India-Pakistan border-X

1983-84     

 (LINE OF CONTROL on India-Pakistan Border)

(This is a continuation to the conversation set between me (S.G) and my nanu (grandfather),a former brigadier, (Y.R).This initiative was taken so that people know about the incidents that have taken place in the army unfiltered by the media.RAW

WINTER STOCKING

Friday,June 2020

Y.R-

The task of WINTER STOCKING ( stocking the rations, the ammunition & other essential items for 1000 soldiers, for the entire winter season of 180 days(when nothing could be brought into the Lipa Valley from across the TUTMARI GALI PASS due to closure of the PASS due to snowfall) loaded on local ponies & labour( who could carry only limited & light loads) was very tough, monotonous & extremely tiring/ back breaking. Almost 50% soldiers of The PALTAN had to be employed for this job, apart from 40-50 ponies & 30-40 porters daily. We could not employ more porters & ponies due to limited capacity of the dirt tracks; where only a certain number of these load carriers could move at any one time. Though these items were brought from TUTMARI GALI PASS upto the POSTs by them but not right upto each Bunker or Trench for the reasons of Security & Safety. The necessity of not letting the Pakistanis see as to where all were our Forward most defenses; necessitated that we did not allow the ponies & porters to go right upto the Forward most trenches. It is just not possible to conceal them from the enemy since the ponies are quite big in size & can be seen from a long distance. They are gregarious animals, make lot of noise all the time & can thus give our own locations to the enemy easily. Also, the slopes of mountains to & back from some of our POSTs, like ATMA-1, ATMA-2 & a few others, were too steep for these animals to negotiate safely. We did not want even the porters to see all our Forward most Trenches/ Bunkers because they could convey all these to our enemy. Therefore, the stocking of such POSTs had to be done by the Jawans, per force.

During my monthly trip to all the POSTs in June 1984, by which time the stocking activities were in full swing; I saw/ observed  all these. In the POSTs, never more than 30-40% of their strengths were present during day because about 20-25% of them used to be away on leave  ( long leave of approximately 70 days, including travelling time of about 5 days each for onward as well as return journeys in addition to 60 days of annual leave); another 5-7 % used to be away to various Army Training Institutes, about 1-2 % used to be away participating in the Formation ( Brigade/ Divisional ) Sports Competitions etc. But, inspite of all these activities/ hindrances, our winter stocking was progressing satisfactorily.

Y.R-

In that month itself, one senior MAJOR ( Major P P S Dhillon) was posted to & joined The PALTAN as my “2IC”( Second-in-Command). Second-in-Command is an officer who is officially appointed by the various authorities, to be the “Number Two” in the hierarchy & be ready to replace/ relieve/ take the place of Number One in the Chain of Command, either when the Number One has to temporarily go away some where or falls sick or gets injured or dies due to any reason etc. By then I had completed 26 months of my Command of 6 GUARDS PALTAN ( the Command tenure normally is between 20 & 28 months) & this was a sure indication that the Army Headquarter was planning to move me out soon from there to some other place & give the Command of The PALTAN to my successor. And, sure enough, by next month my posting/ transfer order was received. I had been posted to Srinagar & had to report for my new duty by mid- August 1984.

On arrival,  Major Dhillon was personally received at the REAR AREA by our INCHARGE REAR AREA , & by me, the Adjutant, the Quarter Master, the Doctor, the Subedar Major,Pandit ji & all other available J.C.Os. when he reached my Headquarter on the next day.He was then given a week for complete rest & acclimatisation ( acclimatisation is a process wherein those who go beyond the heights of 9000 feet, have to go gradually from lesser heights to higher heights, to avoid high altitude sickness & other serious ailments). Since he had been posted to relieve me in a month’s time & assume Command of The PALTAN, I wanted him to go around the PALTAN, visit the various POSTS, meet all the Officers, J.C.Os. & Jawans of The PALTAN so that his functioning would become easier after becoming the COMMANDING OFFICER( C.O.) after taking over from me in August. He was one officer who had been commissioned in that PALTAN, had been with it all along but had gone out on a Staff Pisting for about 2.5 years to some other place& had returned now from there. Thus, he had the advantage of knowing all the personnel of The PALTAN already ( except those who had joined it in the last 2.5 years when he was away. 

RECCE

Saturday,June 2020

Y.R-

    He was given 10 days’ time to visit all the Companies/ POSTs to  familiarize himself with the terrain, meet all personnel  & see everything for himself. He was accompanied by a young officer, a Protection Party of four Jawans & two ponies, in case he felt tired & wanted to ride them while climbing heights.

