|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the middle The Army is the pride of every Indian and what happens behind the headlines, holds us all in awe. This collection of middles by Lt Gen M.N. Batra brings the lighter moments that the armed forces share while accomplishing their duty. His trip down the memory lane has World War II as the background and makes for an interesting read. General Batra, who has been religiously contributing ‘middles’ to an English daily for almost 20 years, was posted in Waziristan, North Africa, Palestine, Iran and Iraq during World War II and also served as the commandant of National Defence College. The President of India presented him the PVSM and the President of Egypt decorated him with the Order of Merit. But his career was not limited to the armed forces. He worked at managerial positions in several public and private companies and was also elected to the executive committees of the Delhi Gymkhana Club and India International Centre. In this book, the writer
describes the role of the top brass of the Army and the people with
political power in times of conflicts. His description of various
incidents is interspersed with doses of humorous anecdotes. He narrates
his casual, personal and strained interactions with prime ministers,
army chiefs, fellow colleagues (some of them quite distinguished in
their own right) and a few ladies. At times he gets nostalgic about his
old uniform, the desperate need for an odd drink at higher altitudes, as
also goof-ups his fellow men made. It is endearing to note that he does not place himself in the role of the central character in all narrations, though his quick wit is evident in the stories. The bond that he shares with his colleagues, the respect that he shows towards his seniors and the way he talks about ladies (even when he is showing their weaknesses) are all representative of what we associate with a thorough gentleman. General Batra’s middles appeared over many years and even if some incidents were repeated in a few pieces, they would have escaped notice. But in a compilation like this, they stand out as possible misprints. One of the many examples is ‘Old school ties’ and ‘Not so silent’ that appear one after the other and contain the same incident about a certain Reggie Sawhney. One can’t help but flip back to check if it is indeed a misprint. There is little doubt though that General Batra has the knack of holding your attention and narrating a story well. The book is well illustrated though no credits have been given for it. |
