LES SAVEURS DE LA FRANCE (THE FLAVOURS OF FRANCE)

Geography in school taught me that there was a country called France. Then I studied European history in which France played a major role. Two famous quotes from my history book are still fresh in my mind. Louis XV famously declared, "Apres moi, le deluge." Yes, I give a damn what happens after I'm gone!

The other one is probably even more famous- Marie Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution, when apprised of the fact that the peasants had no bread to eat, is supposed to have said, "Let them eat cake." Nobody is certain whether she actually said so or not, but the words have been attributed to her to highlight the ignorance of the royalty of the hardships faced by ordinary French citizens of those times.

In the National Defence Academy, I studied French in my final year. I remember Mr. Paul, our teacher, acquainting us with the finer nuances of the language such as every noun having a gender and that the last consonant of a word is not pronounced unless the next word begins with a vowel in which case the consonant is conjoined with the vowel- 'Voulez vous?' 'Mais oui!' After the NDA, I lost touch with the language but can recognise some words and phrases to make sense of a written piece. I am glad that Shumita achieved a high level in French by studying at the Alliance Francaise in Delhi and can be my translator when required.

The radio introduced me to French songs. Among the earliest I remember are "La Mer" by Charles Tenet composed in 1943 during a train journey in South of France and Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" written in 1945 to alleviate the mood of the French during World War II.

Originally a French hit, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and all well-known singers of those days, recorded their own version of the sweet, chic number, "Mademoiselle de Paris", aptly describing a French maiden-

"She's so chic and adorable

No one thinks it deplorable

When men all turn around just to see

Mademoiselle de Paree.

Ooh la la, oui oui oui

She's the spirit of spring in Paree."

Another French song, "Les Feuilles Morte" was popularised by Nat King Cole as "Autumn Leaves." Over the years, I have been enjoying Michel Legrand's compositions such as the sweet "I Love Paris", the haunting "I Will Wait For You" from "The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg" and "Windmills Of Your Mind", the theme from "The Thomas Crown Affair." Then there are Francis Lai's enchanting themes from "Un Homme Et Une Femme" and "Love Story", and Paul Mauriat's brilliant instrumental rendition of "L'amour Est Bleu."

I read some French fiction, translated into English, of course, but it gave me an insight into French history as well as their way of life and customs including the dreaded guillotine! I loved Alexandre Dumas' classics "The Three Musketeers", "The Count Of Monte Cristo" and "The Black Tulip". Victor Hugo was another favourite with "Les Miserables" and "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame." Jules Verne, 'father of science fiction', was ahead of his time with "Around The World In 80 Days" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea." "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand was a heart-rending romance of a man in love but too shy to reveal his identity to his lover because of his extraordinarily long nose.

Movies and musical plays based on these books have been big hits too. 

Two Francoises grabbed my attention in late 1950s-'60s.  The first was an 18-year old author, Francoise Sagan, who made waves with her first book, "Bonjour Tristesse". The book was controversial but a gripping portrait of a coming-of-age girl aged 17 and her complex relationship with her father. It made Sagan famous and she followed it up with other popular books including "A Certain Smile" which was adapted into a film starring Rossano Brazzi and Christine Carere, an actress little known outside France. The story was of a teenage girl falling for a much older man. The theme song by Johnny Mathis went to the top of all music charts and was a personal favourite of mine.

The second Francoise was a young singer, Francoise Hardy. I was on Trishul when we visited Kuwait. We were invited to a party hosted by some young Palestinians who had a huge collection of music. There I heard Hardy for the first time and was enchanted by her voice. She also sang in English and I bought an LP with the unforgettable song "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" that keeps constantly reverberating in my ears.

In 1963, my ship Khukri visited Pondicherry. A visit to the French Quarter gave some idea of life in a French city. It was also my first introduction to the famous French bread, the long 'baguette'!

Still, it was only through movies that I could see France. "The Last Time I Saw Paris" starring two budding actors in Elizabeth Taylor and Roger Moore along with Van Jonson was a heart-rending tragedy with the haunting theme song sung by Odette. Another hit movie was the musical, "An American In Paris" with six Oscars to its credit including Best Picture. Gene Kelly was super with his tap dancing ably accompanied by Leslie Caron. A few years later came "Gigi", another superb musical winning the Best Picture award and 8 other Oscars. Its cast was mainly French with Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan and the one and only Maurice Chevalier. Who can forget his lovely song, "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Any More"?

