Life’s learning curve

Brig Sandeep Thapar

It’s often said life is a great teacher. But faujis like me qualify the maxim to “Army life is a great teacher”. After four decades in the uniform, I believe that the Army life has taught me all that I required to be a capable leader and a good human being. These lessons came to me through a combination of good military grooming, awareness and incorporating sensible advice received from all quarters. I share some random incidents from my career, which shaped and influenced my life. 

After commissioning, officers go to Regimental Centres for familiarisation training for a fortnight, where they interact with under-training recruits, instructors and officers for the first time. In one such interaction with a senior Colonel, I made a flippant remark that weapon handling of troops was much better than officers (I was till then only familiar with our WT instructors at NDA/IMA, who were exceptionally good at weapon handling). Promptly, I was chided, “Son, you better do everything you tell your command to do, better than them. Or you’ll never gain their respect!” (lesson 1).  The basic tenet of leadership is professional excellence. Without competence, one cannot simply become a worthy leader. Subordinates will blindly follow you once assured that you have the requisite ability to make the right choices. 

In early 1980s, Manipur was extremely active. En route to the battalion HQ, I stayed at Tactical HQ at Leimakhong (outskirts of Imphal). Lance Naik Janak Singh of my unit was employed as a waiter in brigade mess. Units usually send simpletons in such places so that they don’t get into any mischief thereby bringing disrepute to the unit. After I settled, Janak gave me some advice, which I listened with an indulgent smile. “Saab, this is counter-intelligence (CI) area, never trust anyone and always keep ‘gap’ (by which he meant keep distance between troops or vehicles while moving).” To this day, I consider his advice as the ultimate guidance one can get for operations in CI. Keeping distance makes ambushes difficult as the terrorists cannot cover the entire column in one go, thereby facilitating reaction by those not under effective fire. Not trusting anyone is self-evident. I learnt a valuable lesson that day — the finest and most pertinent counsel need not necessarily emanate from the most learned, it can well flow from the lowest in the rung (lesson 2). 

My first CO was grounded. I was detailed as in charge of the unit parade contingent in a distant station. The duty was to be of two months. Being newly married, I sought permission to take my wife along with me. The CO refused: “Sunny boy, never mix business with pleasure” (lesson 3). Though extremely annoyed at that time, I realised the wisdom of the quote much later. In our endeavour to utilise 24 hours to the maximum, we tend to intertwine our professional and personal commitments. Not only it is morally incorrect, but you also cannot do justice to either. 

As I was about to take over my battalion, a retd SM, I met at a function, advised me to throw away my law books before taking over the command. This is easier said than done in most units (less Gorkhas), least of all in my regiment. “Saab, operational kaam dimaag naal aur baki sab dil naal” (use your brains for operational issues and your heart for the rest) (lesson 4). The authority must be tempered with compassion. A leader who lacks empathy or concern can only pull his rank, can never command respect. He perhaps can generate fear and dislike.

The last bit was less of an advice rather more of an admonishment. My director (Colonel then, later rose to become the Chief) was new and still coming to terms with his appointment. Having spent two years in the chair, I mistakenly thought I knew it all. Have you seen an apple tree, he asked me after one unpleasant incident! Apple boughs rise towards the sky but once laden with fruit, they bend down to permit the fruit to be plucked. When one rises in life so must his magnanimity and generosity quotient (lesson 5). Most successful people become victims of their own success and forget that a true leader is one who walks like a king, but does not lose his common touch.