PEOPLEYuvraj Singh’snewinnings

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15 AUGUST 2015

ii iii iv vi

“Paktroopsontherun.”“Fleeingraidersexterminated.”“Pakistanisoldiersutterlydemoralised.”TheheadlinesinSainikSamachar leftnothingtotheimagination.AsIndiawagedafuriousbattleonits

westernfront,theofficialpublicationofthedefenceministryworkedhardtoensurethatmoralestayedhighandIndia’simageremainedoneofglory.

Afascinatingnarrativeofthewarunfoldsintheyellowingpagesofthe1965editionsofSainikSamachar,ajournaloftheIndianarmedforcesthatwasbornin1909andistodaypublishedin13languageseveryfortnight.

Whilethewarwason,SainikSamacharwasbroughtouteveryweek.Wordslike“loyal”,“united”,“glorious”and“brave”leapedoutofitspagesasthepublicationscriptedanarrativethatexaltedtheachievementsofIndiaatwar.Itcapturedeverysignificantspeechof(then)PresidentSarvepalliRadhakrishnan,PrimeMinisterLalBahadurShastri,DefenceMinisterYashwantraoBalwantraoChavan,andInformation&BroadcastingMinisterIndiraGandhi.

NicetieswerediscardedanditopenlycalledPakistanthecunningaggressor.EverylittlereportthatevenremotelyhintedthatacertainassaultmighthavefoundIndiaonthebackfootwasaggressivelycountered.AndeverytinyslipbyPakistanwascelebrated.

Itdrewattentiontohowthenationstoodasoneinthistestingtime,withfilmstarslikeBalrajSahni,SunilDuttandMalaSinhagoingallouttokeepthesoldierspeppedup.

Ittappedintonewsagencyandnewspaperreports,reprintingdispatchesfromthefront,splashingonitspagespicturesofcapturedinfiltrators,tanksandammunition,andpublishedlettersanddocumentstoshowthattheinfiltrationwasorchestratednotbyciviliansbutbythePakistangovernmentunderOperationGibraltar.

Itwasthefirstdraftofthehistoryofthe1965war.CarefullyboundoldeditionsofSainikSamachararekeptinhigh-securityNorthBlock.Oldissuesofthemagazine,datedandboundinthesameshadeofred,linetheshelvesofagreysteelandglasscupboard.

Rummagingthroughtheshelf, theheartskipsabeatonrealisingthatwhiletheJanuary-Juneeditionsareavailable,thecriticalJuly-Decembercollectionismissing—itwasduringthisperiod,fromAugust5toSeptember22,thatthewarwasfought.

Ahelpfulemployeefinallyfindsthecollectiontuckedawayinonecorner.Someofthepageshavecomelooseandtherearenotingsonothers.Thecoverpagesofsomewareditionshave“recordcopy”scribbledonthem.“Thesearetreasures,”saysHasiburRahman,themagazine’seditor-in-chief.“Wedon’tallowthesecopiestogooutofthisoffice.”

InitseditionofMay9,SainikSamacharcarriedthefirstreportofhostilitiesbetweenthetwoneighbours.Itwas

called“PakAggressiononKutch-SindBorder:JawanShowsHisMettle”.

StakingclaimtolargepartsoftheRannofKutch,PakistaniforcesintrudedinmassivestrengthinApril1965.“Thepolicepicketsthistimehadsomethingmuchmoreformidableontheirhandsthansmugglers, innocentstragglersorunwarypatrolmen,”SainikSamacharsaid.Pakistan’splanwastotakeIndiabysurpriseandgetittoconcedethedisputed3,500squaremilesoftheregion.Theforcescamewith

Pattontanksand106mmrecoillessguns.DrawingfromareportbyaspecialcorrespondentofThe

Hindu, thejournalsoonproclaimed:“ThePakistanigambleinKutchhasfailed.”ItquotedthisdispatchofthecorrespondentfromtheRannofKutch:“Avisittotheoperationalareadispelsfromone’smindanywrongnotion

orapprehensionthatPakistanhastakencompletecontrolpossessionofanyareaofparticularlengthorbreadth.”