Meanwhile two young stars were earning enormous popularity in France and beyond. Alain Delon with his striking good looks was winning female hearts. For men, there was Brigitte Bardot, the ultimate oomph girl. In "Doctor At Sea", she was brilliant, charming Dirk Bogarde with"Je Ne Sais Pas", 'there are many things I don't know but I do know this, that I love you love you love you, je ne sais.'

My first visit to France took place in 1982. I had been sent by NHQ to the Italian Naval Exhibition in Genoa, Italy. Our stay included a weekend and a local Indian friend offered to take me on a car drive to Cote d'Azur, the French Riviera. So we travelled through Monte Carlo and Nice to Cannes and St. Tropez and looked to spend the night there. It was the peak of summer and we could not find a hotel with a vacant room and kept driving on to Toulon and Marseilles. Still no luck, so we turned back and went inland a bit and soon found two rooms. 

The next day, it was a drive back with a few hours on the beaches of St. Tropez, Cannes and Monte Carlo. The drive along the sea coast was beautiful and reminded me of the car scenes in Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch A Thief" with the difference that the car in the movie had Cary Grant and Grace Kelly with a love interest whereas we were just two males, simply friends! I made a mental note to correct that in the future. 

A visit to Paris materialised only in 1987. I was posted in Singapore as the Defence Attache and Akhila and I embarked on a trip to UK and Europe. Our 3-day stay in Paris was hectic as we wanted to cover all the famous tourist spots, Eiffel Tower and River Seine, Arc de Triomphe, a walk up and down Champs Elysees looking at famous designer shops such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada and many more, Louvre Museum with the sculpture 'Venus de Milo', and perhaps the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', Notre-Dame Cathedral, Moulin Rouge, and Versailles Palace and Garden. Phew!!!

The promised corrective action during the earlier trip to the French Riviera was executed with Ruchir organising a trip for Akhila and me in 2018. We spent four days based in Monte Carlo and going around Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez along with some smaller towns like Antibes, inland villages and vineyards.

Vive la France and hopefully, au revoir.

Tailpiece or pieces: During our stay in Paris, our host accompanied us for shopping. On return to his small car, we found two big limousines, one in front and one at the back, with almost no space for our host to manoeuvre his car out. Unperturbed, he started the car, put full wheel on one side and reversed till he hit the rear car. Then he put the wheel on the other side and drove forward hitting the front vehicle. He repeated these manoeuvres 4-5 times till he managed to eke his car out of the parking. Content, he drove on quite unconcerned at the damage and the hanging tailpiece of the car ahead.

 

Was that a typical French way of muscling out of tight spots? Maybe or maybe not. Our host was an Indian!

 

GOLDEN OLDIES FOR GROWING OLDIES

I love The Beatles and Paul McCartney's "Yesterday" is one of my top favourites. I am in good company; the song had been voted as the Best Song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio2 poll of music experts and listeners and number one Pop Song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine in 2000.

One particular line from the song plays a lot in my mind these days: 'I'm not half the man I used to be.' Of course, in the song it is used in a different context but I find it an apt description of the aged me. Where is the man who was bold, full of optimism and energy, always seeking adventure and on the go? I look in the mirror and see a reflection of a haggard, gray-haired and balding man with wrinkles, puffy eyes and white eyebrows- yes, half the man at best even with lengthening nose and ears!

One thought leads to another and I started remembering songs about old age and times. I harked back to my school days and songs Father Mackessack taught us in his after school singing class. One was of 1860 vintage by the famous composer Stephen Foster with a stirring version by Paul Robeson in 1930s, "Old Black Joe" -

"Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay,

Gone are the friends from the cotton fields away,

Gone from the earth to a better land, I know,

I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe.

I'm coming, I'm coming, for my head is bending low,

I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe."

Another treasure from Foster/Mackessack was "Old Folks At Home". For the singer "all de world am sad and dreary ebry where I roam...all up and down de whole creation sadly I roam, still longing for de old plantation, and for de old folks at home." Similar to The Beach Boys in "Sloop John B" who sang, "I feel so broke up, I wanna go home." Well, for me, home is Jaipur and that's where I wanna go though most old folks are no longer at home and have gone to a 'better place'.

A song that touchingly described melancholy and consolation over lost youth was "When You And I Were Young, Maggie". It owed its origin to a 1864 poem and had many versions including one by Bing Crosby and his son Gary. Some bittersweet lyrics-

"Oh they say that I'm feeble with age Maggie, my steps are much slower than then

My face is a well written page Maggie, and time all along was the pen.

