Remembering the indomitable
Mohinder Singh Dardi
Memory lane
By Pritam Singh Sidhu

THE month of September evokes strong memories of my experiences of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. I was then commanding 39 Medium Regiment in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector. Fighting is a tough job, especially when you are at the receiving end. From the wireless intercepts, it was apparent that the opposing commander was held in great awe and respect by his troops. ( Later we came to know that he was Maj Gen Yahya Khan who eventually became the President of Pakistan). Yahya Khan had launched an offensive against us on September 1. By his intrepid and bold moves he had been able to push us back to within six miles of Akhnoor.

Withdrawal is a difficult operation. Rumours abound. Troops are prone to panic. A very high standard of leadership is required to keep the troops motivated. Some units could not live upto their reputations. Many soldiers died, among them two gunner commanding officers. The situation was very fluid. It was the worst of times for some and the best of times for others.

2/Lt R.I. Singh was one of my upcoming officers, He was a silver gunner from the School of Artillery. An all-rounder, he was good at almost everything. The jawans loved him and he was my favourite. His elder brother who was a gunner too, had been killed in a jeep accident. On September 1 when R.I. Singh was firing on the enemy from one of the forward observing posts, he was hit and wounded. Gurcharan, his wireless operator, was escorting him back. A Pakistani party saw this and started following them. R. I. Singh felt thirsty due to loss of blood, so Gurcharan laid him down under a shady tree and went in search of water. By the time Gurcharan returned, the Pakistani party had captured R.I Singh. Gurcharan, being one against many, had no option but to beat a retreat. (After the war, R.I. Singh confirmed that under the circumstances Gurcharan had no other alternative).

I was greatly disturbed when I heard the news. Lurking somewhere in my mind was the fear the R.I. Singh had been abandoned. His having lost a brother earlier made the things worse. How I wished that I did not have to write to his father regarding his probable capture by the enemy! A news bulletin from the Pak radio that evening, confirming that R.I. Singh was a prisoner in their hands, came as somewhat of a relief to me.

Hav Maj Mohinder Singh was perhaps my smartest NCO. Tall, handsome and athletic, he was in the unit basketball and volleyball teams. Whenever any VIP visited us, he was the commander of the ceremonial guard. Though he was arrogant, I liked him; as a matter of fact I was fond of him. He was popularly called Dardi.

R.I. Singh’s capture had left a deep impact on me. I could not get rid of a feeling that he had perhaps been forsake. So I called a unit durbar near Sundar Bani to address that subject. I explained to them my concept of camaraderie. If I was lying wounded in the middle of a minefield, I expected them to volunteer to rescue me. Similarly they should have the same confidence in me. I said, "You have committed a cardinal sin by abandoning a wounded comrade. I am ashamed of you. How I wish I had never been posted to 39!".

Then I saw Mohinder Singh Dardi getting up. Very respectfully he said in his typical rustic Punjabi, "Sahib, bohat hogya hai, bas kar. Asin tera alambha la dewange. (Sir, this is enough. We will make amends for this)".

The battle that followed was fierce. We were originally deployed west of Munnawar Wali Tawi but had to withdraw gradually to the Fatewal Ridge position which was only six miles west of Akhnoor. At one time it looked as if Yahya Khan wanted to overrun our guns with his tanks. Although tank alert had been ordered, my jawans stood firm. Pakistani tanks did not venture any closer. Dardi played a steller role during this withdrawal. His personal conduct and demeanour were a great motivating factor for the others. His troop remained orderly and well disciplined; and gave timely and accurate fire support to our withdrawing infantry. Ceasefire was, however, ordered on September 23.

One evening I was told that Lt Gen P.P. Kumaramanglam, DSO Vice Chief of the Army Staff, was to visit my unit. Sub Maj Ram Singh and I were waiting to receive him. Suddenly a flag jeep with three stars appeared. It was all alone. The GOC and the Brigade Commander had not been able to make it to the helipad due to some mix up. Lt Gen K.S. Katoch, MC, our Corps Commander was driving the jeep. Out stepped Gen Kumaramanglam and remarked in his typical drawl "Sidhu, your Corps Commander tells me that the performance of your unit has been best in the Corps. Well done!" This took me by suprise as I had not anticipated such a flattering remark. I quickly came out of my stupor and felt happy.

The news spread like a wildfire in the unit. Everyone greeted me, with a smile. In the evening Sub Maj Ram Singh and I had to visit a place. The route lay through the ‘C’ Troop gun position, Mohinder Singh Dardi’s troop. As we approached the position, I could see Mohinder Singh standing erect, immaculately dressed as if he was to command a ceremonial guard. He gave me a smart salute. I could see a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He proudly said, "Sahib, aj tera alambha lah dita hai (Sir, we have made the promised amends)."