Flea Market and New Merchandise Update

.The year was 1954, 17 Sikh was located at Agra and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Shamsher Singh, whose outstanding leadership and exploits in the 1947-48 war in Jammu and Kashmir were part of regimental lore. The unit was out on a training camp in a forest near Shivpuri, which was to culminate in a test exercise.

One day, Sepoy Fauja Singh, who was part of the officer’s mess staff, went to collect firewood for the mess kitchen. Suddenly, a tigress jumped out from a thicket and pounced on him. Instinctively, he tried to fight her off with his bare hands. After a brief struggle, the tigress caught Fauja Singh’s turban in her mouth and thinking that she had got the kill, disappeared back into the thicket. Fauja Singh was badly mauled and he was evacuated to the military hospital immediately, but more to the point, he was extremely upset about the loss of his turban.

More reports poured in about the tigress with four cubs, who had turned into a man-eater, it seemed. She had killed two persons from a village nearby. True to the Indian Army tradition, this didn’t stop the training, which continued as per plan, and the test exercise was cleared with honors.

At the end of the exercise Lt. Col Shamsher Singh proposed to his Brigade Commander, Brigadier Danny Misra, that since the tigress had turned into a maneater and the area was used by the brigade for training, it would be prudent to kill the tigress. Back in those days, shikar was allowed in the Army and a hobby for some. In that spirit, Brig Danny Misra agreed to the proposal, but with a rider.

“Shamsher,” he said. “Killing a tiger with rifles is too easy. Can the Sikhs do it with bayonets?” Never one to shy away from a challenge, Singh said, “So shall

it be, Sir!”

The die was cast. Shamsher returned and briefed his unit. He prepped his soldiers by telling them stories of how Hari Singh Nalwa, commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa army, had once killed a tiger with his bare hands by catching hold of its tongue and choking it.

It was decided that the unit would assault the general area where the tigress was suspected to have hidden in traditional infantry manner. Once the tigress attacked an individual, he must use the bayonet to counter-attack it while the personnel on his flanks would turn inwards to attack the tigress with bayonets and finish the task. This drill was rehearsed to perfection. Next morning, two companies of 17 Sikh formed an assault line 200 yards long, with the Commanding Officer’s party in the center.

Bayonets were fixed on the Enfield.303 rifles and the assault commenced.

It was a surreal scene: bayonets glinted in the morning sun with soldiers of 17 Sikh shouting “Jo bole so nihal!”, out to kill a maneating tigress with only bayonets! On the far side of the suspected area, the Divisional Commander, General Dargalkar, and the Brig Danny Misra sat on a machan with sporting rifles. Misra didn’t believe the tigress could be killed with bayonets. His plan was that the assault by 17 Sikh would drive the tigress towards the machan, where Gen Dargalkar and he would kill her.

The movement of the assault line was laborious due to the broken terrain but after 20 minutes, the den of the tigress was located.

She had fled, but her three cubs were found, captured alive and later presented to the Agra zoo. Fauja Singh’s turban was also found in the den.

The assault line formed again and moved forward with a regimental war cry.

After 10 minutes, the roar of the tigress was heard. Singh shouted to his

boys, “Tagde ho jao!” (“Gird up and get ready for action!”). And then, suddenly, the tigress leaped out of the thicket and attacked the assault line. Sepoy Sucha Singh was directly in front and he adopted the traditional bayonet fighting stance, meeting the tigress’ assault head-on with his weapon. As she came at him, he plunged his bayonet into her chest. It got buried to the hilt, inside the tigress’ chest, but the momentum of her charge knocked Sucha Singh down.

Both he and the tigress fell 10 yards forward. As per the rehearsed drill, the soldiers on the flanks turned inwards and pounced on the tigress, pinning

her down with their bayonets. It wasn’t necessary. Sucha Singh had already pierced her heart.

It was then that the sound of a rifle shot was heard.

Shamsher was livid with anger, thinking one of his men had disobeyed orders. He

rushed to the scene and asked who had fired the shot. The company assured him no shot had been fired and the report had come from the direction of the

machan. Shamsher ordered the success signal be fired with the Very Light Pistol and 500 hundred voices joined him in the long jaikara of “Jo Bole So Nihal!’.

Then Shamsher rushed to Sucha Singh, who was badly mauled but on inquiry

about his wounds said, “Saab Ji main tan theek haan, par woh sali sherni meri rifle lai gayee.” (“Sir, I am OK but the damn tigress has taken off with my rifle”). The loss of a weapon is a very serious lapse in the army! Sucha Singh was assured that the rifle has been recovered and that he was now nearly at par with the great Hari Singh Nalwa for having single-handedly killed a tigress. He was evacuated to the military hospital.