Oh they say we have outlived our time Maggie, as dated as songs that we've sung

But to me you're as fair as you were Maggie, when you and I were young."

Time marches on relentlessly and we are busy with our lives till one day we suddenly look back and wonder how fast it has flown by. "Sunrise Sunset" from the popular musical "Fiddler on the Roof" captures this beautifully:-

"Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older, when did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?

When did he get to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday when they were so small?

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze,

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years

One season following another, laden with happiness and tears.

What words of wisdom can I give them, how can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another, day by day."

Well, I must accept my ageing happily and look at the brighter side of getting old. Remember Maurice Chevalier in "Gigi" observing the lovestruck, bewitched and bewildered character played by Louis Jourdan? Chevalier sings contentedly, "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore"-

"Poor boy, poor boy, downhearted and depressed and in a spin,

Poor boy, poor boy, oh, youth can really do a fellow in,

How lovely to sit here in the shade with none of the woes of man and maid,

I'm glad that I'm not young anymore."

Frank Sinatra though, advises one to remain "Young At Heart" regardless of age-

"And if you should survive to a hundred and five

Look at all you'll derive out of being alive

And here is the best part, you've had a head start,

If you are among the very young at heart."

And, I must be content and happy to have lived my life "My Way" as sang good old Frank Sinatra in his signature song-

"I've lived a life that's full, I've travelled each and every highway,

And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few, but again too few to mention....

I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill, my share of losing,

And now as tears subside, I find it all so amusing,

To think I did all that, and may I say not in a shy way,

I did it my way."

SAILOR SONGS

 "In her hair, she wore a yellow ribbon,

She wore it in the springtime and the merry month of May,

Hey, hey, and if you asked her why the hell she wore it,

She wore it for a sailor who is far, far away."

These lines have been going around in my head for some days now. Maybe because it is the month of May which, however, is not very merry in India though real summer heat has still to set in Delhi this year. But the song brings on nostalgia with sweet memories for me.

It was in late 1940s during his first leave after joining the Navy that I heard Vinnie Mama sing this shanty and learnt it from him. I didn't know nor inquired about the significance of the girl wearing a 'yellow ribbon' and took it that it was her or her sailor's favourite colour. But now that we have internet and the know-all Dr./Prof. Google, I thought of checking and discovered that it is believed that the tradition had its origins in the US Civil War when a yellow ribbon in a woman's hair indicated that she was "taken" by a man who was absent due to service in the US Army Cavalry.

There is another popular shanty, "Ship Ahoy", which is an English music hall song dating back to 1908. Its chorus goes-

"All the nice girls love a sailor, all the nice girls love a tar,

For there's something about a sailor, well, you know what sailors are,

Bright and breezy, free and easy, he's the ladies' pride and joy,

Falls in love with Kate and Jane, then he's off to sea again!"

I have an issue with the last line; it echoes the saying which much maligns a sailor by stating that he has a girl in every port. Having been a sailor, I know that's not true. Let alone every port, I didn't have a girl in any, not even in my home port. If at all I had a girl, she was in a town far inland though a river runs through it. Actually, a sailor pines to quickly get done with the sailing and return home hoping his girl is waiting for him and that absence has made her heart grow fonder for him and not somebody else! Remember the 1956 Eddie Fisher song-

"Cindy, Oh Cindy, Cindy don't let me down'

Write me a letter soon and I"ll be homeward bound.... 

I know my Cindy is waiting, as I walk the decks alone,

Her loving arms reach out to me, soon I"ll be heading home,

Then my sailing days will be over, and no more will I roam...."

At times the sailor falls in love with a girl in a visiting port but, heartbroken, has to leave her. Listen to Harry Belafonte in "Jamaican Farewell":

"But I'm sad to say I'm on my way, won't be back for many a day,

My heart is down my head is turning around,

I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town."

If the sailor can't go back, he wishes that somehow the girl is brought to him as in an old Scottish shanty-

"My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea.

My Bonnie lies over the ocean, oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me...."

Or better still, bring her back along with himself as many Indian naval officers who went for training to UK in the early days did though sometimes the unsuspecting parents were shocked out of their wits to get a cable out of the blue saying "Coming home with Dorothy!"

I must confess one sin most sailors are guilty of and that is their fondness for a drink, particularly Rum. In his famous novel "Treasure Island", Robert Louis Stevenson invented a song, "Dead Man's Chest", for his pirate characters and wrote the chorus: 

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest.

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!

Drink and the devil had done for the rest,

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum."

