SWEET AND SOUR

It started off as a normal, sweet trip.

In January and February, we've been going to Jaipur for many, many years and so did we this year reaching there on 25 January well in time to settle down before the start of the famous Jaipur Literature Festival (LitFest) starting on 30 January. We got in touch with friends and relatives looking forward to meeting them in the Festival and later.

The LitFest got off with a bang with William Dalrymple holding forth brilliantly on his latest book, "The Golden Road-How Ancient India Transformed The World". As against the mythical 'Silk Road', Dalrymple recounts how India spread our culture and commerce to faraway places helped by a strong shipping industry guided by favourable monsoon winds. The largest Hindu temple, nay, the largest temple of any religion, is not in India but Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Among other Southeast countries, Ramayana is celebrated in Bali, one island in Islamic Indonesia which has a big Hindu majority. Buddhism spread all over East Asia including China. And India exported spices as far as the Roman Empire and got paid in gold. Truly a golden road!

A highlight of the opening day was the presence of Rishi Sunak, ex-PM of UK, who came with his in-laws, the Murthys, to attend a session where his wife, Akshata, spoke to her author mother Sudha Murthy about the latter's book, "The Child Within". Mr. Sunak obliged by standing up and doing a smiling 'Namaste' to the audience and was cheered appreciatively.  

The next day was a big one for the Sharma clan for which as many of us as could had got together in Jaipur. The event was the introduction of the book "Purde Ke Peechhey", an autography of the popular actress Ila Arun transcripted by my cousin Anjula Bedi, herself an actress, as told to her by Ila. The two were on stage with the moderator and theatre actor and director, MK Raina. Anjula read some passages while Ila kept the home audience (Ila is from Jaipur} entertained with her tales as also some singing and dancing. Midway during the session, Raina staged a sudden walkout apparently because he felt that Kashmir's troubles were being trivialised by filmmakers. Ila, however, continued gamely and retained the enthusiastic attention of the audience.  

On the final day of the Festival the organisers came up with a masterstroke bringing about a unique and unbelievable meeting of the descendants of two great thinkers of the last century, Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi, marking it the first time that family members of Tolstoy and Gandhi physically met after their ancestors' letter exchanges more than 115 years ago. Daniil Tolstoy, great grandson of Leo, and Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma, were on stage enthralling the audience with the real life story of the extraordinary exchange of letters between the two famous men. In 1909, Leo Tolstoy, a Russian Count and renowned author, was 80 and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a lawyer in Johannesburg, half Tolstoy's age at 40. On a visit to London, Gandhiji chanced upon a revolutionary manifesto by Tolstoy,"A Letter to a Hindu", in which, drawing from his own experience of the bloody 1905 Russian Revolution and quoting from Hindu scriptures, Tolstoy urged Indians to give up violence and 'embrace love as the only path to liberation'. Gandhiji was highly impressed by the 'Letter' and wrote back to Tolstoy setting up an exchange of letters for about a year before Tolstoy passed away in November 1910. Non-violence thus became Gandhiji's philosophy and to start with, he opened a Tolstoy farm outside Johannesburg where Satyagrahis could gather.  

The curtain to JLF 2025 was drawn with the customary Writer's Ball where a good time was had by all with sumptuous food and dancing to the music of a jugalbandi of Western and Rajasthani Manganiar music.

Akhila and I had planned on spending about 10 days in Jaipur after the LitFest. So we thought of taking it easy for a few days before catching up with friends and relatives. But on 6 February, Akhila developed a hacking cough and I got it soon after. As advised by a doctor friend, we started taking biochemical medicines and felt initial improvement. But suddenly our condition became worse and by 11th night, we were very ill. As advised and facilitated by our friend Rita, Pranab Roy's wife, who was recovering from a similar illness, the next morning we sought admission in a hospital and were kept in the CCU for over a day followed by 3 in a private room. Alarmed, Shumita flew to Jaipur to look after us.

We were discharged on 15th evening feeling completely debilitated and drained out. According to doctors, it was a viral infection that had affected the respiratory system. We discovered there were other victims in Jaipur including naval friend Polly Byce and his wife, Ranjana. The more we talked to people, the more we heard about cases from as far as Coorg and Varanasi. A neighbour in Delhi told us it took her 3 months to get her full strength back!   

We were advised two weeks of rest after which we returned to Delhi on 1 March. We have recovered from the infection but are still a little weak with some aches and pains.

So a sweet trip turned sour. Looking forward to an early return to 'sweet'!

                                                                                                                 

NOSTALGIA IS....NDA

Akhila and I visited National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, almost 70 years after I first reported there on 22 July 1955 to join the 14th Course and 60 1/2 years from when I was last there as a Divisional Officer in 'J' Squadron. Naturally, I was flooded with memories and discovered a new dimension of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is....the very entry into the hallowed premises after all this while. The entrance now is earlier than at the Pashan Gate of old. It starts with the NDA Chowk, a roundabout with a T-55 tank, a MIG 27 fighter aircraft and a model of INS Vikrant. The road continues adorned on both sides with more tanks, aircraft and ship models leading to the Pashan Gate. Equitation Training grounds follow soon after marked by a new gate with a statue of three prancing horses. How well I remember the wooden horses which bad riders were confined to though the latter regarded them as sanctuaries to escape the unpredictable mood of live horses.

Nostalgia is....stopping at the Gole Market, NDA's own shopping centre so named because of its shape. We run into a bunch of cadets of the 153rd Course (mine was 14th) who were all set to start their first term two days later. The cadets were still to get uniforms although their hair had been chopped off to a quarter inch and were wearing temporary tallies displaying the NDA numbers allotted to them. I took a photograph of them to record their numbers which ran into 43500s-43600s compared to my 2134. The boys were in good spirits and I wondered if they knew what was going to hit them in a couple of days after the senior cadets arrived! Later, when I met the Commandant, I asked him whether the first-termers were still asked by the seniors to measure the length of squadron corridors by the number of front rolls. He said yes but with today's advanced technology, a watchful eye is kept through CCTVs to ensure ragging remains at an acceptable level. This is all the more necessary as starting from the 148th Course, NDA now has girl cadets. 148th Course will be completing their six terms in May this year and its girls will be the first lot to pass out from the Academy.

