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.”

“Dream, Dream Dream; Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action. You must dream before your dreams can come true. Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended,” thus wrote Dr Adbul Kalam, a great dreamer of all times.

This book is all about such a dream by a child Jake to fly by air and visit places.  Not he alone, but he wanted his parents too to enjoy the pleasure of flying in an aircraft.  How Jake fructified this dream – by his dedication, hard work and will to fulfill is narrated well.

It is the story of the journey of Jake from his birth to his travel from Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast of USA.  It is a detailed travelogue where Jake recalls his journey in USA and connects it with what he underwent growing in Kerala, Military School, University and over three decades of dedicated military service.  Throughout the book, Jake travels between his life in India and the journey through USA.

The book is akin to what Jake says – Life is a story that unravels page by page every day and we individually script and star in that story. The book can well be summarised into this line.  Jake felt very proud when the lady at the counter at Hollywood offered him a Veteran’s concession ticket and said, “Thank you very much Sir, for the service to Your Nation.”

Jake brings out many life lessons through his journey.  While apple picking, he realises – Those overtaken by greed end up with fewer apples and a torn bag.

Walking through the woods during the Fall, Jake philosophises – When winter wore off, green shoots sprang up all over.  Nobody noticed the dead leaves fall. People noticed only the green.

Jake is a foodie and he concludes – Food has a strong sense of identity.  It is one way of reaching and breaching cultural barriers.

Driving through Carmel Bay and on seeing The Lone Tree, Jake’s outlook is worth a read – She is called the Lone Tree, not the Lonely Tree. She exemplifies the will to live.

Looking at this book as a travelogue, it brings out many tips to the travelers to North America.

• Nothing comes free in this part of the world.
• Every town has a museum or two – every other street in a city houses a museum.  These museums display artefacts very well documented.  You must visit those which interests you.
• Research well before setting out.  Collect as much information about the place, weather, places on interest, buildings and monuments to be visited, etc. 
• Whatever you see, correlate with what you have seen in your motherland, learn what you can do to improve your life, your family’s, and the people around you.
• Observe courtesies extended to you by mostly unknown persons  – what ever small it may be -and try and practice it in your day-to-day life on return.
• Armed with the information, you will enjoy and understand the culture and history better.
• Observe the enactments of various historical events – least you can help your grandchildren to in their presentations to be Different.
• Your friends and well wishers are your life’s investment.  If you have been kind to them, they will be kind to you in a foreign land, where no one has time for anyone else.

The book is titled Dare Dream Different, but if you Dream then you will Dare which will make you Different.

The book is available on Amazon

August 25, 2023 – the morning brought me the sad news of bereavement of Colonel Baby Mathew. 

Colonel Baby Mathew hailed from Pala, Kottayam.  He was commissioned in 31 Medium Regiment and later moved to 255 Field Regiment.  I met him while he was attending Long Gunnery Staff Course and I Advance Gunnery Course at School of Artillery, Devlali in 1988.  In 1992-93, we served together – he with 255 Field Regiment and I with 75 Medium Regiment, then part of 39 Mountain Artillery Brigade.

In 1996-97, he was commanding 255 Field Regiment at Bagrakot and I was with 75 Medium Regiment at Sikkim.  During my vacation and official trips, I visited him at Bagrakot.  Please read https://rejinces.net/2017/07/23/lungi/

He commanded 255 Field Regiment during the Kargil Conflict.  The Regiment played an active role in providing close fire support to the attacking soldiers who captured Tiger Hill and Tololing.

Post retirement, he worked with Federal Bank.

Colonel Baby Mathew was ever smiling with a positive attitude to life.  He always remained calm, even in the most adverse situations.  He was a great friend, mentor and guide to me during my military service and also during our immigration to Canada and life there after.

Rest in Peace Colonel Baby Mathew.  I will ever cherish that smile of yours.

Many Veterans have now turned into excellent Centre Forwards – not in the game of Soccer- but on social media.  They forward anything and everything they receive including some of their personal messages; without realising that the group or person to whom one is sending has already received the very same wisdom from someone with a faster finger. The speed at which their finger moves on their mobile screen is akin to applying lime on a betel leaf. In effect, they glance and never read.

The tendency to forward messages on social media could be to prove to themselves that they are Virtually Alive.  They tend to forward every kind of message without thinking of its consequences. Most of the messages they forward are far from the truth and are from unreliable/ unverified sources.  They are unaware that the truth travels at the speed of sound whereas fakes travel at the speed of light.

Forwarding someone else’s message is plagiarism and a copyright violation.  Forwarding a fake or incorrect message is a crime.  In 2018, Madras High Court rejected the anticipatory bail of a journalist-turned-party leader for his allegedly derogatory Facebook post on women journalists. The judge noted “Forwarding a message is equal to accepting the message and endorsing the message.”

In another case of fake social media messages in 2020, Justice N Seshasayee remarked, “Mine would be the first vote for freedom of expression. But irresponsible, unverified and unsubstantiated social media posts cannot be tolerated.”

Social media is highly addictive and habit forming. In one’s spare time or breaks between our day-to-day tasks, many are trying to be Centre Forwards on social media.  The time they should have spent with their family or friends, engaging in a conversation, pursuing a hobby, reading, exercising etc are wasted by being a Centre Forward. A sure way to kill whatever creativity left in you.

