After leaving Staff College, we made a short trip to Lucknow to attend the marriage of Mansi’s elder son, Sharad with Sushma. It was our first visit to the historical city but we didn’t get much time to go around, busy as we were with the wedding festivities and little Ruchir just eight months old!
I reported to Captain Pat Barron, Director Naval Signals (DNS) end December 1974. He was a real gentleman, mature and unassuming. I mention this as unfortunately Long Cs (Communications Specialists), generally had the reputation of being ‘Cutthroats’ in the Navy. A saying went that you should be very careful going near them as before you know, your neck would be severed and you would find your head in your hands! Being a Long C myself, I don’t quite agree as I met enough nice officers in this lot and certainly hope no one placed me in that category. But then there were others such as my first OIC in Signal School who might have justified the accusation.
Anyway, I was given the task of looking after Electronic Warfare (EW) and was happy with that allotment as EW was a nascent field then. We were at the stage of selecting and acquiring new EW equipment and there was much to learn and do. For immediate needs, we were looking at imports while finalizing specifications for equipment to be produced indigenously at the Defence Electronics Research Laboratories (DLRL), Hyderabad.
Meanwhile in June 1975, a state of emergency was declared in India and a large number of politicians and journalists were put in jail. An atmosphere of fear prevailed to the extent that if one of us said something even remotely critical of the government, he would be immediately hushed by the others.
So I learnt to keep my mouth shut and kept myself busy with work and affairs at home. We were staying in one of the cabins converted from outhouses of Kota House and had a small bedroom, an even smaller sitting space in front which originally must have been a verandah, and a similar space at the rear to serve as a mini kitchen, and a bathroom. The food was from the Mess and cooking was confined to supplement the mess fare but more importantly, for Ruchir’s needs. He was not yet walking on his own, so we got him a ‘walker’. He would spend hours on the walker running up and down as fast as he could crashing into one door to the other.
Towards the latter half of the year, Capt Barron was transferred and Cmde Kewal Krishen Nayyar took over as DNS. He was an ambitious officer but I got along with him quite well. He would not get into nitty-gritty of things and leave one to do one’s job but not suffer fools. In order to instill self-confidence in us, whenever the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS), our overall boss, had a query, he would send the Deputy Director (DD) concerned to face the DCNS unless he felt the matter was important enough to warrant his presence in which case he would accompany the DD.
In December, we shifted from Kota House to the SP Marg Officers’ (now called Battle Honours’) Mess. We had a proper bedroom, an equal size sitting room, a dressing room, bathroom and balcony. Still small but a big improvement on our previous cabin as it was a newer construction and on 3rd floor, open and sunny. The balcony faced Taj Mansingh Hotel. Presently there is a Café Coffee Day (CCD) on the boundary wall of the Mess. CCD has therefore become our favourite coffee haunt so that we can sit and gaze at our old cabin to get a nostalgic fix.
Cmde Nayyar’s stint was short as he was transferred in just a few months to take over as Director Naval Plans (DNP). We began the year 1976 with the new DNS, Captain Kailash Zadu, a truly remarkable officer. He was intelligent, cool and calm who would not lose his equanimity no matter how big the problem. Another unique quality was the way he dealt with senior officers; he would talk to them on the PAX (NHQ intercom) starting perhaps with a ‘sir’ but the rest of the conversation would be as if he was talking to a chum!
Meanwhile, some EW equipment we had ordered from Italy was nearing completion and the firm invited our reps to its plant in Rome to carry out its final testing and acceptance. Two officers, were required to go, one each from the DNS and the Directorate of Electrical Engineering (DEE). I was selected to go from DNS and Cdr Anil Vyas from DEE. We were also required to attend sea trials of equipment from another firm and our total trip was to be of six weeks.
To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement. From my school days, I had heard so much about Italy through movies and songs that I was in love with the country. Italy had, in fact, caught the global eye with a stream of glamorous actresses led by the explosive Anna Magnani (a Sindhi name?!), beautiful Silvana Magnano dancing into our hearts with the catchy theme song of ‘Anna’, ravishing Gina Lollobrigida and perhaps the most famous, dynamic Sophia Loren. Leading the actors was the charming Marcello Mastroianni, Italy’s biggest star of those days. I didn’t agree but didn’t mind one bit when Kailash Kohli used to say I looked like him!
