India-China-I

   

1963-1966

(India-China border)

(Narration by Ex-Brigadier Y.R Gupta)

    Shoku, let me narrate another story to you; this time even older. It pertains to the years of 1963 to 1966 ( which was more than 57 years ago) & I may not remember everything very clearly. After all, the memories do start fading after some time. But, I would try my best to remember the events as best as I can.

HINDI CHINI BHAI BHAI

    

    In October-November 1962, the P.L.A. ( Peoples Liberation Army) of Peoples’ Republic of China ( P.R.C.), attacked India, across the International Border suddenly, after a long period of bonhomie, friendship & an era of HINDI CHINI BHAI BHAI. They did so almost all along the border but with greater strengths in N.E.F.A. ( North East Frontier Agency), which is now ARINACHAL PRADESH in the East & in Ladakh in the West. The Indian Army was caught with complete surprise since it had neither been warned by the national political leaders nor by the concerned intelligence agencies about such a possibility. In fact, our national political leadership had been completely lulled into slumber by the Chinese that it was never considered  by us, even in our wildest dreams, that China; India’s trusted friend; would do something this to us ever. As a result of this belief, the Indian Army was neither armed nor equipped nor clothed nor trained to fight such a powerful enemy along such long border, running along very high mountains, very rough, rugged & treacherous terrain. The general heights in these area were between 14000 &  15000 feet above the Mean Sea Level, where the climate was freezing cold, the chilly & strong winds made it even harsher & there were hardly any roads in the Forward/ Border areas. The Army had the same .303 Rifles with which it had fought in WORLD WAR II during 1939-45; the quantity of ammunition was not enough to fight a war for more than a week or so; the clothes were not warm enough to withstand such harsh climatic conditions; the heavy weapons( like artillery guns, tanks, Air Defence guns etc) were of very old vintage like the Rifles & were ineffective against the enemy’s modern weapons & other military equipment’s.

    In fact, right from 1947 till 1962, the Armed Forces of India ( Indian Army, Indian Navy & Indian Air Force) had been completely neglected by the then political leaders. Whatever  number of soldiers, sailor, airmen, arms, ammunition, weapons & military equipment came to India’s share, at the time of Partition of India, into India & Pakistan; in 1947, remained more or less the same for the next 15 long years. No resources were added to them to make them stronger. Although China became independent three years after India yet it kept allotting more money from their national budget every year to its Armed Forced & these kept becoming stronger with each passing year. Similarly, even Pakistan, which was carved out of India & had inherited only about one third share of the then combined strengths of the Armed Forces, kept spending major share of their national budget on expanding & strengthening its Armed Forces. Thus, while our neighbours, & potential enemies, were making their Armed Forces stronger in those 15 years, Indian leaders, under a mistaken belief that China is our friend & Pakistan is too weak to be able to do any damage to India; did not take any measures to make its Armed Forces stronger.

    Till 1961 & even in early 1962, Chinese Premier ( Prine Minister, Chou En Lai ) made many visits to India, kept chanting HINDI CHINI BHAI BHAI & made all kinds of overtures to show to India that China was our sincere friend. Our political leaders believed his lies & still did not pay any heed to strengthen her Armed Forces. And then came October 1962.

    On the other hand, let me give you some background to  China’s rise in the 20th Century; particularly during 1945 to 1960. Till 1950, today’s China did not even exist. What is today known as TAIWAN ; & is much smaller in size than the P.R.C.; was the real China, led by Chiang Kai Shek). However, Communist Party of China ( CPC), led by their late dynamic leader, Mao Tse Tung, led  a very violent & bloody revolution against Chen Kai Shek’s Government & succeeded in throwing out the latter to Taiwan Province.

