Page 22 - Seniors Today December 2020
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Till November 30 we had been part of and the men collected the pay also in the
Operation Jackpot, codename for Mukti same position. All GPOs had done it that
Bahini Operations. We had provided arty weird way.
fire for the Garibpur battle, and I had On December 2 the Director General
also been at priority call specially for the Artillery Maj Gen KD Vasishth visited
Squadron of 45 Cavalry in the entwined my regt, and I had to brief him, when he
battle of Garibpur. We had also witnessed visited my bty. “Is he confident to be the
the famous air battle and dogfight over our GPO in war?” he asked. My CO said he had
gun areas. We were already deployed across full confidence in me. The DG Arty smiled,
the international border. tapped me on the shoulder and wished us
all Good Shooting. Be ready for counter
Salary in the trenches bombardment (CB) he said. His words were
On 1st December Capt Jay Sapatnekar the prophetic, because no sooner had he left
Adjutant surprised us Gun Position Officers our area, than the regt came under heavy
(GPOs), by saying that the salary for the enemy arty fire. However they were off
troops had arrived from the Field Cashier target by some 100 yds and we were lucky
(our Army banker, who would beat any that no shells fell on us, though some landed
sophisticated corporate banker and excel in in our logistics area but not much damage
the field), thanks to the State Bank of India was caused. Being at the target end is not a
(SBI) rising to the occasion by delivering the comfortable idea.
money (three months advance of pay, kind After lunch in the Field Officers Mess, the
courtesy the Defence Minister & the PM). COs briefing over, I collected my parcel,
Money order forms were brought by the which was a thick brown envelope. There
bank on the border for troops to fill those appeared to be a box inside and I wondered
and send money to their families. what it was. I was a bachelor and letters were
These were clear battle indicators, the only from my parents and some friends.
‘balloon was being primed to go up’ – in So what was this, I wondered. I took it and
Armed Forces parlance that’s how it is returned to my gun area without opening the
referred to. Twice I had dived into a trench, packet. The atmosphere was a little gloomy.
amidst enemy guns firing on us. Pay was Capt Suresh Sharma, my bty Observation
distributed by me in the lying down position Post (OP) officer, had been wounded and
evacuated. There were casualties in the
Battle of Burinda on November 29 in our regt
and the inf bn also.
The parcel from home
My Command Post (CP) Technical Assistant
Swaran Singh was eager to open my parcel
thinking there were some sweets. I allowed
him to do that. “Sahab yeh toh transistor
On my 22nd birthday, December 18, 1971, in the Paki- hai,” he jumped in joy. It was packed in a box
stan Officers Mess which we had taken charge of, after with Sharmila Tagore’s picture on top. She
the surrender in Khulna. The best birthday gift, to be ever
enjoyed, the Taste of Victory was perhaps modelling for the transistor.
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