The Centre Forwards on two Whatsapp groups I am a member of, were my superior officers – Majors, Colonels, Brigadiers and Generals – who were either my commanders or my instructors during many army courses I attended.  As Cadets at the Academies, we had to come up with ingenious ideas to escape the prying eyes of our instructors.  As young Lieutenants, we were asked to be innovative.  As Captains we had to be unconventional and unorthodox.  As Majors we had to think out-of-the-box and be imaginative.  As Commanding Officers our senior commanders expected us to be enterprising and insightful.

Many of these superior officers who wanted me to be Original and outthink the enemy are now spectacular Centre Forwards on Whatsapp.  One Veteran Brigadier even justified being a Centre Forward and gave a detailed argument supporting it akin to the use of faculty notes (pinks) by student officers during various army courses. Our academy coursemates, many of whom were instructors at various military institutions and commanders at various levels, are now exceptional Centre Forwards.

In both the Whatsapp groups, it is 99% forwards with 1% original content.  These Centre Forwards were never creative while in the army and continue to be so post retirement.  Many of these Centre Forwards pass the ball without even reading it, analysing it and evaluating its relevance and truth. They carry out blind passes, many times ending in scoring self-goals.

In this age of unparalleled transparency, it is impossible for anyone to disown a statement or opinion expressed on these public forums. Every netizen is both accountable and responsible for all their actions on social media.  Any post once made, becomes the ‘property’ of the social media.  Even if you delete or edit the original post, the original remains somewhere.  The new generation in Canada do not want any of their photographs posted or tagged showing them smoking, drinking or partying as they feel that their prospective employers might dig into the social media.  Some political leaders are now haunted by some innocent photos of their youth that their friends posted on social media.

These Centre Forwards do not realise that their unverified and unsubstantiated forwards raise many questions about their credibility – if they had any while in service.  The most important aspect regarding communication is the credibility and trust your friends and the society bestows on you, especially as a Veteran.  While forwarding any mail or making any posts or comments, ensure that this trust is never betrayed.

When in Doubt, Do Not Post It, Always Throw it Out. Never become a Centre Forward.

If you do not read the messages on social media, you are uninformed. If you read them, you are misinformed.  Courtesy Mark Twain 

On 14 August 2022, Ipsos Group S.A. (French pronunciation: ​[ip. sos]; Institut Public de Sondage d’Opinion Secteur,) a multinational market research and consulting firm with headquarters in Paris, France, published a pan India survey to identify India’s Most Trusted Institutions.

65% of respondents ranked the Defence Forces first followed by the Reserve Bank of India with a 50% rating.  Indian Prime Minister received 49% of citizens’ trust and was followed by the Supreme Court of India with 47%.  The Central Bureau of Investigations was ranked fifth with 43% and the Police came sixth with 38%.   

The Parliament received 33%, Media 32% and the Election Commission of India 31%. At the bottom of the heap were Politicians (16%), Political Parties (17%), Community Leaders (19%) and Religious Leaders (21%). 

It wasn’t surprising at all for the Defence Forces being the most trusted institution.  It is based on the ethos, credibility, respect, integrity and discipline that the Defence Services of India has exhibited.  It is all about Naam, Namak & Nishan – ethos of the Indian Army to strive for the name of the country/ regiment, the salt partaken and the glory of the national/ regimental flag.

Of late it appears that there is a concerted effort by the political leadership and the bureaucracy to belittle the Armed Forces.  The Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals appear to have played along, accepting all the diktats in silence.

De-Regimentalisation is one of the methods to break the effectiveness of the Indian Army.  It does not apply as much to the Navy or the Air Force by virtue of their structure and functioning.  Adoption of a common uniform for Brigadiers and Generals is intended to bolster a common identity and approach in service matters amongst the senior hierarchy. The aim could well be to reduce parochialism towards one’s own regiment or corps. If so, a change of mindset is more important to achieve cohesion than cosmetic changes in uniform

Many proposals  have come up to De-Regimentalise the Indian Army by way of changes in uniforms, regimental names, traditional ceremonies, rituals, procedures, etc – all in the name of getting rid of colonial legacies. Some of these are already under implementation.

The system of recruitment to the armed forces has recently undergone a sea change, again to put the Armed Forces at their Right place. The Agnipath Scheme has been introduced.  The Agniveers of the scheme wherein a soldier serves four years and 25% of them are to be absorbed on merit as regular soldiers.  Those discharged on completion of four-year term will not be eligible for any kind of pension or gratuity, neither will they be eligible for Ex Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Canteen Stores Department (CSD) facilities, Ex Serviceman status nor other related benefits.

Ostensibly, the new scheme has been  introduced with a view to improve the age profile and thereby the combat efficiency of the Defence Forces. But many critics point out that the primary aim of the scheme is to reduce the pension bill of the armed forces in the long run while it may actually change the ethos of the Defence Forces and may be detrimental to the combat efficiency of the armed forces.

In case the defence expenditure is to be curtailed and pension expenditure reigned in, the defence production factories and the Defence Research and Development (DRDO) must be cut to size. Most of these institutions are white elephants and need to be corporatised/ privatised at the earliest. Many may claim them to be national strategic assets. Look at VSNL and  Air-India – they  were claimed to be national strategic assets once and on becoming corporatised/ privatised, their performances are well known. 

If the money saved in cutting defence expenditure is spent on education or healthcare, it is beneficial to the country; else, … it is a pointless exercise.

