Anchors ahoy, some whitewash please

The practice at the Navy Day reception in the Admiral’s House is that customarily the visiting dignitaries are escorted by flag officers round the naval display and then to meet the guests. I recall the occasion when the then vice chief, Ronnie Pareira, was leading then prime minister, Morarji Desai. The admiral had inquired of the PM if he was not feeling cold in just a kurta and jacket. He got a cold, almost admonishing, stare from Desai and a curt, “No, I am fine, thank you.”

Another day to remember was the year of the terrible tragedy at Qutub Minar, when several people including children were killed in a stampede. The prime minister, Indira Gandhi, had gone there to see the site for herself and then came straight to the CNS’s reception. She was dishevelled and in a state of shock, after witnessing the distressing sight. She could hardly continue with the ceremony but waited politely till the president had left.

Life was so different in Nehruvian times. I was the flag lieutenant to the chief in 1961 and it was my duty to see that every thing was ship shape for the evening — verandahs and gates were whitewashed, red murram was re-laid on the driveway and freshly sprinkled with water, hedges clipped, and so on. One man from the PM’s office paid an innocuous visit a little before the guests arrived and gave a onceover, checking out the underside of sofas and that was about it. How times have changed for our popularly elected representatives!