Apart from Italian film stars, a number of Hollywood movies had brought Italy into limelight. People of my vintage would recall “Roman Holiday” in which a journalist played by Cary Grant takes a princess played by Audrey Hepburn around Rome. “Three Coins in the Fountain” with its theme song sung by the inimitable Frank Sinatra made us aware that throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain and making a wish would make it come true and ensure a return trip to Rome. Another beautiful film on my list is “Lovers Must Learn”, also known as “Rome Adventure”. Something which keeps haunting me from the movie is the scene in which Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette go to a restaurant and as they settle down, Emilio Pericoli launches into one of the best songs of all times, ‘Al Di La’. Mesmerised and gazing in Troy’s eyes, Suzanne asks him, “What does ‘al di la’ mean?” and he whispers, “ …it’s hard to explain, it means far far away, beyond the beyond, beyond this world…”.
Was it just acting or something more? Well, Suzanne and Troy fell in love and married two years later. If I were a girl though, I would have fallen in love with the handsome singer, Emilio Pericoli!
That brings us to songs with Italian flavour. Dean Martin with his Italian heritage gave us one hit after another singing “Volare”, “That’s Amore” and “An Evening in Roma”. Luciano Pavarotti sang his heart out with Neapolitan songs like “O Sole Mio” and “Torna a Sorriento” converted into pop by Elvis Presley in “It’s Now Or Never” and “Surrender”.
I hope this adequately sums up my joy at being deputed to Italy for 6 whole weeks!
Anil Vyas and I arrived at Leonardo da Vinci airport of Rome on the afternoon of 18 January 1976 and were received by the Indian Embassy staff. We were taken to Hotel Universo near the main railway station, Centrale Roma Termini. We were tired and went to sleep. I woke up at 2.30 at night and wondered why? It was my first experience with jet lag and I realized it was 7 am in Delhi.
In the morning, we went to the Indian Embassy and were handed over a huge wad of notes as our foreign allowance. Our feeling of being rich was quickly punctured when we learnt that the exchange rate at that time was, if my memory serves me right, around 60 lire to a rupee. We were advised to open a bank account as Rome is pretty famous for pickpockets and the embassy staff told us that a few weeks earlier, a Cdr Shekhawat, (later Chief of the Naval Staff in the 1990s), had been shorn of his passport and wallet!
Our first task was to go for sea trials of a recently developed equipment. We were flown to Brindisi airport from where we drove to the port of Taranto, way down south in the arch of the foot of Italy. Early next morning, we embarked an Italian naval ship and sailed in the Gulf of Taranto. The trials lasted a few hours after which we returned to harbour. We were due to return to Rome by an evening flight, so I asked our liaison officer if we could have a quick lunch and drive around town for a while. He agreed and took us to a restaurant. He placed the order in Italian which we didn’t follow. Dishes after dishes followed with our host relishing them while we were looking at our watches to see how much time we would have for sightseeing. I reminded our friend that we had requested for a quick lunch. He replied, “Thees is quick lunch. Faster not passeeble in Italy.” In the event, we drove straight to the airport without seeing much of Taranto or Brindisi.
Back in Rome, we went to the headquarters of the firm which was producing the equipment we had ordered. They told us that there was a glitch in the production and while they would brief us about its operation and other details, the actual inspection would not be possible for some time. I spoke to NHQ and it was decided that we would spend the next week learning whatever we could and return to India instead of wasting our time.
Weekend came which we spent sightseeing in Rome. Our first stop had to be Trevi Fountain where we duly tossed coins to ensure that we did come back. Then we went around Central Rome stopping over to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheum and the Spanish Steps. Next day we went to the Vatican City and walked up St. Peter’s Square on to St. Peter’s Cathedral. As we entered the Cathedral and looked at Michelangelo’s La Pieta, the organ started playing. The sound seemed to come from heaven and I stood transfixed with my eyes closed listening to the organ. I had goose pimples all over! Finally, I had to pinch myself to return to earth and proceed to the Sistine Chapel and see Michelangelo’s amazing frescoes on the ceiling.