To maintain the Armed Forces young, part time soldiering is one solution. Implementing a four-year or two-year term may be workable in countries with mandatory conscription. Many countries with voluntary military service, voluntary retirement is allowed at eight/ ten years of service with about 50% pension.  For Officers, only those with command potential are allowed to continue after ten years of service. Thus, the steep pyramidal rank structure gets better with less  crowding at the top.

The Agnipath scheme is already under implementation. In four to five years time approximately 25000 to 30000 Agniveers will be released from the services every year. Useful utilisation of such a large number of trained soldiers will indeed be a gigantic problem. The government does indeed have some rehabilitation and resettlement plans for the discharged Agniveers. At least some of these personnel will be absorbed into the police, paramilitary services and other governemnt services. Going by the past record, it does not seem likely that the problem will be addressed in any meaningful manner.

Decades of reality belied all such current day platitudes.   A Veteran Indian soldier of the day finds it difficult to get employment in private/ public enterprises.  Most governmental institutions do give some preference to the Veteran soldier, but the opportunities available are limited compared to the number of retiring soldiers.  Many Veteran soldiers remain either unemployed or are under-employed with very minimal salary and benefits. But these present day veterans do have a pension and the problem of penury is not very acute.   How can you expect a soldier who returns after four-year military service to find a job? The numbers are going to be large and large scale unemployment of trained military personnel could lead to serious problems for the society at large.

Critics point out that unemployed Agniveers could become potential recruits for criminal gangs. Such trained manpower could also be exploited by insurgents and terrorists generally lead to criminalisation of civil society and contribute to increased lawlessness. Large numbers may also become mercenaries abroad to fight someone else’s war on foreign soil. This is seen as an accelerating trend.

The way out

To attract the best talent and to ensure that they put in their best and serve the nation with dedication, it is suggested that giving 5 percent additional marks to the Agniveers who complete four-year tenure with unblemished record for all entrance examinations held by the Central and State Government agencies for professional courses – medical, dental, engineering, management, law, AIIMS, IIT, IIM, etc and also for examinations of  the central and state public service commissions. Further this could be backed up by concessional scholarship schemes at the state and central level.

A study of US Military Veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, who joined various universities and colleges across America says that over 3 million veterans of the post-9/11 generation have entered higher education after service.  Most of them are between the ages of 25 to 34 and come from a host of different backgrounds and cultures. Majority served in the enlisted ranks of the military (82%) with about Army (47%), Navy (18%), Air Force (21%), Marine Corps (12%), Coast Guard 2%. Many of them are members of the National Guard or the Reserves (45%).

For successful utilisation of the Agniveers,  education is the key to their future.  If such large numbers of  US veterans pursue education as a means to future gainful employment, there seems no logical reason to believe that it is not practical in India.  Like the National Guard of the Reserves in the US, India too can raise its voluntary force with the Agniveers.

Like the US Veterans, the Agniveers are high-school graduates.  Research has shown that, on the average, US Veteran students maintain higher GPAs than traditional civilian students and are more likely to persist and graduate at higher rates as compared to their civilian counterparts.  Veteran students account for 3–4% of college students in the US.

Agniveers will bring valuable perspectives to the student community.  They possess maturity, discipline, work ethic, and leadership skills learned in the Defence Forces. They are also focused on achievement and success and are mission oriented. They are more likely to demonstrate appreciation, affiliation, and loyalty towards their institution. They will continue to  push themselves to achieve even higher levels of education over the course of their lifetime. They will bring along advanced technical skills along with proficiency in multiple languages. They will possess characteristics such as adaptability, self-discipline, leadership, management skills, work ethic, teamwork, professionalism, resilience, and mental fortitude – A sure recipe for a successful student in any field.

Most books/ articles by military spouses are never focused on the impact of the military partner’s deployment on their spouse’s psychological health. Nation First dwells into mental and physical well-being, depression and issues arising out of family relationships, especially daughter-in-law Vs mother-in-law. My salute to Shikha for being candid and straight faced – which many military spouses will bury in deep sand.

Shikha has narrated her experiences with a poker face.  She has brought out the shock of the first combat deployment of her spouse, that too soon after the wedding. She has explained well as to how she coped with separation though the mother-in-law finds fault with her and blames her for all the ordeals her son had to undergo.

Kudos to Shikha for taking it on and forgiving her mother-in-law for all her taunts.  That takes a lot of courage, magnanimity, and commitment to her spouse.

The life of a military spouse, the duties she is expected to carryout and her role in a Regimental life is all truthfully narrated.  A military spouse spends nearly the entire time at the current duty station speculating about where you will go next.

The book rolls out the metamorphosis of a young girl with no military exposure into a military spouse.  To be a military spouse, it is all about imbibing the Regimental spirit, learning acronyms and abbreviations, hearing about the escapades of her spouse while at the National Defence Academy and as a Lieutenant in the Regiment – it is endless. 

The author brings out the difficulties a military spouse faces to remain unemployed after being an entrepreneur prior to wedding.  Shikha has listed out the tasks a military spouse can execute, especially during intense combat like the Kargil War.

For Shikha, homecoming was like being on a blind date. First comes the honeymoon phase, and then it just gets awkward, especially when the soldier receives his posting order to nowhere.  She explains the loneliness she felt and the turmoil in her mind as to what in the world she was doing with her life.

True to the indomitable spirit of a military spouse, she too went through the highest of highs and lowest of lows emotionally. She deftly handled tough situations and rose exponentially.

Whatever a military spouse narrates, it is difficult to understand her mind, the turmoil she underwent and the support she gave to her husband.  Resilience, strength, and courage are the core of a military spouse. 

