Hundred Years of Signalling 1911 to 2011

100 YEARS OF SIGNALLING (1911-2011)-SEMAPHORE TO SATELLITE (Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, PVSM)

The journey of Corps of Signals through 100 years of its existence has been aSaga of rich heritage, providing communications often under fire, in hostile climatic and terrainconditions, in undivided India, after independence and in many corners of the world. The Corpshas excelled in fulfilling its role during war, in insurgency milieu, peace, in aid to civil authorityduring man made or natural disasters and for peace keeping under the United Nations in a number of countries. Its performance has stood up to its motto of Certa Cito,Tez-o-Sahi(after Independence) and afterwards Teevra Chaukas. Many brave Signallers paid the supreme sacrifice but kept the communications THROUGH, in the best traditions of the Corps of Signals and theIndian Army. We pay homage to them.The means of signal communications available at various times through these 100 yearsdepended on the technology in vogue, to fulfill the war and peace time requirements of the IndianArmy at different times. Before Independence, the British brought in the technology, ideas andmeans of communications from England, for both military and civil communications in India.After Independence on 15 Aug 1947, the sources of technology and equipment were diversified.While, the Soviet Union became major supplier for lethal weapons and platforms like aircraft, shipsand tanks, the communication equipment bore the stamp of Western countries. Gradually, localassembly and manufacturing capacity was set up in India, mostly in the Public Sector. After theeconomic and industrial liberalization in 1991, the electronics scene in India changed and it became possible for the civil sector to start supplying equipment, at times with foreign collaboration. Thecontributions of our Defence Scientists and the public and private sector companies has been of very high standards.
The Corps has excelled in adapting available technology and modernization/updating of means of communications to meet the changing operational scenarios. Those at the helm in SignalsDirectorate showed great vision and organizational skills to keep the Corps contemporary in itsthinking, communication systems, equipment, training and organizations.The Corps of Signals has also been responsible for introducing new systems likeComputers electronic warfare, signal intelligence in the Army and training personnel of all armsand services as also the Navy and the Air Force.
Read More:
100 Years of Signalling 1911 to 2011 by Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, PVSM
Note: A thirteen Paged Article- an abridged version has been published in SIGNALMAN Feb Issue. Download and save it for reading at leisure. This is published in SCRIBD. Use + and - signs to increase/ decrease font and up and down arrows for pages.

Request from a Signal Officer's Daughter

Dear Signallers,
An email received from Ms Charu Shankar, daughter of Late Maj R Thiagarajan, a very very well known and popular Signaller, is reproduced below. The email is self-explanatory.
Maj R Thiagarajan was my instructor at MCTE (then School of Signals) when I did my degree course.
Kindly do help Ms Charu and vote for her book.
Please do share this email with your friends and request them also to vote.
Thank you.
Teevra Chaukas.
In Service of The Corps of Signals
Chander Kamboj.

From: Charu Shankar
Sent: 22 February 2011 02:53
Subject: my book video, please vote

Hi Ossie & Brig Kamboj,
Just wanted to share I'm writing a book about dad's teachings-Major. R. Thiagarajan who served in the Corps of Signals with Ossie. To get my book published, I need your help to vote.
Just go on this website
http://www.nexttopauthor.com/register_author.cfm?aid=595
1) register on this page by typing your email id & creating a password (I have attached what the pages look like to make it easy for you)
2) then vote
your vote will help me spread dad's teachings to everyone else.
voting deadline is feb 28, so please vote now & let everyone else know in the Armed forces, everyone that dad touched in his work,
warm regards
charu

His Princess Royal- A book by Signal Officer

Dear Veterans,
You may not know nor have heard of me. I am of 1947 batch and retired in Nov 1976. But you and I are related because we both belong to the great Corps of Signals.
I have written a fiction titled, "His Princess Royal" in which the hero is a Signals Officer. The book will be of tremendous reading interest to all Army Officers and Signals Officers in particular, especially those who have served in Army HQ Sig Regt (in the old location near Lok Sabha) and have done their SODE course.
The book is available in all Landmark outlets in all cities. It is priced at Rs 160. If you don't feel like visiting a bookshop you may approach the publisher directly; either send an email or contact on telephone and the publisher will send it to you by courier, of course, after you have made the payment. His postal address is: Ana books, Plot 1352, 19th Main road, Anna Nagar West, Chennai- 600040. Tele:(044) 42611223, 64601100, Cell 9840080014 and e-mail: sales@anabooks.net
Those living in and around Anna nagar, Chennai, may just walk across and collect the copy.
Col Israel Jayakaran (Retd)

Comment: Can anyone send us the Review for the benefit of the readers?

Corps of Signals Centenary Celebrations at MHOW

Corps of Signals Centenary celebrations were held at Mhow on 30 Sep and 01 Oct 2010. It was a double bonhomie because 01 Oct also happens to be the anniversary of MCTE, which completed 64 years of its existence on that day. A good number of former Commandants, Faculty Commanders and Instructors graced the occasion.

The first event was on 30 Sep 2010 at the famous Hema Ranges where an Air Show was held by the Army Aero Nodal Centre, Mhow. The AANC team put up a thrilling Air Show using five Microlight aircraft's and two Power Hang Gliders. The sky-diving team led by Lt Col Satyendra Verma, through their free fall and para-drops, made the event spectacular, showcasing their skills and daredevilry.

By 10 am, everybody was seated at the Garrison ground where the Corps of Signals Kalaripayattu and Taekwondo teams, Silent Drill Contingent and DR Display Team exhibited their expertise. Lt Col Satyendra Verma and Hav Parkhe sky-dived from a helicopter flying at 5000 ft. The landing which was perfect and at the centre of the Garrison ground received a big applause from the vast gathering. Lt Gen P Mohapatra, AVSM, ADC, SO-in-C and Senior Col Comdt was the Chief host.

Since the entire who’s who of Mhow were invited to witness the show, the Garrison ground was packed to the capacity. The spectators went home happy with their spirits heightened.

In the evening a social was organized at Milan. This venue for most of the guests was a sweet reminder of the yesteryears, when it used to be a plunge bath, till as late as Oct 1996. The old-timers still recall visiting the pool during Holi celebrations.

On 01 Oct, the MCTE raising day, an exhibition volleyball match was organized at the Airfield grounds. The match was played between 1 STC and Corps of Signals Team. Though the Corps team scored victory by a 3.0 margin, the sportsman spirit of the Signals was the ultimate winner.

