The officer who would say it as it is

Col HP Singh

NEVER boast of your qualifications or achievements, people at times get insecure, was the advice given when I joined his brigade on posting. Two decades of age difference and three ranks senior to me, I would soon find a mentor in him whose life lessons helped me grow in service.

He carried a legacy of tales narrated over the years by his subordinates, which became a benchmark for youngsters to emulate. As a young Captain, he refused to divert from a reconnaissance mission sortie, not budging under pressure from the Air Force Station commander who wanted to oblige a Governor, a former Air Chief. His simple justification was that his mission was more important than the ‘valuable time’ of the VIP. This could have cost him his career. Not to buckle under pressure was the takeaway from this incident.

Posted in the Army Headquarters, he twice voiced his concerns over a decision taken by none other than the Army Chief. The entire hierarchy was in resonance but this man, then a Lt Col, a small rank in that big ship, would not budge. The issue was revisited and the Chief himself appreciated and was magnanimous enough to reverse his own decision when he was convinced that it was in the larger interest of the organisation. You need not hold a high rank to give the correct advice to your superiors, he would always preach.

The Brigade Commander refused to carry out the Annual Inspection of his regiment, being upset seeing the unit rear area not up to the mark. He point-blank reminded the visiting officer that being deployed on the Line of Control in a snow-bound operational area, operational readiness was more important than peacetime frills. ‘You may embarrass me, but kindly do not insult my unit,’ he said, politely. The inspection went through as scheduled. Focusing on the priorities of life was the lesson here.

Later, he was marched up to the General Officer Commanding after a vehicle of his outfit met with an accident. When the General wanted the driver to be punished, he as the Commanding Officer (CO) took moral responsibility for the accident and sought punishment for himself instead. The General, exhibiting fine leadership, recommended the CO for a career course that ensured he got his next rank. Moral courage pays in the long run was the message conveyed.

I was part of the control and umpiring team for a Corps-level exercise with him as the chief umpire. I was taken aback when he covered all the maps as his immediate boss entered the operation room. ‘I cannot update you Sir, and I wish you had not visited us.’ The General officer, who was part of the exercise, was not amused by this forthrightness. The choice of taking the harder right than the easier route always rests with you.

‘Military decisions have a direct impact on the lives of men under command and it is obligatory for us officers to care for them. If you look after them as your own children and stand by them, they will follow you into the deepest valleys even unto death,’ he would often say. He firmly believed that if you have conviction, you must convey your viewpoint, especially when it involves national or organisational interests.

His candidness was no impediment for his rise to a senior rank and he would have risen to be a General had age been on his side. Brigadier Puru Tewari, my commander, showed us that not saying yes when you want to say no, was a sign of great moral strength and authority.

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