The book covers in detail the planning and conduct of tactical battles with a micro perspective. The accounts of the operations for the capture of Tololing and Three Pimples and many other such battles, told the story of human endeavour, perseverance, grit and determination. Shikha has described in detail the anatomy of a herculean challenge, the nuances of fighting in extreme rugged high-altitude terrain, inclement weather and an entrenched enemy. 

Shikha has codified the emotions of her husband who was stepping into an arduous task knowing very well that there may be no return. It tells the story of fortitude, of agony and ecstasy, of raw courage and exemplary leadership, particularly as a Forward Observation Officer with attacking Infantry Battalions.

The only aspect the book does not dwell into is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)Akhilesh suffered many injuries – both physical and psychological – but there is no mention about PTSD in the book.  May that the Indian Army is yet to recognise the existence of PTSD amongst the soldiers.

The military marriage always grows apart, back together over and over and it will turn the two into a strong couple.

The Book is available on Kindle and Amazon @Nation First eBook : Saxena, Shikha Akhilesh: Amazon.in: Kindle Store

My first close encounter with the 81mm Mortar happened in 1993 when I had to organise Inter-Battalion Mortar Competition as the Brigade Major of the Artillery Brigade. I wanted to have a first-hand feel of it and requested the Mortar Platoon of one of the battalions for a demonstration of their drills.

81mm mortar is a joint design by the UK and Canada and was introduced into service in 1965–66, replacing the 3-inch Mortar. To match and then overwhelm German firepower during World War I, British engineer Sir Wilfred Stokes invented the Stokes 3-inch Mortar System.

81mm Mortar can be man-packed by the mortar detachment, in which case the ammunition is to be carried by other soldiers of the battalion. In addition to their normal equipment, each soldier carries four bombs. These mortars are the Infantry Battalion’s organic firepower, better known as the Commanding Officer’s Artillery and can be used to deliver a heavy volume of fire down on an objective in an extremely short period.

As the mortar was being brought into action, the detachment was heard shouting “Mathy, Mathy, Mathy.” I interpreted it to be ‘Maththi’ (മത്തി) – Sardine in Malayalam. The shouting subsided and the chaos settled with the mortar set in action.

I wanted to know why the clamour was all about and what they were shouting. A Mallu officer came out – he must have realised my confusion – and said “Sir, it is Madhya (मध्य)” -meaning centre. It appeared that the detachment shouted “Madhya, Madhya, Madhya” as they brought the bubbles of the spirit levels on the two axes on the dial-sight in the centre to level the mortar on a horizontal plane.

Now I had a closer look at the dial-sight to find neither bubble was centered. I asked as to what the shouting was all around. (Gunners do not shout while levelling the bubbles.)

“That’s the drill sir,” replied the officer. (A standard reply to most questions in the Army!!)

As we progressed through the competition, I realised that all Platoon Commanders assembled their platoons to indicate the AP (Aiming Point.) He said “Door se door, sahi pehachan, achcha laying edge – Abhi keliye 100-meter pe jhanda.” (दूर से दूर, सही पहचान, अच्छा laying edge – अभी केलिए 100-meter पे झंडा.)

An Aiming Point provides a point of angular reference to aim a gun in the required horizontal direction. An aiming point must be as far as possible, sharply defined and easily distinguished feature, such as the edge of a building. The Platoon Commander was correct in the definition which all Platoon commanders rattled out, but everyone used the Flag @ 100 meter.

Was the flag designated as Aiming Point at 100 meter?? No way!  Even if I stretched my imagination beyond its elastic limits – it could at most be 100 feet.  May be, an Infantry soldier can stretch a foot to a meter!!  

I knew that selection and use of an Aiming Point on ground presents problems in featureless areas, in bad visibility or at night as putting lights on distant aiming points is seldom practical. Therefore, modern guns employ a ‘Collimator’ to simulate an Aiming Point at artificial infinity on the principle of parallel lines meet at infinity. Many Gunners – including officers – call it colli-METER.

The Flag @100 meter baffled me, and my gunnery brain cells worked on hypersonic speed to resolve the riddle. Unsuccessful, I gave it up and summoned the very same Platoon Commander who first demonstrated the functioning of a Mortar Platoon. He claimed that he was an instructor at Infantry School. He failed to convince me as all his explanations were illogical and unscientific.

“Where do you conduct your Mortar Platoon training at Infantry School? Is the area surrounded by buildings?” I asked. “Yes,” said the Platoon Commander

Now I realised that the Flag @ 100 meter (feet) was creating the artificial infinity at Infantry School, and it was being carried to all the battalions by the Platoon commanders trained at Infantry School.

Infantry will make parallel lines to meet even @ 100 feet.

On return to our regiment – 75 Medium Regiment – after completion of the ‘Computer Course’ in August 1991, our then Commanding Officer (CO) Colonel Rajan Anand appointed me as the Battery Commander (BC) of 751 Medium Battery.  75 Medium Regiment then had three batteries with fixed class composition.  751 Medium Battery consisted of Brahmins from North India, 752 Medium Battery had Jats and our 753 Medium Battery had South Indians. 

