days carry on !”
words, no, it is actually a ‘sentence’ literally, and is awarded with all
the fan fare you would associate a court, sentencing a criminal…or
may be a lot more. The judges especially the lower courts’ ones
rarely have such prim and proper marching in of the accused, or the
pin drop silence in which the solemn proceedings are conducted. The
army obviously believes in doing things ceremonially. So that was how
it went almost three and a half decades ago, No 16306 Cadet Suyash
Sharma, the accused is charged under Army Act Section 63, “An act
prejudicial to good order and military discipline in that while at
cadets mess on xx Feb 1984 at xxxx hours was “Found packing
breakfast” by the Adjutant Maj Daniels”.
himself, even Almighty Lord may not be able to save me! I
was not even aware of the Gods that Jews worshipped, else I would
have appealed to him directly. Maj Daniels happened to be a Jew. Not
that it mattered anyway! Although the punishment was decreed then
and there, “Seven days restrictions” but the formal
procedure for marching up to the Squadron commander had to be
followed.
in his inspection type starched KD shorts with the shirt
having been pulled by the orderly to remove any creases whatsoever
and garter flashes measured with the L stick, was the sacrificial
lamb ready for the slaughter. After the over study, corporal,
sergeant and the CSM had done the needful in terms of expletives and
threats , the drill instructor Sub Ramgopal from the Rajput Regiment
arrived for leading me to the altar. The proceedings appeared to be
as though I was being led to the gallows. I was not aware then, that
Sub Ramgopal was very amenable and could have got me off the hook for
just a few note books, pens and some samosas. Even later I didn’t
have the courage to exploit this trait, which very many others did.
The squadron commander was Maj Sudarshan Singh Rathee, a paratrooper,
who was unruffled even when squadron came last in cross country. He looked up at me and asked if I had anything to say in my defence.
I was prebriefed not to utter a word lest he send me to the battalion
commander Wg Cdr Parulkar, VM, whose attempted escape from the PW
camp in 71 war was part of the folklore! It has recently been
immortalized by the Bollywood also in a movie “The Great Indian
Escape”. So “seven days restrictions” ….March him
off…!!!!The punishment saga had begun..
the scales of punishments Restrictions was on top of the heap, with
ETs, EDs being the third and second rung, poor cousins as their
cumulative account doesn’t account for anything dreadful except the
daily buggery associated with the runs and reports. While ET was run
in the dungarees, ED was in KDs, restrictions being the prima donna
required a full FSMO(more about that later). Although cumulatively
only the restrictions matter, with 42 of them leading to the dreaded
sounding of the bugle, i.e. being relegated by six months. Two such
relegations led to withdrawal of the cadet on disciplinary grounds.
were other formal punishments too, such as a run to Sinhgad and back.
Sinhgad was the formidable fortress of Shivaji Maharaj on a hill
about 20 kms from Khadakwasla. It made a come back as a punishment
after a number of years in our final term and the other one was a run
to ‘Lal Makaan’, the seven mile run, where a prominent red hut was
the forest check post, I think. For the uninitiated, all these are in
full battle gear and not those joy runs.
