The death of Gen S Padmanabhan has come as a sad news. He was one of the finest Army Chiefs, the Indian Army has had the honour to have. Personally I place him on a par with Gen Thimayya, Gen Kumarmanglam and Field Marshal Maneckshaw. He was simply bright and brilliant. He was my Corps Commander in Chinar Corps, responsible for Kashmir and Ladakh, when I was posted as GSO1 (Intelligence) at HQ Chinar Corps during the peak insurgency period in 1993 - 94. The occupation of Hazrat Bal Shrine by the militants, which had hit the national headlines had taken place during his tenure. Brig GS Panag of Sikh Regiment was then the BGS, another very fine officer; he was replaced by Brig (later Lt Gen) Arjun Ray ex 8 Kumaon, a bright and brilliant officer.
It was during Lt Gen S Padmanabhan's tenure that an accidental bomb blast had taken place in 2 Field Ordnance Depot (2 FOD) in Badami Bagh Cantonment Srinagar, where the Officiating Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) and more than a dozen officers, JCOs and Other Ranks had died. My Col GS (Intelligence) too died in that bomb blast, but I had a narrow escape. I had requested him to allow me to accompany him since I had not seen 2 FOD from inside. He replied, "One of us should remain in office, you can go some other day." And thus I got saved by some strange stroke of destiny.
My task was to deal with Operational Intelligence. Though very junior in rank, I had the privilege of working with the Corps Commander quite closely. I had given him the intelligence briefing both on China and Pakistan, on his posting to the Corps, in the presence of the Col GS (Intelligence) and the BGS. Later too, l had the opportunity to work with him closely during the Corps War Game, when the BGS asked me to follow him like a shadow while the Corps Commander moved from one Division syndicate to another. I was expected to be armed with all the details of Pakistan and China, and he asked me to comment instantly on matters pertaining to Pakistan or China, should some doubt come up or discussion take place, before the Corps Commander looked at him for an answer. A month prior to that, the BGS wanted to examine the material that I had on the subject. So I took the entire material to his office in two big suite-cases. He was happy to see the same well organized, compiled and collated. He told me to condense these 'pothas' (पोथाs), that is exactly the word he used, to fit-in into a small brief-case to be carried during the war game. It took me one month's real hard work to do so. Maj Gen (Later an Army Commander) Nanavati was one of the Division Commanders, and Maj Gen Garewal, the Chief of Staff, was the enemy Syndicate Leader. And thus I had the opportunity to witness the Corps Commander conducting the war game, which was so educative for me. Even the Army Commander was present on the final day.
After the war game was over, there was an internal discussion on the offensive plans of the Chinar Corps. So at the end of the morning conference in the Corps Operations Room, he asked all officers to leave except those involved in the planning process, ie the BGS, Col GS (Operations), Col GS (Intelligence), GSO 1 (Operations) and GSO 1 (Intelligence). In fact, even I too was leaving, when the BGS asked me to hold on. I felt elated for the trust reposed in me. It was a Top Secret plan comprising a two-page hand written note, written personally by the Corps Commander, on which both Operations and Intelligence Branches were required to work overnight. He handed over the hand written note to Col GS (Operations). When the Operations Branch finished working on it, I took the note to my office, and worked on it almost till 5.0 am in the morning, and as had been tied up with GSO1 (Operations), I put the note in his office table drawer, locked his office, and took the keys with me. In the morning, he collected the keys from me, and when he opened his office, he discovered that the note was missing. He immediately informed me on intercom, and I rushed to his office. We both searched it frantically. We both were sweating in spite of the freezing cold temperature of Srinagar. I once again pulled the drawer and tried to feel the drawer all over, and was delighted to discover that the note had got stuck up on the top side portion of the drawer while pulling it out. We both heaved a sigh of relief, a relief beyond description.
On one occasion, in one of the brigade sectors along the LoC, we witnessed unusually heavy firing for three consecutive days. The reports received from both the Intelligence and Field Security Units (IFSUs) based in Valley as well as Ladakh had mentioned, "The likelihood of Pakistan attacking India in that sector cannot be ruled out." The Corps Commander was to proceed on leave and asked the Col GS (Intelligence) to put an assessment of the situation, based on which he would decide whether to proceed on leave or to cancel the same. Since I was dealing with Operational Intelligence, the task was ultimately assigned to me. I worked the whole night and prepared one and a half page hand-written noting sheet, stating that the firing was meant to facilitate infiltration of the militants and the move of some anti-aircraft guns from Afghan border to be deployed along the LoC in Kashmir, accompanied by some fresh digging, was a part defensive preparations. Had Pakistan any intentions of attacking anywhere in Kashmir, it would have involved improving its defensive posture all along the LOC and the entire International Border, starting from Sia Kangri Post in Siachen, to Sir Creek in the Arabian Sea. When I reached the office in the morning, I found the Valley based OC IFSU sitting in the office of Col GS (Intelligence), trying to convince him that his assessment of Pakistan's likelihood of attacking was absolutely correct. Moreover, it had been corroborated by OC IFSU Ladakh Sector too.