That was the first time I became the BC of the Brahmin Battery and always commanded the same Battery during the rest of my service with the unit.  Our Regiment was then located at Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir).  The Regiment was tasked to display the newly acquired 155mm Bofors Gun for the Gunners’ Day on Saturday, 28 September 1991 for everyone in the station and school children.  Our CO gave the task of the equipment display to me.  The previous day, I briefed everyone about the task at hand and the next morning at 8AM, we marched off to the stadium where the display was being conducted.  The event was organised under the aegis of 8 Artillery Brigade, who were then staging at Udhampur on their induction into the Kashmir Valley.  Our Regiment was under 39 Artillery Brigade.  On reaching the stadium, I was shown the area where the Bofors gun and allied equipment was to be displayed by the Deputy Commander of 8 Artillery Brigade.  The Deputy Commander was a Colonel with over 25 years of service, while I had eight years behind me.

I took Havildar (Sergeant) Major Lekh Ram and the Gun Detachment Commander – Havildar Chaman Prakash – and briefed them about the placement of the Gun and other equipment and various boards and charts defining the characteristics of the equipment.  By 8:30AM, I moved to the tent where the Deputy Commander was sitting, pulled a chair and sat next to him.  From his body language, it was evident that he did not approve of my action a wee bit.  All the officers of other Regiments, mostly from 8 Artillery Brigade, were busy supervising the equipment display and were all near their detachments.

The Deputy Commander now asked me as to why I was not next to the detachment supervising their actions.  I told him that I had briefed everyone well about the impending task and the Havildar Major would do his job and report to me on completion of the task and my job would commence then.  I had faith in my soldiers and NCOs and I was sure that they would do an excellent job.  I also said that everyone is going to see the Bofors Gun, being in the news for wrong reasons then, and not many would be interested in the field guns and mortars displayed by 8 Artillery Brigade.  

Adjacent to our Bofors Gun was the detachment of the 105mm Light Field Gun, from a field regiment of 8 Artillery Brigade.  By 9 AM, when the field gun detachment got ready, the Subedar Major (Master Warrant Officer) of that regiment held a practice of bringing the gun into action.  This entailed the detachment of five soldiers heaving the gun on to a circular metallic platform.  Due to heavy downpour for the previous four days, the ground was soggy and the detachment had to heave hard to pull the gun on to the platform.  While pulling the gun on to the platform, the detachment would shout in chorus “All together heave!” 

At this time Havildar Major Lekh Ram reported to me that everything is ready.  After seeing the entire arrangement, I summoned everyone and said a few words of appreciation for executing the assigned task well.  I ordered everyone to have a tea break, change into their ceremonial uniform and to be ready by 9:45 AM as the demonstrations were to commence at 10 AM. 

After ten minutes, it was the turn of the Adjutant (Captain) of the field regiment and he too ordered the detachment into action.  The detachment pulled the gun on to the platform “All together heave!”   Now came the Battery Commander (Major) and the same drill was repeated.  With each practice, the ground beneath the platform sank in more, making it overly difficult for the detachment.

I now told the Deputy Commander sitting beside me that with so many practices, the detachment will be tired and any more practice will surely sink the ground furthermore.  He gave me a frown.  Next was the turn of the CO (Colonel) of that regiment and the soldiers became even more tired. 

At 9:45 AM, the Brigade Commander of 8 Artillery Brigade arrived and his first question (as expected) was as to where our CO was.  I said that he was busy with other important commitments and hence had deputed me for the task.  The Brigade Commander wanted me to convey his displeasure to our CO for his absence, which I dutifully agreed.

The Brigade Commander now moved on to the field gun and ordered the detachment into action.  It was again “All together heave!”  It left the detachment in a state of exhaustion, with their ceremonial uniforms all crumbled. 

At the appointed time, the Army Commander of Northern Command arrived and he headed straight to the Bofors Gun.  We gave an excellent demonstration of the capabilities of the gun and briefed about the computers for ballistic calculations, Scania gun towing vehicle and other equipment.  The Army Commander complimented all our soldiers for their smart turnout, actions and briefing and moved on to the field gun.

“All together heave!” the detachment commander shouted at the top of his voice, the overly tired soldiers pulled with all their might, but the gun refused to climb on the platform as the ground beneath it had sunk in. 

Once the Army Commander left, all visitors made a beeline to the Bofors gun as expected and hardly anyone cared for the field guns and mortars. 

“All together heave!” and similar cries during Gun Drill has a colonial linkage.  It may soon be changed to Hindi cries.

Col Manu Satti bid farewell to this world to be with his creator on January 25, 2023 at his home in Kakinada due to cardiac arrest. It came as a shock to me as I have been interacting with him through my blogs on various subjects.

He was a gentleman to the core who cherished great values, but was physically one among the toughest soldiers I came across.

Colonel Manu Satti graduated from Army Cadet College (ACC) and was a course senior to us at the Indian Military Academy. He was ever smiling and quiet. He was competing in the final bout of the inter-company boxing championship.  His opponent was Gentleman Cadet (GC) Hamilton from Botswana.  GC Hamilton was better built than GC Satti.

There was a psychological game being played against GC Satti – both by the GCs from the Hamilton’s company and by fellow GCs from Botswana – by claiming that GC Satti will not last the first round.  Many made fun of him, teased him and he replied with his charming smile. GC Satti remained cool as a cucumber but was obviously boiling inside which everyone realised after what happened on the boxing ring.

Within five seconds of the gong sounding the commencement of the first round, GC Hamilton was on the mat, writhing in pain.  Luckily the medical specialist at the Military Hospital Dehradun realised the seriousness of the injury suffered by GC Hamilton. He was immediately evacuated by helicopter to Command Hospital, Lucknow, and GC Hamilton’s life was saved.  GC Satti’s punch was so powerful that GC Hamilton had a rupture of his small intestine and suffered heavy internal bleeding.

