Page 8 - Seniorstoday November 2021 Issue

Before the war, Sam visited forward
A pat on the back for his ‘stick orderlies’
them mercilessly. This genocide resulted
in waves of refugees pouring into our
border states and creating an economic,
financial and logistical crisis that was
non-sustainable. By April the situation
had spiralled out of control. At a cabinet
meeting the Army Chief was pressured
to mount an offensive against Pakistan
immediately. Sam rejected this knee-jerk
reaction. He needed time to mobilise his
formations and make up for shortages
of equipment. Communication links by
road and rail needed to be established for
sustained logistic support. The weather
had to be conducive. In the monsoons all
of Bengal but especially the delta region
becomes a swamp in which his tanks would
get bogged down and with poor visibility
and air support would be hampered. He
needed nine months of preparation by
which time winter would set in and the
snows would block the mountain passes,
rendering any attempt by China to open
up a second front futile. Sam was ready
to tender in his resignation rather than be
bulldozed into a misadventure. He got the
PM’s agreement and the rest is history.
8
locations to check plans and preparedness.
In his ‘pep talk’ to the men he clearly spelt
out his expectations: “When you enter
Pakistan, you might find attractive women,
but remember those who wait for you at
home are a class apart!” Masked behind
his humour was a warning: “There will
be no looting, I am commanding soldiers,
not thieves.” After the war, when RAW
revealed the names of a few officers who
had contravened his instructions, the sword
fell swiftly but silently. Inspite of their
military successes, those officers were given
their marching orders. Meanwhile, the
93,000 POWs we had taken captive were
treated according to the Geneva Convention
and foreign media was given full access
to our camps. While Sam celebrated this
decisive victory, his primary concern was
for the wounded and disabled and for
war widows. Along with his wife, Silloo,
he reached out to the private sector for
donations and together they raised Rs 7.5
crore in cash and kind. Sam said: “Silloo
and I go around with a begging bowl so that
my soldiers and their widows will never
need to.”
Five minutes to change your mind!