We found time to go to the well-known department store La Rinascente for some shopping and it was here that I first saw Lego sets which remain a craze with kids to this day.
That Saturday evening, we decided to splurge and went for dinner at a popular restaurant with a band. Soon after, the singer began a superb song and though he sang in Italian, his vocalisation and movements conveyed the enormous passion of the song. We were told it was ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’. It became my number one favourite in Rome and I would request it to be sung on all subsequent visits to a restaurant with a vocalist. You may be familiar with its English version ‘If You Go Away’ sung so well by Shirley Bassey. Two more songs enthralled me in Rome: ‘Il Mondo’ and ‘Grande, Grande, Grande’. The English version of the latter, ‘Never, Never, Never’ by Shirley Bassey may be more familiar to most.
Weekend over, the next few days were busy familiarizing with the equipment. Driving on the way to work, our liaison man would point to a studio with a large open area which was the location for Hollywood’s popular spaghetti westerns like “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “A Few Dollars More” with Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef and the catchy music of Ennio Morricone.
At the end of the week, we took the flight back to Delhi.
February passed by quickly. The firm informed us that the equipment was ready and in early March, Anil and I flew to Rome again. Thus the story of ensuring a return to Rome by throwing a coin in the Fountain was authenticated.
Mondays to Fridays was work but we had the weekends all to ourselves. As our breakfast was included in the room charges and the lunch was provided by the firm, we had only dinner to pay for. Delicious and inexpensive pizzas which we were eating for the first time were our usual fare. This left us with enough money to travel out of Rome.
I planned our travel itinerary largely based on songs and on that weekend, we took the train to Naples (‘in Napoli where love is king …..That’s Amore’. From Naples we took a hydrofoil to Capri (‘Isle of Capri’). From Capri, another hydrofoil took us to Sorrento (‘Torna a Sorriento’). Then we caught a train to go back to Naples making a stopover at the ruins of Pompeii. The train ride overlooking the beautiful coastline and the Gulf of Naples was memorable and the sight of the active volcano Mount Vesuvius awesome. And then it was ‘Buona sera, ….it’s time to say good night to Napoli’.
The following weekend, we visited Venice with its gondolas, St. Mark’s Square and Basilica and the Doge’ Palace. We went to the glass factory at Murano where we watched workers expertly shaping glass into complex figurines. We bought some that we could afford; they are expensive and exclusive.
On our final weekend, we did Florence and its landmark cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore with the famous Dome, Ufizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo della Signoria distinguishing itself with Michelangelo’s David, and Ponte Vecchio spanning Arno river. From Florence to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and then the breathtaking train ride along the sea of Tuscan Archback to Civitavecchia and Rome.
We finished our work during the next week and finally it was time to sing ‘Arrividerci Roma’ but not before throwing another coin in the Trevi Fountain. Would the Fountain bless me again to return to Rome? A memorable six weeks but the irony was that in the world’s most romantic land, I had to go around without loving company!
Midway during our stay in Rome, I had got the good news of Akhila being in the family way with the baby due in October.
Back to work at NHQ pushing files and in time, we shifted to our allotted flat in SP Marg Officers’ Enclave just across the road. We had decided that we would go to Jaipur for the delivery and in early October I took leave and we went to Jaipur to my grandparents and Mummy. We had Akhila examined and the doctor said there were still a couple of weeks to go. I decided not to waste my leave and came back to Delhi.
The next morning, I went to work and in the evening, walked across to my friend Subodh Gupta’s place and we indulged in a good amount of our favourite rum. I came back late happy and promptly went to sleep. Early in the morning, the phone rang. It was Pitaji who said, “Congratulations”. I asked what for? He said Akhila had delivered a baby girl the previous evening and that he had rung up at night but the phone was not answered. I was stunned as I had just come back a day and a half ago but apparently, Akhila started having labour pains suddenly and the baby arrived a fortnight in advance on what was also Karva Chauth. In fact, Akhila almost delivered in the car on the way to the hospital!