Major Dhillon returned from his visit ( in Army parlance, it is called RECONNAISSANCE -RECCE as short form), after a week & then he & I discussed about his impressions of The PALTAN’s existing tactical, logistical & administrative plans/ aspects & what changes he would suggest in the present layout? The tactical aspect included (a) how the PALTAN was tactically deployed & could any changes be made in it to make it more effective under the circumstances? (b) were our own plans to defeat the Pakistanis in case they attacked us or our own  plans to attack the Pakistanis, if need be; sound or did they need to be modified? (c)can we improve our logistics in the Valley, particularly with regard to the method being used for WINTER STOCKING & (d) how can we further improve the logistical & administrative infrastructure so that the physical, emotional & mental stresses/ strains of the Jawans could be reduced & they be made happier & healthier?  

Y.R-

    These discussions between the two of us; sometimes in the presence of advisors but more often between just the two of us, so that we both could speak our minds without any hesitation. My aim was to explain everything to him in the greatest possible detail so that he did not have face any problem of any kind, after he became the C.O. in August. Of course, he had the great advantage of having been in The PALTAN  for almost 14-15 years ( with a few short breaks of a few years in between when he was posted out elsewhere) & knew all the officers, J.C.Os. & Jawans extremely well & I did not foresee any kind of problems in The PALTAN after my departure.

In July, I decided to combine my monthly visit to all the Companies/POSTS with my FAREWELL from The PALTAN too, since I was to leave for my new place of posting to SRINAGAR next month. Also, instead of doing so in the first week of the month; as I normally used to do in the past; I scheduled it in the last week of July so that I did not spend too much time in The PALTAN after my farewell.

Y.R-

    In the Army, there are PEACE STATIONS, SOFT FIELD STATIONS, HARD FIELD STATIONS & HIGH ALTITUDE-cum- UNCONGENIAL WEATHER STATIONS. Leepa Valley was then a HARD FIELD-cum- UNCONGENIAL WEATHER STATION. I have already described the working & living conditions there. Normally, when a C.O. is posted out, his Farewell meal is organised in the form of a BARA, KHAANA ( which literally means BIG MEAL) when ALL RANKS of the whole PALTAN ( minus those on unavoidable & essential duties) gather together at a suitable place; which is either a huge hall or an open play field ( like a Parade Ground, a Football Field or a Hockey Field ) where tents & SHAMIANAS are pitched, tables & chairs are placed for everyone to sit down. Then the outgoing & the new C.Os. arrives there together, where they are received by the Officers, the Subedar Major( who is the Host) & all other J.C.Os. Thereafter, the Regimental Slogans & War Cries are shouted, the new C.O. is promoted & given the new BADGES OF HIS NEW RANK by the outgoing C.O. Then the drinks & snacks are served to everyone, the outgoing C.O. ( who is the Chief Guest on that occasion), the new C.O., all other officers & the Subedar Major( who is the Host for that function) then go around from one end to the other, to meet & greet the Jawans, share jokes & laughter with each other & enjoy the entertainment show( which is produced & put up by the Jawans). The event comes to an end with the speech of the Chief Guest & a hot meal for everyone. Thereafter, the whole PALTAN shouts slogans like BHARAT MATAT KI JAI & REGIMENTAL SLOGANS/ WAR CRIES.

Y.R-

    (Incidentally, our- of BRIGADE OF THE GUARDS- war cry is “ BHARAT MATA KI JAI, BHARAT MATA KI JAI, BHARAT MATA KI JAI; GARUD KA HOON, BOL PYARE”. GARUD, the ride of Lord Vishnu & who had fought with RAAVAN when he was abducting SITA JI, is our REGIMENTAL INSIGNIA & our CAP BADGE). 

Y.R-

    In Lipa Valley, it was not possible to gather the whole PALTAN together &, therefore, I decided to go to all the Companies( there were six Companies) & POSTS- which were part of one Company or the other-

instead. I was accompanied by Major P.P.S.Dhillon; the Second-in-Command ( who was to become the next C.O.), Subedar Major C.C.Nair & the Protection Party of four Jawans. We met everyone, spent three nights with them ( including one night at ATMA-1 POST) & then returned to my Headquarter. A day before my departure from the PALTAN, new Badges of Rank- of Lieutenant Colonel- were bought from our Canteen & were handed over to PALTAN’s Pandit Ji for keeping them in the MANDIR, at the feet of the Presiding Deity for His blessings for night. Next day- on the day of my departure- all available  Officers, J.C.Os & Jawans were gathered at the PALTAN’s Headquarter, where a DURBAR ( a SAINIK SAMMELAN) was held, I gave my last speech, Pandit Ji was requested to bring in the new Badges of Rank for the new C.O., which I & the Adjutant ( Major Bani Singh) put them on the new C.O.s shoulders, we all shouted our Regimental Slogan & the Durbar came to an end. In the meantime, the Adjutant had lined up the ponies, the porters & the Protection  Party who were to accompany me upto TUTMARI GALI PASS. At the PASS, a Jeep & one more vehicle had been called to take me to our REAR AREA. I said my last Good Bye to all & started my journey on foot for TUTMARI GALI PASS. The Subedar Major accompanied me right upto THE REAR AREA.

Y.R-

    That’s the story of my stay in Lipa Valley, Shoku.