Major General VV Bhide, the oldest Bombay Sapper, dies at 102

On September 19, he breathed his last in his sleep at his bungalow in Bavdhan, Pune. Major General Bhide leaves behind three daughters and their families, and scores of officers who admired his gracious old-world Renaissance personality. His funeral was held at the Bombay Sappers crematorium.

Major General Bhide was the officer who could recite Kalidas, talk about Indian and Western classical music, and stay soft-spoken in tough situations. His aristocratic stature made him a favourite among his officers. Major General Bhide came from an illustrious family – his father had been an Indian Civil Services officer, and his grandfather was a distinguished lawyer who was knighted by the British.

“He was born in Nagpur but grew up in his grandfather’s house in Amravati after losing his father at three months. He was sent to Doon School, the first batch in 1935. In 1942, he was commissioned into the Royal Bombay Sappers of the Indian Army or the King’s Commission, as an Indian officer of the British Indian Army used to be called,” says Nirmala Bhide, daughter of Major General Bhide.

The General served in various places, including Burma, and saw the Battle of Asal Uttar in 1965 as part of the India-Pakistan war. He was an instructor at the College of Military Engineering in Pune and taught combat engineering in Mhow, which houses three premium training institutes of the Army, among others. To this day, it is Major General Bhide’s books on the subject that soldiers read.

After he was posted as Brigadier Engineer Staff at the Army HQ in Delhi,  he was appointed Chief Engineer, Eastern Command, and was called to participate in the Bangladesh war.

Other positions held by him included Chief Engineer, Southern Command in Pune, and Director General Border Roads in Delhi, from where he retired in 1975 after 34 years of service.

Post-retirement days

Major General Bhide also worked for a few years after retirement in the Middle East. But he opted to return and live in Pune with his wife, to whom he was devoted. However, he couldn’t come to terms with her death in July 2022, just short of his 100th birthday. Major General Bhide had been falling ill lately, but retained the gusto that would be familiar to those who had met him. Even three days ago, he was on the veranda, playing ball with the staff from his wheelchair.

“He got a very bad cough and some kind of viral infection in the lungs. Around 11 pm, he decided that it was time to go to bed, so he went to sleep and passed away. His fever had been rising, and once, he woke up reciting a Sanskrit shlok. At his request, I played the Ram Raksha Stotra on the speaker. He said, ‘Play it again’. He used to know it by heart. That’s how he passed on,” says Nirmala Bhide.