During the annual audit of the Northern Command Postal Unit in 1990, the Adjutant was Major VC Poulose and that is where I met him. From his name, I could make out that he was a Mallu. I went through the audit as objective as possible and had a few questions for Major Poulose.

Major Poulose gave satisfactory justification, I thanked him, and while signing various documents asked him “നാട്ടിൽ എവിടെയാണ്?” (Where are you from Kerala?)

“മൂവാറ്റുപുഴ – താൻ എവിടെനിന്നാണ്?” (Moovattupuzha. Where are you from?) and it started a great relationship.

We were blessed with Nidhi on 20 March 1991. Major Poulose came home after two weeks and said, “Better get the birth registered with the Udhampur Police Station and obtain an Urdu Birth Certificate.”

“I got the Birth certificate from the Command Hospital,” I replied.

“That is fine, but this may help the child to secure admission in a medical college in Kerala being a Kashmiri Citizen,” he suggested.

I immediately tasked our Havildar Major and, in a week, I received the Birth Certificate of Nidhi as a Kashmiri Citizen – Remember Article 370!!!!

In 2008, on vacation from Canada to Kerala, I visited the home of Late Colonel Baby Mathew. In front of his house stood a gigantic and artistically intrinsic gate. I inquired as to from where he got the gates as it looked much different from the gates in Kerala homes. Prompt came Colonel Baby’s reply, “Colonel Poulose got it sent from Ambala. He designed it and got it fabricated and shipped it all the way to Palai, Kerala.”

“It bears Colonel Poulose’s signature all over it,” I replied. Colonel Baby was sweetly surprised that I knew Colonel Poulose well.

That was the quintessential Colonel Poulose – brilliant, witty, and extremely generous. Rest In Peace.