Recently I read the sad news of a young officer of the Indian Army who died after the officer was Dined-In the previous evening, and was made to consume a lot of alcohol. It is learnt from various WhatsApp posts – which I do not believe at all– some claiming that the officer underwent the strenuous Battlefield Physical efficiency Test the following morning and collapsed.

Many feel tired after drinking because of the calming and relaxing effect of alcohol. A night of over-indulging may result in you fighting weariness the next day. Drinking lowers your Rapid Eye Movement (REM), leading to poor quality sleep. When you wake up, you will feel drained of energy and will struggle to concentrate.

When you wake up, the body experiences alcohol withdrawal symptoms as it works to get rid of the toxins. Most studies show that those who consume large amounts of alcohol before going to bed are likely to experience delayed sleep onset. It is because during the night, the liver enzymes metabolise the alcohol, which leads to a decrease in the alcohol level. This process will lead to poor sleep quality and night-time disturbances.

It is important to Hydrate when you stop drinking. Water plus other healthy fluids will help your body remove toxins and improve how you feel. During the early stages of detoxification, you may experience symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, and sweating. These symptoms further dehydrate the body.  Light exercises such as walking, or biking will help you feel more energetic. Such exercises boost your blood flow and help improve your physical and mental health.  You can also try moderate physical activity to increase your energy and boost your stamina, but never heavy physical exertion.

Most of us, on joining our Regiments as Second Lieutenant/ Lieutenant underwent a similar Dining-In.  That was when we hardly knew any officer in the Regiment.  Everything was alien to us – soldiers, equipment, etc – much different from what we experienced in our training days at the Academy.

That is where we need a Godfather in the Regiment.  I was lucky to have Captain (now Veteran Colonel) Rahul Gowardhan as our Battery Captain (BK.)  We were deployed in Rajasthan, and I had a small bivouac to live.   He often called me to his tent, made me sit down, offered me a cup of tea and spoke to me at length.  Every time he reassured me that I was doing well and gave me many tips about being a gentleman and a good officer.

Our Battery Commander (BC) was Late Major Daulat Bharadwaj.  The way he taught me and the life lessons I learned from him, I have reflected in my novel Son of a Gunner (available on Amazon.)

Captain Gowardhan was later our Adjutant for seven years.  Let me quote him: – “Reji used to follow the dictum that as youngster commit any mistake but keep the Adjutant informed. Therefore, it was quite often that I used to jump from the chair when he used to come and inform “Sir, chhotasa galati ho gaya. (Sir, I Committed a small mistake.)” The so-called small mistake used to be slapping the Superintendent of Police or bashing up BSF Dy Commandant. It wasn’t for the wrong reasons, but we had to sort out the issues.

On 31 Oct 1984, Regiment’s column was ordered to move and take responsibility of security of Teen Murty Bhawan, where mortal remains of our late Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi were kept. Regiment was also responsible for controlling VIP visitors, who came there to pay homage to late the Prime Minister. Reji stopped Inspector General of Delhi Police, who along with family was sneaking through the VIP gate. This resulted into arguments with the Police Officer asking, “What are you doing here and who are you to stop me?”  Reji said to that officer, “Had police been working properly, Army would not have come to control this.” This was being heard and observed by Minister-in-Charge there Mr Shivraj Patil and he appreciated Reji for his dedication to duty and rebuked Police Officer. Later, the Regiment received an appreciation letter and cash prize from the Minister.”

As a Lieutenant, during a Regimental party in December 1984, I got badly drunk.  By midnight, Colonel Gowardhan put me in the guestroom of the Officers’ Mess and closed the door.  I woke up by mid-noon next day and went to the Adjutant’s office.  He asked me if I had any hangover effect of headache or dehydration.  He made me drink three glasses of water followed by an advice “Never go overboard!” 

I quit drinking that day to consume my next peg on 17 March 1997 to celebrate the birth of our son.

While in command, my Godfather was Colonel (now Veteran Brigadier) Azad Sameer, our Colonel General Staff (Col GS.)  I sought his counsel whenever I was in a difficult situation.  He counselled me, motivated me, and admonished me when necessary.  He treated me more as his younger brother than a subordinate. 

Colonel Sameer is a great thinker, and we had many discussions varying from military subjects to parenting and our outlook towards religion and politics. We both believed in our God and did not believe in wearing our God on our sleeves or placing the images of our God in our vehicles in that many in the army never realised that Colonel Sameer was a Muslim and I a Christian.

Please read Abiding Faith by clicking here.

During many tactical discussions and exercises we had, I had the opportunity of accompanying Colonel Sameer. He is an ever smiling, soft spoken soldier who easily passed off as a young Lieutenant. After preparations for the tactical discussion the next day, in the evening we visited the bar at the Officers’ Mess. He ordered his favourite Old Monk Rum and I a peg of Teachers Whiskey. The barman, assuming Colonel Sameer to be a young officer, served me first. At last, I had to request him “Sir, whenever we are together, we both will always move around in our uniforms.”