After the match, everyone assembled at the College HQ Complex. The officers and ladies were ushered in to the Iyappa Hall (which serves as an auditorium) for the briefing and presentations. Lt Gen VK Sharma, Comdt MCTE and Col Comdt welcomed the guests to MCTE and thanked his predecessors for having built the College, brick by brick, to the level where it stands today.

Maj Gen GS Bisht, Dy Comdt MCTE welcoming the veterans to the College, gave out a brief presentation on the history of the Alma mater and highlighted the major milestones in its journey of 64 years. His presentation was followed by a short film on the College.

It was indeed a blending of the past with the present at the MCTE. Since all officers and their wives had been a part of the Alma mater at some time or the other. Some of them had done three tenures as instructors and as many as five courses

The visitors were then taken around the College so that they could correlate the past to the present through the class rooms, offices, labs, living accommodation. The old-timers were really lost in the web of time but it was an instant waking up to see the changes, so lively and so real

A Central Barakhana for all the guests was organized at the Football Grounds. The Corps Band was in attendance. In the evening a social was held in the HQ Officers’ Mess. Senior serving and retired officers and selected high ranking civilian dignitaries of Mhow and Indore were also invited. The night of 1st Oct, at the highest point of the ridge, where

the Lone Tree still stands strong, was charged with lot of bonhomie, fervor and esprit de corps.

This brought down the curtain upon the Mhow chapter of the Centenary celebrations. The presence of three Cols Comdt, former MCTE Comdts, Maj Gen (Retd) BS Paintal, Maj Gen (Retd) Shyamal Ghosh, Lt Gen (Retd) SK Dovedy, AVSM, Lt Gen (Retd) MK Ghosh, PVSM, AVSM, Lt Gen (Retd) Sudhir Kumar, PVSM, Lt Gen (Retd) RL Magotra, PVSM, VSM, Lt Gen (Retd) MG Datar, VSM, Lt Gen (Retd) SP Sree Kumar, PVSM, AVSM and Lt Gen (Retd) YS Panwar, AVSM,VSM and former SO-in-C Lt Gen (Retd) PGokarn, PVSM, AVSM and other senior officers made the celebrations really a once-in-a century event.

After the centenary year proceedings were launched at the Vigyan Bhawan by the Hon’ble President of India, on 15 Feb 2010, Mhow get-together was a major central function. The next venue is 2 STC, Goa, which hosts the Centenary events on 15 and 16 Nov 2010. Delhi would see some special events in Jan and Feb 2011, before all roads lead to and merge at 1 STC, Jabalpur to make it the grand finale and centenary REUNION from 13 to 15 Feb 2011.
Slideshow: click here to view 41 photos

A Strategic Perspective for the Corps of Signals

THE CENTENARY YEAR AND BEYOND— A STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE FOR THE CORPS
“The vision of Signals Corps is to attain and maintain informatics ascendancy by developing infostructure to cater for Network Centric Warfare in a digitized battlefield of tomorrow. The aim and objective of Signals Corps is to make the Indian Army Network Enabled Force by 2012 and Network Centric Force by 2017”
Extracts from Official Website of Indian Army– Corps of Signals

Introduction
1. It has been rightly commented that the saga of wars has been a narrative of human ingenuity and resilience amidst all adversities. The tales of valour epitomizes the ‘never say die’ attitude of the soldier. The Corps can be justifiably proud of its alacrity and professionalism of the highest order rubbing shoulders with their brethren from the combat forces. In the words of one of the former SO-in-C’s, the Saga of the Corps has been “a story of enterprise and endeavor, of accomplishment, and of courage and consistency. The methods of signaling used in the yester years may appear very primitive today, and one can only marvel at their ingenuity and determination.” The tasks on hand for the Corps have been unenviable, given the thirst for signal communications and keeping them ‘through’ always and every time. The accolades won testify the dexterity and technical acumen punctuated with combat skills exhibited by all ranks of the Corps. Some invaluable major pioneering efforts have been the “Area Grid Systems’, the ‘ASCON’, ‘Enterprise Wide Messaging Network’ and ‘Cellular Communications’.

2. As a part of the Centenary celebrations, it is planned to release the Third Volume of The Corps History, a compilation done by a dedicated and committed Veteran of The Corps-Maj Gen (retired) VK Singh. This painstaking compilation would surely reflect on the rich and valuable contributions by all concerned during the period under review. Also it would set the right framework for similar compilation of the ensuing years to the present day .There is another monumental contribution by yet another visionary of the Corps—Maj Gen (Retd) Yeshwant Deva,AVSM—“Dedicated to my son-The Signalman” as he puts it. Laced with a strenuous research spread over two decades, this book titled “Sky is the Limit” is a first hand account of the ‘SIGNALS’ in Operation Pawan, highlighting some very defining and inspiring acts of valor , dedication and commitment our Corps personnel.

3. As we draw inspiration from the performance of the Corps in the years gone by, it is also a good time to reflect on the future especially the challenges that lie ahead and how we view the ‘the core competencies’ of the Corps in the coming years.. We should logically arrive at a strategic perspective paving the way for what needs to be done internally to culminate into a well thought out strategy for execution and as a long term orientation of the Corps against the backdrop of warfare of the future. There is yet another factor we have to contend with namely the influence of ‘technology’. It is tough to make predictions especially of technology, but we do have some idea as to what are likely in the years ahead. The speed and convergence of scientific and engineering disciplines promise to fundamentally change the nature of deployment and redeployment, and prolonged sustainement of forces. Discovery and innovative breakthroughs in scientific areas related to high density- energy sources, superior material reliability, and information and knowledge fusion across the operational, intelligence, and logistics domain will vastly increase the combat readiness and operational effectives of the Armed Forces. The Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) has become a reality and has brought in significant changes in military doctrines at one level and in hardware at the other. Military technologies are changing rapidly and their procurement and induction demand a proper understanding of the wide array of the technology spectrum. We need to factor all these aspects in the strategic perspective of the Corps.
Looking Beyond the Horizon— Adapting to Netcentric Warfare(NCW) Paradigm...
A Strategic Perspective: click here to read more

Lt Gen (Retd) SRR Aiyengar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM has served in the Corps for nearly four decades and commanded three premier training institutions namely MCTE, DSSC and NDC.

