The unsung September born Cricketing Hero Rajinder Goel

Birthdays of two legendary Indian cricketers fall in September. First on the list is late Vijay Manjrekar, my childhood hero ever since his heroic knock of 133 in 1952 Headingly test after India lost 3 wickets for a meagre 40 odd runs. (So was my cricketing idol Vinoo Mankad for his stunning feat in Lords test same year, I must confess). My second September-born hero is the wily Sardar of spin  Bishan Singh Bedi who left an indelible impression on me in my early adulthood. I saw him in action for the first time in 1969 Delhi Test against Australia. His sterling performance alongside Prasanna helped India win that match under Pataudi's captaincy.

On the respective birthdays of these two outstanding cricketers, media both TV and print has quite thoughtfully reminded the nation their invaluable and unforgettable contribution . I join millions of my countrymen in paying my respectful homage to late Vijay Manjrekar and I wish Bishan Singh Bedi a very long and happy life.

Having said that, I must humbly bring to the notice of veteran journalists and newsroom editors that they can be little more sensitive to other sportspersons on similar milestones achieved by them. I am referring to another great cricketer who was hugely talented as a left arm bowler.and held the record for the highest number of wickets in Ranji tournament. Not many young cricket fans would have heard of Rajinder Goel who played domestic cricket in the era  Gavaskar. Vishwanath, Prasanna or Bedi. He consistently hit cricket headlines in 60s and 70s and if he did not (though he should have) played international Test cricket, it was not due to lack of talent. Away from media glare and attention Rajinder Goel must have had a quiet birthday last Sunday. Though belated, let us wish this gentleman cricketer Many Happy Returns Of The Day

Gut-wrenching killings of Sikh soldiers by Japanese army World War II

I don't know if there is a war memorial in India for these brave Sikh soldiers who died in an alien land while fighting for an alien country 

Japanese troops using Indian PoWs for target practise, 1942

By  RHP  | Posted on: December 17, 2013 | Updated on: December 17, 2013 

Japanese soldiers shooting Sikh prisoners who are sitting blindfolded in a rough semi-circle about 20 meters away.

In the second photo are men of the Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army. All of them are sitting in the traditional cross legged prayer position. They’re probably reciting their final prayers as this picture was being taken. It’s very morbid if you think about it. The vast majority of Indian soldiers captured when Singapore fell were Sikhs. In the last picture you can see beards and long hair on the soldiers. The British found it in Japanese records when they retook Singapore.

A marker hangs over the heart of each prisoner and the stakes in front bear the of the rifle/gun. Each target position is marked with a number so that you can tell the soldier in position 1 to shoot at target 1 (and not at 2 etc). The position where the targets are located is generally called the Butts. On a civilized military shooting range, the targets can be raised up (when being shot at) or lowered down so that someone can mark the hits on the target, then patch the holes before raising the target back up.

This is a target practice, not a straightforward military execution by firing squad to me. A firing squad usually has a half dozen or more shooters per condemned, to guarantee a pretty instant death. These are assigned one per victim. You also don’t bayonet them at the end; if any are still alive, the officer should administer a coup de grace with a pistol.

With everything that happened in the Eastern Front, people tend to forget the horrific human atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan even before the beginning of World War 2. We only tend to remember the awful stuff the Nazi’s did but we forget about the unbelievable atrocities the Japanese Army conducted. The Nazis were methodical in their genocide. The Japanese (who killed twice as many Chinese as Nazis killed Jews) did it with pure barbarity. And while Nazi crimes were committed mostly by the SS and generally hidden from regular troops, Japanese war crimes were committed by regular infantrymen.

Kargil and other wars in post-independence India

Many retired defence personnel have shared their experience of wars in post independence India by way of memoirs. Intellectuals and the intelligentsia of the country have been critical because most of the authors tried to suppress political and military facts. There may be one or two rare exceptions about which I shall come later.

I was a shocked and a bewildered college student in Dehra Dun in 1959 when China invaded Tibet and parts of Indian border. Our (then) Prime Minister was unmoved and still talked about Panchsheel ideology to resolve the "minor" skirmish. He even famously claimed that "not a blade of grass grows" in the cold desert plateau of that part of India. I thought that humiliation suffered by our outstanding army in 1962 Chinese war was due to lack of military planning and shocking absence of political foresight. At least 4 or 5 of my close friends (who could have risen to high ranks ) were grievously injured and categorised for no fault of theirs. Our government of the day was callous and pushed these brilliant officers literally into the jaws of death or condemned them to live in post-war obscurity. Many of those still living are in their late seventies or early eighties and present a pathetic sight. This apart, the war shattered the dreams of resurgent young Indians and certainly many of them carried the scar for several years. 

The situation was no different in 1965 and at that time too it was political folly which pushed us into an unprepared war. I vividly remember of having lost some of my close relatives and friends in that war too. Perhaps the only occasion when political dispensation at the centre didn't have their say was in 1971. General Maneckshaw (later Field Marshal) had the guts to snub Mrs Gandhi and refused to open a front in month of March. Instead, he asked for few months for strategic planning and thereby (also) avoided the furious monsoon months of Northeast. This paid rich dividends and history stands in testimony to the gallantry of great Indian Army which achieved an incredible victory. 

Unfortunately, during Kargil war too, the political masters of 1997-99 government paid no heeds to Army's discomfiture about Pak build-up in the glacier region. What could have been militarily managed was allowed to grow into a monster. No doubt NDA as well as the previous governments were responsible for the mess. However, it definitely goes to the credit of Prime Minister Vajpayee's astute international diplomacy which motivated General Malik to turn an imminent defeat into an honourable draw if not a convincing win. After Sam Maneckshaw, it was the only occasion that gave us some cause to cheer. But it was short-lived because Kandhar too happened during same time. Moral of the story is that we must always have a strong and sagacious government which instead of frequently resorting to political bluster, remains on constant alert and in state of military preparedness.            

Kunal Chatterjee