MAO TSE TUNG

    After gaining political power in China, Mao Tse Tung’s guerillas mercilessly killed most of the earstwhile Army personnel, raised their own Army & started ruling the country with Communist ideology. Under the new ideology, known as COMMUNISM, all the national resources belonged to the Government, no individual citizen was allowed to own any property or business or any other material resources. The CCP & it’s Government took over every citizen’s private  property & the protesters were jailed for indefinite periods.

    Even after driving Chiang  Kei Shak out of mainland to a corner & gaining control of the Government in China, the CCP continued its policy of EXPANSIONISM. Soon after that, it cast its evil eyes on land/ countries around it so that they could be coerced into submission & China could become a bigger country. As part of such an ambition, China annexed Tibet, which was till 1947 part of British India & thus was part of Independent India too. Indian Government, instead of opposing this sinister move of China, readily accepted this & willingly gave away Tibet to China. One more blunder Indian Government did was that, after INDO CHINA ( the original China which was being ruled by Chiang Kei Shek & had been driven away to Taiwan around the same time) ceased to remain as permanent member of UNO( United Nations Organisation), it’s seat at UNI was offered to India but our Government said no to that offer & , instead, recommended China’s name for the same. That is how China became a permanent member of UNO, with  VETO POWER, & is troubling India even today.

    The current Border problem between China & India in Ladakh is the continuation of China’s same expansionist policy. 

    Soon after Independence on 15 August 1947, Pakistani Army, in the garb of local Kashmiri tribals, sent raiders into India, across the CEASE FIRE LINE ( which is known as LINE OF CONTROL since 1971) to dislodge the Government of JAMMU & KASHMIR, which was then headed by The MAHARAJA OF JAMMU & KASHMIR- HARI SINGH JI ( father of Dr. Karan Singh), wrest it from India & annex it with Pakistan. These so called TRIBALS, who were actually Pakistani Army personnel in local tribals clothes but carrying Army weapons, killed all those Kashmiri people who resisted their advance into Kashmir Valley & had actually advanced right upto about 9 kms short of Srinagar ( the capital city of Jammu & Kashmir)by October 1948. Since, the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir was the MAHARAJA or the King of Jammu & Kashmir, which was an independent State at the time of Partition, had not joined India ( incidentally,at the time of Partition of India & Pakistan in August 1947, the Britishers had left behind 300 odd Indian Princely States as independent entities, to deliberately destabilise Indian nation even before it could consolidate its hold over the new nation. These Princely States had been given an option to either join India or Pakistan.Till they did so, they remained INDEPENDENT). 

    Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was then the Home Minister of India. Between August 1947 & October 1948, he had been able to make all these Princely States( except the States of HYDERABAD, JUNAGARH & JAMMU & KASHMIR) join the Indian Union. Since JAMMU & KASHMIR was still an INDEPENDENT State till 27 October( the day by which the Pakistani Army- in the garb of local Tribals- had reached the outskirts of Srinagar). Seeing all this trouble, The Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, requested the Indian Home Minister to send the Indian Army troops to Srinagar to drive away these raiders. Indian Government told him that till he signs an agreement to join India, Indian Army cannot enter his State. The Maharaja then signed the INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION with India on 27 October 1948 & the Indian Army’s first Infantry Unit - 1 SIKH PALTAN- was flown by Indian Air Force aeroplanes from Delhi to Srinagar on the same day & it began its drive against the raiders also soon after landing at Srinagar Airfield. Sometime later, even the States of Hyderabad & Junagarh, merged with India.

    Since the area of PAKISTANI OCCUPIED KASHMIR( POK), including the areas of GILGIT, SKARDU & BALTISTAN, were also part of the STATE OF JAMMU & KASHMIR, on 27 October 1948, these also legally became part of India. When the Indian Army was chasing the Pakistani Army’s so called Tribals even beyond the Cease Fire Line ( CFL) , in order to free the entire POK of the Pakistani Army, it was ordered by the Government of India, NOT to go beyond the CFL. We thus lost a golden opportunity to liberate the POK. 