Nostalgia is....visiting the two squadrons which were my home for three years. I spent my first term in 'F' which, due to rationalising of names, now houses 'L'. I walked the long corridors and climbed up to the second floor to see my cabin 98 but was a bit disappointed to find that there has been some redesigning and there is now a bathroom where 98 originally was! 

At the start of my second term, a new squadron, 'K' now renamed 'C', was added and I was transferred to it to spend my remaining 5 terms there. I was delighted to see they have maintained an album which has photographs dating back to January 1956 when the squadron was first formed. So I looked at myself at sweet 17 growing on to 19 and took photographs of photographs which I have been showing around asking relatives and friends if they can recognise the young man! It is not easy. Even I find it difficult to recognise my colleagues but it is wonderful to see them as they were in those days as also the officers led by the revered and much-loved Squadron Leader Chandan Singh who guided us to become the Champion Squadron. Incidentally, Flight Lieutenant Denis LaFontaine who went on to become the Air Chief was one of our Divisional Officers.

Next to the squadron is the Cadets' Cafe where we used to repair to console ourselves with cream cones after the barbers had had a free run on our heads twice a week, sometimes three, at the adjoining shop.

A third Squadron I had attachments to was 'J' where I was a Divisional Officer in 1964-65. Major Shyam Rattan followed by Maj John Verghese were the Squadron Commanders and Flight Lieut 'Speedy' Rana and Capt Surjit Kumar my fellow Div Offrs. Wing Cdr 'Barney' Fernandes was the benevolent Battalion Commander. I shall always remember what for us was a faux pas but not so for Speedy.  Maj Rattan had just become father of a third daughter when Speedy went up to him and wished him 'heartfelt condolences'. On our efforts urging him to correct himself, he said laughingly that in their part of the country, that was how the event was viewed! Maj Rattan took it all smilingly. Actually he was quite a happy-go-lucky guy with a good sense of humour. One of his favourite stories was that during the Second World War he was posted in Monaco and the country was so small that when he slept, his head was in Monaco but his feet were in France!

Nostalgia is.... standing in the huge Cadets Mess, one of the largest in the world, where 1500 of us used to dine together. It has now been extended to seat over 2200 but maintains high quality of food still serving the mouth-watering 'Tipsy' pudding and delicious cold coffee. The Commandant told us an interesting story about the cold coffee which has special ingredients to provide enhanced proteins for the hardworking cadets. Word spread about its special taste and NDA was approached by Starbucks to share its recipe with them which NDA politely refused. The mess staff kindly handed us a glass of cold coffee which we gulped down in a flash and, like Oliver, asked for 'more'!

A stone's throw away is the Ashoka Pillar on a roundabout from where we feast our eyes on Sudan Block with its majestic dome and surroundings. Sudan Block was so named because Sudan paid a tidy sum towards its construction in recognition of Indian soldiers who fought for that country's liberation. On the right flank of Sudan Block stands the vast Habibullah Hall named after the first Commandant of NDA. When I was a cadet, there was a thatched roof Cinema Hall on a hill halfway to the Peacock Bay. I have vivid memories of that Hall where I saw classic old movies like "An Affair To Remember" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris." On top after the climb and just before the Hall, there was a board saying "Resume Breathing". I have never quite understood what was meant by that! Much as we liked going to the movies, the climb was stiff and made worse by seniors asking us to lift our bikes above our heads and run. I found it better to walk to the Hall instead of cycling. Seniors used to ask why I was not on the bike and my answer was "It is punctured sir." Worked most of the time!

When I returned to NDA as a Div Offr, the old Hall had been demolished and a new one built which has been vastly expanded and renovated to acquire its present shape and given the name Habibullah Hall.

Along the road is the Science Block now named Manoj Pandey after the hero of the Kargil War who was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously. I recall two Science teachers, Mr. Keshwani who taught us Physics and affectionately called us 'my boy' with a heavy nasal accent. Teaching Chemistry was Mr. Bhavnani, a fanatic for fresh air. To tease him, we would close all windows before he came to the class. That would upset him straightaway and he would launch into a 10-minute tirade beginning with, "You Indians, black from outside, black from inside...."

On the other side of the road is the vast Drill Square with the Quartermaster Fort at the far end and a naval mast on the road end. This is where we learnt drill, Army style marching and all, with the Britisher RSM Ayling, who was also a Cricket Test Umpire, screaming words of command loud enough to be heard all over the NDA and Subedar Major Gurung's taunts exposing our bad marching by giving rapid words of command such as "Right wheel, dekh tamasha, left turn, dekh tamasha, about turn, dekh tamasha" etc. At the end of a term, this is the scene of the final Passing Out Parade where cadets come out of the QM Fort, march on to the Drill Square, salute the Chief Guest, and the cadets who have successfully completed their training march out on to the dais and past the manned mast with their parents watching with joy and pride.

Nostalgia is...standing by the side of the Swimming Pool, looking at the diving board and remembering my strange incident in my final term. Learning how to swim and dive to pass the compulsory test, I developed a splitting headache every time I entered the water. Nearing the term end, I dragged myself to the pool and reported to the swimming instructor who checked my records and said I had already passed the test. Double check and he reconfirmed. I scooted fast and remained a non-swimmer during my entire naval career- a sailor who didn't know how to swim! To this day I don't know who ticked my box. Providence?!

The swimming pool is next to the Officers Mess and I look at my first-floor cabin where I stayed for a year and a half in 1964-65. It has a balcony and my friends Subodh Gupta, Tiger Talwar, Mel Kendall, Laddoo Malik, Bogey Borgonah, Honky Mukhuty and I spent many evenings there having a drink and singing songs ranging from Pankaj Mullick to The Beatles.

On the other side of the Mess is the Stadium and I visualise my friend and coursemate Jayanto Roy Chowdhry running the 100 metres race, elastic of his shorts snapping and his constantly tugging and pulling up the shorts and still winning the race. There is also the memory of the 15th Course Cadet Arjun Sengupta opening the innings for Services XI in 1957 and scoring a century against the West Indies which won him a place in the Indian test team. 

