WINNERS – LOSERS

This had appeared in the Quarterdeck some years ago in another Avatar. I do not have the original and hence am rewriting it in another format.


I have never served with or known Raja Menon from close quarters. He has a brilliant mind; of this I have no doubt. I have read some of his articles in magazines though I have not read any of his books. I wish the Mandarins at New Delhi’s South Block had included him in their think tanks. His mind is a national asset; at least as far the defence of this country is concerned. Let me tell you of the other side of this ‘Beautiful Mind’ that I have actually encountered.


We were a carefree newly married couple staying temporarily on the second floor of Vizag’s Amzari Park apartment allotted to Ashim Gupta who had loaned us its use while he was away on annual leave. The Menons were on the ground floor. The first floor was also allotted to a newlywed couple where the doctor husband was posted away in Port Blair. Newlyweds are expected to be carefree. We were no exception. We forgot the house keys inside and inadvertently locked ourselves out when we went to Officers Institute for the evening. There being no duplicate keys, we had no other means to gain entry into the apartment when we returned. In desperation, I asked my ground floor neighbor and fellow submariner for help. He offered me a ladder, which I was to use to gain access to the first floor balcony and then use it to climb on to my own balcony. Simple plan but difficult in execution. The lady shrieked when she saw a stranger emerge from nowhere in her balcony. I was at a loss of words but Raja, who was holding the base of the ladder was not. ‘This guy is not stopping by, he is only passing through.’ He explained to the frightened young bride.


Several years later, Vagir was operating off the East Coast. I was the mate. We had a very tough schedule and were drained out by the time the exercises concluded. There was still one final serial left. We were to double bank with Amba anchored off Pudimadaka Lighthouse near Vizag. It was an interactive exercise to test the Submarine support capabilities of Amba. Raja Menon was in command of this Submarine Support Ship. He used to send us Puri Bhaji by boat, whenever we surfaced at the end of the day’s exercises with the fleet. Expecting similar treatment we had mentally prepared ourselves for a couple of days R&R in Amba’s air-conditioned cabins. We tied up alongside Amba and the Sangway was lowered from the Mother vessel. Imagine our horror when Amba’s telegraphist handed us a two-page exercise schedule. The first serial was a tug-of-war competition with the Amba team scheduled to commence in 15 minutes time.


‘Their’s not to question why. Their’s but to do and die.’ Alfred, Lord Tennyson put down words to this effect when he wrote his famous poem, ‘The charge of the Light Brigade’. Still sweating in our greasy Khakis we mustered on Amba’s Quarterdeck, ready to meet the challenge. A team was quickly formed and we were ready. Our opponents appeared not only fresh and eager but seemed to have been picked from ENC’s best sportsmen.


The result was a foregone conclusion. Our team was dragged away in each of the rounds as if overcome by a giant Tsunami. Absolutely one-sided competition if ever there was one. How could a fellow submariner do this to us we wondered. If the whole world wondered at the charge of the light brigade, (That is if you believe Lord Tennyson) then this tug of war would also be a subject of conversation in many a submarine wardroom as well as crew quarters in the Fore and Aft ends. And subject of conversation it did become, but of a different kind. For, you see, there was a twist in this tale.


The two Ships Companies gathered for the inevitable prize distribution, however one sided the competition may have been. A cake was brought and the Captain began his speech. ‘Vagir put up a good fight but Amba did well to win the competition’ said the Captain. A big cheer went up from Amba Ship’s company. The Chief PTI of Amba prepared to receive the prize and even took a couple of steps towards it when the Captain resumed, ‘and the prize goes to ………the losers.’