In 1964 we moved to North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), to 5 Mountain Division. By now the emergency had been in force, and since June 1963 many more officers joined, all 2nd Lieutenants. But one among them towered over all of us was Ram Swaroop Rana, VrC (Vir Chakra). Ramu had risen from the ranks with 1 Rajput later 4 Guards. He had won his Vir Chakra in the battle where Jadunath Singh had won his Param Vir Chakra. They were both section commanders of the platoon that had borne the brunt of the Pakistani attack. Jadunath was killed, Ramu survived. Subsequently, as a JCO he had been an instructor in Platoon Commander’s Wing at the Infantry School from where he had got a regimental commission into our Paltan. He was an outstanding soldier and had he had education when he enrolled, no doubt he would have risen very high. The CO and all officers depended on him for obvious reasons. This got him and all of us into trouble once.
It happened like this. We had just taken over defences in Bomdila and the General commanding the Division came to inspect the battalion. The GOC was a very fine soldier who had won the George Medal (Like our Ashoka Chakra) as a young officer. But, as he made it clear from the moment he stepped into our area, that he held a poor opinion of The Guards, our Battalion, our Officers and our CO. We were all very junior and took the tirade in our stride. Even the CO was shocked into silence. The last place of his inspection was the forward most company, which was commanded by Ramu. The GOC let Ramu have it for no rhyme or reason. Ramu was slow to anger and became redder and redder in face. Once or twice, he opened his mouth but no words would come out. Finally, in Hindi he asked the General if he could say something. The issue, as usual in an infantry battalion, was that of siting of an LMG (light machine gun). He explained that since he had only recently become an officer, he would explain better in Hindi. The General grudgingly agreed. Ramu, angry as he was, told the General that he did not know where and what level the GOC had seen battle, but he, Ramu had seen it as a section commander and for that he had received this, he unzipped his coat parka and pointed to his VrC ribbon! He added that if anyone should know how to site an LMG, it was he. By golly, we were in real trouble after that.
Epilogue
Lt. Col. Bunny Malhautra had by now come to the end of his tenure and was posted out. As I grew older in the Army, the incongruence of those days became increasingly apparent. Sitting in syndicate at Camberley among British officers I would often wonder what Bunny would have thought of them. Surely, they would have disappointed him and he could have taught them a thing or two about etiquette and officer-like qualities. They were certainly not his 'Gora Sahibs'. Bunny finally retired to his home in Shimla. Officers posted there would remember seeing a very 'Angrez' officer striding down The Mall wearing a felt hat, a three piece suit and carrying a rolled umbrella in his hand. The Guards Club in London would have admitted him unhesitatingly. Bunny remained what he always was – an anachronism, till he passed away. The England he knew and the British officers he so highly thought of have also passed on. An era has ended with him. May God rest his soul in peace.
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