Nostalgia is....visiting and playing on the Golf Course where I was taught the game 60 years ago by Mr. Dimitri (Dimmy) Jouravlov claiming to be from the family of blue blooded czars. He ran away at the start of the Bolshevik Revolution, worked his way through Central Asia and, accomplished musician that he was, became the Bandmaster in the court of Maharaja of Patiala. After independence, he came to JSW Dehradun where he was appointed as a teacher for Russian. At the NDA, he developed the Golf Course which is rightly named after him. He gave me lessons in golf and got me addicted to the game which I continue to play to date. Dimmy was a lonely old soul and some time after I left the NDA, I heard that he hanged himself in the little cottage allotted to him. A sad end to a remarkable man.

To relive the NDA fully as also to escape the harsh and smoggy winter of Delhi, we stayed there for 10 days. The Commandant, Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, had kindly made arrangements for us to stay at the Hermitage, a cute little cottage guest house. The cottage reminded me of the one where my friend Loveji Mehta and his sweet wife Nisha used to stay in 1964-65.  They used to invite us bachelors, Subodh Gupta and me, for Sunday lunch. While Nisha busied herself preparing Dhanshak and rice, Loveji would entertain us with Bach and Tchaikovsky out on the lawn.

Admiral Gurcharan and his charming wife, Kamaljit, called us for dinner one evening at Kondhana, the Commandant's house, which I had heard of but never seen before. We had a delightful evening at the lovely house which ranks as one of the best I have ever seen. After dinner, they took us for a walk on the sprawling lawns and showed us the Kalpavriksha which is considered a wish-fulfilling divine tree across many religions including Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. By itself, it never sheds its leaves which are quite hard and legend has it that Lord Krishna used them as spoons to scoop and eat butter. Kamal gave Akhila a bag full of leaves and the latter still asked for more!

Only a couple of weeks have passed but I already get nostalgic about this trip!

Postscript: Our sincere thanks to Admiral Gurcharan and his staff, Cdr Rahul Chauhan, Major Subodh Baghel and Sgt Kushwaha, for making our trip truly memorable.

RINGING OUT 2024 - THE YEAR THAT WAS

Full of travels and events, 2024 really rolled fast.

We rang it in at Cochin, or Kochi as it is now known in New India! It was a mix of old and new at Bolghatti Island: the hotel was new but the grounds were that of the old golf course where I used to play in the early 1970s. Remarkably, they have left the tee boxes still standing so old folks like me can hark back to their golfing days! Our group was coincidental but great with my cousin Sharad visiting from Australia, his daughter Shaumyika and son-in-law Ben from USA, Akhila and I from Delhi, and my cousin Reeta and her husband Sanjay stationed in Cochin itself.

As in previous years, the second half of January we were in Jaipur for the popular Literature Festival. This year, naval flavour was provided by Rear Admiral 'Gigi' Gupta, Mahavir Chakra awardee for his air strikes on East Pakistan in the '71 War and Commodore Gurnam Singh, Air Engineer on Vikrant during the War, in conversation with Commodore Srikant Kesnur about their book "Guardians of the Seas". Then there was Admiral Tahiliani's son,Tarun, holding forth on his book and fashion designs. The finale to the festival was provided by the Writers Ball in the new and beautifully constructed Leela Palace Hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur.

We were back in Delhi to view tulips from Amsterdam spectacularly lining up the Shanti Path. A sight to behold.

In April, helped by my friend and coursemate, General Ved Malik, we took a long-awaited trip to Bhutan, the country of the thunder dragon, and world leader in GNH or Gross National Happiness. Watching its people, you instantly realise that it is true, the people genuinely seem happy and peaceful. For five days, we heard no shouting, no car horns, total traffic discipline without lights and policemen, and courteous people all-round. And there was so much to see with numerous historic Dzongs spread all over the country.

June saw us catching a Swissair flight to Zurich, a place we had briefly visited 37 years ago. This time, Ruchir organised a 4-day stopover for us en route to the US. With the help his friend's friend, Natasha, and our driver, Mahu-ud-Din, originally from Pakistan, we not only went extensively around Zurich but drove to nearby towns and landmarks. There was the Limmat river with it's snowwhite swans, the gigantic Rhine Falls, Mount Titlis with the unique glacier cave and lifesize cutouts of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol from "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" which was shot there, Vaduz castle in Liechtenstein, the fairyland village of Stein am Rhein with its charming frescoes, and, of course, irresistible chocolates of Lindt and Laderach.

Zurich to Miami where Shumita, Shiven and Raghav had preceded us. Familiar with the city in which we had spent a lot of time just two years ago, we escorted them to various sites including Wynwood District famous for its distinguishing, colourful murals. After a week, they left for New York while we stayed on for a few more days during which we visited my cousin Babbi and her husband, Solly, in the equestrian town of Wellington. They took us on a tour to ex and to-be President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Retreat (should we have called on him as many heads of governments from all over the world are doing before his swearing-in!) and the Aero Club, the rich aeronautical community with its exclusive runway and houses with hangars instead of garages to park the owners' planes!

End-June we joined Ruchir, Shumita and the boys in New York where Shiven was undergoing a 3-week summer course for "Creative Writing" at Columbia University. To give him a break and enjoyment for all, Ruchir organised a yacht trip down Hudson River to Statue of Liberty on to East River and back with a champagne lunch thrown in.

Shiven's course completed, Shumita and the boys left for India mid-July while we stayed on for another month. One of the musts for us was the daily walk in the Central Park, spots of which kept reminding me of popular songs associated with them. Another highlight was attending a concert in the famous Carnegie Hall where we were enthralled by Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade". Meanwhile, Ruchir was busy with the launch of his fifth book, "What Went Wrong With Capitalism".

Back in Delhi, a memorable event was the lunch by Navy Foundation to honour 14 nonagenarians with 11 of them gracing the occasion with their presence. Some were totally fit, some a bit less but all of them in good spirits and an inspiration to all of us to keep growing! I had personally known most of them and it was a delight to talk to them as also some younger ones who had served with me at one time or the other.  