A telegram was dispatched to Fauja Singh: “Revenge taken! Tigress killed!Turban recovered!” Sepoy Sucha Singh was immediately promoted to LanceNaik and on that day, 17 Sikh was rechristened the Tiger Battalion.

The bayonet of Sucha Singh had developed a 10-degree curve due to the force of the impact with the tigress. A most unusual occurrence, as bayonets are usually made of brittle metal designed to pierce and break when it hits a hard surface. Shamsher directed Sucha Singh’s bayonet must be kept as a trophy. The Quarter Master in his enthusiasm to get Sucha Singh his replacement mistakenly sent the bayonet back to the ordinance depot for replacement. Fortunately, it was located and brought right back to the unit. The bayonet, along with the skin of the tigress and news paper coverage of the event, still adorn the officers’ mess of 17 Sikh ­The Tiger Battalion.

While Sucha Singh was being taken to the military hospital, Shamsher went to the machan to report the success of the mission to Misra and Dargalkar, who was still on the machan.

To his amusement and the embarrassment of the VIPs, Shamsher learned that in the excitement of the whole action, one of the rifles from the VIP machan had

dropped to the ground. That was the rifle shot Shamsher had heard!

Later, Misra along with Shamsher went to meet Sucha Singh in the hospital. The brigadier asked Sucha Singh, “Kya aapne hi sherni ko mara tha?” (“Are you

the one who killed the tigress?”) A peeved Sucha Singh replied, “Asli bayonet toh mainne hi mara tha, sir, par mari hui sherni par bad mein aur bhi maarte gaye. Aur mainne suna ki dar ke mare VIP machan se, kisi rifle nichhe gir kar fire ho gayee.” (“I’m the one who got her with the bayonet first, but others attacked the dead tigress too. And I heard that up in the VIP machan, someone got so scared that they dropped their rifle by mistake and fired it.”)

Nine years later, Colonel Shamsher as the Centre Commandant of the Sikh Regimental Centre at Meerut Cantonment, was interviewing soldiers going on a pension when he heard the familiar voice of Havaldar Sucha Singh. He reported that he was going on pension. Shamsher took a quick decision and directed the pension orders to be canceled.

Instead, Sucha Singh was promoted to the rank of Jemadar. There were objections from higher headquarters, but Shamsher had a simple reply:

“Sucha Singh is probably the only man in history to have killed a tigress with a bayonet. He deserves to be a JCO!”

There is a common complaint among many in our sport about the realism of the weaponry used – it just isn’t very realistic. Even some of the best tactical markers are still missing the mark in realism, leaving players still hungry for a more authentic experience. In most cases, it’s fairly easy to spot a paintball marker because of the large hopper that sits on top to hold it’s ammo. This is problematic for at least two reasons: 1) it takes away some of the realism of your gun, and 2) the hopper can easily give away your position on the field if you are trying to hide behind cover – this piece sticks up! This can defeat the purpose of “low-profile play”, which means stealthy and subtle styles of movement during the game, sometimes consisting of a complete non-exposure of the player and his position on the field.

Thankfully, there is a viable solution to this problem in both realism and profile – magazine-fed markers. Just like in a real rifle, magazine-fed paintball guns are fitted with a functional magazine which holds paintballs and uses spring-loaded pressure to feed them into the marker. This makes the gun look and function much more like “the real thing,” adding more realism and excitement to the sport of scenario paintball. These new markers provide a much-desired change to the traditional hopper fed paintball gun. While there is some cost associated with upgrading to this type of marker, many players are proudly making the switch. Best brands of mag fed guns include the Rap4 468 and MK5 series, Honorcore, Tiberius Arms, Spyder and even Tippmann is offering a new version.

There are many benefits to owning a good magazine fed paintball marker. The most obvious is that it looks completely real. To many players, this is a huge factor. Some of the best brands of magazine fed tactical paintball guns are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Removing the hopper also makes for much better low-profile play, making your weapon smaller and much easier to wield. A large, fully loaded hopper on top of your marker gives it a different balance making it trickier to be more accurate as compared with a good mag fed system. Once you pop in the clip, your gun is a closed system that won’t spill paintballs everywhere. It’s common for a hopper to come loose during play or lose ammo when taking it off. Compared to the sleek profile of the new magazine fed paintball guns, hopper fed systems are clumsy, bulky and make your marker look like a toy.

Mag fed markers are not without their critics however. Opponents of the magazine-fed movement make a few valid claims against this change. The biggest of these is that a magazine can’t hold nearly as much ammo as a traditional hopper. For lengthy scenarios that may require lots of shooting, you need to go in with as much ammo as possible. With the standard hopper holding at least 200 rounds, it will take at least ten 18 or 20 round magazines to match the same capacity; this is a lot to carry. Fortunately, there are other realistic accessories that offer ways to carry these accessories such as tactical vests. Much like their real life counterpart, a tactical paintball vest outfitted with several magazine pouches are a great way to pack numerous loaded magazines in a very balanced manner, close to the body. Not only does a good vest offer terrific help in carrying your mags, but it also brings a cool look to your scenario outfit and adds extra protection against incoming bullets.

