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The New Sunday Express I April 20, 2008 readright: in the conflict zone Section 2 p2 i.witness The profile of the officer who headed the Directorate of Military Operations during the 1971 War fills a critical gap in the annals of Indian military history, says Gen S Padmanabhan soldier’s soldier brought to life regional writing author has carried out detailed research in or- sensitive to the pains and sufferings of others, Born to der to answer this question. Clearly,the histo- specially his subordinates and kinsfolk. He was Prema Jayakumar dare — rian in him would have been challenged by his the kind of person who would stop his car to a writer-columnist, lives in Kochi and has The life subject’s failure to keep a diary or such other give a lift to some jawans waiting by the road- translated the works of many top Kerala of Lt Gen papers that may help in studying his life and side and take them to their destination except novelists and poets into English works with some facility.Yet, since he believed on those occasions when the jawans, overawed [email protected] Inderjit that “there is much in Inder’s life that is worth by the proximity of their commander,failed to Singh Gill emulating — and remembering”, he embarked disclose to him that they were desirous of trav- on his research from books, official records, elling in the opposite direction! He had an ex- g By S Muthiah regimental histories, interviews with those who cellent sense of humour and could see the fun- Publisher: Penguin Books India had worked with him or were related to him or ny side of even a tense situation. eneral Inderjit Singh Gill (Inder Gill) has been Pages: 309 otherwise knew him and the few rare comments As a commander, he led by example and de- an iconic figure to the Parachute Regiment and, Price: 495 Inder might have let slip about his actions. De- rived the maximum from his team. He was will- reprints indeed, to the Indian Army. He served for six spite the great difficulties involved in the re- ing to be forgiving, even kind, to a subordinate years (1941-47) in the British Army — a little search, S Muthiah has succeeded in making who had made a mistake, but he would not stand and signs of over one year in the ranks and the rest as an Inder Gill come alive to the reader through this for ‘waffling’ or prevarication. He followed all officer in the British Corps of Royal Engineers masterly book Born to Dare. No praise is con- the canons of financial propriety and stuck to (RE). While in the RE, he saw active service in sidered too high for him for this achievement, his principles and work ethics. He was normal- fresh life occupied Greece and in the Italian Campaign. specially as it fills a critical gap in the annals ly terse in his speech, but used to speak to his For his wartime performance in Greece with of Indian military history. juniors with greater freedom. His courage of the nascent resistance movement and in Italy Returning to our question as to what man- conviction was legendary. for the execution of combat engineer tasks, he ner of man Inder Gill was, physically we may Inder Gill, the son of a Sikh doctor and Scot- Vishukkalamalle, kanikkonnayalle, was awarded the Military Cross and mentioned describe him as a short, very tough and adven- tish mother, inherited from his parents ster- Pookkathirikkan enikkavathundo? in Despatches. He was also wounded in action turous person who had a high tolerance for pain ling qualities of head and heart. He revered twice and carried some mine splinters in his and physical deprivations and lived a Spartan them and would have grieved their passing — body for the rest of his life. life. He could face grave danger squarely and his mother in 1983 and his father, 93, in 1988. o asked the poet. We are just into Inder Gill served in the Indian Army from carry out his mission regardless of the perils He was happily married and his wife, Mrs Mona the Malayalam New Year and Ker- 1947 to June 1, 1979. During his army career he ahead. He had a high degree of physical en- Gill, lives in Chennai. Sala has heralded it with the golden served for about three years in the J&K Militia durance and often worked under sustained pres- Overall, Inder Gill was a ‘soldier’s soldier’ and hues of the Vishukkani. The couplet and Bihar Regiment. He transferred to the para- sure for prolonged periods. He had the ability a great officer and gentleman. One could be for- from Dr K Ayyappa Paniker sums up the chute regiment in 1951 and served in 2 PARA to ‘let his hair down’ when it was possible to do given for borrowing what Antony said of Brutus mood. However, the literary scene does (Marathas) and 1 PARA (Punjab), which he com- so and relax with his friends over a drink or in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser (Act V,Scene V) not reflect the brightness of the season. manded. He raised and commanded 71 Moun- two (or more). However, his mind was never “His life was gentle and the elements When all the critical activity is cen- tain Brigade and later 50 (Independent) Para- clouded or dulled nor was ever found wanting So mixed in him that Nature might stand up tred on commemorating anniversaries chute Brigade with distinction. He command- in any way as a result of any ‘saturnalia’ he And say to all the world ‘This was a man’!” and re-evaluating the virtues of old ed 17 Mountain Division in Sikkim after which may have engaged himself in. So much for his So was Inder Gill. Thank you Mr Muthiah books, and the publishers are busy bring- he became GOC of the Tezpur based 4 Corps. ‘physical’ attributes. for a wonderful expose of this great soldier. ing out reprints, it does leave one with At the peak of his career, he was appointed Morally,he was blessed with the highest in- the impression that nothing much is hap- The reviewer is a former Chief of the Army Staff GOC in C of Western Command for four years. tegrity and righteousness of conduct. He was pening in the literary scene in that lan- He retired on June 1, 1979, having been award- guage. The books celebrating jubilees ed the Param Visisht Seva Medal as a Major were certainly pathbreaking in their day General. A grateful nation also awarded him and still wonderfully readable after so the Padma Bhushan for his exceptional work many years. The birth centenaries are as Director of Military Operations in the 1971 also certainly well worth celebrating. War against Pakistan. However, surely so many pages in the Inder Gill, on retirement, settled down in periodicals could be more profitably fo- Chennai as desired by his father. During the cused on what is being written in the next 22 years he took over progressively,trustee- here and now. ship of various institutions founded by his fa- The notable novels that have come out ther in Chennai, such as the Punjab Associa- in the recent past are by established writ- tion, Guru Nanak Society,the Guru Nanak Col- ers. Right now,two novels being serialised lege and other educational institutions. He in Mathrubhumi Weekly are Sara Joseph’s streamlined the administration of these instit- Ooru Kaval, which looks at the story of utions, improved the pay scales of their staff the quest for Sita from a different angle, and instilled discipline among students. He intr- and T P Rajeevan’s Paleri Manikyam Ko- oduced Defence and Strategic Studies in the col- lakkes, which combines the detective lege and set up a research institute in it. He took genre with the history of a place. One great interest in the library of the Madras Club misses new names and new themes. and kept himself updated on matters relating However, in the field of poetry and to the Army.He passed away on May 31, 2001. DIFFERENT MOODS: (From left) Lt Gen Inderjit Singh Gill being presented a photo of H. Gilli, a species of insect named after him; the Gills with What manner of man was Inder Gill? The President Zakir Hussain after the officer was awarded the PVSM in April 1969; Inderjit Singh Gill with Mona at their golden wedding anniversary celebrations The notable novels that have come out in the recent With dubious practices and financed by debt, the Iraq war has benefited no one, least of all the past are by countries directly involved in it, according to Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes established writers short stories, Malayalam shows signs of fresh life. Though nothing like the great excite- going bust over a murky war ment of the late sixties and early seven- ties is visible, there are young poets and not quite so young poets writing, and writing good poetry.The same is the sit- uation with short stories. The Three Two books of poetry that came out re- Trillion BY MOUSHUMI GHOSH cently hold one’s attention. Poems writ- Dollar ten by K G Sankara Pillai from 1997 to War: The he United States went to war in 2003 2007 have finally been gathered into an True Cost against Iraq, or more specifically the Sad- anthology that is well worth the wait. of the Iraq dam regime, on grounds of it harbouring P P Ramachandran’s poem about the Conflict tweapons of mass destruction.

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