Corps of Signals History: Clarifications and Comments solicited

Dear Veterans,
I am presently working on chapter 12 of Volume III of the Corps History dealing with Regimental Institutions, Sports and Adventure. This is the last chapter and I am looking forward to the end of the grind!
While researching the history of the HQ Mess, I have across some interesting facts.
The 2nd Meeting of the Indian Signal Corps Committee was held on 15 May 1947. It was chaired by Brig HD Beadon and attended by Col BD Kapur, Majors AC Iyappa, Bhattacharia, SS Chaudhary, Mohd Suleman, MBK Nair, Lall Husain, Prem Singh and GH Simoes (Secretary). Minute No 9 reads as under:
Minute No 9 OFFICERS CENTRAL MESS
In view of the possibility that the ISC School may have to move out of HOLKAR State, it was agreed to defer the move of the Officers Central Mess from JUBBULPORE to MHOW till the final location of the Indian Signal Corps School was decided
The 3rd Meeting of the Indian Signals Committee (1st Meeting of newly reconstituted Committee) was on 1-2 April 1948. It was chaired by Brig CHI Akehurst and attended by Brigs BD Kapur and BS Bhagat; Cols RN Batra and Apar Singh; Lt Cols AC Iyappa, SN Bhatia and ID Verma; Majs RS Tiwana, JV Pinto and KK Tewari (Secy) and Sub Maj V Govindaswami. Minute 11 reads as under:
Minute 11 FORMATION OF “IND SIGS HQ MESS”
(a) It was unanimously agreed that the Officers Mess at IND SIGS School should be the “IND SIGS HQ MESS”. In view of the fact that no facilities for a proper mess existed at MHOW at present, it was decided that IND SIGS Centre Officers Mess JUBBULPORE will continue to be regarded as ‘HQ’ Mess for the time being.
(b) It was agreed that ‘financing’ of proposed HQ Mess should be commenced immediately. Half a day’s basic pay (on new pay code) annually was agreed as the basic subscription towards this fund from all officers of the Corps. It was proposed that Sigs Dte (Sigs Adm) be asked to open a separate account for this fund and devise means of collection of same from officers through their units annually.
A year later, the above decision was modified, and the 2nd Meeting of the Indian Signals Committee held on 24-26 May 1949 decided that with immediate effect the mess of the School of Signals as opposed to that of the STC will be known as the “Indian Signals Headquarters Mess”.
Was there a likelihood of the Holkar not permitting the ISC School to be set up at Indore? Of course, at that time the princely states had still not joined the Union. Can any veteran throw some light on this?
It also appears that the HQ Mess functioned at Jubbulpore from Apr 1948 to May 1949 ie about year. Is this correct?
I would be grateful for comments
Maj Gen VK Singh (Retd)

History of MHOW Garrison
On the 3rd June, 1818, the great grandson of Balaji Vishvanath surrendered to Sir John Malcolm at Mhow near Indore. On the 28th December, 1817, the army of Holkar attacked the English at Madhidpur and were completely defeated. The remains of Holkar's army were attacked by General Browne and destroyed on the 10th January, 1818, at Rampur. In the meantime Tulsibai had been murdered by her own troops, and on the 6th January, the young Holkar had made his peace with the English by the treaty of Mandasor and become their subordinate ally. He gave up his lands south of the Narbada and abandoned all his claims over Rajputana, while the English undertook to maintain a sufficient field force to protect his state. This force still exists and is the Mhow garrison.
A history of the Maratha people

Olive Green: Brief history of MCTE, Mhow

Brief history of MCTE, Mhow by Ambreen Zaidi, Bhopal, February 05, 2006 Archives Hindustan Times
MILITARY HEADQUARTERS of War (MHOW) Cantonment was founded by Sir John Malcolm as a sequel to the Treaty of Mandsaur signed by the British Government and the then Holkar king.

Three premier training institutions of the Indian Army viz. the College of Combat, Infantry School and Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) are located in the cantonment.

The spirit of the cantonment is irrepressible, showing a quaint defiance to the inexorable march of time. During and even after World War I, the Corps of Signals was officered by individuals from the Royal Signals trained in the United Kingdom.

From 1933-40, Indian commissioned officers were trained at the Signal Training Centre (STC) Jabalpur and Army Signal School, Poona. Besides this, specialist training was imparted at the Telecommunications School, Agra and Communication Security School (Cipher) at Mhow.

A Signals Officers Training School, as part of the STC (British) Mhow, trained cadets commissioned into the Royal Signals as well as the commissioned officers of the Indian Signal Corps during 1940-46. All these institutions, except the Army Signal School, Poona, were amalgamated at Mhow on October 1, 1946 to form the Indian Signal Corps School. After independence, it was renamed the School of Signals on June 25, 1948.

The school was organised to train Young Officers (No 1 Squadron), Tech Training (No 2 Squadron) and Cipher Training (No 3 Squadron). However, in 1947 the squadrons were renamed Coys. By early 1949, the establishment was revised again and the school redesignated the School of Signals.

In 1952, the Army Signal School was also moved from Poona to Mhow and retained its separate identity till July 1, 1953 when it was absorbed as part of the School of Signals. The wings were redesignated as Tactical, Technical, Cipher and All Arms Wings. Consequent to national emergency in 1962, a requirement was felt to give pre-commission Signal training to cadets from the Indian Military School (now the Indian Military Academy).

Thus, an additional ‘cadets’ wing came into existence in February 1963 as an affiliate to the Tactical Wing. It was later called YOs Wing. On October 1, 1967, the School was redesignated as the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, and Tactical and Technical Wings became Faculty of Combat Communications Engineering (FCC) and Faculty of Communication Engineering (FCE) respectively.

Graduation from School to College in 1967 also saw addition of Technical Maintenance and Training Aid Wing and the Equipment and QM Wing.

With the advent of computers, the Faculty of Computer Technology and Systems was added in February 1971. EMC/EMI Cell was established in 1980 as part of the prestigious project of the Department of Electronics.

This cell was then expanded and on June 19, 1986 it became the Army EMC Agency, a separate establishment that is now the Army Centre for Electromagnetics (ACE) wef January 1, 1997. Establishment of the Cadets Training Wing on July 10, 2000 heralded the dawn of another era in the history of Mhow Cantonment.