When I put up my assessment to the Col GS (Intelligence) he disagreed with me, but agreed with that of the OC IFSUs. So he asked me to change my assessment accordingly. I told him politely that my assessment was based on facts of the case, and in case he disagreed with me, he should mention so in the same minute-sheet with reasons to justify his point of view. So he asked me to leave the minute-sheet with him for his consideration. Finally he put up the minute-sheet initiated by me to the BGS, without expressing his disagreement with me. When it finally reached the Corps Commander, his remarks read, "A very comprehensive, concise, cogent and logical assessment. Well done, keep it up." And the best part is that he proceeded on leave as planned. However, it was the finest professional compliment I had received from Lt Gen Padmanabhan. My Col GS (Intelligence), who was an Intelligence Corps officer was surprised.
I still recollect the farewell function in Chinar Corps Officers Mess during my dining out, while moving out on promotion to command a battalion in Nagaland; the Corps Commander spoke so well of me. And I still remember each word that I had spoken about him, since it was straight from my heart. The relevant extracts of the same are reproduced below :
"It has been a matter of great honour for me to be a part of HQ Chinar Corps, the formation to which the entire nation looks up with a deep sense of gratitude and a high degree of expectations. I enjoyed working here, though personally I had no contributions to make to the low intensity conflict in the Kashmir valley, as my job as an Intelligence staff officer, was totally concerned with what was happening across the borders. Whether it was Lipa or Neelam valley of POK and beyond, or Cheng Chenmoh or Chip Chap valley of China and beyond, the job was interesting, a job that involved dealing with high intensity conflict, in which the fingers have always got to be kept on the pulse of enemy, whose activities remain shrouded in a fog of mystery and one has to wait in obscurity. Well, it is the destiny of every professional soldier to wait in obscurity most of his life, for a crisis that may never come, yet it it is his duty to know how to solve it, if it does come; it is his code to give all that he has, because there in lies the job satisfaction. And I have had the highest possible degree of job satisfaction while working at this Headquarters."
"Not only was the job interesting, it was indeed a great pleasure working under such a fine team of clean and competent officers. Though I am not qualified by experience to comment on the conduct and competence of my senior officers, yet I would like to express my views on them :
a. In GOC (Lt Gen Padmanabhan), I found a commander par excellence. It was an education to see the way he briefs the Army Commander, his formation commanders, and the way he holds discussions with his staff officers. It is treat to listen to him on any subject, especially on tactics.
b. He maintains an attitude of dignified serenity and his generosity is inexhaustible, often overstepping the bounds of prudence. No wonder, a General Officer with such high qualities is not only revered but held in the highest esteem and almost worshipped by his subordinates.
c. He is open to conviction, exempt from avarice and actuated by an imperative sense of duty. He is a well read officer with large ideas and wide vision. His vision is clear and comprehensive. He is a thorough gentleman with his powerful faculties at his best.
d. He is a General Officer who believes that no theoretical improvement in a system should make us abandon anything that is supported by experience. In point of professional ability he is beyond question, and in private life, those who know him, they love him; and those who know him the best, love him the most.
e. One striking quality that I noticed in him was his ability to be simple. In fact, an intellect that cannot react in a simple manner is not a first class brain."
That was in Nov 1994.
The next occasion when I had met him was, when I attended a Civil Military Liaison Conference with him in Mumbai, organized by HQ M&G Area (now HQ MG&G Area), when he was the Army Commander Southern Command, in the year 2000. The Conference was inaugurated by (Late) Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
And the last occasion on which I had seen him was, when he was the Chief of Army Staff during Operation Prakram, and had visited HQ Konark Corps in its operational area. I was then posted as Col GS (Intelligence) HQ Konark Corps. I attended his briefing by the Corps Commander. We only had a fleeting eye contact, and I felt that he could perhaps recollect I having served under him in HQ Chinar Corps. That is the last time I had seen him. That was in 2002.
Gen Padmanabhan was a General Officer and a human being par excellence, and now the news of his sudden death appears unbelievable. However, words are not enough to explain the pain of his departure from this world. In fact, there is a lot more about him that cannot be expressed in words. Howevever, as a final gesture of farewell, the Indian Army salutes you Sir, and prays God to grant eternal peace to your noble soul.
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