I arrived in Mumbai as a young Sub Lieutenant at the end of June 1971 to take up my new appointment in the 25^th Missile Boat Squadron, later called the ‘Killer’ Squadron. I felt very proud to be appointed to the Indian Naval Ship Nashak. In December 1971, these boats were to distinguish themselves as the “Karachi Killers”, having carried out a bold and daring missile attack on Pakistani Naval ships and setting ablaze the fuel dumps of Karachi.

Everyone on board was excited that the navy would be fighting a battle and we would be a part of it. War is serious business. The atmosphere is charged with a cocktail of emotions – a very high level of patriotic fervor, excitement, bravado, unspoken fear, camaraderie and commitment. Normally one does not get to experience this state of being on a constant high with a continuous adrenalin rush.

Amidst all the seriousness of war, the tough life on board had its share of lighter moments. These short, comic interludes allowed us to rest for a while, laugh, behave normally and forget the war. These lighter moments probably helped us retain our sanity and sense of balance. Thanks to all the good humour in uniform.

I think it was in early November that our Engineering Officer had taken leave and gone home to get married. The marriage was being held in Dadar, Mumbai.

One morning, the atmosphere on the ship suddenly changed. Within an hour, it was buzzing with frantic activity. Fuel, water, provisions and missiles started arriving on the ship. We were being armed to the teeth. The Commanding Officer called for an emergency meeting and declared that we were to proceed with dispatch to patrol in the North Arabian Sea. War was imminent. We received orders to sail the following morning at 0200 hours.

There was no way the ship could sail without the Engineering Officer. On one hand the clouds of war were gathering fast and on the other, the officer was getting married. The Commanding Officer had to make a very hard decision. After a couple of telephone calls to the senior authorities, it was decided to recall the officer and order him to report on board with immediate effect.  

As the junior most officer on board, I was entrusted with the extremely unpleasant task of proceeding to the marriage hall to hand over the recall signal to the Engineering Officer. I went in uniform with a dispatch rider to Dadar.

As I entered the hall I noticed that the wedding had just got over and the air was full of joy and jubilation. The music was blaring, tables were being set up for the wedding lunch and the guests were busy in animated discussion.

The groom came and hugged me and introduced his newly married wife to me. I very hesitantly and reluctantly embarked on the unpleasant task I had been given.I called him aside and gave him the recall signal.

All hell broke loose and there was total shock and disbelief all around. As the news spread, a deathly silence descended on the marriage hall. What followed was straight out of a    Bollywood block buster.

Imagine the scene- The peppy Bollywood song ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche Har Zabaan Par’ is playing full blast. The villain appears in uniform and hands over the recall signal – the bride says, “Nahi,nahi! Kabhi nahi!” and starts crying inconsolably. The groom swallows his disappointment, straightens his shoulders, grits his teeth and says, “I shall return!” The relatives in stage whispers say, “So unfair! How can this happen?” and glare at the hapless villain. And the villain?  He sheepishly beats a hasty retreat from the scene and scoots back to the safe confines of his warship.

The marriage party was not in any mood to concede defeat. The bride, groom and close relatives decided to approach the highest available authority and seek a review. The senior officer received the party with all due respect and listened very attentively to their pleas. The parents of the bride and the groom explained at length the importance of marriage, ‘suhaag raat’ and other rituals of lesser importance.

Unfortunately for them, the senior officer of the squadron though gentlemanly and extremely courteous, was a confirmed bachelor. The rest as they say is history.