Did you know?
SEVERAL CENTURIES ago, an innkeeper put a small slotted box on each table with a sign ‘To Insure Promptness’, and hence, the word ‘tip’ was coined from the initial letters of this sign. However, the practice of tipping is almost universal though in certain exclusive establishments like the Officer’s Mess it is discouraged. The general rule is that a tip equivalent to 10 per cent of the bill is paid to the waiter. One should be careful not to tip too lavishly as it arouses scorn from others and appears unduly ostentatious. On the other hand, too small an amount brings resentment.
Snooker
The game of Snooker was conceived in Jabalpur. Origins of the game of Snooker are generally regarded as being in the latter half of the 19th century. Billiards had been a popular activity amongst British army officers stationed in India who stole the idea from the Indian game Carrom, and variations on the more traditional billiard games were devised. One variation was to add coloured balls in addition to the reds and black which were used for pyramid pool and life pool. This gave birth to the game of Snooker. Although snooker's origin is not recorded explicitly, it is generally held that a Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain (no relation to the World War II Prime Minister) conceived the game in the British Army Officer's Mess in Jubbulpore, India, in 1875. Was this Mess subsequently designated as Officers Central Mess?
OLIVE GREEN | Brief history of MCTE, Mhow
Diary of 2/4th Battalion the border regiment, 1914-19

Armoured Corps Officer becomes "King" of Wireless

Lt Col HS Bedi (Retd), VSM joined the Indian Army, following his three generation old family tradition of serving the nation in the Army and was commissioned in the 72 Armored regiment. A National Defence Academy pass out, Lt Col Bedi developed management qualities during his tenure in the army. He got an opportunity to learn computers in the Army's Faculty of Computer Technology at MCTE, Mhow. After the completion of his training, Lt Col Bedi was appointed as an instructor in the faculty. As part of the student projects, Lt Col Bedi got an opportunity to interact with the industry thought leaders and at the same time propose solutions to them. He was thereafter called upon to develop a large number of technology solutions for the then Chief of the Army Staff, General K Sundarji and various Army Headquarters Directorates. After his initial success in the field, Lt Col Bedi was posted to the Army Headquarters to coordinate the Army's Automation plan.

Lt Col HS Bedi was awarded the `Vishisht Seva Medal' (VSM) by the President of India for his role in the computerization of the Indian Army.

After serving in the Indian Army for 22 years, Lt Col Bedi recognized his entrepreneurial skills in the field of Information Technology and decided to leave the Indian Army to start his own company. He took over the business of Tulip as its Director. His leadership and vision has enabled the company not only to constantly grow into more profitable business segments but also to attain the leadership position in every segment that it has functioned in.

Under his guidance, Tulip Telecom Services has established itself as one of the strongest network connectivity players in the industry. Tulip has achieved enviable success in a short span and has experienced exponential growth with a turnover of Rs 1242.14 Crores (USD 310.73 Million) for the FY 2008 and employee strength of over 2100. The company has been successful in creating immense value for all its stake holders.

Often addressed as the ‘King of Wireless', it is Lt Col.Bedi's foresight that envisaged the beginning of a new era in connectivity. Today, Lt Col HS Bedi, is a well-recognized business leader in the IT and telecom industry and has vast experience in this field.

Mission Statement of Tulip Telecom Limited
Vision

To become the largest data connectivity provider in India.
Mission

Provide end to end managed data services to include Data Connectivity, equipment and managed network services to meet all data connectivity requirements of customers.

Be the trusted advisor of the customers for all their data connectivity/ networking needs.

Grow the business rapidly while maintaining the highest quality of service.

Lead the market with innovation and adaptability.

Impact the rural economy by providing connectivity right upto to the last village.
Corporate Citizenship
Tulip strives to be an intellectual and social asset of the community and environment.
Corporate Governance
Tulip takes pride in its Corporate Governance and strives to continuously improve its processes in order to ensure a seamless and transparently functioning organization that creates immense value for all its stakeholders.
Tulip

Corps of Signals

04 Mar 2009
Dear Signallers,
Firstly.
Lt Gen VK Sharma, Former CSO South-Western Command, has taken over as the Commandant of MCTE, wef 01 Mar 09. We wish Gen VK Sharma all the best for his new assignment.

Secondly.
Lt Gen YS Panwar, retired from the post of Commandant MCTE on 28 Feb 09. On behalf of All Signallers and Report My Signal forum, we congratulate Gen Panwar for his excellent performance as the Commandant of a premier institution of the Indian Armed Forces. Lt Gen YS Panwar the Senior Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Signals was commissioned in the corps in 1968. He was awarded the COAS commendation card for his outstanding work at the MS Branch and Vishisht Seva Medal during his tenure as Commandant, MCTE. Besides his contributions in the instructional performance and general administration of MCTE, his contributions towards improving the contents and getup of the "The Signalman" are also commendable. Well done sir. We all are very proud of you.
Knowing the high technical competence and dedication of Gen Panwar to the Corps of Signals, the Signals' Veterans now wait for Gen Panwar's activities to boost up the Signals Veterans Website and other welfare measures for the Signals Veterans of All Ranks. We wish Gen and Mrs Panwar a very comfortable and happy retired life (retired from the extremely busy schedule of the Army).

Thirdly.
Maj Gen NV Pande who is the 51st Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Signals was commissioned in the Corps on December 25, 1972. Maj Gen Pande has held a wide spectrum of staff and instructional assignments. He was awarded COAS commendation card and AOC-in-C, Western Air Command commendation card for his dedication and total devotion to service.

An email received from Maj Gen NV Pande, CSO Eastern Command, is reproduced below for your information.

Dear Brig Kamboj,
Col Purandare was admitted in the Comd Hospital here just about a month plus ago. He complained of persistent fever at his place of duty and was transferred here. I must say he was most cheerful till the very last day and was willing to fight it out. Even while in the hospital he always spoke to the doctors most cheerfully, and with respect to the senior doctors when they met him.
He had high fever in the last few days and passed away on the 26th evening. Mrs Purandare was with him throughout the hospital stay and so were his brother and and sisters who were here whenever they could. The family support system was most remarkable.
Mrs Purandare was sad but most composed even during this phase. Purandare was a fine officer and will be missed by all of us. We extended all the support that we could while the family was here.
May God rest his soul in peace.
Maj Gen N V Pande

In Service of Indian Military Veterans
Chander Kamboj
Report My Signal Forum

Maj Gen SP Kochhar, is appointed as the 52nd Colonel Commandant of Corps of Signals
Commissioned in Dec 1973, Maj Gen SP Kochhar has excelled in all courses of instruction and has to his credit two M.Phils, M.Tech from IIT Delhi and fellowships/membership of reputed national and international professional societies. He has also published many papers in professional journals and magazines.

He has done all the mandatory courses and is an aluminous of the IAT, Higher Command Course and NDC and has tenanted various Command and Staff appointments. In all these appointments, he has left behind an immense contribution towards Information Technology and converged networks. He was associated with the trials of TacC networks and made many valuable contributions to these projects. His forte has been innovative thinking cum implementation and a very close team work. He is the designer and fielder of the now famous NOC vehicle. He has the unique distinction of having introduced smart cards and convergence into the Indian Army. His contributions have earned him the awards of a Sena Medal, a Vishist Sewa Medal and an Army Commander’s Commendation Card.
Major General SP Kochhar appointed Colonel Commandant

Corps of Signals celebrate 99th raising day

Punjab Newsline Network
Sunday, 15 February 2009
CHANDIGARH: The Corps of Signals personnel also known as "Information Warriors" celebrated their 99th Raising Day at HQ Western Command in Chandimandir Sunday.

