TOT

No. It is not about tiny tots. It is not even about that evening tot. It is about Transfer of Technology.

Capt Yadav and I were roommates in our Officers Mess in Rajouri in ‘72-73. By room, I mean basha. The accommodation there was temporary, then. He was from the Corps of ASC and I, from EME. I, as the Officer-in-Charge of their Light Repair Workshop, was the lone EME Officer in that Bn. I was treated like a guest, being from another Corps. As a youngster, to be treated like a guest amongst about twenty Officers is a beautiful thing. That was a lovely tenure. Games and sports were a priority. They even made me their football captain! There I learnt to do stunt driving on a Bullet and was in their team! We did some display too, striking the Division with awe. ASC were the pioneers in stunt driving. Later, others took over and overshadowed them. You have seen the “Dare Devils” on Republic Day Parade.

Capt Yadav was senior to me by six months. He was an affable person, who hardly ever lost his temper. He was something like a senior subaltern, to some three of us. He and I were quite opposites in many ways, but terrific friends, as usually happens. He was not into sports, was level headed, serious about profession, unhurried, well composed and so on. He was tall, too, unlike me.

Those days I was, what you might call, a voracious reader. He was not. He read only newspapers. Seeing my interest in reading the CO, a Lt Col, once told me, “If you are so interested in reading, why don’t you read the pamphlets?”. Army has a host of pamphlets, which nobody reads, being on various professional subjects, like Attack, Defence and so on. Those are read only while preparing for promotion exams or revised prior to going on some courses. Like our textbooks, so dry!

A word about that CO, though it is a digression. He was a thin, tall man, who hated anybody even slightly over-weight. Obsessed with physical fitness, he gave them a specific time limit to get fit. Those who were thin and active were in his good books straightaway. His impeccable knowledge in all matters military was highly regarded in the Div, and other seniors often sought his advice. Later he rose to be a Lt Gen heading the Corps as the Director General. By then I had become a Lt Col, commanding a unit in Sri Lanka. Once in Delhi I, in my battle dress, went to meet him in the AHQ as a courtesy. He was holding a conference. He threw all of them out and called me in. After pleasantries and reminiscences, he asked me: “So, Rajendran, what can I do for you?” I said, “Nothing, Sir. Today I am wearing the rank you were wearing when you were my CO. I just came to pay my respects”. His eyes welled up. He didn’t bother hiding it. I suppose it is the norm to ask favours from senior officers, quoting old connections! He walked me up to the door of his large office to see me off.

To get back to the story, Capt Yadav and I had a petromax for light in our room. Even at its lowest, it emitted quite a glow. I used to keep it low but well into the night, to read. It did affect his sleep. For quite some time, he tolerated: the gentleman that he was, without a word. Slowly he started mumbling about his difficulty in sleeping. I got a cardboard piece to cover his side, in a bid to reduce the harshness for him. After some time, he really lost his cool. One night he shouted: “You think you are the only one who knows how to read and write?” and picked up a book from the stack on the table. It was a Nirad Chaudhuri. “To Live or Not to Live”. Hardly had he gone a couple of pages, he exclaimed, “Sala, teek hi to bol raha hai”.

With that not only the petromax problem got solved, he also finished my entire stack in no time. He devoured our Mess Library books and hunted around Mess Libraries of all neighbouring Units and Div HQ for books!

After a few years once when I was in an Exercise in Jaisalmer, I came to know that he was around. Promptly I went to visit him in his tent. It was a happy reunion. I found two big stacks of books on both head sides of his bed. He had become a voracious reader, and my reading had reached its nadir.

That was Transfer of Technology: Total!