AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 116 of 167 13 Jagjivan Ram - the Decisive Defence Minister Brig V A Subramanyam Genre: Political Leadership abu Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji, was a social reformer, who had taken active part during the freedom struggle. He was born at Arrah on 05 April 1908. Though he hailed from a traditional backward caste, he was studious and earned a meritorious seat in the then prestigious Benares Hindu University. He graduated from Calcutta and became the youngest minister in the cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. Even after the passing away of Nehru in 1964, he continued to be a cabinet minister. He was appointed Defence Minister for the first time during 1970. By that time, he had earned a name for himself as an able administrator. Having completed over two years for a second time in J & K, I realized that I would have to move out again. The posting came, and I found myself being posted to the capital – Delhi. I was being sent on deputation to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). And within the DRDO, I was to report to the Directorate of Electronics (D of L), which at that time was located at 10 A Janpath. On arrival at Delhi, I was staying for a few days with my sister, who was in Karol Bagh. My brother-in-law was an old hand at the Central Government having been in service since the mid-1940s. He was posted in the Ministry of Agriculture. I enquired from him as to the whereabouts of the D of L, and mentioned that it was on Janpath. He was quite lost, as he had no idea as to such an organisation at all. The next day being a holiday, we went over the whole stretch of the road but were quite unable to find a trace of the office. On enquiry, a kind gentleman informed us that there was an officers mess close by, where the staff may be able to help us out. Off we went over to the Central Vista (CV) Officers Mess and enquired of the staff if they could help us. The staff pointed out to an old dilapidated two-storeyed barracks located opposite the Mess. This they indicated was the address that I was looking for - 10 A Janpath. The next day, I dressed up in my formal starched uniform and reported for duty. We were quite right in that the old barracks was where the D of L of the DRDO was located. B