A trip to Jaipur was overdue and it was expedited by a call from another nonagenarian, Captain RN Singh, a 2nd JSW Course ex-pilot holding a record of travel from UK to India by air, sea and land, having driven a car from London to Delhi in the '50s with two colleagues on completion of their training. Capt Singh wanted us to come to Jaipur to join in the celebrations on the 2nd birthday of his twin great grandson and great granddaughter from his elder daughter's daughter. How could we say no, so we went over for the party and stayed on in Jaipur for another ten days.

We returned to Delhi in time for Dussehra and Diwali. Ruchir came from the US for the latter festival and soon after Diwali, the CNS, Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, invited us over for dinner at the Navy House along with the retiring Supreme Court Chief Justice Chandrachud. It was an  engaging evening.

Some officers from the 23rd Course had a brilliant idea of organising a lunch for all from 1st to 28th Course at the Sam Maneckshaw Auditorium and that was another occasion to meet people from days long gone by. A truly emotional event.

Roses come in eye-catching colours and have a heady fragrance but also thorns which alert you to take beauty with a little pinch. So does life which has its ups and downs and warns you not to take things for granted. So I must pause here to pay homage to a very dear friend who passed away in October. Vice Admiral Kailash Kohli left us after being in and out of hospital but just when he actually appeared to be recovering. He and I served together in many places, played a lot of golf, shared a love for music and were in constant touch right to the day before his eternal departure. Irreparable loss. May his soul rest in peace!

After Diwali, Delhi gets bitterly cold and foggy and, worse, dangerously polluted. We have been getting away to better climes and air for the last few years and it was time to plan for this year too. After considering many places, I hit upon the idea of going to NDA Kharakvasla, a place I hadn't visited since I left it in May 1965 after a stint as Divisional Officer in 'J' Squadron. Additionally, I discovered there was a naval Commandant there and so I contacted my serving naval friend, Rear Admiral Venkatraman, for help. He said the Commandant was a personal friend and a commissioning shipmate from INS Brahmaputra and he would gladly speak to him. Soon after, the Commandant, Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, got in touch with me and said a guest room had been reserved for us.

So Akhila and I found ourselves ensconced in the "Hermitage", and after a game of golf at the Jourovlov Golf Course where I learnt the game 60 years ago, sat ringing out the old and ringing in the new year in nostalgic surroundings for me and moderate temperatures of 16*-30* Celsius and AQI less than 100. 

'Bye 2024, Hi 2025!

REMEMBERING MUMMY VIA TALAT MAHMOOD

Woke up this morning humming “Tasveer Teri Dil Mera Behela Na Sakegi”. Why did I dream of this 80 year old song which I had almost forgotten?

And then, it struck me, it was not just the song I was remembering but Mummy!

It was one of her favourite songs by a singer she was immensely fond of. I recall asking her “Who is your most favourite singer?” Her instant reply, “Talat Mahmood.”

Talat had a soft, mellifluous voice ideally suited for sad ghazals with wistful lyrics and Mummy loved that. One stanza from “Tasveer Teri…”-

“Main baat karunga to yeh khamosh rahegi

Seene se laga lunga to yeh kuch na kahegi

Aaram woh kya degi jo tadpa na sakegi

Tasveer teri dil mera behela na sakegi.”

‘Tasveer’ was the theme of another sweet ghazal with the lines-

“Dum bhar ke liye meri duniya me chale ao

Tarsi hui aankhon ko phir shakal dikha jao

Mujhse toh meri bigdi taqdir nahi banti, tasveer nahi banti

Tasveer banata hoon, tasveer nahi banti, tasveer nahi banti.”

A Talat song Mummy used to sing a lot was “Ae Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Le Chal Jahan Koi Na Ho.” Mummy was very particular about her two hours of siesta which Pitaji, my Nana, thought was a waste of time. So he used to tease her saying, “Bimlaji ko toh dinbhar khali yeh karna hai”- 

“ Jaa kar kahin kho jaoon main, neend aae aur so jaaun main…

Duniyaa mujhe dhudhe magar meraa nishaa koi na ho.”

A desire to be rid of sorrow and be in another place was brilliantly brought out in the following song-

“Ae mere dil kahin aur chal, gham ki duniya se dil bhar gayaa

Dhundh le ab koi ghar nayaa….

Chal jahan gham ke marey na hon, jhooti aashaa ke taare na hon

In baharon se kya faayeda, jismen dil ki kali jal gayi

Zakhm phir se haraa ho gayaa

Ae mere dil kahin aur chal.”

But what first drew Mummy to Talat could have been “Mera Jeevan Saathi Bichhad Gaya”-

“Kismet ne kiye jo dil pe sitam, do chahane vale mil na sakey

Kehne ko bahar ayi thi magar, do phool khushi ke khil na sake….

Lo khatam kahani ho gayi.”

Mummy must have paused, taken a second breath, mustered courage, put the past behind, and with the help of her loving and caring parents, began a new story.

ADMIRAL CHATTERJI LIVES ON AT 110

In a message to me about the release of a book which was the outcome of the fifth research project undertaken by the National Maritime Foundation under the Admiral AK Chatterji Fellowship appropriately scheduled on the Admiral's 110th birth anniversary, 22 November 2024, his younger daughter Probhati, or Tuktuk as she is popularly known, wrote, "Daddy Lives On".

Of course he does, Tuktuk, and will continue to live as long as there is the Indian Navy (IN) for he was its architect. In 1947, at the age of 32 and newly promoted to the rank of Acting Commander, he was appointed as the first Indian Director of Naval Plans and produced a ten-year plan which envisioned a two fleet Navy, one for either coast each led by an aircraft carrier, and induction of submarines. That it took us forty years to acquire a second carrier only highlights his vision.

Plans need to be augmented and kept up-to-date with latest technologies. So when the Admiral learnt of the success of the Russian-built missile boat of the Egyptian Navy in sinking the Israeli frigate "Eilath" in 1967, he, by then Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), immediately went for the acquisition of 8 Osa class missile boats from the USSR. Fittingly, the IN named them AK boats after the Admiral's initials. The boats arrived in 1970, well in time for the 1971 War in which they were used innovatively to bring glory to the Indian Navy. Throttling of the erstwhile East Pakistan by the carrier Vikrant and havoc caused by the missile boats in on ships and installations in Karachi harbour brought Pakistan down on its knees in less than a fortnight of war.