The chorus with added lyrics has been used in many songs in subsequent plays, TV serials and movies and the phrase "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum" is universally popular. 

Traditionally in the British Navy, a 'tot' of rum was given to sailors as a morale booster and reward for hard work as also a medicine with the rum mixed with lime juice to keep scurvy at bay. One drink leads to another particularly for a lonely sailor far away from his home and girl. So we have the shanty, "Drunken Sailor":

"What shall we do with a drunken sailor, what shall we do with a drunken sailor,

What shall we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning?

Shave his belly with a rusty razor....

Put him in a long boat till he's sober....

Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom...."

And naughtily or nautically'

"Put him in the bed with the captain's daughter....

Early in the morning!"

Fondness for drink could get sailors, young and old, in trouble. The Beach Boys described it in "Sloop John B"-

"We come on the sloop John B, my grandfather and me,

Around Nassau town we did roam,

Drinking all night, got into a fight,

Well, I feel so broke up, I wanna go home."

Yes, all said and done, a sailor's life is a lonely one with him looking forward to return home to his loved ones. He eagerly awaits the words "Anchors Aweigh" as in the marching song we were first introduced to in our NDA days:

"Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh,

Farewell to foreign shores, we sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay,

Through our last night ashore, drink to the foam,

Until we meet once more.

Here's wishing you a happy voyage home."

And now that we have girl sailors, they'll sing similar tunes and know that ‘a girl in every port’ is as much a myth as would be ‘a boy in every port.’

BHUTAN - DRUKYUL

 Bing Crosby sang, "Those far away places with strange sounding names...are calling, calling me".

A place, not far away albeit with strange sounding names, had been calling me for quite some time: Bhutan or Drukyul as the Bhutanese call it. Druk means 'thunder dragon' and Yul means 'country', so it is the country of the thunder dragon. Strange because its people are so peaceful and content! It is just two hours' flight away from Delhi; it takes longer to get to, say, Kochi. A visit was always at the back of my mind but somehow, never materialised. 

At our Course lunch in March this year, some of us were chatting away when I aired my thoughts about wanting to visit Bhutan. General Ved Malik, former Army Chief, immediately offered to help out in organising with the support of the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) based there. He asked me to make air bookings and give him the dates.

So I booked seats for Akhila and myself departing Delhi on the 18th and returning on 23rd April and informed Ved. Thereafter, officers from IMTRAT got in touch with me and finalised our programme.

The only direct flight to Paro, international airport of Bhutan, is by Drukair, Bhutanese National Airline, leaving Delhi at 4.10 in the morning. A night of no sleep, but the flight is worth the sacrifice as it skirts the Himalayan range at close quarters. Weather was clear and we saw one snow-capped peak after another including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga. 

Paro airport is nestled between mountain ranges named Three Brothers and the pilot announced that the visibility was low and not safe for landing. We circled the airport for about an hour when the pilot announced that he was now low on fuel and would attempt to land before it got worse. So he banked to the left and flew tilted for some distance before levelling out just before landing with a thud and applying brakes to the full. I was reminded of a landing on an aircraft carrier and it was quite an experience but apparently, business as usual. I learnt later that pilots have to be specially certified to land at Paro airport.

We were met by the IMTRAT personnel and after a quick immigration process, proceeded to the Mess overlooking the airport and Paro chhu (river) flowing beside it. Over the next two days, we were to get many close views of aircraft taking off and landing at the airport.

In the afternoon, we drove to Paro market for shopping and coffee at the popular Mountain Cafe. Immediately, we were struck by the exemplary discipline of the people of Bhutan. There was total silence on the roads and over the next five days, we didn't hear a car horn even once. There were no traffic lights or policemen in sight. The driver would keep his eyes wide open for pedestrians and if he saw anyone intending to cross the road, he would stop and wave at the individual to carry on. No one seemed to be in a rush and there were smiles and courteous bows all around.

The local men are always in the national dress of Gho and Kera. Gho is a knee-length cloth tied at the waist with Kera which is a woven cloth belt. Women wear an apron like long ankle-length dress called Kira. Bright colours, intricate patterns and embroideries add to the charm and grace of the ladies. People are proud of the national dress and I don't remember seeing any local wearing anything else like shirt and trousers.

Another striking feature is the construction of the buildings. Wood is the main material and traditionally, no nails or iron bars are used. The sloping roofs are brightly coloured, similar for a particular cluster of buildings. Multiple small windows with spiritual paintings from one end to the other adorn the exterior walls.