    It was during that  period of troubled times, the Home  Minister, Shri Vallabh Bhai Patel ji, is reported to have, after consultations with the then COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of the Indian Armed Forces; suggested to the then Prine Munister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, that it was about time that the Indian Army be made stronger so that it can successfully face the Pakistani Army & defeat it. It is widely accepted by political experts that the Prime Minister then told the Home Minister that India does not need the Army at all since we are friendly with almost all the neighbours & that the nation can easily solve its border problems with its POLICE alone. Since then the neglect of Indian Armed Forces continued year after year, till we China beat us in 1962.

    To cite another example of how the then political leaders treated its Defence Services/ Armed Forces; till the end of 1962, Headquarters Eastern Command( which is now at Kolkatta) of the Indian Army was located at Lucknow from where the Eastern States were very far off  & the General Officer Commanding- in-Chief ( normally referred to as the Army Commander) & his staff officers rarely visited the troops deployed East of Bihar State. Though this was corrected in early 1963 by shifting that Headquarter to Calcutta ( now Kolkatta), but no attention was paid to improve our communication infrastructure ( construction of roads, railways, airports, seaports, waterways etc) till 2014 or so. There was so much fear of a possibility of another sudden attack by China that these areas were deliberately not developed. The reason given to the nation as well as to the Armed Forced was that if we construct roads, railways & airports close to the Border then China will capture them & will use them to reach into our interior areas & will capture them too. It was only after the present Government of NDA was formed in 2014 that more & more stress is being laid by the Central Government to constrict such facilities in the forward areas so that our own Armed Forces can go forward & face the Chinese on the border itself & not allow them to come inside our territory at all.

WAR WITH CHINA

    During war with China, India declared a STATE OF  NATIONAL ENERGENCY in the whole country & gave itself special powers to take quick decisions, on any subject concerning the safety & security of India; without going to the Parliament for approval. Among many quick decisions, one decision that the Gvernment of India took was to quickly & urgently increase the strengths of the Army, the Navy & the Air Force, so that we would be able to face the Chinese in a better manner in the future. As part of this decision, it was decided to increase the strength of the Indian Army from the existing 5-6 Lakhs to about 13-14 Lakhs. This meant that its strength was to be more than doubled as soon as possible. You must understand that it is easier said than done. There is no domestic or international market or any agency from where the ready-made soldiers, officers, tanks, guns, military vehicles, equipment & other wherewithals can be bought & these can be used to fight the enemy from the next day onwards. To increase the numbers of fighting men, to train them in warfare, to equip them with better weapons than the enemy, to prepare them physically as well as mentally to face the enemy’s bullets & be prepared to die for the Motherland, to buy  small, medium & bigger weapons for them; to acquire supporting  elements like tanks, artillery guns, Engineers for building roads while the battles are being fought; to provide the logistical wherewithals like providing food, water, clothings, arms/ ammunition/ vehicles etc & to have the necessary administrative machinery to administer such large forces under conditions of war; is an extremely complicated, time consuming & costly affair. It took the Army almost 10-15 years to do so.

    It was under these circumstances that, in order to quickly increase the strengths of soldiers &  officers, their recruiting & training patters had to be reduced to an extent & even their physical/ intelligence levels also had to be changed, in order to get the required numbers from the civil society. As part of these changes, a new type of commission- EMERGENCY COMMISSION- was introduced to recruit officers. The duration of all the training courses for officers as well as for soldiers was reduced; all the regular training courses which were going on were reduced to end in the next six months or so & the duration of the Emergency Commisdioned officers too was made as six months, instead of 1 to 2 years. 