Remarkably, Chatterji, then a Vice Admiral, became the Naval Chief at the age of 51, the Indian Navy's first full Admiral at 53 and after 4 years as CNS, retired at the age of 55. Compare this with the present retirement age of the CNS at 62. It is also interesting to note that he was given command of the cruiser Delhi, then the largest ship in the IN, as an acting Captain at the age of 35 at which naval officers are generally Lieutenant Commanders sweating to get the command of a small ship. His brilliant shiphandling with a stern-first approach in Malta harbour won him high praise from British Admirals.

I was fortunate to be chosen by the Admiral as his Flag Lieutenant (ADC) when he was Commandant, National Defence College, in 1965. Personally, I found him to be a very likeable senior officer while being a thorough professional who would suffer no fools. He was mindful of his personal image and lived by setting an example. For instance, in those days, officers were not permitted to use the staff car from home to office and back. The Admiral would drive his own white Fiat (was the number 3600!) to the College where the Flag Lieut and a driver would receive him at the porch and the latter would take over and park the car.

One thing the Admiral was very sensitive about was the spelling of his surname. He ended it with 'i' and would get very upset when people misspelt it with double 'ee' even though his two brothers, also in the Navy, spelt it that way!

In parties, the Admiral would enjoy himself and mix around freely. When the time came to leave, he would seek Mrs Chatterji and say, "Madhobi, barhi chaalo", which became popular parting words throughout the Navy..

All along, I had kept in touch with Admiral and Mrs Chatterji and the family who I knew very well.  His elder daughter Purobi (Bula) and her husband Deb Mukharji of the Indian Foreign Service were married while I was in the NDC and whenever I meet them, I am quick to remind them that I had played a large part in organising their wedding ceremony. Tuktuk and her husband Shantanu Mukherjee were with us in Singapore where the latter was heading the Air India office. After retirement, all of us settled in Delhi and continued to meet.

Admiral and Mrs Chatterji called us often for a meal and in many of them, they would invite all the previous Flag Lieuts. Admiral himself loved to cook and would proudly announce his contribution to the meal, generally the sweet dish 'Sondesh'.

And so, we kept on visiting and meeting them. On one visit, the Admiral was unwell. He said he had been to a party the previous night where people forced him to drink and eat more than usual. Mrs Chatterji would have none of that and said, "Don't blame others. How can anyone stuff a drink or food in your mouth?"

Mrs Chatterji was full of stories and the best one is this. Mrs Chatterji's parents approached young Adhar's parents to fix their match and the latter asked for her horoscope. On getting their Purohit's approval, Adhar with his two brothers were sent to meet Madhobi and her parents. Adhar was instructed to dress in kurta and dhoti while the brothers were in shirts and trousers. The meeting was a brief, shy one with little talk and no introductions which were taken for granted. A few days later, Adhar was told to go to Madhobi's house and return the horoscope. This time he was casually dressed and Madhobi met him at the door, took the horoscope, thanked him and closed the door. Madhobi's parents asked her who had come. She said, "Oh, the Purohit who had come with the two Chatterji brothers brought the horoscope back but why was he not in his traditional dhoti and kurta today?"

Yes, the Admiral lives on and so does Mrs Chatterji.

 

MY FAVOURITE MUSICALS

'Jab dil ko sataye gum, tu chhedh sakhi sargam'. So went a popular old Hindi song- when you are  troubled by sadness, turn to music.

I had a grim couple of weeks mid-October. First, a dear friend passed away. Then I came to the end of a book highly praised and Booker Prize winner of 2023, "Prophet Song" by Paul Lynch. The story turned was frightening and starkly dark. Shumita gave me another book to read, "Brotherless Night" by V.V.Ganeshananthan. I browsed through it and asked her if it was dark. Her answer, endorsed by a nod from Shiven, "intensely". Thanks a lot! So I tuned in to Apple+ and saw the fifth episode of the serial "Disclaimer", about the darkest drama I've ever seen!

To uplift my mood, I decided to follow the advice in the Hindi song and turn my thoughts to my favourite musicals. Here we go.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, with the movie, "The Wizard of Oz". It was released one year after I was born and seen by me in School in the early 1950s when for Jaipur Xavierites, the legendary Father Cosgrove used to screen movies on weekends through his 16 mm. projector. An unforgettable and touching story of a harassed little girl Dorothy who dreams of being transported to the Land of Oz and home of the good-hearted Wizard. Twenty year old Judy Garland was superb in her role as Dorothy and sang "Over The Rainbow" so well that it is regarded as one of the most beautiful songs ever. The movie put us teenagers in a happy mood and I recall my friends and me dancing all the way home singing "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Rodgers and Hammerstein formed a composer-lyricist partnership in 1943 with "Oklahoma", a trendsetter on Broadway and the first of the duo's many outstanding and award-winning musicals. Its story is about a farm girl, Laurey, caught between two rival suitors, one good, Curly, the other wicked, Jud. Songs that are my favourites include "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin" sung by Curly on his way to see Laurey- 'I've got a beautiful feelin', everything's goin' my way.' Another great number was "People Will Say We're in Love". The song is sung twice, first with a list of 'don'ts' so that people don't gossip-  'Don't throw bouquets at me.....Don't sigh and gaze at me....Don't take my arm too much....Don't dance all night with me....People will say we're in love.' Towards the end when the too are engaged, they decide to shed their reservations and sing, 'Let people say we're in love'. The third song I recall is "All Er Nuthin'" sung by a supporting couple, Will and Annie, in which Will tells Annie that she will have to give up flirting with other men since 'With me it's all er nuthin'....It cain't be in between, it cain't be now and then, no half and half romance will do.'

Just 2 years later, Rodgers and Hammerstein came up with their second musical, "Carousel", which again was a superhit. Rodgers later wrote that it was his favourite musical. The plot is about a poor barker, Billy, and Julie who fall in love and get married. Billy, after a failed robbery to make money, kills himself. 15 years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for just one day to seek forgiveness from Julie, attend the graduation ceremony of his daughter Louise, who was born after his death, and gift her a star from Heaven for support.

