HEROES OF THE 1971 WAR

This year, is the 42nd anniversary of the third Indo-Pak conflict that was fought in December 1971, and though remembered differently at many levels. My generation was, during this war, still at school. But I still have vivid memories of what was reported about and the legends we grew up
wanting to emulate some day. That oftrepeated photograph, with General Niazi signing the surrender document has all those India’s military commanders in it, who had so ably orchestrated this victory. And unlike the over intrusive media coverage, that we saw during the Kargil conflict, during the 1971 War, the media was pretty much embedded ( like the American media in the Gulf conflict) and gave us only the stuff that inspired admiration. The then army chief, Gen. Sam Manekshaw acquired a larger than life persona. I recall a photograph of his, on the western front, standing atop a trench looking at a helmeted Gorkha soldier, and the caption read something like this: “The Chief asked who am I, and the Johnny replied, Sam Bahadur”. On the East Pakistan front, newspapers reported with pictures of independent India’s first ever airborne operation (by 2 Para, as I later learnt), as paratroopers were dropped outside Dacca. And of the massive effort that went into crossing the eight mile broad Meghna river, as Indian troops closed in on Dacca. I do recall also seeing pictures of our tanks (PT-76 as I later learnt) in the river. But while the bulk of our coverage even today is focused on military operations in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), we must not forget the well fought battles on India’s western front. The ignoring of orders by 2/Lt Arun Khetrapal, who at the battle of Basantar, refused to abandon his burning tank and kept firing till his tank was destroyed, earning a PVC, is now legendary. In fact, his regiment’s performance at that battle led the Pakistanis to give it the title of ‘Fakr-e- Hind’ (or the Pride of India). And if my memory serves me right, newspapers had boldly announced the award of the first ever PVC to an Indian Air Force pilot, Flt. Lt. Nirmaljeet Singh Sekhon. I also recall news about the daring commando raid by Lt. Col HH Bhawani Singh of Jaipur(10 Paras )and (I was educated much later) about the epic battle at Longewala, under Major Kuldip Chandpuri. Both earned the MVC. But it is the tale of the sheer cold courage of Captain Mullah, MVC, that still haunts me. In the tradition of Casablanca, he as Captain of the sinking ship the INS Khukri – torpedoed by a Pakistani submarine- chose to go down with his ship, after he helped whomever he could, to leave his sinking ship. Two lesser known deeds of cold courage, unknown outside military circles, need also to be told. Capt. Ian Cardozo, when facing imminent gangrene in his leg after receiving bullets in an attack, chose to cut off his own leg with the khukri of his Gorkha batman, who failed to gather the nerves to do so, on Cardozo’s orders. And Lt. Col Yogi Sharma, having lost a leg and with a badly injured arm, got himself wrapped in a blanket and then strapped under a helicopter to be flown to a military hospital, giving the seats within the chopper to his juniors who were also wounded. Both Cardozo and Yogi Sharma, rose to be Generals! Many more were decorated, but there were many unsung heroes too. To all of them, I offer my Salute.