It was during the GANESH FESTIVEL of 1965 that the riots broke out in Pune and I was adventurous enough to go for "sight-seeing" all the way upto Mandai market, looking at burning shops and houses when suddenly the CURFEW was imposed. At great risk, admist police lathi charges, I managed to return home at Rastapet by 9pm., I found to my horror that my house was enveloped in smoke due to the bursting of tear-gas shell in my compound. I spent a tearful night. Life in Pune suddenly got disturned.
And then the WAR broke out with Pakistan bombing many of our cities in western sector. My wife had gone to PILANI in Rajasthan border and I was getting worried about safety. When I heard the 1-30 news in 0ffice about bombing of Jodhpur, I got panicky and decided to leave for Pilani. My Accounts 0fficer Mr AV Joshi advised me against the trip to the border where heavy fighting had erupted. I wrote in my application that the "life of my wife or "wife of my life" was in danger and promptly left by train to Bombay after sending a telegram to my father-in-law to receive me in CHIRAWA station.(as this was my first trip to Pilani)
There was complete black-out in Bombay apprehending air-attack. I bought the ticked and was told that train services towards Rajasthan were suspended and irregular. A Military train was leaving for Delhi and showing my Defence Identity Card, I requested the Commanding 0fficer to permmit me to travel in the train. Fortunately, he permitted me and told me to change the train at SAWAI MADHPUR junction in order to proceed to CHIRAWA. I was put in a small compartment along with some more civilians.
Since trains were targetted in Air-attack, it was a long, erratic journey. As black-out was oberved inside the train and in all wayside stations, I missed alighting in Sawai Madhpur station. When I woke up suddenly at 4 am, I found the train parked at Bharathpur station, far away from my destination. As my ticket was not valid in this route, I jumped over a fence and came out of the station. I found active patrolling by police and other para-military forces everywhere in Bharatpur in search of enemy paratroppers as Pakistan was engaged in sabotaging vital installations in India. Suspects were caught and lynched by violent mobs. As my knowledge of Hindi was very poor (at that time) I was scared of being caught and questioned.
I went to a nearby bustand and took a bus to JAIPUR to catch the connecting train which I missed the previous day at Sawai Madhpur. When I reached Jaipur, I learnt that the same train was expected in the night. I went out in JAIPUR for sight seeing. The pink city wore an errie look as Pakisthan was trying very hard to bomb the city. I was almost on a tourist-mood roaming in the pink city, when suddenly I heard the strange sound of SIREN. I found people running here and there for cover and jumping into trenches. I also followed them. After about half-an hour, all-clear signal was sounded. Later I was in a shoe-shop examining the famous Jaipur chappals, when I heard the AIR news about our Squadren Leaders DENZIL KEELER and TREVOR KEELER chasing the invading Pak planes away from Jaipur city and shooting them down. I was thrilled and excited. I could not believe that I was lying in the trench, right under the scene of action in Jaipur, just when the air-attack was being foiled.
The Military train arrived in Jaipur in pitch darkness ensured by strick black-out. The Railway platform was full of Rajasthani and Punjabi ladies, performing 'ARATHI' to the train and all the jawans in the compartments. The ladies applied 'TILAK' to each and every beaming soldier and handed over sweets, eatables etc., I became emotional when I also got the benefit of their warmth. Such spontaneous warmth shown by the women-folk to the soldiers proceeding to the battlefield, hitherto seen only in films, brought tears in my eyes.
I was again fortunate to be permitted to travel in the train which was now moving in the sandy terrain of Rajasthan desert. The train stopped frequently apprehending air-attack, as the train in the desert was like a sitting duck for the enemy. We ran helter-skelter in the sands of the desert, whenever we heard the roar of planes, far away from the train ,to avoid being hit by the air-attack. It was almost 5 am when the train reached CHIRAWA station and the only one person standing in the platform at that odd hour, was my father-in-law.He was thrilled to see me as he had lost hopes of seeing me and my wife was getting hysterious after I failed to turn up the previous day. We got into the car and proceeded towards Pilani in the desert terrain. Twice we heard the sound of war-planes zooming over our heads. The pea-cocks abound in the area, always made shrilling cry when the planes were approaching and this used to alert us about the impending attack.