The musical has one super song after another but I will just mention three. First there is the instrumental "The Carousel Waltz" which, true to its title, goes round and round in my head. Then "If I Loved You", one of the best love songs ever-written which is sung twice, the first by Julie and Billy too shy to confess their love but imagining what life would be if they were in love, and then again when Julie feels Billy's presence during his visit from Heaven. One of the all-time inspiring numbers is "You'll Never Walk Alone", again performed twice, the first when Julie's cousin Nettie sings it to raise Julie's spirits after Billy's suicide, and then at the end when Louise finds the star left by Billy. 

I was indeed lucky to watch its Broadway revival in 2018.

So we come to "Singin' in the Rain", a 1952 movie. It starred Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds; Rita Moreno and Cyd Charisse. It is widely regarded as a classic, considered by many to be the greatest Hollywood musical ever. An exceptional feature of the movie was the brilliant dancing of Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Cyd Charisse marked by a stunning extended-fantasy dance number by Kelly and Charisse while O'Connor entertained with some exuberant gymnastics. The title number, sung and danced by a stripe-suited and hatted Gene Kelly swinging from a lamppost in the rain, is a lasting image from the movie.

My next favourite is the movie "South Pacific" (1958) another work of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Most of us must have seen the movie and I was lucky to see its revival on Broadway a few years ago. The story is adapted from a James Michener collection of short stories, "Tales of the South Pacific". Mitzi Gaynor and Rosanno Brazzi play the lead roles, the former of a young US Navy nurse, Nellie, who can't help falling in love with a much older French widower, Emile (Brazzi). A delightful supporting role is that of an elderly Polynesian woman called Bloody Mary (Juanita Hall) who makes us laugh but will not have anyone belittling local people.

The songs are many and cover diverse moods ranging from light and comic to wishful and lovelorn. Sailors sing of the remarkable "Bloody Mary" and express their desire for female company in "There is Nothing Like a Dame", Bloody Mary sings of the irresistible pulls of the island "Bali Hai", children learn French through "Dites-moi", Nellie declares she is a happy-go-lucky girl in "A Cockeyed Optimist", then on meeting Emile first wishes to get rid of him, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" but finally acknowledges her love for him with "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy", and Emile sings the classic romantic number, "Some Enchanted Evening" with the beautiful lines -

"Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love....across a crowded room,

Then fly to her side, and make her your own, 

For all through your life you may dream all alone,

Once you have found her, never let her go,

Once you have found her, NEVER LET HER GO."

Sad to say, Mitzi Gaynor, the only star who sang her songs herself and was not dubbed, passed away recently at the age of 93.

Another great musical that same year was "Gigi". It was an Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe effort which won all 9 Oscars it was nominated for including Best Picture and Best Direction. The story set in Paris is about a wealthy philanderer, Gaston (Louis Jourdan), who spends a lot of time in the house of a Madame. Madame Alvarez has under her care a little girl, Gigi (Leslie Caron), who looks upon Gaston as an uncle and Gaston in turn treats her as a child. In time, Gaston is stunned by the sudden realisation that Gigi has grown up into a charming lady and that he has fallen in love with her. After much resistance from all including Gigi but who gradually starts loving Gaston, they get married.

Along with Jourdan and Caron, an exceptional part is played by the famous French actor and singer, Maurice Chevalier, as Madame's old husband, Honore Lachaille. He sings some outstanding songs in his suave but mischievous manner in a heavy French accent including "Thank Heaven For Little Girls"-

"Each time I see a little girl of five or six or seven

I can't resist the joyous urge to smile and say

Thank heaven for little girls, they grow up in the most delightful way.....

Thank heaven for little girls

Thank heaven for them all, no matter where, no matter who,

Without them, what would little boys do?"

Watching Gaston tormented by the ups and downs of his love affair, Honore (Chevalier) sings another interesting number, "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore". Gaston expresses his sudden realisation of Gigi coming of age and his feelings for her in the title song- 

"Oh, Gigi, have I been standing up too close or back too far,

When did your sparkle turn to fire

And your warmth become desire

Oh, what miracle has made you the way you are?"

Gigi, on accepting her love for Gaston, sings the sweet, touching song, "Say a Prayer For Me Tonight."

I saw the movie in my younger days and was once again lucky to catch it on Broadway in 2018. 

Next is "My Fair Lady" (1964). Alan Jay Lerner based the story on George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" about a poor flower-seller, Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), who has a heavy Cockney accent. A diehard bachelor and phonetics professor, Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), takes her under his wing after a bet with a friend, Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), that he could teach her to speak proper English and get rid of the Cockney accent. Gradually, Higgins falls in love with Eliza, winning her over rich Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett), who is besotted with her. A comic and delightful role is that of Eliza's carefree, libertine father, Alfred Doolittle (Stanley Holloway).

The movie has 25 musical numbers and the lyrics by Lerner are a treat, mostly funny and superbly delivered by Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn and Stanley Holloway. The theme is set right in the beginning by the number "Why Can't the English" 'learn to speak' which is a dialogue between Higgins and Pickering interspersed with Eliza's speech dropping h's, 'tike' for take, 'Aoooow's and 'Garn's, etc. Higgins says 'By law she should be taken out and hung for the cold-blooded murder of the English tongue.' Eliza's accent is clearly brought out in "Just You Wait" with the opening lines sung as 'Just you Wite, 'Enry 'Iggins, just you wite' while the "The Rain in Spain" becomes 'the rine in spine stise minely in the pline'. This song is then repeated with correct pronunciation towards the end to mark Eliza's victory over her Cockney accent with Higgins celebrating the accomplishment of an impossible task. 

Higgins takes Eliza to a ball to showcase her refined personality and dances with her. Eliza is delighted and sings, "I Could Have Danced All Night." On the romantic side, Freddy sings "On the Street Where You Live" outside Higgins' house where Eliza is staying, and Higgins, realising that he has fallen for her, sings "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face."

