OF ADMIRALS AND AN AIR MARSHAL

 

On the date of my permanent commission, 01 January 1960, the Indian Navy was a small service. The head of the Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), held the rank of a Vice Admiral. There were just 5 Rear Admirals, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet, Flag Officer Bombay, Comptroller General Ordnance Factories and, because it was the Navy’s turn in the rotational inter-service appointment, Commandant National Defence Academy.

Navy got its second Vice Admiral for two years in 1964 thanks again to the rotational requirement for the Commandant National Defence College (NDC). The service had to wait till 1967 to get a full Admiral after which the door was opened for further promotions. While the pyramid structure of the Navy permits only one full Admiral, it now has around 25 Vice Admirals and 60 Rear Admirals. 

The increase in the number of Admirals is, of course, justified due to the significant expansion of the Navy in men and material. But the larger the number, the less the rarity.

In 1960s, it was great to be promoted to the rank of Commander and earn a brass hat which is the addition of golden braid on the peak of the cap. That was the first step towards achieving greater laurels. With promotion to Rear Admiral, the braid is doubled to invite enhanced respect and reverence. The brass hat seems to have lost its unique status now not only because of large numbers but with all kinds of security personnel wearing it as part of their uniform. Pity!

In 1965, when Vice Admiral AK Chatterji, then Commandant NDC, picked me up as his Flag Lieutenant or ADC, I felt highly elated to get a chance to be so close to a person with the same rank as the CNS. Admiral Chatterji went on to become the CNS and the first full Admiral in the Indian Navy. I regard him as the most intelligent Admiral ever. With his sharp foresight, he laid down plans for the modern Navy as early as late 1950s when he was Director Naval Plans in the NHQ. It is often forgotten that he was responsible for the acquisition of the missile boats which were so effectively deployed in the '71 war by his follower, Admiral Nanda. Indeed, the missile boats were known in the Indian Navy as AK boats after the initials of Admiral Chatterji.

I had the privilege of being close to some other senior Admirals. Rear Admiral SH Sarma was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet just before the 1971 war and I was on his operational staff during  the war. He led the Eastern Fleet boldly and capably in all operations during the war but was so unassuming that he was given less credit than he deserved.

Rear Admiral Ronnie Pereira succeeded him and I served on his staff for about eight months. He, as everyone knows, rose to the highest office in the Navy. I have written a post about him earlier and regard him as a naval icon.

Then there was Vice Admiral Russi Ghandhi who I came to know more after retirement than before. According to me, he shared the iconic personality status with Admiral Pereira.

Among all the senior officers that I knew and admired was an Air Marshal. I had taken over as Admiral Chatterji's Flag Lt in May 1965. In January 1966, it was announced that Admiral Chatterji would take over as CNS in March that year and as he wished to proceed on some leave, Air Vice Marshal R Rajaram, then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command (AOC-in-C WAC), was appointed Commandant NDC in mid-January on promotion to Air Marshal (AM). 

By then, I had received orders to go for a specialisation course in Communications in Signal School, Cochin, mid-66. Admiral Chatterji had to look for a new Flag Lt and AM Rajaram would bring his own aide. I requested that since it was a matter of just a couple of months, could I remain in the NDC till my course commenced? Admiral Chatterji discussed this with AM Rajaram who graciously agreed with his aide remaining on the books of WAC.

That continued for a month or so when further communication was received from NHQ that my course was postponed by a year. I met the AM and told him that I was ready to go back to the Navy. To my surprise, he asked me to continue as his Flag Lt and sent the Air Force aide back to WAC. I held that appointment for about a year before AM Rajaram moved to the Air HQ as Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS).

AM Rajaram and his wife, Lakshmi, were simple, unpretentious people with no unusual demands. One did one's work and that was that. I felt not like just an aide but more like a companion. The AM always kept me next to him and it was fun going on private functions with the Rajarams in the AM's cute Volkswagen Beetle which he would drive himself.

The Rajarams were a lonely couple - they had no children. Perhaps that was the reason why they treated me like a son. After they got to know me a bit, the AM asked me if I could come over on a Sunday morning with some pending files to his 6 King George's Avenue residence. I told him there was nothing that couldn't wait but he said come anyway. So I picked up a few papers and went over. We sat on the sprawling lawn and attended to the official work which took all of 5-10 minutes. He then asked me to go inside and pick up a bottle of beer from the fridge and two glasses. After a while, Mrs Rajaram called us in for lunch and the three of us sat down for a typical vegetarian South Indian meal. That became a normal Sunday routine whenever the Rajarams were free and in Delhi.

The AM had a fine sense of humour and used to recount his experiences in a lighthearted way including the air operations overseen by him as AOC-in-C WAC during the '65 war. In my entire tenure, I never saw him and Mrs Rajaram lose their cool or even raise their voices.

Too soon, it all came to an end with the Air Marshal's move as VCAS. Shortly after, I went back to the Navy and was busy with my own work. On opening the newspaper one morning in June 1969, I was shocked to read of the Air Marshal's passing away; he was just 51 years old. On inquiring from my Air Force friends, I learnt that he was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia. While the Air Force did all it could for his treatment including sending him to Paris, his condition deteriorated rapidly leading to his end on 18 June 1969.

For some time following the AM's demise, Mrs Rajaram continued to stay in Delhi. Akhila and I visited her shortly after our marriage in March 1972. In time, we were to lose touch.

At the NDC, Lt Gen MM Khanna took over as the Commandant from the Air Marshal in December 1966. He asked me to continue as his aide but I told him that much as I would have liked to, it was time to for me to go back before the Navy forgot about me and vice versa. It took about a month to get a relief for me from the Army during which time I remained with him.

So I served as Flag Lt to a Vice Admiral, an Air Marshal and a Lt General. Is that some kind of a record because I am not aware of anyone who has matched that!

Tailpiece: When I was Director Naval Signals in NHQ, I was visited by a retired Rear Admiral who left his visiting card with me. His rank was printed as 'Rare Admiral.' They were indeed 'rare' in his serving days!