Lt Gen TK Sapru, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Command extended his greetings to all ranks, their families and veterans of the Corps on the occasion of their Raising day. He lauded the professionalism displayed by personnel of the Corps of Signals both in peace and war and exhorted them to rededicate themselves to the service of the nation.

Chief Signal Officer (CSO) HQ Western Command, Maj Gen VP Shrivastava addressed the Officers and Jawans at a special sainik sammelan and emphasized the important role being played by all ranks of Signals in enabling net-centric warfare in today's information age.

Gen Srivastava stressed that all the technological development undertaken by the Corps is primarily to enhance the decision making capabilities of the field Commanders by providing them timely information and reliable communication. As a token of recognition for their commendable contribution, he presented Signal Officer in Chief's commendation to Officers, JCOs and other ranks.

A lively Social evening was also organized on the occasion which was attended by senior serving officers of Western Command and all veteran signal officers settled in the tricity.

Corps of Signals has, in recent years, taken rapid strides in establishing world-class information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure in the Indian Army. The Corps which is aptly recognized as the benchmark of growth and efficiency, has also made its mark in international arena and have laid out state-of-the-art technology communication as part of the UN Mission. The Corps continue to strive for exceptional standards in all spheres of communication techniques.

Maintaining unremitting vibrancy and mission orientation, the Corps of Signals has successfully integrated various networks and systems including satellite to deliver the Army the 'Network of Networks'. Mobile satellite communication is also being introduced in a big way which would further enhance the communication capability of the Corps. Thousands of kilometers of optic fibre cable laid has enabled a high capacity backbone and convergence of Army voice and data networks, resulting in improved redundancy and optimal utilization of resources. Contribution of "Dharma Chakra Signallers" of Western Command in providing infallible communication support in aid to civil authorities in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Delhi and Chandigarh has been truly stupendous.
Corps of Signals celebrate 99th raising day
Photo Slideshow of Information Warriors- Courtesy Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh- former SOinC

Corps of Signals- Happy Corps Day

Dear Signallers,
"REPORT MY SIGNAL"

WISHES YOU ALL AND YOUR FAMILIES
A VERY HAPPY CORPS DAY
HAVE A NICE DAY.
In Service of Indian Military Veterans
Chander Kamboj

We never get what we want,
We never want what we get,
We never have what we like,
We never like what we have,
Still we Live and Love.
This is Life........

Brig VA Subramanyam (Retd)

Challenging Concerns Combating Cancer and Commanding

Medical report
With me posted as FCE commander in Mhow. Jeet my wife was still in Delhi with the children, Kalpana in JNU doing her final MA in French and Ranjit in Eleventh at Army Public School. I had managed to retain the accommodation at the SP Marg officer’s enclave Block 12/ 474 with some difficulty. To add to our mutual worry and problem she was also not well. Both of us were in mental trauma, she had been advised surgery for a suspected tumour in the abdomen I can still not forget the adjective used 'Tennis ball Size' to describe the tumour by the Doctor who had examined her at MH Delhi Cant. I had in desperation called her to Mhow to discuss the future course of action.

The family on a short visit to Mhow
Genuine grudge
Jeet never failed to remind me that I had abandoned her way back in 1959 though it was true her grudge genuine, yet I have often wondered if she ever realised the trauma that even I had to suffer leaving them behind. Possibly the plethora of letters she did receive from me during the periods of separation were not poignant enough to convey my feelings or did the contents made the separation just a bit more unbearable for her. I do know however that waiting for her infrequent letters was a torture enough which was lessened only when I was handed over the then so familiar an envelop which contained her letter even though the euphoria lasted for a short time it is what sustained me during that difficult period at Tawang where I had been moved as the Sparrow of 7 Infantry Brigade from the Regimental HQ at Tezpur.

Family station sans family
Even later I left her many times due to the exigencies of service to fend for on her own and bring up the two growing children who needed the love and care of both the parents. At times we had to live separated by choice due to the children's education when we could visit each other only for short periods also at times it was she who abandoned me leaving me distraught and brooding in my bachelor’s quarters while posted in a family station sans the family. Now she was returning back to Delhi both of us having mutually agreed that she should face the ordeal of the operation albeit alone due to the urgency and the fact that I could not be away from the college at that time. I do wonder now as to what could have been more important to me at that time than her well being and the need of moral support of my presence at the time of the operation.

Heading to Indore
On the drive from Mhow to Indore airport she in the back with another lady who had taken a lift with me in the front with the driver both of us in silence buried deep in our own thoughts; my helplessness and her apprehensions. The seating arrangement in the car and the presence of another person precluded any exchange of last minute words of consolation.

Deafening silence
There was another reason for the deafening silence between the two of us as she had been waiting, in my room in the bachelor’s quarters, sitting with this uninvited guest, for me to pick her up. She with her own worries, I was no where in sight the time for her flight to Delhi approaching naturally she was getting tense and justifiably upset with me. I was all this time stuck in the Commandant's office who was interviewing the foreign students of the faculty with me in attendance. The Commandant though aware of the fact that I was to see- off my wife was in an expansive mood enjoying his interaction with the students from Africa, Iran and Afghanistan in the process honing his already considerable diplomatic skills. I was all the time on tenterhooks covertly looking at my wrist watch, calculating by the minute diminishing gap in the travelling time from Mhow and the Checking- in at the airport. I desperate for an opportunity to get away and having reached the cut- off stage ultimately asked to be excused which he graciously granted. I rushed to the waiting wife to be greeted with frozen looks that made me quickly sink way down in my ammunition boots.

Brave face
On my prodding the skilled driver kept the accelerator pedal pressed to its maximum travel and made the Ambassador fly onwards, we did make it to the Airport in time for check- in but only with a whisker. Once at the Airport and with her realising that the time to leave me behind had finally arrived I did notice a thaw in her till now rather sour expression. Waiting for the Aircraft coming from Bombay to land, both of us distraught she held to my hand as a desperate gesture, eyes brimming with tears. I equally emotionally charged with a turmoil brewing inside, yet presenting a brave face to keep her morale up added to the fact that I was in uniform and as such had to keep a brave face for the benefit of the public at large.