The next year, the movie, "The Sound of Music", again by Rodgers and Hammerstein, was released. The story was based on the real life memoir of Maria von Trapp. Maria (Julie Andrews) is training to be a nun who the Mother Abbess finds too free-spirited and indisciplined- 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' So when a retired naval officer and widower, Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) approaches the Mother for a governess for his seven children, she happily sends Maria for the task. Initially, Maria faces hostility from the children but she gradually wins them over and we hear ''My Favourite Things''. She takes them for a picnic in the mountains and sings, 'The hills are alive with "The Sound of Music"'. She teaches them music with "Do-Re-Mi" and makes them perform a puppet show, "The Lonely Goatherd", for their father which wins her his favour. At a party at Captain von Trapp's villa, the children are guided one by one to bid good night to the guests by singing "So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehn, Good Night". And in the end, the Captain sings the touching patriotic song, "Edelweiss" at a function to keep the German officials engaged while the family members make good their escape from the Nazi occupied Austria.

The movie was shot in Salzburg and the town has a dedicated "The Sound of Music" tour where they take you to all the places where the movie was shot. I have been fortunate to take the tour twice, once on my own and again with Akhila. It was a tour the memories of which I shall cherish forever.

It was 12 years later that my next favourite musical appeared. The movie "Saturday Night Fever" rocked all music lovers. I was in Staff College, Wellington, and all of us rushed to Ooty, not once but over and over again, to see the movie. John Travolta's dancing was electrifying and Bee Gees' songs delightful. Everyone wanted to dance like Travolta and thronged to discos. Bee Gees, a group formed by three brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, were fascinating with their inimitable style the distinguishing feature of which was Barry's falsetto voice. The standout songs were "Stayin' Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Night Fever" which climbed to the top of music charts the world over.

Fast forward to 2008 for the movie "Mamma Mia!", based on songs of ABBA. The story is about a young bride-to-be, Sophie (Amanda Siegfried), who invites three former lovers of her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), one of whom could be Sophie's father. The three men are Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgard). Sophie hopes to find her real father so that he can legitimately give her away at the wedding.

The movie has 20 ABBA's top hits, some of them, 'Mamma Mia', 'I Have a Dream' and 'Dancing Queen' played twice. 'Honey, Honey', 'Chiquitita', 'Voulez-Vous', 'SOS', 'The Winner Takes It All', 'Waterloo' and 'Thank You For the Music', they are all there making it a delectable treat for ABBA fans and I have yet to meet one who is not!

"Mamma Mia!" was made into a Broadway play too and a movie sequel "Mamma Mia Here We Go Again" released in 2018. Of course, I have seen them all!

So that's my list of favourite musicals but I am not done yet. I wish to include a few unforgettable lyrics from songs of musicals outside this list.

"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" from the 1946 musical "Annie Get Your Gun"-

"Folks are dumb where I come from, they ain't had any learning

Still they're happy as can be, doin' what comes natur'lly.

My uncle out in Texas can't even write his name

He signs his cheques with Xs, but they cash them just the same.

If you saw my pa an' ma, you'd know they had no learning

Still they raised a family, doin' what comes natur'lly".

"A Spoonful of Sugar" from Julie Andrews' "Mary Poppins"-

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,

The medicine go down-wown, the medicine go down,

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful way."

I'd like to end with perhaps the most popular drinking number ever appropriately titled "Drinking Song" or "Drink Drink Drink" sung rousingly by the great tenor Mario Lanza in a scene in which Prince Karl, heir to a small German kingdom, exhorts his college mates of Heidelberg University to lift their steins and drink beer in the 1954 musical, "The Student Prince" -

"Drink, drink, drink! To eyes that are bright as stars when they're shining on me!

Drink, drink, drink! To lips that are red and sweet as the fruit of the tree.....

May those lips that are red and sweet, tonight with joy my own lips meet.

Drink, drink! Let the toast start. May young hearts never part

Drink, drink, drink! Let every true lover salute his sweetheart

Let's drink!"

Tailpiece. By Western standards, most Hindi movies would qualify as musicals no matter how serious the story. So in a list of 100 best musicals compiled by Rotten Tomatoes, we have "Lagaan " at 17th! A Forbes list of 35 Best Musicals has "Mother India" at 13. And sometime back I read, though I can't remember where, that "Sholay" was also listed as a top musical!

I'll leave you with a few haunting lines of a bittersweet song from the 1972 movie, "Parichay", the story of which was patterned on "The Sound of Music"-

"Musafir hoon yaaron, na ghar hai naa thikana

Mujhe chalte jaana hai, bas chalte jana hai".

 

 

KAILASH KOHLI - A PERFECT NAVAL OFFICER AND A TRUE FRIEND

Kailash Kumar Kohli is no more. The prayer meeting for him was aptly named "Adieu Admiral"  and his photo was projected on the screen with the caption "An Officer and a Gentleman". That he was and more, a Perfect Naval Officer and a True Friend.

Belonging to different courses and squadrons in the NDA, we didn't really know each other till golf brought us together. An early memory I have is of our playing in the Navy Golf Tournament late in the 1960s at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Chembur. My ball went into a bunker and I failed to get it out in two attempts. Frustrated, I looked up and saw Kailash watching me with an amused look on his face. That upset me more and I said, "Oh, you are keeping my score, are you? OK, start counting." And then I proceeded to strike my club in the sand about 20 times before Kailash pulled me out of the bunker. Often when we met, he would remind me of the incident and we would have a good laugh.

From those days, drawing on his initials, I always greeted him with the remark, "K Cube, 'vah khoob'"!

Our first posting together was in Cochin in early '70s, he in the Naval Academy (NAVAC) and I in Signal School. In October '71, I was suddenly transferred as Fleet Communications Officer to the still to be formed Eastern Fleet. As I had to catch a train late in the afternoon, Kailash and Cdr Ravi Sawhney, OiC NAVAC, invited me for pre-lunch drinks, and according to Kailash, got me thoroughly sozzled on beer and stuffed me in my compartment.