    At that time, in January/ February 1963,I was preparing to appear for the Final Examination for graduation ( Bachelor of Arts, with English, Political Science, Indian History & Military Training as my subjects). One day, I read a Government advertisement in the local newspaper, The Tribune, about some vacancies for Army Officers under the EMERGENCY COMMISION’s terms & conditions. The main conditions/requirements were (a) the candidates should have passed at least  INTERMEDIATE Examination ( there was no system of 10+2 at that time. After matriculation- i.e. Class 10-one had to study in college for four years to do Graduation, & then search for a job

    I had done fairly well in my Matriculation ( 10th Class) as well as my F.A.( equivalent to today’s 10+2) Examinations & was hopeful of doing equally well in my B.A. Examination too, which was scheduled to take place in April/May 1963. Thus, I did not have any problem in clearing my written test for entry into the Army as an Emergency Commissioned officer. This was followed by an interview at Patiala in Punjab ( till October 1966,the present States of Punjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh were part of Punjab State), which too I passed & a few days later, I received a letter from Army Headquarters, asking me if I would like to join the next training course which was to commence in April that year itself, i.e. in the next month itself, at OFFICERS’ TRAINING SCHOOL,MADRAS (now known as OFFICERS’ TRAINING ACADEMY, CHENNAI) & if willing then I should confirm the same to them without any delay.

TELEGRAM

 

   In those days, there were no mobile phones, no Internet, no other means of communication like Twitter, Instagram etc; not even the land line telephones. The only means of intimating my willingness to Army Headquarters were either through a TELEGRAM ( which was the fastest possible) & would have reached then in 2-3 days;  or through normal letter, which would have taken almost a week to reach them. Also, I had to decide whether to join the Army or to continue with my studies. 

    In those days, the choice of jobs was, unlike today; very very limited. One either joined the Army ( which was considered as the best possible job in Punjab) or became a Doctor or an Engineer or a Lawyer or a Teacher. Army service was considered as the best because in Punjab there was, in those days as is even today, at least one member from almost every family in the Army & the old soldiers who had fought in WORLD WARS I & II, used to tell very interesting stories of some very brave soldiers & officers who had done India proud in those wars by winning the highest possible Bravery awards. All this meant that if I joined the Army, I would achieve THE ULTIMATE in my life. And here was an opportunity for me to do so. However, on the other hand, I would have to give up my advancement in education & even forego the chance of appearing in my final examination for B.A. It was a difficult decision to make & I did not know any knowledgeable person from whom I could seek any advice. Had I told my parents that I was inclined to join the Army, they would perhaps not have allowed me to do so. All my friends advised me not to miss this golden opportunity to join the Army. As far as my graduation as concerned, their advice was that the same could  be done even later; or even if it could not be pursued, there would be no harm since I would have secured a good job for myself.

    Since I had said yes to joining the Army, I was called to SERVICES SELECTION BOARD (SSB) Meerut- U.P.- for a one week long selection test-cum- interview. I reported there as per their instructions & spent one full week there. They had provided free transport from the Railway Station upto the SSB, & free boarding & lodging for our batch of 15-20 candidates. There were physical tests( like completing an obstacle course, running, jumping, racing etc), psychological tests ( like showing clips/ scenes from some events, on the screen, & asking the candidates as to what lesson/s they drew from those clips), written tests of General Knowledge & English language, testing of the capabilities for planning & executions of small small projects; & Final Interview by the President of the SSB & all its members for about 20-30 minutes. Overall, it was very tough test & it looked even tougher since getting a good job as an officer in the Army depended on its outcome. Ultimately, on the last day, the result was announced in the presence of all the candidates. Names of only the successful candidates were announced; who were told to get ready to go to the nearest Military Hospital, on the next day, for their thorough medical fitness tests. Others were told to pack their baggage, have their tea & get into the waiting transport to go back to the Railway Station. My name was among the successful candidates.

