandeliers. The silverware and crockery were laid out to perfection, with name cards placed on each plate. Anxiously, they watched the umpteen sets of spoons, forks, knives and glasses that were enough to confound even seasoned diplomats. They were expected to handle them without displaying any discomfort. Although the cadets had been instructed on table manners, they felt daunted by the formal setting.
Everything had a royal touch, and the place looked like a scene straight out of a British period movie, with the officers and cadets dressed in their ceremonial uniforms.
There was either a company commander or a paltu on every table. The CoCo arrived looked like a hero in his attire, accompanied by his elegant and pretty wife.
Attired in their regalia, a band provided live music. Everybody had been instructed to ape the officer seated at their table. The appointments had been placed strategically with a company commander. Billi found herself placed next to CoCo while Shiny had been assigned a place at another table. To her misfortune, Major Sherawat was to occupy the chair next to her.
Everything happened in a synchronized manner. The moment CoCo and the paltu pulled their chairs out and sat down, so did the LCs. Those who dragged their chairs and produced a scratchy sound found themselves under the glare of the officer.
The band stopped playing and the liveried mess staff proceeded to serve the dishes. The CoCos and paltus were served first and then the cadets. The officers picked up a single piece of cutlet daintily, and the rest of the diners followed suit. Much as she was tempted to do so, Nutty refrained from picking another piece of cutlet, cursing the dinner night and the dining etiquette that came with it. No one was supposed to start eating until everyone had been served.
Much to Nutty’s chagrin, the officers displayed no inclination to get on with the meal. Hungry and impatient, she waited as CoCo looked around to check if everyone at his table had been served. Then, he picked up his fork, and he began pecking at the food. The cadets followed suit, pecking at the cutlet and dinner roll.
To their annoyance, the band suddenly stopped playing. It seemed to be a cue for the officers to stop eating, for they put down their forks and knives. Nutty, who had been relishing the first course, found herself eyeing it unhappily. It was a pity to leave the half-eaten delicious cutlet. Surreptitiously, she eyed the CoCo, and gobbled the rest of the food without anyone noticing. Those who had been eating slowly watched sadly as the waiters removed their plates.
The bloody band was the mischief-maker, Nutty realized. The officers had to keep time with the band, thus fomenting trouble for the cadets.
Each course of the dinner was special and delicious, the cooks having surpassed themselves. Yet, no one could enjoy the food as they had to stop eating the moment the music stopped.
The dinner ended, leaving a hungry lot of cadets to crib about dinner night. The gang of four made their way back to their rooms, their stomachs rumbling with hunger.
‘They bloody give you no time to eat,’ complained Nutty, pacing around the room. ‘I want to bloody give the band master a piece of my mind.’
‘Oh no! Please don’t do that, Peanut,’ begged Shiny. ‘You will be left with no brains if you give a piece of it to the band master.’
‘The CoCo and Shera must have eaten before reaching the mess for dinner night,’ Nutty continued grumbling. She was in no mood for jokes. ‘I have to eat something or I will not last the bloody night.’
‘Here, take some,’ Lucky offered a packet of her favourite wafers. She hoarded them by the dozen.
‘There should be no PT, drills or outdoor activities on dinner night days,’ Nutty declared, chomping busily on the wafers.
‘Imagine my plight!’ complained Billi, who had been sitting next to CoCo. ‘I had to maintain a ramrod posture though the dinner and now my back is aching.’
‘I am still hungry,’ declared Nutty after having gone through an entire packet of wafers. ‘Do you have those delicious biscuits you bought last time,’ she asked Lucky.
‘You finished the entire lot yesterday,’ said Lucky. ‘Let’s have some cookies,’ she said, taking out a packet from her cupboard.
Once the cookies were over, they gathered the eatables everyone possessed. Billi brought some laddoos from her room, Shiny added her biscuits and chips to the lot. Only Nutty had nothing left in her cupboard.
‘The bloody mice are not giving up,’ complained Nutty, after they had devoured the goodies. ‘They are bloody holding an obstacle race around my stomach.’
‘Just tank up with two glasses of water and go to sleep,’ Shiny suggested.
‘... And the rats? What about them?’
‘They will get drowned, and you can sleep in peace.’
‘Just like our Bengali swimming instructors, the bloody mice in my stomach are good swimmers,’ Nutty whined.
In the end, they drowned their hunger in jugs of water, just as Shiny had suggested.