Laudingthearmedpoliceforcemanningthepickets,thereportsaid:“TheheroicdefenceoftheCentralReservePolice, inflictingheavycasualtiesonthemintheveryfirstattackwasabadblowtoPakistan.”Thatevent,whichtookplaceonthenightofApril9whenCRPF’sSardarPostinKutchcameunderheavyshelling,istodaycelebratedasValourDaybytheparamilitaryforce.

Therewere,however,reportsthatIndiasufferedaninitialsetbackandfellbackintheBiarBetandPoint84sectorsofKutch.SainikSamacharcounteredthisvehementlyinanarticletitled“JawanfoilsPakistan’splans”.“Attheborder,theRannofKutchisoverlookedbyarim-likeformation100feetto150feethigh.Attackingforcesattheheightareinanimmeasurablesuperiorposition,”itsaid.

“Pakistan,”itadded,“whippedupworldwidepoliticalpropagandathattheIndianarmyhadbeendisgracedinbattle.Thisisnottrue…Withtheoddssoheavyagainstthem,theforcescouldonlyemployattritiontactics…Thishasbeenaccomplishedandtheenemyhassufferedheavycasualties.”SpeakingabouttheaggressioninKutch,DefenceMinisterChavaninformedLokSabhaonApril26thatthemoraleof“ourpeopleandtheforcesishighandtheyaredeterminedtoresistanyaffronttooursovereigntyandterritorial integrityatanycost”.

Tobuttressthepoint,SainikSamacharcarriedasmallagencyreportonthesamepageasChavan’sLokSabhastatement.“ServicementhroughoutthecountryhavemaderequeststoArmyHeadquartersherethattheybepostedalongtheKutch-Sindborder…Thereissaidtobeunprecedentedenthusiasmtogotothe‘front’to‘rollback’thePakistaniaggressors.”

ThisspiritwasreiteratedinaninterviewdonebythePressTrustofIndiawiththecommandingofficerofabattalionstationedinKutch—ofcourse,hewasn’tnamed.“Weswattedthemlikeflies,nearly150ofthemweredown,killedorwounded,”hesaid.

ThePakistanis,addedthereport,weretakenabackbyIndianfirepowerandthrewinmoretanks,sixofwhichwentupinflames.Anotherreporttalkedabout“abravelieutenantcolonelandhisequallycourageoussecond-lieutenantson”whofoughtshoulder-to-shoulderinKutch.

Andthentherewerereports,almosthilarious,ofinaccurateshellingbyPakistanartillery:“Pakistanishells,moreoftenthannot,poundedthesandoftheRannofKutchandincidentallyhelpedtodiguptheearthwhichourJawanssubsequentlyusedforbunkers.”

InKutch,BritishPrimeMinisterHaroldWilsonfinallysucceededinpersuadingthewarringcountriestoendhostilitiesandresolvethedispute.Pakistanwouldeventuallyget910squarekmoftheRannofKutchagainstitsclaimof9,100squarekm.

AT WARACOUNTRY

Fifty years ago, India and Pakistan fought a short butbloodywar.Veenu Sandhu finds out how SainikSamachar, the defenceministry’s journal, reported it

(Anti-clockwise from left) IndiraGandhi inabunker;DefenceMinisterYBChavanwith jawans in theKhemKaransector; capturedPakistani officersCaptainMohammadSajjadandCaptainGhulumHussain;PrimeMinisterLalBahadurShastri in frontof aknockedoutPakistaniPatton tanksomewhere in theLahore sector

Balraj Sahni recordingVividhBharati’s Jayamalaprogrammefor thearmed forces in the studioofAllIndiaRadio,Delhi. ItwasairedonOctober 16, 1965

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