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A General at Maha Kumbh
by Lieut Gen (retd) Baljit Singh
Though Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was not inclined to state patronage to any religious observances, some of his chief ministers held strong views to the contrary. So when it was time for the first Maha Kumbh of Independent India in the late 1950s, Dr Sampurananand, the Chief Minister of UP pleaded with and persuaded the PM to entrust the Indian Army with the cleaning up of the river bed at the Sangam-confluence and especially for the Shahi Snaan, during the grand finale. And thus the dice was cast and the custom prevails to this day, I believe. by Lieut Gen (retd) Baljit Singh
In those days, the headquarters of the Eastern Army Command was located at Lucknow and Lieut General Sant Singh was the GOC-in-C. The General belonged to the Sikh Regiment and in keeping with the Army traditions, the security, ceremonial and administrative needs of the GOC-in-C were entrusted to one of the Sikh Battalions. As a bulk of the Eastern Army was operationally deployed in countering insurgency in Nagaland, so the Maha Kumbh task was assigned to two companies of the Sikh Battalion at Lucknow. Not leaving anything to chance, the Commanding Officer with the Subedar Major moved to Allahabad and camped under tents, close to their work site. The task was not limited to the mere cleaning of the site but also putting in place a fail-safe, safety and rescue regime. And all of this in about ten days flat.
As always, the jawans took up the challenge with gusto, stripping down to their drawers and wading chest-deep in icy-cold waters, in mid-winter. Citizens of Allahabad were most appreciative of the jawans dedication to the job-in-hand and they spontaneously organised hot tea and snacks at the work site every mid-morning as also in the afternoons. Shortly, the Chief Minister also shifted to Allahabad to personally oversee the preparations. And one fine morning, the Chief Minister spoke to the Army Commander and requested him to meet him at Allahabad. After exchanging pleasantries, the CM's tenor suddenly turned grave and he said, “General Sahib, hamean khubar milee hay ka jawan sharaab peeta hayn aur bakra ka mass bhi khate hayn. Is pavittar asthan par hum asie bay-adaabi bardasht naheen kar saktay”.("general I learn that soldiers are drinking rum and eating meat .Even a little of this will not be tolerated in this holy spot")
Naturally, the General was taken aback but gaining his composure, he sent for the Subedar Major. And that veteran of WW II and of the 1947-48 war in J&K stood his ground and replied, “Regimental Medical Officer ka hukam hay Sahib kay jo Jawan ek ghantay se ziyada daryaa kay paani maen rehta hay, oos ko har roz, 6 ounce rum pilayi jayegi. Aur bakra ka maas, har haftay maen do bar jawano kay ration me authorised hay aur zaroor peeta aur khatay hain, Sahib.” ("RMO has ordered that any soldier who is the water for more than one hour shall drink 6 ounces of rum. And meat shall be issued to him as authorised. We are eating and drinking as per the order.")
General Sant Singh suggested to the Chief Minister that it will neither be appropriate to countermand medical advice nor deny jawans legitimate ration. And thus ended once of a kind confabulation between a General and an Hon'ble Chief Minister.
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( Article published in "The Tribune", Chandigarh.)
