Small in size, big in stature

Col DS Cheema (Retd)

This story dates back to the mid-60s when meeting the top bureaucrat of a state was not as difficult as it is today. Some of my positive views about the babus were formed when I had the opportunity of knowing a unique man who happened to be the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh.

After the 1962 debacle, the Army set up Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) Centre at Bhopal to meet the urgent need of technical manpower. The lone military unit was commanded by a Colonel who also functioned as the Station Commander. As a junior officer, with only a couple of years of service, I hardly knew what I know about the IAS cadre now. Neither did we, the junior officers, have any idea of the special status of a Chief Secretary nor did we bother to know anything about the aura, protocol and authority et al associated with the most important bureaucrat of the state. Most of us, except the Commandant and some senior officers, took Mr Naronha for granted. Youngsters often became very friendly with him even under the prying eyes of the seniors, who never approved of such behaviour.

I recall a small dark man adorning a white T-shirt and shorts braking his jeep with a screech in front of the badminton court of the Officers’ Mess. It was his private open jeep which he loved to drive without a driver. No one in the town recognised him in that dress as the officer yielding unlimited power. Local Hindi newspapers described him as a down-to-earth professional with unimpeachable integrity. It was bruited about that he sacked many inefficient and corrupt officials.

He always looked forward to an exciting game of badminton with officers almost one-third his age. Some senior officers, including the Commandant (God bless his soul) preferred to cheer him up from the gallery and applauded his shots by clapping and heaved sorrowful sighs when he missed one. Whenever he lost a game, he went out of the way to prove that he was a good loser when everyone knew that was not the case. Game over, all discussions culminated on his fitness, brilliant anticipation and excellent foot-work. He grinned sheepishly when the sycophants made him believe that he could beat anyone hollow had he been a few years younger.

The astute bureaucrat would come truly alive only after sunset.  We would all move to the lounge of the Officers’ Mess, as we were expected to and one of us would order his (Naronha’s) trademark drink ‘double large rum on the rocks’. While the non-drinkers were mere onlookers, some like me were enthusiastic participants in every discussion and argument. Attention and patience with which Naronha listened to us, made us feel good and we reciprocated the same way when he narrated long and often boring details of his hunting expeditions. He would tell us how he gunned down the ferocious animals, including wild boars and tigers. Anyone with average intelligence would have doubted the authenticity of the tall claims being made. However, the presence of our seniors stopped us from making any unpleasant enquiries. After the initial shock, all of us would fall in line and start admiring the bravery of the hunter. Many diplomatic hints from senior officers about the authenticity of the adventures would drown in his confident and commanding recitation. The other time when he was at his best was when he played the game of bridge with the Commandant, Sir Datar Singh (who was rumoured to have gifted the land for construction of airport in Bairagarh, near Bhopal) and one chosen out of the junior officers. He would often correct the English pronunciation of the rustic Punjabi-speaking commandant, who met the hanger-on's gazes with embarrassed air.

On a winter Sunday, Naronha decided to give a few of us a ride in his jeep. Sitting cramped in the rear seat, I felt very important as I knew my driver was an IAS officer. After a few minutes we landed in front of what appeared to be a government bungalow. Inside, every nook and corner of the house spoke about the simple living style of the adorable man. After a while, someone dropped us back at the Mess. My respect for the tiny great man increased manifold after this incident. He was unique and truly a great man, though small in size.