It was a homecoming of a different kind for the 10,000 odd soldiers of Southern Command Headquarters Pune, who were mobilised for almost one year for operation Parakram along the Indo-Pak border. Most of the troops were away from their kith and kin during this period. They came to Pune from operational areas just to go back to their regular duties.

Tucking away their weapons the soldiers tried their hand at spinning fortune wheels with their families at the day-long fauji mela held at the Ghorpadi Garrison Grounds, Pune. The vast expanse at Garrison Grounds which wore a festive look, became a centre for a plethora of activities. Thousands of people thronged the venue. The civilians and defence personnel interacted whole-heartedly.

It was a happy homecoming for the soldiers who returned after carrying out their duties successfully during operation Parakram. Many stalls were put up on the occasion. Soldiers and high flying officers, irrespective of their rank and cadre, rubbed shoulders to get a scoop of popcorn and candy sweets for loved ones, while bachelors made a beeline for the computerised matchmaking and horoscope stalls.

However, the "Fishing the Beer" and "Open-flash" gambling stalls pulled the maximum crowd. There were camel and elephant rides and giant wheels to boot. The stalls put up by the military farms also received good response from the public.

As the mela coincided with the Pulse Polio Campaign Day, the Station Health Organisation of the Southern Command put up a polio booth at the venue which was very beneficial for the children of the soldiers. About 400 children were administerted polio drops at the booth.

A brainchild of the GOC-in-C, Southern Command, Lt Gen GS Sihota, the mela was held to felicitate the soldiers on their return from the operation. The mela was inaugurated by the Chief of Staff, Southern Command, Lt Gen Satish Satpute.