From Mhow’s myth to story of mule Pedongi: General Naravane shares glimpses from his new book

He further said, “So deeply ingrained is this myth of Military Headquarters of War that even seasoned journalists refer to it as that. During the British era, actual headquarters used to be at Shimla, where Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army Controlled all the operations from Afghanistan to Burma. So I thought, just like he (Tharoor) has written a book on English language, I said why not a book about the Armed Forces. So I decided to try my hand at that. Just one example of Mhow can not be a book. I jotted down a few that came to the top of my mind, 10-12 ideas. Then I started scouting around for more. I started meeting friends from the Armed forces and sharing with them the examples that I had gathered. Some of them were surprised on hearing some of the ideas. That is why the title Curious and Classified. Those are curious stories and classified in the sense not that they are secret but sheer fact that many people don’t know about them as if they were classified. That is what I am bringing out in the book for you. Through that not only to inform about the Armed Forces but also their cultures, regiment, traditions which make us what we are today.”

Answering the question on the interesting chapter in his book on Pendogi, the legendary mule of the Indian Army, Gen Naravane said, “Army has mules which are used to carry loads in difficult terrains. They are the backbone of our logistics in those areas. During the 1971 war one such mule train was captured to which this particular belonged. Pakistani’s also use mules for the same purpose. Now this mule is loaded with a machine gun and ammunition boxes. In that confusion of battle and fog of war, this mule escapes. And by sheer instinct comes back to its unit through all the bombing and minefields. Seeing that bravery, for the first time ever, a mule was given a name after Pedongi, a place from where she started her service. Earlier they were only identified as hoof numbers. For this exceptional act, she was excused from carrying any loads thereafter. She holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest serving mule. She was conferred with a blue velvet rug. The mess of the Army Service Corps which operates the mules, there is a lounge named after her.”