The power of camaraderie

Col HP Singh (Retd)

MY regiment’s officers assembled recently at Alwar (Rajasthan). It was neither a raising/battle honour day nor any jubilee celebration. It was an occasion to celebrate the assumption of command of a brigade by one of our officers on his promotion. Having commanded the same regiment, my heart swelled with pride on seeing the camaraderie. The ethos inculcated in us by our predecessors had been well preserved and passed on to the younger generations.

The reunion rekindled memories of confronting the enemy along the Line of Control, combating insurgents in the North-East and battling for survival in the Arctic conditions of the Siachen glacier. We remembered our valiant hero, my senior subaltern, who was awarded the Kirti Chakra for making the supreme sacrifice. We relived those anxious moments where decisions had to be taken without orders from the ‘top’. These decisions could have cost us our careers or, worse, our lives.

The idiosyncrasies of our bosses were retold, generating laughter and tears of mirth. That we could fulfil the demands of their quixotic quests was an achievement worth bragging about. My temperament and ‘irrational’ tongue-lashing while in command were laid bare. The rancour and bitterness of the past had made way for amusing reminiscences.

The solemnity befitting the occasion was, nevertheless, maintained. The ‘Commander Sahib’ was blessed by all of us, including our ladies, in his new office. He was gifted a Visconti fountain pen before he signed his first brigade order. While he gave everybody the credit for his success, we were elated that he had done the regiment proud. The photograph that captured us placing our hands over the chair he occupied has found a befitting place in the regiment history book.

Two years ago, we had a similar get-together at Palampur (Himachal Pradesh), wherein one of our former commanding officers, proceeding on premature retirement, was given a grand farewell. On both occasions, it was just a phone call by one of us that prompted all others to leave everything else behind and head for the event, travelling across the length and breadth of the country.

‘No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth,’ said poet Robert Southey. Maybe comrades-in-arms gather because they long to be with those people who were once at their fierce best, suffering and sacrificing together. These small gestures soldiers indulge in may appear trivial, but they leave a lasting impact.

There is a long wait for the platinum jubilee of our regiment. Till then, these promotions and retirements will be a valid excuse for catching up. What joy is greater than talking of old times with equally old buddies?

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