A few good men

Then there was Commodore Jaggi Bawa, CO of 8216;Trishul8217;, my first ship after my specialisation in communications. With him as captain and the other specialists, Rollo Lewin as the pilot, Bunny Suri followed by Jayanto Roy Chowdhry as the guns, and Gulu Kumar as the TASO torpedo and anti-submarine officer, we ran a real hot ship. On the ball at sea, we always had a ball in harbour and the wardroom was always full of life, laughter and music! Memorable days indeed.

I remembered Commander Sirajuddin, our officer-in-charge when we were under training at Cochin. A minor incident involving me was being blown out of proportion by another senior officer but Cdr Sirajuddin had the maturity and large-heartedness to brush it away. Later, he commanded 8216;Ranjit8217;, and I was fortunate to be posted on the ship for my watchkeeping certificate, which he granted in the minimum permissible time.

Lastly, I remembered Capt Pat Telles, CO Khukri, who is no more. A father-figure, I can8217;t think of a more sensitive and caring officer. The well-being of men under him was his primary concern and that finally proved to be his undoing. Though not entirely his fault, he took full responsibility for a collision, thereby saving the careers of his younger officers. May his soul rest in peace and may God bless us with more of his tribe!