Olive Green Memoirs – 6.. Tales from Bhuj Diary
1979-80 Stress and Pressure
Life is not fair. But to come across this realty so early in life! I had not bargained. The probability would be one in a million, quite possibly one in a billion.
The joke was on me!!! I went in for my f irst medical annual check to Military Hospital (MH) Bhuj as a mandatory requirement for Annual Confidential Report for the previous year 1979. To everyone’s disbelief, I was pronounced – a case of High BP.
Was this another sign of the divine cosmos. I had been rejected by the SSB Army Medical board at Roorkee for liver in early 1974. I had little guidance or motivation to appeal, as I had other options at hand. But, later when the Airforce Medical Board after PABT at Dehradoon cleared me, I was once again in this line for soldiering.
By the time I got to know of the high BP, the news had reached my Commanding Officer. Without any further ado, he asked for my flight tickets to be booked for Bombay and spoke to his counterpart in Bombay that I was coming for a week to de-stress. Meanwhile, my buddy (batman) had got my bags packed and with a brief stop-over to pick my bags, I was whisked to the airport straight from the MH.
My course mate, Basant D was in the unit in Mumbai and I had a “merry time” going around on a paid leave. Of course, when I returned, the obstinate high BP refused to back off. I was admitted in MH Bhuj for a week and then transferred to MH Ahmedabad. Within a few days before I could explore Ahmedabad, the orders were received to vacate Officers Ward.
The लंगर गप्प (cook house rumour) was that some high-profile dignitary was getting admitted and additional beds were required. I was discharged with comment Nothing Adverse Detected (NAD). This turned out to be the 1st and last time, I would be ever admitted to a military hospital. Touch wood !!!
Entries in my Health record Card
This came with a boon. My Battery Commander, the shikari from Manipur, took upon himself to teach me destressing technique.
We did go out for fishing on a few Sundays with interesting material to read. I still remember his teachings on the fine art of hook, line and sinker with the right type of worm and how to recognize mid-stream fish.
1981 PVC Awardee
For display of conspicuous courage and exemplary leadership in the battle in Srijap, Ladakh during 1962 war with China, Maj Dhan Singh Thapa was awarded Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest Military Honour, the ultimate war time award.
It came as a big honour when we were introduced to the living legend, in our Officers Mess at Bhuj sometime in 1980-81. He was one amongst the only 15 awardees till then and one amongst 3 awarded non-posthumously. He was now commanding the TA unit in Devlali and was in Bhuj for reviewing his unit’s Operational Tasks.
We found in Col Thapa, a soft spoken and a light hearted gentleman. He would regale us on every other issue ending with a humourous note when he spent his evenings with us in the Mess. But he simply refused to speak on matters – military, especially the details of his 1962 valiant actions.
All our requests to tell us about the battle in icy heights, against all odds, undeterred against a giant of an enemy, ending, in him being taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) were politely declined. He spurned us to read Himalayan Blunder by Brig JP Dalvi, who himself too was taken as a POW.
Later, I realized that some of our leaders, both political and military, had utterly failed him and had failed the nation too, by leaving our troops heavily out-numbered, under-equipped, underclothed, unprepared, unsupported. And, yet they gladly laid down their lives for the sake of our motherland unquestioningly.
He remains an ever so polite, courteous and well-mannered gentleman in my memory, I have ever come across in my life.
1981 COAS Visit
Our calm lives were in for a toss with the announcement of a whirlwind visit by the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Hectic activities to include sprucing of the unit area with geru – chuna (red & white lime powder), newly minted starched uniforms, fresh paint over all vehicles and equipment and unearthing the Officers Mess silver ware became the norm.
An outrageous mistake, a monumental error that looks silly today of his visit is etched in my memory. It was a blunder of Himalayan proportions.
COAS convoy from the airport was to directly head to our Officers Mess. We were waiting with maps and snacks for a short briefing before his departure to the field. His ultra-long convoy missed a last-minute turn to our Mess.
Startling all of us, the convoy was forced to go a full circle in our unit area, allowing the COAS full 10 minutes of unplanned exposure to it. Was it a deliberate act to show case the unit… the conspiracy theory still persists !!!
Our AD eqpt in the unit training area : L-70 Gun system with SFM Radar Raison d’etre for visit was to place Kutch at a higher security pedestal, sealing in the fate of our sleepy forgotten Bhuj Military station. Our days as master of the domain “the sole combat arms unit” in the station were numbered.
