This was the message from the Navy Foundation Pune Charter that saddened me this morning and I quote, "Regret to inform sad demise of Veteran, Cdr Suresh Chand(00561Y), 81 years, today at Pune. On behalf of the President and all the members of NFPC, we offer our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Mrs Vidya Chand and their grieving family members and pray that they find strength to face the irreplaceable loss with fortitude. Funeral and last rites planned today with family members only". Om Shanti, Secy NFPC.
The message took me back in time by 43 years. After doing my Sub's Courses I was appointed on board INS Krishna, a ship based at Kochi but was fast finishing her refit in the Naval Dockyard, Bombay. I'd joined on board, on 13 Jan 1979, for the award of Watch Keeping Ticket (that authorises a naval officer to handle a naval ship on his own and in those times, the average time taken to get the certificate was about six months). The ship was then commanded by Cdr Bhupinder Singh Achreja, a pilot and the Executive Officer was then Lieutenant Commander Ambalathingal Chacko Jose (AC Jose. We'd served together again in INS Agrani, at Coimbatore later, from Jun '84!).
Cdr Suresh Chand had taken over from Cdr BS Achreja by Mar '79. The ship had by then returned to Kochi on completion of refit and it was sailing a lot. The ship was part of the Ist Training Squadron and we'd Midshipmen of the 16th Integrated Course(54 NDA and their equivalent from NAVAC. Saw the 55th course and their equivalents from NAVAC too) and I was their SoG or Sub of the Gun - the junior most officer on board, responsible for their overall discipline and behaviour. Krishna had a fine complement of officers and sailors and our Ward Room was the most taut and the happiest among the ships at Kochi then.
Incidentally, I'd seen then Lt Cdr Suresh Chand, three years earlier, as 'Squadee' Foxtrot in my VI term at the NDA, during Autumn '76. He'd walked into my cabin when I was up early in the morning - around a half past 4 - to write letters to my parents and grandparents. And he was on his morning rounds as the Battalion Duty Officer! He had asked me as to what I was doing, perused my efforts, nodded his head and walked away.
I looked forward to the sailings of the ship as I learnt the nuances of ship handling, navigation and seamanship and every other aspect that a young officer was expected to know. The Captain and the others went out of their way to teach me. Being the lone officer for watch keeping, the Captain and his charming wife, Vidya Chand took me under their wings. I've spent great times at their place - the first bungalow on the 1st Cross Road in Katari Bagh - with the good lady washing the after dinner dishes, sir wiping the wet crockery and cutlery dry and me sitting on the cooking platform talking about anything and everything under the sun!
They have two children, Deepika and Gaurav. Mrs Vidya Chand was the air hostess on board the ill fated Air India aircraft that brought back the mortal remains of PM Lal Bahadur Shastri from Tashkent. The Captain used to say that he'd name his son as Gaurav Chand Dhadwal, otherwise, he would be known as G Chand, which was bland!
I was the Ward Room Mess Secretary and along with Master Chief Steward Shetty, endeavoured to provide meals with imaginative menus and the President Mess Committee always backed me to the hilt. After the first quarter, during the audit of the Ward Room Mess Fund, the audit team found that it had incurred a drop of Rs.800/- in its Balance Creditor. I was pretty sure that I'd let down my captain and the ship and therefore, while presenting the books and accounts for his perusal and signature, I had handed over a cheque of Rs.800/- from my personal account. I will never forget that look of surprise on the Captain's face and with tears welling up in his eyes, he hugged me and tore off my offered cheque!
He used to be fond of my rather gruffy voice over the main broadcast while giving 'firing orders' during the gunnery shoots at sea. And sometime after my third month on board, there was this massive emergency on board when the generators had tripped during the middle watch between 0001 and 0400 hrs - it was a vintage ship, you see and the ship had to be stopped and was adrift in mid-sea. After taking all necessary actions, I'd called up the Captain on the 'sound powered telephone' and informed him about the emergency and actions taken.