MEERUT CITY

    That was the first day when all the successful candidates( 2-3 of us- I do not remember the exact numbers now) went to Meerut city to celebrate the first major step of our success ( to see a movie & eat out). Next day, we were taken by transport to Military Hospital Meerut, which was about a km away. There, we were made to undergo all possible medical tests under the watch of respective specialists( cardio, eye, physician & others) & those who had any problems were told to get themselves retested at any Military Hospital after a week or so. Others were declared MEDICALLY FIT & all of us were told to report back to the SSB for further instructions. On reaching back there, we were told to have our lunch & get ready to go to the Railway Station & to our respective homes. We were also informed that although we had successfully passed all the tests, including the medical fitness, but our final selection would depend on the place we secure in the OVERALL MERIT LIST which would be prepared by Army Headquarters after receiving reports from all the SSBs ( there were 7-8 SSBs then, if my memory serves me right) & that we would get letters from there to join the OTS Madras for training, if successful, & would not get any letter if one did not make it in the merit list. Next day, I reached home & told my family & friends about it.

    By now it was mid-March 1963 & there were only about three weeks left for the training to start at OTS Madras. After hearing the tale of my visit to SSB, everyone in my family felt happy, except my mother; who was not at all keen that I should join the Army. My uncle ( my father’s elder brother - my TAO JI- who was the head of our family of 38-40 members) & most of our family members were, on the other hand, keen that I should not miss this opportunity. My father said yes very reluctantly. It was now my major worry & task to somehow get my mother to agree to it too. However, despite my best efforts, she just refused to  do so & insisted that I shoul not go to Army. Next week I received the CALL LETTER from Army Headquarters to intimate to me that I had been finally selected to undergo six months’ military training at OTS Madras & the same was to begin in the next 10 days or so. On hearing this good news not only my family members but, in fact, the whole village was extremely happy & started congratulating me for being only the second person from my village to achieve this feat of becoming an Army Officer. However, my mother continued to be unhappy & sulking. In the next one week, I went to Delhi to visit my cousins ( my TAO JI’s five sons who were working there) & to buy various items of clothes which I was asked by Army Headquartets to carry with me to OTS Madras.

    In the meantime, while I was kitting myself, I also got my rail reservation done from New Delhi to Madras City ( today’s State of Tamil Nadu was then known as MADRAS STATE). I then kept all my baggage at Delhi & came to my village to bid farewell to my family, friends & the village. My mother was still unhappy with my decision but I had made up my mind to join the Army. Thus on the scheduled day, I departed from my village, came to Delhi, spent a night there & left for Madras on the next day. It took me 72 hours to reach Madras. At the Railway Station, there was  military truck to take me; & a few others who too had reached there on that day to join the same Training Course as me; to the OTS which was located in the area of Saint Thomas Mount , near Tambaram; about 8-10 kms away from the city of Madras.

    As soon as the truck stopped inside the campus of the OTS, a few Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) who were attending the previous course & had already been there for three months; pounced on us. We, the new GCs, were ordered to pick up our black metal boxes ( we were told in our Joining Instructions to bring only the metal boxes of a certain size & black in colour; & no attaché cases were permitted) & bags etc on our heads & run to a particular barrack, dump our belongings there & report back to them at the same spot in the next five minutes. That was the start of our training there. When we got back there, we were ordered to start FRONT ROLLING on the dusty road with our well ironed clothes & polished shoes. After a while we were ordered to reassemble at the same spot & were asked to shout loudly our names & where had we all come from, one by one. Then, we were herded into the Barber Shop & given hair cuts with Zero machines, hardly leaving any hair on our heads( the good thing about this hair cut was that we did not have to use any oil, shampoo or comb for the next one month; after which a fresh haircut was given every month till we completed our training, in October the same year. After the haircut, we were taken to the Equipment Store where our uniforms, Army Boots, Physical Training (PT) dress, big pack, haversack, water bottle, Mess Tins, soxes, under clothes & all other items needed for our stay there for the next six months were issued to us. We were told to try our boots & PT shoes there itself & have them exchanged right away if those issued earlier were not of the correct size. While the equipment & dresses were being issued, we were asked to fill up various Forms & documents where all our personal details/ data were filled up. By the time we were let off from all these activities, it was dark & we were ordered to go to our barrack, take possession of our beds, bed sheets, pillows etc & lay out all the kit that was issued as well as our personal items for inspection. Then we were shown our toilets-cum-bathrooms & were ordered to take quick bath, change clothes & reach the Cadets’ Mess in the next half an hour, for dinner-cum- talk on Mess Etiquettes. By the time we finished our dinner, it was past 10.00 PM & we were ordered to be at the PT Parade at 06.00 AM sharp, after finishing with SHIT/SHAVE/SHAMPOO & tea