Colonel Satti was commissioned to 36 (Maratha) Medium Regiment in June 1982 when the Regiment was located at Meerut.   We shared a good bonhomie as we were Second Lieutenants in the same Artillery Brigade. We competed fiercely on the games field and during various technical competitions, but our friendship was everlasting.

Generally, our Regiment, 75 Medium Regiment (Basantar River) used to comfortably win basketball and other games against 36 (M) Medium Regiment.  But for a change, in 1985, 36 (M) Medium convincingly defeated 75 Medium. Colonel Satti was the Team Captain and the Marathas slogged for almost three months, practising morning and evening, ultimately to win the inter-regiment championship.

Colonel Mahavir Singh, our Commanding Officer played with our team.  He had developed an immense liking for Colonel Satti – could be that he saw us, the Subalterns of our Regiment enjoying the company of Colonel Satti and that he was leading and coaching most sports teams of 36 (M) Medium Regiment.

In the year 1986, Colonel Satti’s father’s leg was amputated and required an artificial limp at Artificial Limb Centre (ALC) Pune. At that time, a vacancy for an officer to attend Field Engineering (FE) Course at College of Military Engineering (CME) Pune, was allotted to our Regiment.  During a Commanding Officers’ conference, Colonel Mahavir came to know about his case and our Brigade Commander wanted a change of the course allotment from 75 Medium to 36 Medium.

Colonel Mahavir readily agreed once he came to know that it was Colonel Satti’s father. Such type of Commanding Officers is rare to be found. I was the nominated officer for the course and I was very happy that I could help Colonel Satti at a crucial time.

Now, Colonel Satti must be smiling at us from the heavens.  Rest In Peace Buddy.  We will cherish the memories and live on.

By Veteran Colonel Josey Joseph (Army Service Corps)

One Monday morning of 1995, all hell broke loose at the Northern Command HQ during the Army Commander’s morning prayer.  Many Major Generals thundered that a Major had hijacked the Transit Camp Bus, leaving behind their PAs and Clerks.  “How can the officer leave the soldiers behind.  The officer got to be fixed. It should be a lesson for all,” opined various two starred Generals.

What lead to all these upheavals?

The young officers of Udhampur station were always critical of the Officers’ Transit Camp Bus plying between Udhampur and Jammu. Their grudge was that the senior officers, Colonels and above, travelled to Jammu on leave in Jeep, leaving the lesser mortals to travel by the Army Bus starting from the Officers’ Transit camp.

This bus was preferred by the sizeable number of clerical staff and sahayaks (helpers) of Command HQ.  Every Saturday, they travelled by this bus to Jammu, spent the weekend with their families and returned Monday morning.

On Saturdays, by the time the officers reached the transit camp, all seats were occupied by these VIPs and it was a herculean task to remove them.  The VIPs were stuck to their seats with bond stronger than that of Fevicol.  If an officer requested for a seat, these VIPs turned their head in the opposite direction. Fevicol was not allowing them to get up and their ego of being the personal staff of Generals did not permit them to move.  The bus driver and conductor remained helpless and the transit camp NCO responsible for allotment of seats tactically vanished from the scene.  No one wanted to annoy the VIPs, typically following the famous Malayalam saying, You must be equally scared of the elephant shit as much as the real elephant.

On social occasions, after a few drinks, young officers of Udhampur did vent their ire on Army Service Corps (ASC) Officers and after few more drinks cursed the ASC as the bus was from one of the ASC battalions in Udhampur. It made no difference to them if the officer was from the Animal Transport Battalion.  They said “Yes, AT and MT are same. Both are transport only.” Now, who would argue that Animal Transport had mules and that the technology was ages behind Motor Transport?  

On that fateful Saturday, this Major reached the transit camp to travel to Jammu to see off his four-year-old daughter who had joined him for a week during Dussehra holidays.  His wife, staying in SF accommodation in Delhi, had boarded her at the Delhi airport as an unaccompanied minor.

As the Major got into the bus, he found all seats occupied by the VIPs.  His request to provide him a seat fell on deaf ears and the bus driver pleaded helplessness. Officers senior to him, seated in the bus did not take any action.  The Major took a command decision and ordered all the JCOs/OR to get down. Reluctantly and expecting this to be some sort of prank, one by one, they came down from the bus.  Finally, with the last VIP disembarked, the Major ordered the driver to start the bus and leave for Jammu. So, the officer, his daughter and another five officers left for Jammu in a bus with a seating capacity of 42 passengers.

The VIPs had been wronged! They vowed to fight together and avenge insult to their status!

“Mera 25 saal naukri mein aisa kabhi nahin hua,” (In my 25 years of service, it never happened like this,) declared the PA of Brig A. The rest nodded in agreement. “Iska kuch karna hoga,” (We got to do something about it,) and the rest again agreed.   They then boarded a Shakthiman truck from the JCOs/OR transit camp, fuming at the insult to their status.

Bad news spreads fast but gossip spreads faster. My Company Second-in-Command (2IC,) receiver, and broadcaster of all gossip in Udhampur, came to me with the news that a Major had hijacked the Officer’s Bus and was moving to Jammu with the bus.

I laughed. The 2IC lost his senses. He stared at me as if I was also a hijacker. In between laughter, I assured him that the Major will come out of it.  He still could not understand. He said, “Do you know, PA of Brig A had to travel in a Shakthiman truck?” I was soon identified as course-mate of the hijacker.

