AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 6 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 176 of 332 The year was 1975 and I was posted at the Command hospital (IAF) Bangalore. Capt Vinoy Kumar was RMO of the Paltan and he was friendly with me. An OG (olive green, the uniform of army) in the sea of khakis (the Air Force uniform) must have brought the attraction. He would ring me up whenever any help was needed in the hospital. There was a funny instance that comes to my mind readily. It was straight out of "humour in uniform". Late Major Kharbanda was brought to the hospital late at night once when I was the duty medical officer. He had dislocated his shoulder. He was taken to the operation theatre for reduction. Vinoy Kumar and I were outside. Vinoy Kumar asked the driver of the vehicle to get the cigarettes. He thought he had left in the vehicle. It was an hour later he surfaced. Lo and behold, when asked why he had taken such a long time, he answered that he could not find the cigarettes in the vehicle and since it was late night he drove all the way to 4 Guards Officers Mess and fetched it. Mysore Lancers line (an area of Bangalore) was the proverbial lands’ end at that time! Vinoy Kumar who was finishing his short service tenure asked me whether I was interested in becoming his successor. The Paltan was to move to field and the HQ of the division was Kalimpong. In those days one got posted to a medical battalion first and then as RMO. It was not easy to get posted to field areas. If one finishes that early it was considered better. It also happened sometimes that you missed becoming a RMO. Most senior AMC (Army Medical Corps) officers felt that as RMO they all felt as kings. When this was offered to me on a platter I grabbed at it. I was interviewed by then Lt Col Muthanna. Since I did not know him before, I was fairly relaxed. My posting came soon after. The Adjutant advised me that I finish my annual leave before joining since we were leaving in a few months’ time for the field. I proceeded on leave from AFHB (Air Force Hospital, Bangalore). While I was on leave there was a letter from the Adjutant asking about my itinerary, about my arrival to Bangalore, I was quite angry and felt he was intruding into my privacy. I did not inform him. When the time came for me to report to the Paltan, the Adjutant told me that I should leave the Air Force mess at 1500 hrs on that Sunday. This again I found irritating. Who was this guy telling me what time I should leave my place on a Sunday and even before I had reported for duty? Come Sunday the vehicle was there and as the vehicle swung into the mess gates I realized what a fool I had been. In AMC and more so in Air Force, AMC which is the only thing I was exposed to in my short service of two years one generally fended for himself. When the adjutant asked me about arrival to Bangalore how was I to know that it was for sending a vehicle to the station, taking me into the fold even before I joined! At the entrance there were the pipers and two officers