 TRAINING 

   Before leaving for PT, all of us were asked to fall-in ( stand in a line) were physically checked by a senior GC whether or not everyone had shaved, had a clean handkerchief, PT dress was properly ironed & well-fitting & the PT shoes had been properly cleaned & dried. We were then made to in a squad to the PT Ground, which was part of the campus, & there we were handed over to the PT USTAAD ( Ustaad is an Urdu word & means Teacher or Trainer or Guru. He was a seasoned man (a HAVILDAR from Army PT Corps, about 30-35 years old &  a tough- looking man, who created awe in the minds of his students by sheer appearance. He made us run, climb the nearest hill running many times, by making us do PULL-UPs/ PUSH-UPs etc for the next 20-25 minutes & , by the time the whistle blew indicating the end of that period, we were almost half dead.

    But, that was just the beginning of our training schedule, which went on for the next six months. We were given only 45 minutes, after PT; to have a bath, change into uniform, have breakfast & reach the Drill Square  ( Parade Ground), for a period of 45 minutes’ of drill ( the process of converting the rookies from civilians to soldiers or from boys to men). On the previous evening, we had been given our GC Numbers, printed in black colour on white cloth, which we had to wear over our dresses, irrespective of whether on PT or on Drill Square or in any class or even when in civil clothes( generally known as CIVVIES) for dinner. We had to so whenever we got out of our barracks ( these were somewhat like dormitories in school / college hostels). Before going out for the FIRST PARADE, we had to lay all our kit, boots, PT shoes & our personal shoes etc on or under our beds, as per the LAYOUT DIAGRAMS/ PHOTOGRAPHS which were displayed in abundance in the barracks. These used to be inspected by the senior GCs ( who were a course senior to us; by three months), or even by those GCs who were our course- mates but reported at the OTS a day or two before us. This was military way of RAGGING of the junior GCs by the seniors.

    From PT to Drill to Sports/ games to education classes & other rigorous training from 05.00 AM  till about 10.30 PM, with a 10 minutes break each for morning & afternoon Tea, two breaks of about 45 minutes each for Lunch & Dinner; such tight & gruelling schedule of physical & mental activities used to completely sap the energy out of our bodies. 

    That afternoon, we were issued with bicycles, each bicycle with a serial number so that these could not be exchanged by mistake; to make our movement from one place to the other slightly easy. But, our happiness was short lived; immediately after issuance, we were ordered to pick up our bicycles on our heads/ shoulders & run upto the sports complex. A few minutes before we were feeling happy to get our bicycles but now we were cursing them. These bicycles had to be parked at the allocated places, in a certain manner & had to be locked when not being used. But, all said & done, these machines did make our lives slightly easy; notwithstanding the problem these created for us.

    For participating in games/ sports, facilities for almost all games & sports( like Foot balls/ soccur ,  Hockey, Basket Ball, Volley Ball, Tennis, Badminton, Horse Riding, Boxing, Swimming, Squash, Athletic- like jogging, running,jumping, pole vaulting, discuss throwing, hammer throwing etc-had been created for us & all were encouraged to participate in games/ sports of our choice. Participating in SWIMMING, BOXING, HORSE RIDING & at least two TROOP’s Games- like Football, Hockey, Volleyball & at least one Athletics event ,was compulsory. Apart from Inter Company /Battalion competitions/tournaments, individual performance in Boxing, Swimming & Horse riding also mattered. Another event that was compulsory was Vehicle Driving but that was taught towards the end of the course; say in the 5th & 6th months of the training. But, one hour of solid sporting/ gaming was compulsory. After that, going to the toilet, bathing & book reading used to consume about  90 minutes, before dinner. The Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner too used be kind of parades & not the moments of pleasure. 