On that Monday, I was summoned by the DDST to enquire about the Major. With a straight face, I answered all his queries and found him to be appreciative of the Major.  The Generals and Brigadiers wanted to order a Court of Inquiry and fix the officer.  The Major requested for the same under Army Rule 180, wherein the person against whom allegations have been made has to be present and ask questions to the witnesses.

Since there were many loose ends and it was revealed that many of the Command HQ staff did not have official leave approval; the case was left to die a natural death. 

The happiest were the ASC officers as we did not have to listen to complaints on social occasions. The ASC Branch was happy that someone had the guts to take such an action.  Orders were passed that the Officers’ Transit Camp Bus was meant only for Officers and all the VIP JCOs and NCOs were barred from travelling in it, giving some relief and respect to young officers. 

Two weeks later, the hijacker proceeded on Technical Staff Course at AIT, Pune and the case was finally closed. 

You must be itching to know who the officer was?

None other than Reji Koduvath nick named ‘Kaduva’ (Meaning Tiger in Malayalam,) a veteran of several such battles. As a Lieutenant, while serving in Delhi, he had thrashed a Superintendent of Police and sorted out many senior Police officials.

by Veteran Colonel RB Gowardhan

I was commissioned into 75 Medium Regiment (Basantar River,) a great unit which participated in 1971 war with elan and earned laurels. The Regiment had a unique combination of soldiers, Brahmin, Jat and South Indian Class. Being a Medium Regiment, the unit had all tall and well-built gunners. The unit won most of the sports trophies and excelled in all training competitions. The unit had moved from J & K to Gurgaon. Due to its proximity to New Delhi, unit was posted with full complement of officers. During those days it was an honour and privilege to be the Adjutant of the Regiment.

Adjutant of the Artillery unit is responsible for administration and assist the Commanding Officer in administration, training and discipline. In the battle and training, the Adjutant’s duty is to control and coordinate fire of 18 guns of the Regiment.

I was lucky to have all three officer GPOs (Gun Position Officers) responsible to control fire of each battery and ready to assist me in all regimental duties. The first one was Captain Paramjit Singh Ralhan, a handsome sardar who graduated from IMA as Direct Entry. He had decent manners and a smiling face. Second was Lieutenant Koduvath Reji, Sainik School and NDA brat, who was enthusiastic and bubbling with energy, sometimes exceeded limit of his enthusiasm. The third one was Lieutenant Gulshan Rai Kausik, matured service entry officer with boxer built and red eyes. His looks were sufficient to make any soldier to behave. All three were josh machines and when ordered can produce anything.

Ralhan was of a great help to control discipline of Brahmin battery and to organize any event in the unit or officer’s mess. Ralhan with his diligence and demure resolved any kind of situation or indiscipline with his cool mind and report “Sir, no problem, matter is resolved.” I remember one incident, where the problem was created by a rogue soldier. Ralhan handled the situation exceedingly well and disciplinary action was taken against the defaulter.   

Reji used to follow the dictum that as youngster commit any mistake but keep 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 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 Prime Minister. Reji, stopped Inspector General of Delhi Police, who along with family was sneaking through VIP gate. This resulted into arguments with the Police Officer asking, “What are you doing here and who are you to stop me?”  Reji told 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.

Kaushik, with his presence of mind could handle any situation. Once the Regiment was playing final match of Kabaddi with Rocket Regiment, the hosts. They had arranged referees who were biased and obvious that they were helping Rocket Regiment. Our soldiers could not tolerate that injustice and warned referees. But referees again gave a wrong decision in favour of Rocket Regiment and our soldiers could no longer bear this injustice. They entered ground and caught hold of one of the referees. This resulted into commotion and big fight broke out between the soldiers of both Regiments. Adjutant of Rocket Regiment and I intervened to control the situation but we too faced the wrath of fighting soldiers. Lieutenant Kaushik fearlessly entered mob and with his commanding voice ordered Savdhan. To everyone’s surprise, we found all soldiers stood to attention. Then he ordered “Rocket Regiment dahine mood and Medium Regiment baye mood; tej chal.(Rocker Regiment Right Turn and Medium Regiment Left Turn; Quick March.)” Soldiers followed the orders and moved out of the field. The worst was averted.

All three officers were real assets in our Regimental life and during the training too. During firing of those monster 130 mm guns, I had to be careful and watchful as in Artillery they say that, once ordered and fired round/rounds of gun/guns cannot be corrected and result is depicted on the target. As an Adjutant, whenever all guns were ordered to fire together, I had to control my GPOs to ensure all guns fired accurately and in unison. As soon as I used to pass order for firing and report ready. Reji, who was most chatak(quick,) reacted and made his guns ready and report, thereafter, would not stop to point out mistakes of others if any. Ralhan, who was as cool as penguin checked, rechecked and took his time. To keep an atmosphere warm in his command post, I used to pass on heat online of fire control net.  Kaushik, with good sense of hearing and watchful eyes used to take time and get ready. The end result was accurate and coordinated fire.

There is lot to write about them. I can never forget their contribution to maintain josh, discipline, and winning competitions. All three are now well settled – Ralhan in USA, Reji in Canada, and Kaushik in South Delhi. I wish them very best for their endeavours.     

Can you ever imagine that the survey of the Trans-Himalayan Region was done mostly on foot? That a human being walked all the way through the Himalayas, while counting each step he took to calculate the distances between places.