Flight announcement
The Public Address system came to life crackling and in a tinny voice announced the arrival of the flight from Bombay. Soon the Boeing 737 landed with the characteristic roar of its twin jet raced the full length of the tarmac stopped with an effort at the very end of the short runway took a U turn and slowly taxied to the parking bay a short distance away from the terminal. Once again the PA came to life this time announcing the departure of the flight to Delhi and advising the passengers to board. The terminal came alive with the passengers rushing to line-up carrying the in-cabin baggage in both the hands all in a hurry to reach Delhi before others.

Tearful farewell
With tears streaming down her cheeks Jeet bid me a silent farewell no words exchanged the hand slowly and reluctantly withdrawn from the comfort of my grip and joined the line to face the daunting prospect of facing a major operation alone. Leaving me she slowly walked out of the terminal and trudged towards the plane and to an uncertain future. My eyes followed her each step desperate but unable to do any thing to mitigate our mutual apprehensions. I was still tied to her with an invisible elastic band which was getting stretched as she approached the Aircraft to finally break once she entered the door and disappeared from my view. Possibly she was the last to embark and soon the door shut with a bang breaking my contact with her.

Sane decision
As the staff car with me drove out of the Airport the Boeing also took off, flying low overhead with the two turbines whining at full power. I watched in a pensive mood from the window of the car its steep climb the visible effort to break from the shekels of the gravity pulling it towards the ground and become a free bird once again. Soon it took a sharp turn and headed towards Delhi, taking all that mattered to me with it leaving me forlorn worried and with an empty feeling inside. On my way back to Mhow I did take a sane decision and rang her up at the earliest to defer the operation till I could be with her at Delhi.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)

Posting to Mhow as Faculty Commander

Posting
The posting to MCTE Mhow in 1979 as the Faculty Commander FC&VE was the highpoint of my instructional career. It was even to my own eyes a bit unexpected especially with a plethora of average grades collected by me in all the Corps courses attended. It was no small wonder; I did manage to make a success of it. Possibly it is not the grades on the courses but the application of the knowledge and experience gained in various situations reaction to the problems faced and the attitude when things got difficult and the horizon bleak overcast with dark-grey and threatening clouds.

Spectrum
The tenure as Faculty Commander in MCTE considered a hot seat by some of my predecessors was not an easy one. MCTE was a mine field to be traversed most carefully inhabited by highly ambitious and furiously competitive young staff, young student officers the young and pretty wives and senior officers living some reason or other separated. There were also some passengers both in staff and the students who had their own agenda and well thought-out plans to achieve the same. The place had its own dynamics, the air perpetually bristling with palpable energy of all frequencies across the spectrum.

Constraints
I did identify the problem as to why the "Faculty Commander's chair" had become so hot for the previous occupants who not only found it difficult to manage the highly qualified and ambitious faculty as also the nearly rebellious students branded as an undisciplined lot. The Key lay to get out the mindset those training institutes, colleges; universities are not for the students but for themselves and the staff, to some how solves the administrative, personal and domestic problems of the student officers, a misunderstood lot, and win their confidence. Though students they were still officers and needed to be treated to as such. For me it became an exercise in human relationship and personal management.

Convocation Signal Officers Degree Course
Student assignments
In case of the teaching faculty problem was of the lack of planning at the faculty HQ level with the teaching assignments being given in an ad- hoc manner; with the help of my able Senior Instructor Lt Col Daspal it was soon sorted out even though still heavily loaded at least now they knew as to what was required from them.

Enduring Friendships
Perhaps it was due to this that I did make some enduring friendships. The tenure enriched with me more than 300 friends some now senior officers or doing equally well in civil life who recognise me at airports seminars and social occasions, approaching with a smile. Even some Foreman of Signals students who have risen to officer ranks also coming and greeting me when we meet on social occasions. It more than compensates for the hazardous journey through the so called mine field that I did manage to traverse with fortitude, patience and skill; some inherited others acquired.

Lt Gen MS Sodhi So-in-C with the Commandant visiting the MCTE TV Studio at FCE
Challenges
Meeting the College HQ requirements of using the FOS (Foreman of Signals) students for the Adm Wing requirements in afternoons, running of the ‘Annexe’ the MCTE Club and the organising of the entertainment evenings both my responsibilities as also my insistence in strictly following the orders emanating from the HQ on holding the PT and Drill parades for the student officers was a different issue and was the cause of my running battle with the Deputy Commandant and at time creating difficult situations for even the Commandant.

Reposing faith
My young staff officer; earlier Capt Sunil Arya and later N V Pandey had to bear the brunt of these demands on daily basis which they resisted with my my unambiguous directions backing them. I am glad Arya made it to the rank of Brigadier, Pandey as Maj Gen had the privilege of being the Deputy Commandant of MCTE. Once again they proved the faith that I always reposed in my young officers. At that stage of service they are happy to learn, especially if being guided, and work whole heartedly in delivering the goods rather than harbouring any long time ambitions which quickly grow as one advances in service.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)

MHOW Oracle comes true

Dinner Night in the HQ Mess MCTE
Lt Gen Khanna, Maj Gen Surjit Singh on his left and Brig SK Dovedy on his right, the author on extreme left

Stranger's call
A hundred Rupee Note did get exchanged from my hand to his; was it at his request or due to the empathy, his penury and destitution being so transparent and his efforts to dress as he was making it obvious that he had seen better days, that I felt for him? Did I consider him to be source of of wise counsel or prophetic opinions?

Selection Board
It was a few days after my appeal for having been passed- over had been rejected by the authorities that be, and I had reconciled to the fact but not Jeet, who in the meantime, had packed the house and decided to bid farewell to Mhow with or without me, that we were sitting together in the veranda of our beloved hutment, both in silence, possibly contemplating the next step and the future plans, that I noticed an elderly gentlemen dressed in suit and tie standing at the gate and beckoning me.

ESP
From a closer look he appeared to be pretty down at heels, his clothes had certainly seen better days and a bit desperate from his demeanour. ‘I can feel some vibrations’ he sad and pleaded ‘please let me come in I have some thing to tell you’. His being a stranger and me not being sure as to what he could have to tell me opened the gate of the compound and rather reluctantly let him in. It transpired that he had a claim to have some ESP (Extra Sensory Powers) at his command, though not a believer in ESP or astrology, possibly remembering my earlier encounter with the Oracle from Nathang, way back in 1970 at Lungthu in Sikkim; I let him have his say.