    For breakfast, which was quite lavish, with items like Cornflakes & Milk; Porridge & Milk; Omelettes/ Scramled/ Boiled Eggs; PARATHAS/ POORIES & Vegetables for Vegetarians; Toasts, Butter, Jam, toast & butter for all were in plenty., followed by tea/ coffee. The only regret was that we had to eat our Breakfast within 15-20 minutes & therefore, whatever item came first on the table used to be finished quickly without waiting for the remaining items to come. But, we used to have our fill knowing that we would be able to survive the tough physical routine only if we ate well. For Lunch we used to get about 45 minutes & there too the menu used to be quite sumptuous- like at least one Daal ( lentil), one vegetable, curd, CHAPATTEES, rice, salad & either fresh fruit or some dessert. The only meal we used to look forward to was the Dinner, mainly for 3-4  reasons- like getting almost one hour for the meal, instead of being in PT Dress or Uniform, as was the case for Breakfast & Lunch; for dinner we used to wear CIVVIES on four days in a week & Mess Dress ( which comprised of white shirts, tie, white Gabardine trousers & Coats( even in the summer of Chennai), black soxes & shining black shoes on the remaining three days in a week. We were permitted to buy our own cold drinks & have dinner as a Parade; i.e. as per a certain procedure( which were called DINNER NIGHTS). Even the menu for these three Dinners used be ENGLISH & not Indian. However, on the remaining four days we could do way with coat but not the tie. But the menu on these four evenings used to be Indian- with Daals , vegetables, salad, Chapatees, pickles,rice etc ; followed by coffee.

    I have given you our routine of just one day. We underwent not only such busy & tough routine for the next six months but it became much tougher with each passing day. The only holidays were Sundays, five days’ mid-Term Break ( after 3 months’ training) & national holidays/ festivals. Even these used to be spoiled by the senior GCs by putting us through RAGGING. Although, the senior course( which was senior to us by three months) had passed out & all the seniors went away but our own seniors were sadist enough to make sure that we did not get enough rest or time to ourselves ever. We used to be invariably deprived of sleep, adequate rest & time to study our syllabus books. Also, there were very strict rules/ norms inside the barracks/ dormitories too. One could not make noise or talk very loudly which may disturb others ( in one dormitory, there used to be between 20 & 25 Cadets), wearing of silk gown over the sleeping dress, while awake,was mandatory, one could not throw one’s undergarments, towels, soxes, shoes, PT Shors, sandals/ chappals in the dormitory; these had to be kept neatly or kept inside the box/ wooden cupboard ( these cupboards were provided to all at the scale of one each); the wet towels had to be hung outside in the open area between the barracks & bathrooms, no loud playing of music on the transistors or singing of songs inside the dormitories etc etc. So , to summarise; our lives for those six months were hell- like. Almost every one was cursing himself for wanting to join the Army. Quite a few, who could not withstand such rigorous training, opted to be discharged & went home mid-way during the course.