All these factors along with courtesy, smile and pride contribute towards making Bhutan a happy country and, according to many, the happiest in the world. In 1972, the 4th King of Bhutan coined a term 'Gross National Happiness' (GNH) and declared it more important than Gross Domestic Product. The main domains of GNH are Psychological Wellbeing, Health and Good Governance. By these measures, Bhutan ranks on top of the world and many countries have been known to seek its counsel on how to achieve 'happiness'.

Back to sightseeing, I must confess that we gave perhaps the most famous site of Paro, Taktsang Dzong or Tiger's Nest Monastery built in 1692, a miss. Too much climbing and not recommended for old folks! So we were content glimpsing it from a distance. 'Dzong' means a fortress-monastery which due to its high location and architecture served as a stronghold against enemies in the past. Presently, most Dzongs play a combined role as monasteries and administrative offices. We were able to visit Paro Dzong, a high point of Bhutanese architecture, as it is more accessible located comfortably below Taktsang. At night, the building is brilliantly lit and is visible all over Paro.

Ta Dzong built as a watchtower in 1649 was next. It now houses the National Museum including displays of famous Bhutanese masks and natural wild life of the country.

Drukgyel Dzong, a half hour drive from Paro, is another monument on a height. Again, it is difficult to climb but we could go fairly close up to its steps where there is a small hutment housing a giant prayer wheel with 'mantras' written on it. The wheels called 'Lakhor' are an integral feature of Buddhist temples and are meant to be rotated by hand which as you know is one of the traditional ways of praying in Buddhism. 

Devotees also carry small hand-held wheels named 'Mani' while walking around Buddhist relics or temples and on long journeys.

Our Paro sightseeing was completed with a visit to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest and most beautiful temples. 'Lhakhang' means 'the house of gods' and Bhutan boasts of more than a thousand of them, one for almost every village and mountain top. The one at Kyichu dates back to the 7th century with additions over the years, the last one a golden roof in 1839. Apart from idols and Lakhors, temples display multi-coloured prayer flags, blue for sky and space, red for fire, green for water, yellow for earth and white for air. 

White flags on clusters of tall poles can frequently be seen in open spaces as it is believed that their fluttering by the wind spreads blessings and happiness all over the countryside.

On 20th morning, we took the road from Paro to Thimphu, a distance of 50 kms and about an hour's drive. The road is good but narrow and typically mountainous with hairpin bends and steep slopes. An artistic wooden gate heralds the entry to Thimphu, capital of Bhutan. We proceeded to the IMTRAT Mess situated in the centre of town.

That evening we visited the famous Buddha Point which has one of the largest Buddha statues in the world measuring 51.5 metres in height. Installed on top of one of the highest mountain ranges around Thimphu, it overlooks the city with the sitting Buddha in golden bronze benevolently seeming to convey his blessings of peace and happiness to all. 

The view from Buddha Point is fascinating as one can see the whole city, the river Thimphu chhu and the extensive valley. The statue is hollow and one can enter it. The inside holds 125000 miniature Buddhas 8 to 12 inches tall. As someone commented, the Buddhas far outnumber the 100,000 residents of Thimphu!

Our driver then took us to Devi Panchayan Mandir close to Buddha Point. It is the only public Hindu temple in Thimphu and is a fairly recent gift from the Bhutan King to the Hindu community.

The next day we embarked on a long trip to Punakha about 85 kms away. Our first stop was Dochu La pass, the highest point at 3100 metres. The view from there is supposed to be exceptional but as happens with these heights, there was fog and mist obscuring the view. There is also a Dzong there but difficult to climb, so wiser counsels prevailed. But there is a beautiful cafe just below the Dzong where we had a welcome cup of coffee. On the other side of the road, is a Memorial with 108 Chorten (Buddhist shrine) stupas built by the Queen Mother to honour the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed fighting rebels in 2003. 

We resumed our journey down the long and winding road to Punakha and its Dzong which is located at the confluence of two rivers, Mo and Po, which then merge to form the Punakha chhu. The Dzong is accessible from two sides, a road or an ancient wooden bridge, and we chose the latter. Punakha Dzong is an imposing citadel and one of the oldest built in 1637. It has had its share of fires and earthquakes the latest being a quake in 1897. Rebuilt, it looks strong and pretty. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan till 1955 when the seat of government moved to Thimphu. After a good look at the Dzong, we were on the road back to Thimphu enjoying the scenic drive.

On our final day in Thimphu, we started off with a visit to the oldest Dzong which has survived in its original form in Bhutan, Simtokha. It was built in 1629 and is just 5 kms from Thimphu. Located on a prominent ridge, we had been sighting it frequently on the road to Paro and Punakha. It is now home to the Dzongkha Language Learning Institute.

