Some meetings are arranged. Some meetings happen by chance. But there are meetings that the heart has been waiting for years to experience.The recent Milan of the 1995 batch of Sub Inspectors of Jammu & Kashmir Police, now spanning the journey from young Sub-Inspectors to DySPs and senior officers after nearly 32 years of service, was one such meeting.It was much more than a reunion. It was a homecoming.

A homecoming of friends who had once marched together, run together, trained together, struggled together and dreamed together—and who, after more than three decades, found themselves sitting across from one another once again, carrying the memories of youth in their hearts.Nearly 60 out of around 70 batchmates attended the Milan. Those who could not join us were deeply missed—some because of ill health and some because of unavoidable professional commitments. Otherwise, the gathering was almost complete.And perhaps that itself tells the story of the bond that the 1995 batch has carried through all these years.When we were youngIt hardly seems possible that nearly 32 years have passed. The memories of Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy, Udhampur, still feel remarkably fresh. We were young Sub-Inspectors then young lads, full of energy, dreams and enthusiasm. Some of our colleagues were a little older than us, but most of us were at an age when the future seemed limitless. We spent nearly two long years together in training. We marched together. We ran together. We played together. We studied together. We faced obstacles together. We trained during the day and often continued our camaraderie long into the night.

There were long runs, parade drills, games, obstacle courses, classroom sessions and countless moments of shared laughter and hardship.We also underwent training at CRPF traiy centre Mudkhed Nanded, which added another chapter to our collective experience.At that age, perhaps we did not realise what was happening. We thought we were simply completing our training. But unknowingly, we were building something that would stay with us for the rest of our lives. We were building a brotherhood. The sweat of the training ground became the cement of our friendship. Then we went our separate ways.

Around 1997, we passed out from the Academy. Our batchmates were posted to different parts of Jammu & Kashmir,Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. A large batch of officers, including our female colleagues, spread across districts, police stations and assignments.From the mountains to the plains, from........

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