Reading the lines
I now do not recall if he held my hands or looked at the lines in my palm but he soon declared that I would get my next promotion very soon. Though his prediction was pleasant to the ears, I was convinced that it was pure hogwash, especially with the rejection- slip to my appeal safely locked, from the eyes of Jeet, in my briefcase. I responded by telling him that there was no chance of his prophesy coming true. He still insisted, was quite adamant and positive about it.

Prediction
Fortunately for me he was right and I was wrong in my thinking: to mine and everyone’s surprise the next Selection Board, strangely based on the same old, my earlier Annual Reports and with no fresh inputs, cleared me for the next rank. However, the damage had already been done in nullifying the advantage of the two years anti- date which I had due to my technical qualifications. Perhaps it benefited some individual or individuals, yet I have no regrets.

Lt Gen Khanna the So-in- C on a visit to Faculty with the Commandant Maj Gen Pental, Lt Col VA Subramanyam the SI in background and Capt AJS Lamba
Signal Officer in Chief
The prophesy by the Oracle of Mhow came cent percent true unlike the prediction by the Oracle of Nathang which was only fifty percent correct, in that Banker, did not make it to Lt Col, while in his case the prophecy in respect of then Maj Gen V C Khanna along that made about me also came true. I do not remember as to who had apprised me of this, but it is also a fact that at that time it was Maj Gen J Mayadas who was the favourite and centre of all attraction, so obvious when both of them had together visited MCTE for some function, to be the next So-in-C. However, it was Khanna who to every one’s surprise, shock and awe, got promoted to Lt Gen and took over as the next So-in- C, on retirement of Lt Gen RP Sapra.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)

Link: Signal Officer Narrative 1971

Comments:
The Army employs a system of annual appraisals which are called Annual Confidential Reports (ACR). The ACR is produced annually to a timetable depending on rank and performs two functions: It tells the individual honestly how he/ she has done during that period and leaves them in no doubt how to improve their performance. When placed with the individuals other previous ACRs it becomes the raw material used by selection boards to assess potential for promotion, training and appointments. Along with the ACR is tagged the Annual Medical Report.

Newly commissioned army officers will not be subject to the annual confidential report for the first nine years of service. It was found that the "zero error syndrome" was creeping in among the young officers anxious not to mar their career profile by taking risks. Therefore, under this plan, officers will not be assessed in the first two years of their service. Thereafter, for the next seven years there will only be a "unit assessment card", which will be done by the officer's peers within the battalion.

The ACRs and Medical Reports do not generally represent the true picture of the Officer especially from rank of Brig to Lt Gen as all are branded "High Profile". The Medical Standards need to be made more stringent to knock out the flab. Fifty percent of the Generals are medically unfit but due to their rank influence they retain SHAPE One category till retirement and most of them aspire to serve and retire in Delhi, as per statistics.

Ideally there should be no representation on ACR's, however, erroneous one surmises it to be. Showing of ACR to concerned officer is not prudent unless a feedback system is evolved to evaluate leadership traits. What we heard from media reports in Maj Gen AK Lal's case was that, subordinate officers ACRs were discussed by his family members. This surely is an unwelcome trend. The sanctum and confidentiality of ACR must be scrupulously preserved at all times.

Army Officer Residences 1955 to 1985

Jalandhar as 2Lt
72 Napier Road where we had our mess was located was in a sprawling large compound with wheat and other seasonal crops cultivated by the owner of the property. The main building, an old nearly dilapidated bungalow had a few rooms that were occupied by the senior officers where as we the youngsters were banished the fully dilapidated old horse stable converted to leaky roof rooms. With no fans in the room and to survive the searing heat of Punjab. AJS and I sharing the room pooled our resources and rented a ceiling fan for a couple of summer months.

Pathankot as Lt
The Signal Section under technical control of 26 Div Signal Regiment located at Jammu had been dumped along with 40 Medium Regiment by some ignorant staff officer of Arty Directorate at Army Headquarters in a camping ground near Sujanpur at Pathankot at the height of the Monsoons. Next few months were sustained only by dreams of Rosy and me together; dreamt while asleep on the MES string- cot under the wet flaps of the tent at others listening to the constant pelting of the Monson rain on the tent. Pathankot was a semi- field station with no family accommodation. With permission one could bring the family and stay in something known by the generic name of ‘Basha' a structure with mud walls and a thatched roof constructed under own arrangement or if lucky move in by purchasing from some lucky officer leaving on posting. I was also in queue looking for some such accommodation falling vacant coinciding with Rosy finishing her final Examinations.

The hectic activity for a place to locate a house bore fruits. As luck would have it and by sheer chance I was fortunate to locate a two-room house, for the princely sum of Rupees 30 per month as rent, situated at the corner of Sujanpur Sericulture Farm, near the village of the same name and not far from the unit lines. It was secluded, insecure, lonely and totally unsafe from every angle, lonely and insecure in day and more so at night, yet it suited us to a ‘T’ nothing less than a heaven in our eyes. It was our first house and for her to run the way she wanted and me to pamper her. It was he missing purpose that back in life once again.

MHOW
Thanks for minor mercies that by the time half of the course was over I were permitted to call Jeet and Kalpana to Mhow under my own arrangements. I had managed a one room in the bungalow on Generals road with the good offices of Capt Jaswant Singh who also attending the course and staying in the same house. The Room a god- send though large enough for the three of us did become over- crowded and cramped at times with the dhobi sweeper maid the bearer and Mohan all milling about together, invariably I found my- self edged out . Fortunately after a few days an officially approved accommodation did fall vacant and we shifted to the one and a half room accommodation at DSO Press on Simrol road.

Jeet with Our one and a half room house
Our place soon became the meeting point for most of the bachelors on the course and some of the staff posted there to congregate in the process we did make some enduring friendships.

Jogender, Satish, Khurana and his Scooter, DSO Press Simrol Road. Dilapidated Bungalow background
Rarmgarh as Capt
A Cantonment town near Ranchi in Bihar where we of the Brigade, nobody's baby at that time, had been dumped for refitting, had miles and miles of family accommodation lying vacant; a forbidden apple to our hungry eyes. Though a family station we were not allowed to bring the families.

Ambala
The advance party had already taken over the accommodation for the Section and the bungalow for us an OP Amar construction the point however was that it was our first proper house with two bed rooms and a study fully furnished with MES furniture of course we had a good house in Ramgarh also a hutment but it was still our own.

Mhow
we landed at School of Signals on 2nd October 1963. Unlike the last time in School of Signals this time we had a house, a hutment, waiting for us to move in, it was a privilege of being on the staff.

