Part 2- Bunny and Risal
Another time, still in Mathura, there was inter-company wrestling. I was then the Mechanical Transport Officer and officiating Administrative Company Commander. Our wrestler lost to a D Company jawan. The senior JCO of D Coy was Sub Sher Singh (his son, Rakesh, is an officer with the paltan today). He taunted our CHM, Risal Singh, across the Akhara. Risal, who was stone deaf and an old friend of Sher Singh, shook his fist and gestured to Sher Singh to come into the Akhara. The CO saw this and lost his temper. How dare a NCO shake his fist at a JCO, march him up, he said. No amount of pleading by the Adjutant (we had no 2IC) and SM that Risal and Sher Singh were old friends and only joking had any effect. The next day we marched up Risal before the CO. Risal was a Dogra from Himachal. In 1947, the 1st Grenadiers had a Mussalman company, which went to Pakistan and in turn received a Dogra coy from the Frontier Force Regiment. Risal had come with them. He and Sher Singh had been together for a long time. When Risal was marched up, remember he was deaf; he could not hear anything the CO said. Finally, in breach of all protocol, he stood next to the CO's chair, leaning over with one hand over his ear so that he could hear. Service? 20 years, old regiment? 5/12 Frontier Force. The CO was amazed, 'Did you see me there?' he asked. Risal pointed to the CO's shoulder and raised one finger, one star. He was with this company when the CO was commissioned. Bunny got up, overcome by emotion, and embraced Risal. A chair was brought in, and the two of them sat and exchanged memories till late in the evening. We all learned something that day.
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