Closer to the city, we saw the Tashichho Dzong originally built in 1641 but vastly redesigned in 1965 as the Main Secratariat building and the Throne Room of the King. Next on our list was Changangkha Lhakhang, a 12th century fortress like temple where the priest asks you to throw a pair of dice and nods in approval when you do but does not tell what your numbers signify! We then went to the Takin Zoo, home to Takin, the national animal which has the body of an antelope and a goat's head. Our final stop was the National Memorial Chorten built in 1974 to honour the third King, as a monument of peace and prosperity. The stupa with a high pyramidal pillar crowned by a crescent moon and sun is brilliantly lit at night and visible at long distances.

A good night's sleep and we headed back to Paro airport to catch our flight back to Delhi. As Akhila had the window seat on the flight to Paro, I claimed it this time to get a ringside view of the Himalayas but the aircraft took an inner route and my effort went in vain.

And guess what was the first sound we heard on getting out of the Delhi airport- shrieking car horns!

It was an unforgettable visit and Akhila and I will always cherish its memories. Our sincere thanks to the IMTRAT team of Lt Col Dharmendra Yadav, Major Ankit Agarwal and Subedar Vikram Singh Negi for organising and guiding us to see the beautiful country. And, of course, how can we ever thank enough Ved, the General, the driving force behind this wonderful trip which was like bringing heaven on earth.

Tailpiece: On our return to Delhi, we were going through the immigration process with a middle-aged official. I have always found these people to be very officious and curt and was expecting the same treatment with the guy mumbling something which, with my hard hearing, I was unable to understand. Finally, I figured he was saying 38-38 and I guessed he was talking about my year of birth. I nodded and said, yes, it is 1938. He stamped my passport, extended it to me and as I was leaving the counter, said, "Sir, any advice for young people?" I was stumped by the question but somehow the words that tumbled out of my mouth were, "Keep faith in God...Stay happy!”

Bhutan effect?

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!

WIN AT GOLF - ALWAYS

I am playing bad golf these days.

One reason could be that I haven't played much this year. The first two months I was travelling. Then I had a peculiar viral infection with long-lasting debilitating after-effects. Hopefully I am past all that now.

So golf has suffered. When I played a game last week, my shots were all over the place. Instead of going 200 yards north, they would end up less than 100 yards nor'-east-nor' or at times, east-nor'-east. You might be quick to advise, "Go and practice." I doubt that would help. First, the age; though the spirit may be there, the flesh is weak. Second, it is boring; who wants to stand rooted to one spot and hit 100 balls from there instead of a refreshing stroll through the natural greenery even though some have named golf  'a good walk spoiled.'

In golf, one's ego plays a very important part: one does not want to lose. More often than not, golfers like to bet and it is not that losing money would make a big hole in one's pocket, it is the ignominy of defeat. And that applies even though there might be no bet. One just wants to WIN.

I was pondering over all this when I recalled that some time back on a trip to New York, I had picked up a book, "'How To Win At Golf' without actually playing well" (referred to from now on as 'the book'). I have been going through it carefully and have picked up quite a few tips which I am sure will put me on the winning side always. I share them with you along with some other tricks I have learnt over the years with the hope that you would never be my opponent. I am joking; seriously, I declare that I would never stoop so low as to cheat.

To deal with the subject at hand, the first important thing is to get your caddie on the same page as you. Many years ago, I was taking part in the Navy Championships when I overheard a colleague briefing his caddie. With an engaging arm over the caddie's shoulder, he whispered that he had come to win, the caddie must ensure that his ball should always lie well and not worry about anything as he would be looked after well...wink...wink...wink!!!

Look for a barefoot caddie. It is likely that such an individual would be adept at walking over your ball, picking it up with the underside of his toes and deftly place it on a plush lie. Prior briefing is essential for the caddie should know you are not Admiral Pereira who caught his caddie doing that and proceeded to give him a tight slap though the Admiral broke his own thumb as the caddie attempted to defend himself with a club.

Here is a story I read elsewhere. A player went to a golf course but a caddie was not available. On further insistence, he was told that a nine-year old boy could do the job but he could only count upto five. The player immediately said, "Perfect. I will take him. Who wants him to count more." As you know, in golf, the winner is the one who takes the least number of strokes.

A word of caution though, don't overdo it. There is the story of a guy who got a hole-in-one but was so used to reducing his score that he noted his score as 'zero'. 

