Your issue on the 1965 war (The War We Forget, May 25) brought back memories to an army wife. While our husbands were away, the families in the cantonments held their hearts and hearths together, not only for their children but also for the spouses of the jawans who needed reassurance all the time. Thank you for bringing back ’Op Ablaze’, as civilians today know of only 1971 or Kargil.
Krishna Roy, on e-mail
There are lessons to be learnt from the botched-up effort that was the ’65 war. The write-ups are typical ‘fables of valour’ which accompany any war, where history is left to be written by those who did not really participate. In the case of the ’65 war too, subsequent heliographers have sought to gilt-edge their own and if truth is the casualty, so be it. The ’65 war history comes to us from three main sources: a) official history, which seeks to project the then government and bureaucracy as the epitome of all that was perfect. Shastri was great, despite the fact that he bartered away Hajipur Pass for nothing in return; b) the bureaucracy of MoD represented by K. Subrahmanyam, who was joint secretary (acquisitions) in the ministry and later became the strategic guru of India. He and his cohorts later did a thorough job of selling the idea that the Indian army had everything in ‘abundance’ and it was General J.N. Chaudhury who failed to take advantage; c) the Indian bureaucracy was bolstered by the unwitting support it received from Lt General Harbaksh Singh and his co-religionists like Amarinder Singh who sought to project Lt Gen Singh as the saviour of Punjab. Gen Chaudhury, who had earlier proven his mettle as a general in the annexation of Hyderabad, could not care less for these apologists. Because he had led a recently defeated Indian army to a convincing stand-off with Pakistan despite the fact that most of his troops were raw (the army expanded from 2,50,000 in 1962 to 7,00,000 in 1965) and whose operational-level commanders performed reasonably well. The real story can only be told when Gen Chaudhury’s contribution is analysed dispassionately based solely on facts.
Yogi Bhadani, Hyderabad
Somehow I had a feeling that Gen Chaudhury was an expert in tank warfare but you did not get that sense in the reports here. Our air force too is supposed to have inflicted heavy damage on the Pakistani tanks. In addition to Hamid, there was also a JCO by the name of Ayub Khan(!) who fought well. We have also heard stories of Squadron Leader Trevor Keeler in his Gnat was supposed to have shot down a few Sabre jets. Those days Air Marshal Arjan Singh and Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh were household names. I have also heard of Rajinder Singh Sparrow but not read much about him.
G. Venkataraman, on e-mail
The ’65 war is stuck in my memory for its moments of thrill, disbelief, shock and suspicion. In the backdrop of the passiveness of the Nehru era, it was nothing short of sensational when All India Radio broke the news of Shastri announcing in Parliament that the Indian army had crossed the border in Punjab and was heading towards Lahore. In the midst of the war, Beijing accused New Delhi of having built structures on the Chinese side of the Sikkim-China border and, rejecting New Delhi’s denial, issued a time-bound ultimatum for the Indian government to demolish the structures or face grave consequences. The atmosphere was surcharged with the assumption that it was Beijing’s ploy for a second invasion of India to help Pakistan. Shastri announced in Parliament that if India had built structures as China was alleging, what stopped them from demolishing them? Suspense turned into thrill and the Chinese threat evaporated in thin air.
M.C. Joshi, Lucknow
Your ’65 special brought back many a memory. In Class X then, I recall the digging of khayees (trenches), the blackout sirens anticipating possible air strikes by Pakistan. There was no TV or internet then, the radio being our only connection to events.
Mahesh Kapasi, New Delhi
I have blurry memories of sitting on my dad’s shoulders in Guwahati and hearing Lal Bahadur Shastri. That rally and hearing the diminutive Shastri declaring ‘Jai jawan, jai kisan’ still gives me goosebumps.
Arun Maheshwari, Bangalore
Had Pakistan achieved even a marginal victory of sorts in ’65, it would have occupied all of kashmir. The Indian military was that pathetic then.
G. Natrajan, on e-mail
