Call by any name, he’s buddy

Col P S Sangha (retd)

ORDERLY/batman/sahayak/buddy…these are terms to describe the same man. Who is he? He is one who has been, and remains, an intrinsic part of an Army officer’s life. Over the past few years, and more recently, he is mentioned in the media in a manner that gives a wrong idea to the civilian public. The idea being put across is that combat manpower is being misused for the benefits of officers and their families. 

There have been ripostes by some retired Army officers, mainly in  social media, justifying the presence of a buddy (current term) in the retinue of an officer. Some mention the large number of men at the residences of police and IAS officers, being used for all kinds of domestic work, including cooking and house cleaning.

 It is a fact that police officers, DSP level onwards, use constables for domestic work and IAS officers at the district level maintain a large number of unauthorised staff at home. But I do not think an Army officer needs this to justify the allotment of his buddy. A batman/buddy is authorised to an officer because of the nature of his work in war and peace. It is a system which we have picked up from the British Indian Army. Although he is meant to look after the officer, he becomes a part of the family wherein the children call him ‘bhaiya’. Sometimes, he will see off/receive the kids at school bus stops. He is, however, never made to do menial work like cleaning the house or any kitchen work. This buddy forms a strong relationship with his officer that remains even after retirement. As a Commanding Officer, I had a number of buddies over a four-year period. After I retired, I was pleasantly surprised to get calls from them. They had retired and requested for help to get their sons recruited into the Army, or a job in the civil sector. I could never say no to their call for help. I felt it was my turn to be their buddy. So, I arranged for them to get good training for the recruitment tests. Some managed to join the Army, others got jobs in the civil sector.  

Recently my son, got married in the US, and we organised a reception in Delhi. He specifically asked me to invite his ‘bhaiyas’. I sent an invite to a couple of them. On the morning of the reception, I got a call from my old buddy, who had come all the way from his village in Bihar. I was overwhelmed. That evening, he came properly dressed to the Officers’ Mess, with a bouquet of flowers. My son, who had last seen him 30 years ago, embraced him. I made him sit with my regimental officers. When we parted company later that evening, it was with a big hug between two buddies. 

This is the buddy system of the Army. I do not think such a relationship exists in the civil services. Why compare?