Next, in 1977, I was given command of Katchall and Kailash was the Fleet Operations Officer. Rear Admiral 'Mickey' Roy was the Fleet Commander and as he often flew his flag on my ship, Kailash and I got to spend a lot of time together. My outstanding memory of those days is of an unplanned sailing. Late into one night after Katchall's commissioning anniversary party, Kailash and I were enjoying a drink in my cabin when he received a call from Admiral Roy that there was an urgent requirement for a ship to sail to rescue a tug the engine of which had failed. Due to incorrect berthing, the duty ship could not be sailed and Kailash asked me if I would undertake the task. I said yes and we hurriedly gathered a skeleton crew and sailed in the early hours of the morning with Kailash also on board. Fortunately, we found the tug without much ado and towed it safely back to harbour.

Sometime back, I wrote about this incident and others in a piece, "Commanding Katchall" on my blog and asked Kailash if he had read it. His answer as I just traced on my What'sApp, "I have read it not once but three times over, so that I could relish each one of the moments over and over again! Wonderful reading, wonderful memories."

In March '78, Kailash and I were transferred to Wellington as Directing Staff in the Defence Services Staff College. That is when the wives and children got to know each other and spent most free evenings together. Kailash and I played a lot of golf  and were an unbeatable pair in tournaments. The Commandant, Major General Mohinder Singh, a keen golfer himself, was fond of both of us and appointed Kailash as Editor of the DSSC magazine, "The Owl", and me, Golf Captain of Wellington Gymkhana Club, two appointments that were generally the property of the Army.

Working as Directing Staff together, I got a chance to observe Kailash closely and realised that he was a thorough professional. He would not take anything for granted and would examine everything minutely aiming for perfection.

In March 1980, I was transferred to Delhi. Admiral Pereira was the Chief of the Naval Staff and as I knew him well having been his FCO when he was the Eastern Fleet Commander, I sought time convenient to call on him. Immediately, I got an invite for Akhila and me to have a drink with him and Mrs. Pereira that very evening. When we met, the Admiral said he was looking for a new Naval Assistant (NA) as the present one, Premvir Das, was proceeding to USA to the Naval War College (NWC). The Personnel Branch had forwarded Kailash's name and the Admiral asked me if I knew him. I told the Admiral that I knew him very well and that he would make an excellent NA. As we all know, Kailash did take over as NA and did a fine job.

In the next 2-3 years, Kailash did me two good turns. While I was Director Naval Signals, my staff and I felt that the senior officers in the three commands of the Navy should have a clear understanding of what we were doing to improve communications and electronic warfare in the Navy. So we drafted a Top Secret document with instructions that it should be circulated between the Command Headquarters only by hand of an officer and then returned to us. While the letter was in circulation, I was transferred to Bombay and having briefed my successor in Delhi, forgot all about it. More than a year later, I was summoned to Delhi to face a Board of Inquiry (BOI) looking into the loss of the document. Apparently, the Joint Director under me had connived to apportion the entire blame of the loss on me and the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS), no friend of mine, appointed a BOI headed by Kailash who had just returned from the USA after the NWC Course. Despite pressure from the DCNS, Kailash absolved me completely of any blame. But the DCNS was not done and sent me a letter of severe displeasure, for what, he didn't say!

Then Kailash came to Bombay to command the new ship Ganga. I was still commanding Trishul and had been told that my next appointment was as Defence Adviser, Singapore. One afternoonsee , Kailash came to me and said that while he was waiting in the Staff Officer's office to see the C-in-C (the erstwhile DCNS), he overheard a conversation between the latter and the CNS that I was too senior for the post and someone else should go to Singapore. Thanking Kailash for this vital information, I got in touch with a well-wisher in NHQ and my appointment letter was out soon after.

Out of context here, but I must mention that three years later, under almost the same dispensation, I was relieved by an officer of the same seniority as mine!

Back from Singapore, I left the Navy while Kailash was competently going up the ladder. He became a Vice Admiral and lost out on the top job only because he was way down in the seniority roster. 

Meanwhile, we were out of touch for a while before both settled down in Delhi post retirement. Belonging to different clubs, we played golf together now and then and met at home often for a drink or meal. Kailash was born on 31 December, new year's eve, and we attended many birthday parties at his place in Golf Links. On one of them. he took the mike and sang Frank Sinatra songs, notably "My Way", beautifully. I knew Kailash was fond of Indian classical music as we had attended many concerts together, but this was the first time I learnt that he was fond of English music as well. Following up, I realised that his knowledge was extensive and he often provided relevant inputs for my blogs on music. 

Fittingly, "My Way" was played at the end of "Adieu Admiral."

Sometime back, Kailash developed an interest in Western classical music and often rang me up to suggest what he should listen to. So I took him from light classicals like Capriccios to heavy symphonies like Dvorak's "New World" or concertos like Rachmaninov's Second Piano.

On one of my pieces on my blog, I wrote about "Moon River" from "Breakfast At Tiffany's". Immediately after reading it, Kailash rang up to say he was very fond of the song and when his daughters Rachna and Arati had come of age, he presented them air tickets to the US with the line from the song, "Two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see." In July this year, I mentioned the song again in my piece "My Walk On Songs Through Central Park, New York" and got a sweet message from Kailash thanking me for 'evoking lovely memories'.

In the summer of 2022, we visited Miami after Ruchir acquired an apartment there. I spoke to Kailash and we were delighted to learn that they were going to be in Miami too visiting Arati, son-in-law Ravi (we share the same name!) Batta and their daughters. We got together twice, once for lunch at Ruchir's place and then Arati and Ravi called us to their lovely, luxurious home and took all of us out for lunch at their golf club. This year, while firming up our plans to go to Miami, I tried to persuade Kailash and Kumud to come too but they said no as Kailash was having balancing problems and didn't want to take a chance of a fall. We missed them in Miami.

When Akhila and I returned from the US in August, Kailash had fallen ill and was in and out of hospital. On 13 October, Kumud rang up to say he was home. I sent him a message that we would like to come over and see him. He personally replied saying he was weak and we should wait. I wrote back to say he should pick up strength and tell us when to come.

The very next morning, we were stunned by a call from Manju Nehra that he was no more.

And so, sadly and reluctantly, "Adieu Admiral". Rest in peace, my dear friend.