Was the skirmish in the Rann – Op Ablaze of 1965, the precursor to the full-fledged Indo-Pak war being revisited. In this context, you may remember the Ajay Devgun starrer BHUJ movie.
The station was to get converted into a Sector with under command all requisite elements of infantry, armour, artillery including Air OP on the lines of Independent Infantry Brigade.
1982 Driving Licence
Unit move orders were out and we were to leave Bhuj in a few months. So far, we had been going around with a military driving license. It came as a surprise, when I was advised, that this wouldn’t do in our new station and hence I must get a proper Driver’s License from civil authorities.
Road Transport Officer’s (RTO) Office was located just 300-400 m from our Officers Mess. We applied for the Learners License and waited for ending of the minimum mandatory cooling period. Soon it was time to fill up the form for permanent license.
The documents were sent to the RTO office and we received the appointment for test of driving skills. The RTO, who was the license issuing officer was also to test us. He would come once in 7-10 days from Rajkot.
On the appointed day, I led the team of youngsters with my Battery Willys Jeep to the RTO office. We were tested on our driving skills along with few other candidates.
This was to be followed up by interview and testing on recognition of road signs. The wait for our turn for the interview continued as we observed that one by one all candidates departed. We were kept waiting.
We were not much concerned, since we had trooped in at the last moment. As also our next stop was for lunch in the Officers Mess and there was still plenty of time at hand. However, when the t ime for closing for lunch neared, we inquired the reason for delay.
The clerk meekly told us that we had yet to hand over the mithai (sweetener – bribe) so our cases were pending. We were aghast at the guts of the RTO. The RTO had the spunk to expect bribes from serving soldiers that too when they had turned up at his office in uniform.
Without a second thought, we marched into his office and pulled him out of his chair holding him by the scruff of his collar. The horror on the RTO’s face when we informed him that we were placing him under arrest was classical.
Having recently been briefed at a unit class on legal proceedings for Summary Court Martial, we apprised him what would follow – starting with a charge sheet to announce his offence- “Unbecoming Conduct by an Officer of the Govt of India”, statement by the witnesses, pronouncement of the Judgement – GUILTY and followed up with a prison sentence.
He would have to serve his sentence in our unit prison, the Regimental Quarter Guard. The Rajkot man did not know what had hit him.
Thanks to our theatrical performance, we had the Driving Licenses handed over to us on the spot, without the interview for which we had diligently mugged up the road signs.
At worst, we would have beaten him up. My Driving Licence Number was 23059-K 1982, which was later renewed in the next duty station.
1978 – 82 Training
I know of no other unit where allotment of training courses for officers is welcome. We were different, an exceptional unit with a unique set of officers.
Every officer would get nominated on at least one course every year. The keen kumars could plan a second course too if they were willing to give up 2-4 weeks of their annual leave.
Before I commenced my Long Gunnery Staff Course (LGSC-AD) in 1983, I had already completed 6 courses: 2 each at Devlali (YO&ACR) and Pune (PT&Cam) and 1 each at Mhow (RSO) and Belgaum (JSC).
Training is a corner stone in the Indian Army to keep its officer well versed, skilled and updated for warfare. This is imperative since we are burdened with 2 hostile and a few uncooperative neighbours.
This allows the Officer Corps to be knowledgeable in diverse fields and are able to plan and lead to victory with confidence borne out of proficiency.
I am grateful that the Army gave me ample opportunities to learn and grow to build upon a knowledge base in multiple fields. I strongly advocate that the process of learning new skills is unending.
Anyone who neglects it does so at his peril of becoming obsolete sooner than later. We need to constantly counsel and advise our near & dear ones as well as inflexible older ones to remember this single mantra amidst manifold aspects of growth for a happiness in life.
We left Bhuj by the end of 1982. I never had an opportunity to return. It was heart breaking when on 26 Jan 2001 Bhuj-Kutch was jolted with a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake followed by a 5.8 level one 2 days later, and by the end of the year an overall 107 aftershocks had occurred.
This led to fatalities of far more than the official figure of 20,000 (x5) people, leaving behind 167,000 injured and damaging 1,200,000 houses.
The news was full of our various happy jaunts having been seriously devastated to include Prag Mahal, Aina Mahal, Swaminarayan temple and many heritage buildings.
Sadly, as I regret today, this was exactly the time, I was also in the middle of my very own tectonic shift, replacing my fauji boots with civilian shoes.
Sometimes, the need to just keep rushing ahead inspite of many reasons to pause and contemplate becomes an erroneous priority.
By Col Akhil Gupta