back to Restrictions, which are not just ‘run and done’, it
comprises, reporting to the drill sergeant two more times once in the
evening at dusk and second at night. These reports are also in full
battle gear and the contents of the haversack are checked by the
strict sergeants or duty officers. The FSMO or Field Service Marching
Order, is a colonial army legacy, I am not too sure of the exact
numbers of contents, but to name a few, a pair of undergarments, mess
tin set, enamelled mug, line bedding, blanco, complete toiletries
set (tooth brush,tooth paste, shaving brush, razor, soap) towel,
socks, anti snake bit kit adorned on the jap cap (a blade, a piece of
thread and a pencil), torch and ‘hussif’ commonly pronounced as
housewife, another unique item which essentially was a small pouch
with needle, threads and buttons. In other words everything which you
needed to survive formed part of the contents. Every item added
weight so Cadets avoided carrying the heavy stuff, (in fact miniature
version of each of these was available at Gole market), which could
be a permanent content. Did I forget the water bottle, the most
inefficient part of the FSMO was the water bottle, which leaked
perpetually and left its mark on the derriere of the cadets, during
the run. These bottles though inefficient but we’re life savers and
thus were duly refilled at every possible water point, as we learnt
the hard way during Camp Rovers. The fourth term camp was supposed to
be amongst the toughest camps for 16 year olds in the world. Summer
months, Sahyadris, the mountain range on the Western Ghats are rocky
with sparse vegetation, quite a deadly combination! In our josh and
exuberance, during the run back to the academy from the camp site, we
the fourth termers decided to empty the water bottles to reduce
weight and the inconvenience caused by its profuse leakage. We
weren’t even across half way home, when totally dehydrated, we were
searching for water rather than our check point where we were to
report. Lesson learnt, never ever be without water, come what may…
are awarded to discipline the cadets, I am not too sure if this aim
is ever achieved, but there is a positive side effect of the punishment which
is a blessing in disguise! The punishment types develop a rare bon-
homie cutting across the rather strict seniority boundaries. This
camaraderie is engendered over the runs which they jogged together or
when they helped each other through those reports, a proxy here and
there or even slipping the FSMO contents across to bail the other
out. More often than not, they would also be smoke type pals, smoking
though, is officially prohibited in the academy and invites another 7
days restrictions, but then forbidden fruits are sweeter!
7 days restrictions became my hallmark for each term thereafter,
thankfully, it remained at 7 only. In the fourth term we were again
on the wrong side of the Adjutant, after a reverse outdoor of ET
followed by swimming, we were rushing on the third battalion road.
For the uninitiated, this was the rather secluded stretch of road,
where normally there weren’t any drill instructors to keep tabs on
us. So seven of us were in a tearing hurry to hit the mess for the
sumptuous breakfast which awaited us. Seven cadets can’t form one
squad, a squad comprises either four or six cadets on cycles. None of
us was prepared to sacrifice and wait…little did we realise that
Maj Daniels was waiting for us and sure enough we literally cycled
into his trap. Since we were not carrying our identity slips, our
names were noted down by a drill instructor who emerged from nowhere,
the moment Adjutant caught us.Since the drill instructor was not from
our squadron, one of us had a “brain dead” moment and gave
false names. Thrilled at the prospect of having fooled him, he
confided in the rest of us. Some of us realised that we could get
into a real mess here. But then, the deed was done.
news spread like wildfire that seven fourth termers from Juliet
squadron had given false names to the Adjutant and he had sworn that
he would get all of them relegated. We rushed to our CSM and SCC, who
realised the gravity of the situation and said, they will inform the
Squadron commander the next day. it was a Sunday and the squadron was
scheduled to go for the customary cross country run. After the run,
the SCC SK Mohlah mustered up the courage to report the matter to Maj
Rathee. He was cool as cucumber and just said,”That was a real
stupid thing to do! Let me see how can I salavage the situation”
On Monday, he managed to convince the Adjutant, his coursemate from
NDA, that he would do the needful and sort us out in the squadron
itself. Thereafter, the seven days award ….we really got away
rather lightly. We marched off heaving a sigh of relief, till the
battalion commander heard of this, sure enough next day our marching
orders to the battalion commander were prominently displayed. We ran
to the squadron office,where our saviour Maj Rathee assured us that
he is headed to the battalion office himself. We could overhear the
conversation, Maj Rathee stood his ground that we couldn’t be
punished twice for the same offence! Finally we were marched in; the
Battalion commander admonished us and put us all on relegation
warning,which too was published in the battalion routine orders but 7
days it remained!!! A very important lesson learnt that day, hold
your own when you are convinced even against odds.
am sure there were a few OLQ (officer like qualities) champs in every
course who had never had the privilege of running those afternoon
periphery runs, I am convinced they have missed something. I think it should be
mandatory for every cadet to do the 7 days stint at least once in the six terms. Then
there were the 40 restrictions variety, who were used to living on
the edge, 2 more and the bugler came calling accompanied by loss of
six months! So what… the thrill of living dangerously was well worth the effort. You err,
own up, take it on the chin like a man and face the music but emerge
with your head held high, that is the mantra for life.