(A strange game is golf. Although a player should write his actual score on his card, a hole-in-one would count as zero when working out his net score if the player is entitled to a stroke on the hole by virtue of his handicap. In fact, if the player's handicap is above 18, he may have the benefit of 2 strokes on the hole making his net score -1!)

The book credits a Robert Tyre Jones Jr. with this quote which sums up the psychology of golf, "Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course: the space between your ears." Mind games begin the moment you meet your opponent on the first tee. You are there to beat him, so start messing up with his mind as soon as he appears ready to take his back swing for the first shot. Ask him, "Do you shank?" 

For information of those who don't play the game, 'shank' is a dreaded malaise that at times strikes the best of golfers. Something goes wrong with the forward swing and the ball makes contact with the shaft just above the club head instead of the latter, darts weakly 90* from the intended direction and quite likely, ends up in a hazard, or at best, in a bad lie. The question, posed at the right time, will haunt him through the round.

Another technique is shadow work as demonstrated in the movie "Goldfinger" in which the villain's sidekick quietly moves his shadow over James Bond's golf ball just when he is about to hit it. Or you could do a stifled sneeze at that time. Or, if you are in his peripheral vision, cross your feet or move your arms just as he starts his downswing.         

During the game, when your balls are lying at similar distance from the hole and he is due to play before you, ask your caddie within your opponent’s hearing for a club lower or higher than the one you actually intend to use. Start taking some practice swings before he takes his shot to sow doubts in his mind about club selection. After he has hopefully messed up the shot, change your club to the desired one.

Ask him if he has a 'swing thought' - what does he think when he is preparing to hit a shot? Occasionally, enumerate the various hazards facing him on his next shot ending with, "If you hit it straight avoiding the deep depression on the left and the big bunker on the right, you should be fine."

Many years back, a guy named Puran Pandey, unfortunately no more, God bless his soul, used to play with me and come up with wisecracks. One day his ball was lying inside a circle marked with  'chuna' (lime) indicating that it was 'GUR' (ground under repair) and he was allowed a free drop. He said that was a great idea and he would ask his caddie to always have some 'chuna' in the bag so that he could quickly mark it around his ball whenever the lie was not good and claim a free drop. Imagine my surprise when I found this in print in the book! It aptly names the player "Picasso" who always carried a can of white spray paint in his bag for the purpose!

A quote I came by says, 'He who have fastest cart never have to play bad lie'. To be smart, 'The Improver' rushes to his ball and improves his lie before anyone comes near him or while others are focused on watching another player take his shot.

On the putting green, if your opponent putts close to the hole, praise his shot and carefully examine proximity of the ball to the hole. Just when he thinks you are going to concede the putt, tell him "Nobutaminit" meaning 'it won't take but a minute for you to putt this’.

As for yourself, play the 'inchworm' by marking your ball, lifting it, cleaning it and replacing it a few inches nearer the hole.

What if the opponent has read this book or Sidney Potter's "Golfmanship" and tries his hand at playing on your mind? You have to be smart to recognise that quickly and concoct some long-winded, irrelevant story without an end about a real old golfer like Harry Vardon or Ben Hogan to throw him off and impress him with your knowledge of golf history.

All is fair in love and war and golf is war. Remember, 'golfers who claim they never cheat also lie'. Your relationship with your opponent is inversely proportional to how he is playing. Best summed up in the query, "Is my 'friend' in the bunker or is the 'bastard' on the green?" 

 

Tailpiece: Not a golf story but the poor guy must have been a golfer. In a cartoon I chanced upon, the executioner is ready with his axe held up high to knock off the head of the guy with his neck on the chopping block. Before he brings the axe down, the executioner asks the victim, "Any last wish?" The frightened, shaken  plea, “Don't shank."

 

 

ANDY WILLIAMS - ACE SINGER OF MOVIE THEME SONGS

Last night, as I closed my eyes to go to sleep, Andy Williams appeared in my thoughts. Why, I wondered, did I suddenly remember this great singer from days gone by?

Then I recalled that in the evening, I was reading about how the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seemed to be ignoring Martin Scorsese who is considered by many as one of the best directors of all time but has only one Oscar to his credit despite critical acclaim for many movies and dozens of nominations. His Italian connection brought to mind "The Godfather" and its love theme 'Speak Softly Love'. That song was sung by Andy Williams.

So I indulged in more thinking about Andy Williams, the smooth-voiced crooner who in his prime in the 1960-70s, gave us one hit after another and was as successful as Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley. For the record, he had 15 gold and 3 platinum certified albums and 6 Top Hits on US Billboard Hot 100. 

