Dear Valmiki I must admit I'm not terribly interested in all this Goan brass even though I, myself, have a dear and now aged aunt who was a Colonel in the Indian Army, almost a Brigadier (Medical Corps). I wish we didn't need armies. However, I'm the first to admit that there's something about a soldier that is ... fine, fine, fine. Something about his bearing and his wearing that suits a lady best. Very best wishes Jeanne
On Thu, 15 Sep 2022, 04:02 Valmiki Faleiro, <[email protected]> wrote: > *A Short Series on Goan-origin Top Military Officers* > > > > It was the shortest and most stunning war. The fourteen-day Indo-Pak war > in December 1971 is said to be the world’s shortest war, which led to the > decisive result of dismembering a nation and creating a new one > (Bangladesh). Surprisingly, memories of India’s most successful war have > almost evaporated from the national consciousness. We are in the 51st > year of that event. > > > > Fewer still would be aware of the entirely out-of-proportion Goan-origin > participation in that war. Most of the generals, admirals and air marshals > of Goan origin who rose to the top three ranks in each arm of India’s > defence services had a role in 1971, as did scores of other officers at > various levels of command. > > > > India deployed nineteen Infantry Divisions on both the eastern and western > fronts. Given Goa’s share of India’s population (a microscopic 0.014%), Goa > would statistically not be entitled even to a single of those 19 Divisional > – or actual battlefield – Commanders. > > > > Yet there were three frontline Divisional Commanders – one who led his > forces into Dacca (now Dhaka) and was the first Indian general there, one > who captured large swathes of Pak-occupied land in the Lipa Valley of J&K, > and the third whose entirely out-of-the-box *Battle of Basantar* actually > catalysed the ceasefire – and two equivalent then Major Generals, one > active in the Rajasthan desert and the other as Chief of Staff of India’s > then only Strike Corps (the operational I Corps) deployed in defence of the > strategic Shakargarh Bulge. > > > > Effectively five operational Divisional Commanders for India were Major > Generals from a community that comprised 0.014% of the nation’s population! > Three of them went on to become Lieutenant Generals/Army Commanders. One > almost became chief of the Indian Army in 1981 and one was its vice chief. > > > > (The revised edition of my 2010 book on Goan military officers in India’s > defence services will have a chapter dedicated to the Goan contribution in > 1971 in practically every area from land battles to air offensives to even > the bombing of Karachi harbour, the martyrs, the officers who fought on the > ground – one of them up to just three days before his wedding in Jabalpur – > and even one who was briefly held captive in East Pakistan!) > > > > Beginning this Sunday, 18 September 2022, let us briefly look at the Goans > who rose to the top three ranks in the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the > Indian Air Force – this mini-series will cover all officers who rose to the > three ranks, not necessarily only those with a role in 1971. It will run to > the end of this calendar year. The series has been ongoing in the Marathi > language in the daily *Gomantak* from August 2022 and it will cover all > ranks with lesser-known accounts of Goan heroism, dedication to duty and a > lasting contribution to the armed forces of the country. > > > > Margao, Goa, 15 September 2022 -Valmiki > Faleiro > > > PS: If you would not like to receive this mini-serial, please drop me a > line. -VF > > -- > *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Goa Book Club" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAGoMsADq1zFbUF0nqqUM9oKv0ZKW7KS1quZSq5E%2B5pZCjGwDGQ%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CAGoMsADq1zFbUF0nqqUM9oKv0ZKW7KS1quZSq5E%2B5pZCjGwDGQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-book-club/CA%2Bcjhjj_7ps417gmPSz4DEqyTjPZ84yRC_m1E9G%3DKZvFp7%2B75Q%40mail.gmail.com.