I went to DNS and requested leave which was immediately granted and went back to Jaipur that evening. Everyone was in fine spirits and we named our baby daughter Shumita.
We got back to Delhi after 45 days and I resumed work. Soon after, I got a call from the Director of Personnel informing me that I had been appointed to take command of “Katchall”, a Petya class patrol vessel constructed in the USSR. This was another surprise as I thought there were people senior to me still awaiting their turn to command a ship. I then learnt that many had refused to take up this appointment for a reason. Katchall was equipped with gas turbines which needed special rubber mountings. The original mountings had worn out and the ship needed new ones. There was delay in procuring them from the USSR and the Navy was offered some indigenous ones which were approved for trials. Thus a risk was involved which worried some. I did not consider getting out of the command as one, I didn’t know how to wriggle out of an appointment and two, I thought I should not miss the challenge of a command that was offered to me early.
Officers of my vintage had been brought up on UK built ships and were unfamiliar with Russian equipment. For this reason, the Navy had established a Petya Training School, Satavahana, in Vishakhapatnam which conducted a course for officers appointed for command. We contacted OiC Satavahana who launched into a long complaint about his fight with NHQ to get more staff. He showed no keenness to conduct a course for me. Capt Zadu, who had commanded Katchall earlier, told me to forget Satavahana and said he would tell me all that I required to know in 45 minutes.
He said the most unique items on the ship were its two active rudders called ‘Povrots’. He proceeded to explain how to operate them for the next half an hour. Then he ran through other equipment, gas turbines et al, for the next 10 minutes. Finally he said that the thing which bothered him most on the ship was the fact that it had only one W.C. for officers. So he devised his own method to make sure it was available to him whenever he wanted. There was an alarm bell in the Captain’s cabin for sounding ‘action stations’ all over the ship. When Capt Zadu wanted to go to the loo, he would press the bell and everyone would close up at his station letting the Captain free to sit as long as he wanted. On one occasion while he was on the pot at which he used to sit with the door unlocked, a junior officer opened the door. Without getting up or displaying any embarrassment, the Captain yelled, “What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you at your station?” According to Capt Zadu, the frightened officer never visited the W.C. for the rest of his stay on board.
Capt Zadu also said that the Captain must have an individual characteristic by which his men could easily distinguish him. So for the one year he was in command, he did not have a haircut! Only a bold person like Capt Zadu could carry that off without being ticked off by his seniors.
Finally, it was time to go to Vizag. I was on joining time and had despatched my luggage and car by train. I had a Vespa scooter which I had held back for essential use. On 11 February 1977, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passed away. The next day, I needed to go to Connaught Place for some shopping but discovered all shops closed because of national mourning. I was driving slowly looking at the shops in the hope of finding an open one when suddenly a scooter rickshaw crossed my path from my right to take a link road to the left. The rickshaw’s rear wheel caught my front one and I went sprawling on the road. Fortunately I was wearing a helmet which was shattered but I had a deep gash on my head where the rim of the helmet had cut into my forehead which was bleeding heavily. I was completely shaken but managed to ask the rickshaw driver to take me to the MI Room on Dalhousie Road. After dropping me, the driver quickly disappeared. I rang up home and Akhila and the kids arrived soon while I was medically attended to. They were shaken to see my heavy bandage and blood-stained clothes but the helmet had saved my life.
We took it easy for the next few days while my wound healed. Luckily I had no other serious injury and we decided to stick to our programme which was for Akhila and the kids to go to Bijnor while I proceeded to Vizag to take over my ship and find a house to get the family over.
Tailpiece. Similarity with Marcello Mastroianni was a bit far-fetched but when I was young, people did say I resembled Dirk Bogarde. Also, I have often been told that I resemble Balraj Sahni. On a trip to New York, we went to a restaurant. The waiter attending on us was a Pakistani who told me he had taken a bet with the chef that I was related to Balraj Sahni. I was sad to disappoint him.
But the cake goes to this incident. We were having coffee at a Starbucks’ in New York when a lady came and asked me if I was an actor from Hollywood. I, of course, denied and said I was not an actor and was from India. She looked at me and said, “But you look like Robert de Niro!”
I am now old and resemble no one, not even myself!