PILANI was between Delhi and Pakistan and we had very anxious moments during the peak of the war dominated by air-battle. People formed local defence and roamed in the night to apprehend para-troppers, safe-guard vital water/power installations and enforce total black-out. I saw truck-loads of Sardarjis, Rajputs and Punjabis proceeding towards the battlefield in the western sector with swords raised over their heads. In the nights, we used to wake up when peacocks made shrilling noises and prayed Gods to spare us from bomb-attacks. The plane in which the Governor of Gujarat and his wife were flying, was shot down by Pakisthan air force in the border area. I vividly remmember the inspiring words of LAL BAHADUR SHASHTRI when he spoke in AIR that " we will fight with grim determination"
At the same time, the unity, excitement and the patriotic spirit of the people reached a crescendo, diverting us away from our personal problems. The 14 days war ended abruptly just two days before DUSSERA, generating wide-spread celebrations in the county. What a joyous finale it was. I sent a telegram to Sri AV Joshi, followed by a letter to the 0ffice.
A few days later, I left Pilani by bus and reached LOHARU station in Punjab border, to catch a train to Delhi on my return journey to Pune. It was night when I tried to enter the crowded compartment, when a soldier raised his rifle and ordered me to get down. As the train was already moving, I pleaded with him that I will move out in the next station. To my horror I found that the compartment was full of Pakisthani PRISONERS-OF-WAR (wounded and hand-cuffed) being escorted by our soldiers. My sojourn with them was spine-chilling, to say the least, until I moved out in the next stop.
I had the exclusive, first-hand view of all the POWs under escort..You donot see such scenes often.
Later in the evening, when I was strolling in Chandini Chowk area in New Delhi, I saw the confiscated Pakisthani PATTAN TANKS kept there in display. Sardarjis were performing Bangra dances over the Tanks and many in the crowd were wrangling with others for a chance to dance over the Tanks.
The letter I wrote to the 0ffice two days after the war, was neatly filed in my Personal file in ADMIN section. During the next 12 years of my tenure in ADMIN section, I used to fondly look at that letter frequently and it used to open the flood-gates of nostalgic memories.
And then the WAR broke out with Pakistan bombing many of our cities in western sector. My wife had gone to PILANI in Rajasthan border and I was getting worried about safety. When I heard the 1-30 news in 0ffice about bombing of Jodhpur, I got panicky and decided to leave for Pilani. My Accounts 0fficer Mr AV Joshi advised me against the trip to the border where heavy fighting had erupted. I wrote in my application that the "life of my wife or "wife of my life" was in danger and promptly left by train to Bombay after sending a telegram to my father-in-law to receive me in CHIRAWA station.(as this was my first trip to Pilani)
There was complete black-out in Bombay apprehending air-attack. I bought the ticked and was told that train services towards Rajasthan were suspended and irregular. A Military train was leaving for Delhi and showing my Defence Identity Card, I requested the Commanding 0fficer to permmit me to travel in the train. Fortunately, he permitted me and told me to change the train at SAWAI MADHPUR junction in order to proceed to CHIRAWA. I was put in a small compartment along with some more civilians.
Since trains were targetted in Air-attack, it was a long, erratic journey. As black-out was oberved inside the train and in all wayside stations, I missed alighting in Sawai Madhpur station. When I woke up suddenly at 4 am, I found the train parked at Bharathpur station, far away from my destination. As my ticket was not valid in this route, I jumped over a fence and came out of the station. I found active patrolling by police and other para-military forces everywhere in Bharatpur in search of enemy paratroppers as Pakistan was engaged in sabotaging vital installations in India. Suspects were caught and lynched by violent mobs. As my knowledge of Hindi was very poor (at that time) I was scared of being caught and questioned.