    Shoku, I too had got motivated to join the Army by hearing some hair-raising war stories of valour & courage from the Army Veterans of my village, who had fought in World Wars I & II.  I left my educational ambitions half-way & joined the Army to fight the Chinese & Pakistanis

    Of course, while in the Army, I achieved my educational qualifications & ambitions also- I passed my B.A. & M.Sc. ( Defence Studies) later

    As part of various tests, PHYSICAL PROFICIENCY TEST (PPT), involving running a distance of one mile in PT dress in six minutes; BATTLE PHYSICAL EFFICIENCY TEST ( BPET), involving running for two miles in Battle Dress with Rifle & Big Pack all weighing upto 19 kgs of weight; BPET of TEN MILES’ RUN, LONG SPEED MARCHES, SWIMMING-CUM-SURVIVAL TEST, HORSE RIDING TEST, MOTOR DRIVING TEST, BOXING-COMPETITION-CUM-TEST, written tests in all relevant military subjects like MILITARY DRILLS & DISCIPLINE, KNOWLEDGE & HANDLING OF VARIOUS WEAPONS, WARFARE & TACTICS, MILITARY HISTORY, MILITARY LAW, CURRENT AFFAIRS etc are conducted & all have to be successfully completed within the laid down periods. Also, the proficiency & zeal with which the Cadets play various games & sports; how smartly they dress up, how well & easily they converse in English language on various subjects, ( the medium of conversation as well as written communication in Army is BRITISH ENGLISH); & what is the overall personality of each cadet etc. All cadets are made to speak / deliver talks to their colleagues on various subjects of common interest, military subjects, current affairs etc impromptu ( with a warning of just five minutes) or deliberate lectures on given/ chosen subjects for 30 minutes, with a warning period of one week or so.

    As part of swimming tests, we had to jump from a height of 30 feet & then swim across the full length of an international-sized swimming pool within the laid down time. All this was done in Swimming dress. However, the other test was done with full FSMO Dress ( Field Scale Marching Order) with 19 kgs of load/ weight, without boots( the boots used to be tied to the big pack ( somewhat akin to Rucksack) in the shallow water of the swimming pool, where one did not have to do proper swimming but also touching of the feet on the floor of the pool was not possible. 

    For endurance tests, long speed marches with FSMO dress & personal weapons used to be carried out at night ( for three reasons (a) the weather in MADRAS used to be very hot & humid during day time but the nights used to be comparatively cooler; so that only the weekest of the lot would faint; (b) the GCs were not able to see much at night & concentrated on their marching/ running & (c) the public was not able to see the plight of the cadets. Such night marches used to be for 2 miles( the metric system of kms had not become very popular till then)initially ₹ then getting increased to 5 miles & finally to 10 miles. The best event used to be the piping hot  Tea/ Coffee/ Cocoa ar the end of such marches. Despite being ded tired, we still used to enjoy these beverages

    Now, let me tell you something about the BOXING tests-cum- competitions. If you recall, I had told you that all GCs had to learn & then compulsorily pass tests in four fields - swimming, boxing, horse riding  & motor driving. I have already told you about Swimming, albeit not in great details. Now  let me tell you something about Boxing. This is one sport which is very popular in the Defence Services because it is cosidered a manly, enables the boxer to attack the opponent & effectively defend himself & develops his overall personality. However, this is one sport; apart from Wrestling, Kabaddi & a few other sports/ games where physical contact becomes necessary; the officers ( & the GCs are the potential/ future officers of the Army) are NOT allowed to play with their soldiers. So, this sport is played either only amongst the officers or amongst the soldiers but never between the officers & the soldiers. This helps in maintaining the required level of discipline in the Armed Forces.

    In OTS, the art of boxing is compulsorily taught to all the GCs, they are made to practice the same on Dummies as well as amongst themselves out of the Boxing Rings before bring taken to the Boxing Rings & taught the various rules/ regulations which govern this tough game. All participants have to play the game with all seriousness & no SHADOW BOXING ( sham/ artificial boxing) is allowed. If any one is seen doing this then the instructor himself boxes the shammer to teach him a lesson. On the day of the test, majority of the GCs come out of the Boxing Ring with bleeding noses. Points are awarded to each one of them, according to their performances; which count towards their final score for the Merit List (it is the Merit List which decides the inter-se-seniority of the GCs, at the time of Passing Out as officers & this seniority is maintained throughout one’s service.