The smiles of the 50 or so people assembled outside the AC coach of the Jammu Tawi Express at Vadodara station hid more than they revealed. There was sadness, but only if you looked deep into the eyes. They masked their emotions, as the World War I song requested, till the train left. Then, the tears broke through.

By then, though, Lieutenant Shreyas Mehta of 4-Jat Regiment was already on his way to Kargil, the first officer from Vadodara to see action in the current conflict. He left with memories of happy smiles and cheerful faces, memories that will no doubt keep him going through his tour of duty on the frontline. The group -- his parents and other relatives -- knew, of course, what was in store for the 25-year old bachelor, who had recently secured an MSc degree with distinction.

In a way, it was deja vu; Shreyas's father Major Nitin Mehta had lived through heavy firing and shelling in 1965 and 1971 on the same borders. His eldest brother Shreyamun recently retired as a Major on short-service commission and elder brother Shreya, a Captain in Army Aviation, is on duty somewhere on the Western coastal border. His first cousin Jaladhi is in Navy and ``on alert'' in the same area.

However, even that pedigree couldn't help Shreyas cope with the public adulation this afternoon. About 100 Seva Dal workers, armed with the National Flag, set the tone with their slogan-shouting. Sounds of ``Bharat Mata Ki Jai'' and ``Vande Matram'' drowned out the usual hustle and bustle of railway stations.

Members of the public came up to Shreyas; some shook his hand, some garlanded him. He accepted all graciously but with a bemused expression. ``There is absolutely no `that type' of feeling. It's okay'', Shreyas told Express Newsline, cutting short a question on ``fear''.

``He has fullfilled the only dream of mine. I wanted one of my sons to be on the front and live through the great feeling of patrotism'', said Shreyas's father, making the son blush even more fiercely. Bravest of all, it seemed, was his mother Yasho, as she blessed her youngest son time and again saying he would return a victor.

The half-hour on the platform sped by; the family engaged in small talk, Shreyas posed for photographs and hugged his mother several times.And then it was time to go. One last hug from the Major, one last wave to the family and well-wishers gathered, and a brave son of Vadodara went off to do his duty.