Reading a 36-page document by Dr Kapil Raj, When Human Travellers Become Instruments: The Indo-British Exploration of Central Asia in the Nineteenth Century, I was fascinated by the ability of the human body and mind to find methods to overcome any difficult situation.

British India in the aftermath of the 1857 mutiny went into mapping and stabilising its surrounding territories. The British needed to bring the Trans-Himalayan region into the ambit of British trade, followed by military intervention. The first step was to map the area of the Kashmir Kingdom, some surrounding areas under the Chinese Empire and some areas in Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Captain Thomas George Montgomerie of the Royal Engineers was entrusted with the task of mapping Kashmir. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1849, arrived in India in 1851, and joined the Great Trigonometrical Survey. The Great Trigonometrical Survey was a project which aimed to survey the entire Indian subcontinent which was begun in 1802 by William Lambton. Under his successor, George Everest, the project was made the responsibility of the Survey of India.

After the survey of Kashmir, Montgomerie had to survey and map Tibet, an autonomous region. Tibetans were very suspicious of the Europeans. Thus, he had to enroll the services of locals who could travel as part of trade caravans to Tibet.  Even if he found locals for the task, how could they be trained to use conventional surveying techniques and instruments?

Captain Montgomerie trained the natives, drilled them night and day for weeks, to take a stride of exactly 31.5 inches whatever the terrain or incline. At 63360 inches to a mile, every 2,000 such paces marked a mile.

As his first ‘human instrument’, Montgomerie nominated Mahomed-i-Hameed, aka Moonshee who reached Leh on 4 July 1863 after meticulously mapping his route from Kashmir. On 24 August Hameed, disguised as a merchant and accompanied by two servants and a pony-load of merchandise, joined a caravan heading for Yarkand, a major oasis city on the trade route between China, India, and Central Asia.

The party arrived at Yarkand on 30 September. Hameed had precisely traced the entire route, carefully noting all that he had observed, especially the vegetation and human dwellings. He drew a map of the city and the region and transcribed the history of the region as narrated by locals.

On 27 March 1864 the party commenced their return journey to Leh, but Hameed died en route, after eating poisonous rhubarb, according to his companions. Montgomerie’s assistant, William Johnson, was the first to reach the scene of the tragedy. Hameed’s entourage had meanwhile made off with his most saleable belongings. Fortunately, no one had touched his notes.  Armed with Hameed’s notes, Montgomerie sailed for England on 20 February 1865 after thirteen years in India. Using this leisure, he drew a map of the route between Leh and Yarkand.

This new mission was entrusted to two Kumaoni Bhotiya cousins, schoolteacher Nain Singh, and Mani Singh, the patwari, the village record-keeper. They had already taken part in topographical surveys and were familiar with geodesic and astronomical instruments and could handle any hurdles in crossing the frontier from Kumaon. 

Disguised as Lamas, they carried a prayer wheel and a rosary, perfectly normal adjuncts for the pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa. The prayer wheel concealed a small compass, and other miniature survey instruments. Rudraksh Rosary helped count paces, one bead for every hundred paces. The Buddhist rosary has 108 coral beads; those of the cousins only had a hundred, every tenth bead being much larger than the others. A complete round of the Rosary represented exactly 10,000 paces or five miles.

After months of rigorous drilling in the use of the sextant, compass and other survey instruments and techniques, Nain Singh and Mani Singh left for Tibet in March 1864 and returned to DehraDun on 27 October 1866. They were turned back at the Tibeto-Kumaoni border, so they tried to enter Tibet through Nepal, all the while charting the route they followed. Despite the advantage of their origin, they had to adopt different guises and resort to devious ploys for entering Tibet: passing off as merchants with the survey instruments cleverly hidden in their wares, or even as healers curing people of minor ailments! 

During a two-and-a-half-year expedition, Nain Singh walked 1,200 miles at a steadily maintained pace. He counted 2.5 million paces on his rosary! He not only succeeded in pinpointing the location of Lhasa, but also measuring the distance between several important Tibetan cities, thirty-one stations in all. He also mapped the 700-mile upper-course of the Tsangpo River from its source to Lhasa and reported that Tsangpo and the Brahmaputra were the same river.

Nain Singh also gave a detailed account of Tibet’s general climatic conditions, demographics, its cities and monasteries, army, agricultural production, economy, the state of its roads, transportation, communications, and most importantly, Tibet’s trade with China and Kashmir. . The Royal Geographical Society awarded Nain Singh a gold watch in 1868 and the Victoria gold medal in 1875.

Kishen Singh, alias AK, a cousin of Nain Singh, travelled across the Tibetan plains and the Kunlun Mountains between 1878 and 1882. In Lhasa, AK was delayed for over a year waiting for his caravan to leave. He was robbed twice, and even imprisoned by the Mongolians!  He was freed by a Tibetan merchant who forced him. to ride a horse, which prevented him from counting his strides. Undeterred and innovative, he got round the problem by measuring the length of the horse’s pace and counting each time the right foreleg hit the ground. When he returned to British India in 1882, he had travelled 2,800 miles and counted an incredible 5.5 million paces!

This confidence in natives to record and narrate facts so vital for the survival of the British Empire is especially surprising when one remembers that geography in the nineteenth century consisted not only in taking topographical readings but also in collecting cultural, ethnolographic, political, and commercial information.

Though the survey instruments used then have long become museum pieces, these measurements are accurate and still the basis on which the maps are made in times of GoogleEarth, GPS, and satellite,