I went to a nearby bustand and took a bus to JAIPUR to catch the connecting train which I missed the previous day at Sawai Madhpur. When I reached Jaipur, I learnt that the same train was expected in the night. I went out in JAIPUR for sight seeing. The pink city wore an errie look as Pakisthan was trying very hard to bomb the city. I was almost on a tourist-mood roaming in the pink city, when suddenly I heard the strange sound of SIREN. I found people running here and there for cover and jumping into trenches. I also followed them. After about half-an hour, all-clear signal was sounded. Later I was in a shoe-shop examining the famous Jaipur chappals, when I heard the AIR news about our Squadren Leaders DENZIL KEELER and TREVOR KEELER chasing the invading Pak planes away from Jaipur city and shooting them down. I was thrilled and excited. I could not believe that I was lying in the trench, right under the scene of action in Jaipur, just when the air-attack was being foiled.
The Military train arrived in Jaipur in pitch darkness ensured by strick black-out. The Railway platform was full of Rajasthani and Punjabi ladies, performing 'ARATHI' to the train and all the jawans in the compartments. The ladies applied 'TILAK' to each and every beaming soldier and handed over sweets, eatables etc., I became emotional when I also got the benefit of their warmth. Such spontaneous warmth shown by the women-folk to the soldiers proceeding to the battlefield, hitherto seen only in films, brought tears in my eyes.
I was again fortunate to be permitted to travel in the train which was now moving in the sandy terrain of Rajasthan desert. The train stopped frequently apprehending air-attack, as the train in the desert was like a sitting duck for the enemy. We ran helter-skelter in the sands of the desert, whenever we heard the roar of planes, far away from the train ,to avoid being hit by the air-attack. It was almost 5 am when the train reached CHIRAWA station and the only one person standing in the platform at that odd hour, was my father-in-law.He was thrilled to see me as he had lost hopes of seeing me and my wife was getting hysterious after I failed to turn up the previous day. We got into the car and proceeded towards Pilani in the desert terrain. Twice we heard the sound of war-planes zooming over our heads. The pea-cocks abound in the area, always made shrilling cry when the planes were approaching and this used to alert us about the impending attack.
PILANI was between Delhi and Pakistan and we had very anxious moments during the peak of the war dominated by air-battle. People formed local defence and roamed in the night to apprehend para-troppers, safe-guard vital water/power installations and enforce total black-out. I saw truck-loads of Sardarjis, Rajputs and Punjabis proceeding towards the battlefield in the western sector with swords raised over their heads. In the nights, we used to wake up when peacocks made shrilling noises and prayed Gods to spare us from bomb-attacks. The plane in which the Governor of Gujarat and his wife were flying, was shot down by Pakisthan air force in the border area. I vividly remmember the inspiring words of LAL BAHADUR SHASHTRI when he spoke in AIR that " we will fight with grim determination"
At the same time, the unity, excitement and the patriotic spirit of the people reached a crescendo, diverting us away from our personal problems. The 14 days war ended abruptly just two days before DUSSERA, generating wide-spread celebrations in the county. What a joyous finale it was. I sent a telegram to Sri AV Joshi, followed by a letter to the 0ffice.
A few days later, I left Pilani by bus and reached LOHARU station in Punjab border, to catch a train to Delhi on my return journey to Pune. It was night when I tried to enter the crowded compartment, when a soldier raised his rifle and ordered me to get down. As the train was already moving, I pleaded with him that I will move out in the next station. To my horror I found that the compartment was full of Pakisthani PRISONERS-OF-WAR (wounded and hand-cuffed) being escorted by our soldiers. My sojourn with them was spine-chilling, to say the least, until I moved out in the next stop.
I had the exclusive, first-hand view of all the POWs under escort..You donot see such scenes often.
Later in the evening, when I was strolling in Chandini Chowk area in New Delhi, I saw the confiscated Pakisthani PATTAN TANKS kept there in display. Sardarjis were performing Bangra dances over the Tanks and many in the crowd were wrangling with others for a chance to dance over the Tanks.
The letter I wrote to the 0ffice two days after the war, was neatly filed in my Personal file in ADMIN section. During the next 12 years of my tenure in ADMIN section, I used to fondly look at that letter frequently and it used to open the flood-gates of nostalgic memories.
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