Poona as Maj
Once again I had to leave Jeet and the two kids, Chotoo now about four years plus and Chotta still a toddler behind. It was becoming a routine by now; IAT had no married accommodation to offer to us. However, couple of months of separation later Rosy came to the rescue; her friend Kanta's husband Capt Sirohi was also doing a course at CEME and had a house allotted to him in Kirkee in the ammunition factory area who very kindly agreed to host us till we got a place of our own. On posting to ARDE, for the first time not only I had the opportunity of staying in proper accommodation and a choice of picking up from the half a dozen newly built unoccupied houses; a difficult proposition a problem of plenty; ultimately it was 26 The Pashan a lovely house which welcomed us and where we spent some of the best time of our life.

26, the Pashan, The Herald in background
Ranchi as Lt Col
More importantly than the hutment that I had been allotted my shifting the family to Ranchi with out his approval was strongly frowned upon by the GOC and in tandem by the AQ which was a real damper to my spirits. When the GOC gave me a baleful glare on this issue while interviewing me at Malhout I offered to send the family back to Dehradun which to some extent satisfied his ego.

Secunderabad
IDM had very thoughtfully arranged for some hired accommodations in Sanikpuri.

Delhi
Best that could be done was a single room in officers mess, what I was supposed to do about admitting my children in school and college, It was for me to locate a suitable house for hiring by the Administration. I did get, ultimately to move in to a suitable flat at SP Marg but by the it was time to move once again.

Mhow as Col
We had been allotted a hutment with the No T 214 marked in bold letter and figures on the Generals Road that was in an advanced dilapidated state, derelict, about to fall and with all rooms leaking during the monsoons. General’s Road was indeed a very prestigious sounding name. Lt Gen Sunderjee the Commandant College of Combat did live on the same road though alone in the appointment house a massive double story old bungalow.On the earlier posting to Mhow we had also lived in a hutment the only difference between then and now was the up-gradation from dry to waterborne sanitation a giant step in technology from 1963 to 1980.

Delhi as Brig
With difficulty and after a few months I managed a 2 room Flat on Curzon Road, later shifted to DK Part II on medical grounds of my daughter. All said and done it was good fun and as a soldier and a good soldiers wife we were happy with what we got when we got and had a chance to stay together.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM

Luxurious Houses? Read "Myths Busted" Link

Prudent Economics and Human Relationships

Cycles in Mhow: Picnic with Nangia
Cycling
My major contribution to the economy of Mhow Cantonment on posting to MCTE was in a spurt in the sale of cycles in the town. I used to cycle in the college campus. Once General Sundarje also decided to cycle to his office; it started as a fad with most of the staff of the two colleges rushing to the cycle shops acquiring or hiring cycles.

Short course in human relationship
Six most important words "I admit I made a mistake".
The five most important words "You did a good job".
The four most important words "What is your opinion".
The three most important words "If you please".
The two most important words "Thank you".
The least Important word is "I". My suggestion Change "I" to "We".

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)

School of Signals Mhow 1955

Passing out from IMA Dehra Dun on 2nd Jun 1955 I with 21 others like me landed at Mhow for finishing at School of Signals prior to being posted to the Regiments. We were a motley crowdd some ex NDA, others ‘Direct Entry’ some from NCC and a few like me neither fish nor fowl the Technical Graduates. All immature and weighed down by the single pip on our young shoulders yet all masquerading as seasoned soldiers wearing stone washed cloth epaulets some brash some over confident others like me nervous.

Even before we could settle down we were advised by our group officer, Capt Paisley, to open a bank account and this soon introduced us to the wonders of a post-dated Cheque and the magic of how a scrap of paper got converted in to cash with the help of Ramchandra Bank. At last we had found the solution to the constraints of limited resources (Rupees 300 PM less Rs 50 being deducted each month towards the advance of pay given) and unlimited demands.

Mhow 50 years back was the same as it is today a few old bungalows may have fallen down a few new flats and buildings may have risen up yet the culture and ambience of Mhow was the same as today the town did come alive only in the evening when the Training Establishments closed for rest of the day it slept with eyes open.

The Officers Mess introduced me to Morris the barman with his imposing personality and handle- bar moustaches. He made the finest fresh-lime drink. There was also Fernandez the chief cook on dinner nights he would quietly stand in a corner hidden from view and watch the expression of the officers as they tasted and savoured each dish prepared under his guidance with satisfaction. Both institutions by themselves I kept meeting them off and on till my retirement and even later on my visits to Mhow.

Not to forget the barber Paiara Lal who knew every thing about everyone and enjoyed talking about the same a big name dropper he could be a pain in the neck would go on chattering unmindful of the interest or disinterest of his captive audience wrapped in the white sheet and at his mercy. I also cannot forget my bearer Manikam who looked after me in the room as also waited on the table in the mess. I believe he would entertain all the other bearers when we were in the classes with his vigorous dancing on my 78 rpm records of which I had a good collection.

The officiating Commander of TAC Wing, where we were destined to spend the major portion of the next six months of our stay at Mhow, Major G S Sidhu was not only formidable looking he acted the same keeping us terrorised successfully all the time.

Cable laying exercise way to Bercha Lake, with VP Singh Srivastava.
We were required to call on the permanent staff as per the army traditions leaving our calling cards one for the lady of the house and one for the unmarried daughter in addition to the one we were supposed to leave in any case. Being unsure of ourselves we were avoiding this onerous duty till we were reminded of the same rather forcefully. On the designated calling day dressed in our best summer suits and with a fist -full of calling cards all 15 of us mounted our cycles and came on the road. Going round and round circling the bungalows of the Comdt and other permanent staff in smaller and larger groups crossing and re-crossing each other while exchanging sheepish grins. Not being able to muster courage enough to enter the Comdt’s House No 2 the Middlesex Road as also not being sure as to from where to start the calling process after some more futile cycling we were back in our room; mission unaccomplished.

Visit of Indonesian Military Delegation.
This was not the end of the story next day we were once again in the Wing Commanders office this time with an entreaty to be kind to the staff and not to keep them on tenterhooks.

Room No 21
It so happened that my room located at the extreme end of the barrack wherein we the YO’s were lodged faced the Church across the road. Sunday mornings the spectacle of the pretty Mhow girls dressed in their finery streaming in for the Service and later emerging at times even lingering at the entrance gate acted as a magnet to the course mates. With easy chairs pulled up they would take vantage positions with me as the unwilling host Manikam my bearer serving Tea and Pakoras to the excited and chattering young fellows.

The Church that Came to Life on Sundays.
Was the lingering of the girls at the gate deliberate intentional and naturally irresistible with so many admirers opposite is a question I still ponder upon?

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)