The first song by Andy that I heard and loved was 'Butterfly' in February 1957. It was an instant hit and topped the US and the UK music charts and our own Binaca Hit Parade.

His next big hit came a year later, 'Are You Sincere?' Others followed and then in 1962, he came up with a song that would put him on the road to everlasting fame. It was 'Moon River' from "Breakfast At Tiffany's", which he was asked to sing at the Oscar Awards function where it won as Best Original Song. 

The success of Moon River made Andy adopt the song as the theme for his TV show. Later that year, he recorded an album, "Moon River And Other Great Movie Themes" which included older movie themes such as 'Love Is A Many-Splendoured Thing', 'Theme From A Summer Place', 'As Time Goes By', and 'Three Coins In The Fountain'. The huge popularity of the album made him keep vocalising movie themes which brought out the best in him.

Among the movie theme hits to follow were 'A Time For Us' from the 1968 film "Romeo And Juliet", 'Where Do I Begin' from "Love Story", and, of course, 'Speak Softly Love' from "The Godfather". 

Some other Andy Williams' version of movie songs include 'The Shadow of Your Smile', 'Born Free', 'The Way We Were', 'Theme From Exodus' and 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head'. A tall list with many more.

Andy was also good at Christmas songs and his 8 such albums earned him the title of "Mr. Christmas". The most popular song among them is 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year', a must-play number during the Yuletide season. On the solemn side, he touchingly sang Schubert's 'Ave Maria' at the funeral of his friend, Robert F. Kennedy. 

A song is given birth by an inspired composer and an imaginative lyricist but finally it is the singer who with his voice and style brings the number to us and gets the credit for its popularity and lifespan. At this Andy Williams with his smooth, charming voice and easy-to-listen style was a master and will be remembered long after his favourite composers like Henry Mancini and lyricists like Johnny Mercer are forgotten. So let's recall six of his best songs and their engaging lyrics though you will have to listen to them yourself.

We begin with the Mancini-Mercer 'Moon River' which made Andy a star. Moon River in the song was a metaphor for a lover, a maker of dreams as also a heart breaker, who the smitten one was determined to follow on life's journey right to the end:-

"....Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,

Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way....

We're after the same rainbow's end,

Waitin' round the bend....

Moon river and me."

The musical score for "Love Story" was written by Francis Lai and then there was demand for its theme to be given lyrics. That was done by Carl Sigman and Andy Williams delivered the sad, heart-rending hit song:-

"Where do I begin

To tell the story of how great a love can be

The sweet love story that is older than the sea....

How long does it last

Can love be measured by the hours in a day

I have no answers now but this much I can say

I know I'll need her 'til the stars all burn away

And she'll be there!"

To take a break from the sentimental, let's go to Andy's first top hit 'Butterfly' which was sung appropriately in a fluttering style conjuring a vision of a butterfly flitting from flower to flower:-

"You tell me you love me, you say you'll be true,

Then you fly around with somebody new

But I'm crazy about you, you butterfly...."

And so:-

"I love you so much I know what I'll do

I'm clippin' your wings, your flyin' is through

'Cause I'm crazy about you, you butterfly".

Another delightful song rendered in a light way was 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You':-

"Pardon the way that I stare, there's nothing else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak, there are no words left to speak

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you."

Back to movies and we have the moving composition by the Italian, Nino Rota, for Franco Zefirelli's outstanding "Romeo And Juliet" with the title roles brilliantly played by two unknown teenagers, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. In the movie, a troubadour character performed a song 'What Is A Youth' in a party with Juliet anxiously searching for Romeo. Andy's song was titled 'A Time For Us':-

"A time for us at last to see 

A life worthwhile for you and me

And with our love through tears and thorns

We will endure as we pass surely through every storm

A time for us, some day there'll be a new world

A world of shining hope for you and me".

Finally, there was the enticing 'Love Theme From The Godfather', once again composed by Nino Rota, which was sung as 'Speak Softly Love' by Andy:-

"Wine-coloured days warmed by the sun

Deep velvet nights when we are one

Speak softly love so no one hears us but the sky

The vows of love we make will live until we die 

My life is yours and all because

You came into my world with love so softly love".

Andy Williams came into our world softly with his easy-to-listen, captivating voice which lives on to delight us anytime we desire.

Tidbit. Was Bollywood listening? Yes indeed. Tune in to 'Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya' from "Akele Hum Akele Tum".