Within a short while, the ship was brought back to normal and with the entire lot of officers summoned on the bridge, the Captain had announced that he was awarding me my Watch Keeping Ticket. I remember taking his permission to have the bar opened to provide Champagne to celebrate that important milestone in my naval career that moment itself! Consequently, the entire lot of Krishna's officers were on the ship's bridge, sipping champagne at that unearthly hour of the night sharing my proud moment!!
There was a scary occasion when the ship was sailing off from the north jetty in Kochi. I was the Quarterdeck Officer during the leaving harbour evolution. A tug was supposed to haul the ship's stern, thereafter the ship was to proceed astern for about 30 metres and then head for the harbour mouth. The tug line was just being secured and an enthusiastic Midshipman, who was the communication number reported to the bridge - on my behalf - that the tug line was secured. I heard the youngster's report and should have corrected the error but anticipating a delay in the tug's reaction, I and my boys concentrated on the synthetic hawser being secured on the bollard instead.
The bridge had ordered the tug to commence pulling and much to my horror, I saw the hawser going taut and running out through the fairlead abaft the bollard and Leading Seaman Ramanna being dragged by his leg - which had got entangled in a bight of the rope - out of the ship. In a quick reflex action, I'd bent down and pulled out the rope from the sailor's leg! (Incidentally, Ramanna's son is named 'Rajeev' as I'd saved him that day from certain disaster!)
The tug was asked to stop pulling and the line was buttoned up once again and the evolution was carried out flawlessly and after we were safely out at sea, I'd gone across to the bridge to report my folly but the ship's Medical Officer, Surg Lt P Vijayashankar, had already given an eye witness account of my 'heroics' and I was permitted by the Captain to have a drink that evening - which is otherwise, avoided at sea!
I also remember a couple of trips to Thiruvananthapuram to meet up with Captain Syriac - a friend of my Captain ; he was a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission and another great guy - regarding the 'migration certificate' for Mrs Vidya Chand who wanted to pursue the BEd course with the Kerala University. She was subsequently a professor at the Elphinstone College in Pune, if my memory serves me right. For me, the trips to Thiruvananthapuram were invigorating, as my folks stayed there. In fact, during one of the weekends, Lt SAS Rizvi had joined me and he'd become good friends with my grandparents!
There are a host of good memories during my tenure on board that ship and I consider myself to have been lucky to be there at that time. Shall list down the officers who were on board INS Krishna, during those times and they were :-
* Cdr Suresh Chand - Captain
* LCdr AC Jose - XO
* LCdr A Sarkar - EO
* Lt Sharat Jain - GO
* Lt DK Mohapatra - EdO
* Lt Gursharan Singh - NO
* Lt HN Shirgavi - SO
* Surg Lt P Vijayashankar - MO
* Lt Arunabh Ghosh - LO
* Lt SAS Rizvi - SEO
* Lt HS Manhas
* Lt PE Vanhaltren
* SLt (SDB) Sita Ram Yadav
* SLt K Rajeev Nair
*LCdr KL Arora and Lt Ranjan Seth joined us as the EdO and NO, a month and a half before I was leaving the ship.
I was transferred in Jun '79 as the Navigating Officer of INS Atul, a seaward defence boat, with the Captain telling me that, "It gives me a feeling that you continue to be with me and I shall watch your progress". I must confess that I felt bad at having to shift berth but we continued to be in touch with each other till a few years back.
Adieu Cdr Suresh Chand sir! My salute, tears and prayers to an officer and a gentleman who shaped my naval career. Om Shanti! Sadgati. May your near and dear ones have the strength to tide over these stressful times.
Tailpiece.
Got up around a 20' past 6, the chores. Subi and Appunni began their work of laying the 'Dr Fix It' on the terrace.
By the time the workers had secured, it was a half past 5. Helped Lekha in watering the plants.
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