Another valid complaint about magazine fed paintball guns is the magazine clips themselves. Most magazines for tactical markers rely on a spring and mechanical actions to feed the ammo, thus creating a larger probability the marker will jam, misfire, or break altogether. While this was more of a problem in the beginning, most magazine fed paintball guns have been out long enough for these errors to have been ironed out, however some brands are definitely better than others. Rap4’s Dmags are some of the most user friendly in both durability, function and price. While most paintball gun magazines run between $25-$40, Dmags cost about $10 and even less if bought in a package deal. The best paintball gun magazines are also compatible with shaped projectiles like First Strike ammo; Dmags will also work with this precision paintball bullet.

If you are just beginning into the sport, be aware that a hopper-based system will be your cheapest, easiest and most common route. If you have been in the sport for a while and are considering the switch to a magazine fed system, weigh out the pros and cons before the commitment. Do play a position where you need lots of ammo quickly? Will you have time to reload if you run out? Is stealth critical in your scenario? Do you long for a realistic scenario but feel you’re using a “toy”? These are all valid considerations. So, the debate continues – and likely will from now on. Players have made it clear that they want options and want to step up the reality factor in their game. Manufacturers have heard this request loud and clear and magazine-fed markers are definitely moving in the right direction toward becoming the main choice in paintball.

If you feel excited to read this article, you probably already know at least a little about the advantages of retractable awnings. If this piece looks totally random (“20 Fast Facts About Kibbles Cat Food”), then what you’ll read here will probably surprise you. Here is a shotgun approach to the specifications and benefits of modern awnings to catch you up on why they are attracting a growing consumer base.

First, a quick disclaimer: As you read, you may wish certain points were explained in more detail. Since this article is a sort of “beach read” of awnings education, you won’t find a ton of background information here. But if you’d like to hear these facts expanded upon, feel free to check my site. And now, here are some quick and dirty facts about retractable awnings.

1. They are, in essence, over-sized swatches of water-proof fabric stretched on a frame and attached to your house. This is what you might call simple brilliance.
2. They need approximately 6 inches of open, lengthwise wall (or roof) space to be installed.
3. These awnings can be unfurled or retracted in less than a minute–either by hand or automatically via a remote control.
4. Recent models have weather sensors that automatically lower the awnings on bright, hot days and store them when a heavy rain storm or gale-force winds could damage them.
5. A phrase all home and business owners love: “No maintenance?”
6. By controlling sunlight, awnings serve a very useful function: they decrease heat and cut UV rays.
7. Awnings serve as an outdoor expansion of your business or residential space–and Do It Yourself-types like to design “outdoor rooms” with awnings that extend the styles and colors of the building interior.
8. If you own a business or manage properties, retractable awnings can expand your seating capacity and raise property values without the services of an architect or general contractor.
9. Next time you’re downtown, look around: there’s an increasing trend to use awnings as commercial signage for businesses.
10. Awnings positively affect the interior of your home. When installed over windows, they cut glare by 94 percent and exterior heat by 77 percent.
11. That means that they bring down inside temperatures by 8 to 15 degrees and reduce air conditioning costs by 25 percent.
12. When it comes to real estate, each dollar saved on utility bills translates into $10 to $15 of resale value. If you do the calculations, you see that awnings can add one to two thousand dollars of resale value to your home. And that’s a conservative estimate.
13. Realtors say that a building’s outside appearance is a huge factor in home sales. Awnings give your home strong curb appeal.
14. They also create unique new atmospheres. Have you ever had coffee and conversation “in the rain?” Ever lounged in a hot tub while snow drifts down around (but not on) you?
15. Retractable awnings let you sun-bathe, eat in the shade, enjoy a sun-warmed autumn deck and watch the stars–all in the same space.
16. They can be “strategically” used to cover unsightly rough patches on your home’s exterior, like that place where the utility man botched the repair job.
17. Awnings add more living area: eat, talk, and entertain.
18. When awnings are installed over windows, they make cooler, more spacious rooms inside the home, because there’s no need to fight harsh sunlight by pulling the blinds.
19. They make the most of patio, deck, balcony, and poolside areas, making them more than stretches of bleached-blond wood and fiery concrete.
20. Retractable awnings are environmentally friendly. They reduce electricity use, comply with EPA guidelines, and are made with sustainable materials.

Now you have a basic idea of why retractable awnings are gaining in popularity. How does it feel to have a higher awnings IQ?