Original Comments:
Col Jitendra Singh (2019-09-02):
Very nicely written. The blog has reminded the good old memorable academy days.
Sanjay (2019-09-02):
Very well written. Your brain imitates Vintage wine, the older it grows the better effects it churns out!
Sanjay (2019-09-02):
That is Gunism…..
Sanjay (2019-09-02):
Suyash(ed) be blessed.
Unknown (2019-09-02):
Beautifully written, as usual Suyash.. It was like walking all the way with you… And btw, I was part of that squad that gave wrong names !! And I also remember who had the 'brain dead' moment… What a frightful weekend that was.. Thanks Suyash for taking us back in time to relive those precious moments..Vinod
Unknown (2019-09-02):
Very well written Suyash as usual
Akshaya Handa (2019-09-02):
Lovely one
Patanjali (2019-09-02):
So well captured, Suyash! Kind of reminded me of my brush with near relegation on somewhat similar count.
Having passed out of NDA as an 'OLQ type' as you put it with practically zero restrictions, I was ready to be a proud gentleman cadet at IMA, not realizing my destiny had something else in store for me. In the final term, before I realised, I found that series of unlucky incidents and bad timing (see, I am not completely denying culpability…) shot up my account of restrictions to astronomical levels in just over a month or so. While the daily grind of running long distance in that awful rig you described and reporting multiple times in a day was in itself killing enough, it was the trend of picking up more restrictions while being on restrictions that turned out to be the last straw on the camel's back!
Totally fed up and frustrated, I, along with a two more fellow sufferers came up with the ingenious solution of pinning up corporal stripes on our shoulders to escape the agony on a Sunday! Just one Sunday..!
Well, who do you blame, when, to our horror we found that the duty instructor for the day had swapped places with one from our own Meiktila company who knew us rouges as the back of his hand!
With the threat of 14 days looming large, a missive was drafted for my folks at home a day before the march-up to cancel reservations for POP, as the count would have easily crossed dreaded threshold….!
I am still wondering who, from among three of us should I thank for having the right influence to get 14 days reduced to 7 (something unheard of for a charge of impersonation…).
I remain indepted to some an unknown noble soul for not having to send out that letter home and passing out with you all…..
Anonymous (2019-09-02):
Nostalgic for all of us, a realistic account of many a dilemmas that cadets face during the academy training. Suyash has been getting better with each passing blog..
Unknown (2019-09-02):
Excellent piece, sir. Enjoyed reading.
Living on the the edge! Been there, done that 😉 Had 40 restrictions once.
At the count of 32, I was matched up to the Batty (Battalion Commander) for an offence which makes for a story for another time. As you know, Div-Os could give upto 3 days, squaddie upto 7 days and Batty upto 14 days restrictions. I was looking at near certain relegation.
Got real good advice from the squadron drill ustad (who saw so much of me that he was a pal by now) He said three things – impeccable turn out, flawless crisp drill and mouth tightly shut (no excuses)
With nothing to lose, I followed his advice verbatim. Here I was standing in the Batty's office, ram rod stiff, when the charge was read out. "……the accused is charged under Army Act Section 63, An act prejudicial to good order and military discipline in that he…… How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?"
Without breaking eye contact, I said, "Guilty, sir." Then there was silence. Each side willing the other to speak. I maintained my stone face and silence and kept staring ahead.
It was perhaps out of curiosity or perhaps boredom that Batty spoke next. But not the words that I was expecting. He did not say, "14 days restrictions. March off." Instead he said, "Why did you do it?"
It seemed that he was free that day and was looking for some 'entertainment'. Motivations of a cadet are as interesting an entertainment as any! They make for a good 8pm story in the bar.
I think my guardian angel was working overtime that day (nothing unusual there:-). In a fit of inspiration and ignoring the piercing stare of the officiating Squaddie, I launched into my tale. To cut the long story short, the tale ended with the words "… So sir, odds were in my favour and I took a calculated risk. I should not have got caught but my bad luck that I did."
With this there was a hint of a smile followed by the words, "8 days restriction. March off"
Did an about turn on command and marched off. Saved by a whisker! The count now was 40! And 40 it remained. I cleared the term with my course.
The Batty had given me the minimum he could. Perhaps it was my narrative or perhaps his compassion! Or he was in a good mood that day. One would never know!
Sheraz Varma (2019-09-02):
Picturesque description of days of yore. You write quite like Khushwant Singh… Delightful and descriptive to pique interest and no more. Veracity of your account is obvious as these form part of your future autobiography… You must pen it. The details of the FSMO 13 items are spot on even after a hiatus this long. I was amongst those who had an ample share and eclectic mix of Restrictions, ED ET etc. This despite my Cane and Table Cadet status where many were absolved and deleted. I recollect forever being on the periphery… Not intended. Great history peek Suyash.
Sheraz Varma (2019-09-02):
Picturesque description of days of yore. You write quite like Khushwant Singh… Delightful and descriptive to pique interest and no more. Veracity of your account is obvious as these form part of your future autobiography… You must pen it. The details of the FSMO 13 items are spot on even after a hiatus this long. I was amongst those who had an ample share and eclectic mix of Restrictions, ED ET etc. This despite my Cane and Table Cadet status where many were absolved and deleted. I recollect forever being on the periphery… Not intended. Great history peek Suyash.
Sanjay (2019-09-03):
Suyash…..Always wonderful reading these blogs from you…….takes you back the memory lane……surprising how managed to come out of academy with all these checks and balances…… continue the good work….best wishes
KPM Das (2019-09-03):
Seven Days Restrictions a teddy bears picnic!!! the 21 days for smoking put you right up there, with the DivOs and Squaddies equally tense about the second tranche that could relegate you……..good read there.
Unknown (2019-09-03):
well written Suyash. it was an interesting reading. reminded of our days when we were in fourth term and all the appts were after us. I must admire your memory for the names. keep charging.
Col Pankaj Fotedar, VSM (Retd) (2019-09-03):
As always, a treat to read you sir, taking us back to those days – should I call them 'full of adventure' .. you motivate me to put in a few words on my Sinhgarh spree in fourth term, which ended only on the afternoon of the day prior to POP .. will right about it soon …
VM (2019-09-04):
Yet another gem of piece Sir. You continue to amaze us with your fluent narratives. Looking forward to more such pieces in an early time frame.
Regards
Vivek
VM (2019-09-04):
*gem of a piece…
Vipul Segan (2019-09-04):
Very captivating.
I was reminded of my own 7 restrrestrictions which I managed to earn for my cycle being wrongly parked. I was hailed as a BIG second termed for having earned the punishment very early in NDA.
Great writing Suyash Squash and 7 days carry on
Vibha (2019-09-05):
Interesting musings and learnings. Liked positive side effects of the punishment.Captivating indeed.
Manjari Kirpekar (2019-09-05):
Brought to life all the anecdotes I have heard from my father and my hubby!!
Wonderful!!
Sujay (2019-09-06):
Blog shares sweet memories of Acadamy. It is quite interesting and catching .
Santosh Parmar Vaid (2019-09-08):
Interesting.more so because once upon a time I taught there.
bgv (2021-02-26):
Sudarshan Singh Rathee is from my Battalion and was the winner of Sword of Honour from IMA. Yes, correctly described "cool as a cucumber" A great human and an excellent Officer.
BGV, 7 PARA
Sharadh Srivastava (2021-02-26):
Great piece Suyash! Took me back to the days so fondly remembered. Maj Daniel, Wg Cdr DK Parulkar… I was just 300-odd numbers ahead of you (K/69), and was also lucky to be on the other side of the Sqn Cdr's desk, as the 'Squadie' myself, a few years later, totalling seven years (3+4) in the Academy! A fitting tribute to those times indeed