Ferozepore (1)

Ferozepore 1
1965- -I was physician in MH Ferozepore -Indo Pak war breaks out-7 Infantry Division moves out IMMEDIATELY to Khemkaran sector-Overnight the town is empty , deserted. Families of officers had to fend for themselves all the while praying for safe return of their husbands except of course the AMC officers! Suddenly four wives ,all South Indians, landed in Capt. Krishnan's house because their husbands told them so for the simple reason that'medical specialist' will not be moved out! Next morning ALL the four + Jaya and  Suba, 1 1/2 yrs were "packed"in Mrs.Pillai's Amby and the driver was instructed to proceed to Delhi. ( Later I learnt that all roads to Delhi was  one way "FROM" Delhi to facilitate army movement, but somehow clever resourceful mallu driver reached Delhi .How simple it sounds now!! It took ALL OF SEVEN DAYS before Ltcol Murthy could contact his elder brother Venkatraman then GM Air India staying in 3 Circular Road New Delhi. Suba & Jaya were staying with them. Till then it looked as though those seven days were longer than one யுகம் ! To confound our misery were rumours like “petrol pumps ordered NOT to supply petrol to civilian vehicles” Black out in Delhi and vehicles were forbidden to use even parking lights ’Mallu driver is driving in Delhi for the FIRST time”  “Did my chellachu   get something to eat or drink?” My thanks to Mrs.Pillai (where ever she is now).Unforgettable one week !!
Mr.Vekatram’s pet was BIG Ulsatian ,almost as tall as Suba was then .They two took an instant liking for each other & Suba used to play with him & even ride on him fearlessly!! Two weeks later Jaya & Suba moved to a cousin of Vedam Patti in govt accommodation located on a road from Connaught Place & Karolbagh.That is where I met them much later.

Truck loads of casualties poured in to MH Ferozepore -150 bedded hospital, with one physician, one surgeon (MONI,SSRC officer),one gyenaecologist, one ophthalmologist ,one pathologist and one CO(commanding officer) .The last mentioned could not help because he was a thorough bred administrator . There was NO prior warning from AHQ (army head quarters) either in informing us to expect loads of casualties or in providing materials  or manpower. That is PLANNING & INTELIGENCE Info !!.   
Surgeon ,Gyenec & opthalmologist (latter two because they can cut & sew!) were inside the one OT(operation Theatre) with a minor OT as annexe. For FULL THREE days & nights they came out only to ‘answer call of nature’( I have  heard this dignified expression only from Tamilians?) ,reclined on a chair when sleep was impossible to resist, bit into whatever was supplied. So did the OT nurses and ORAs (Theatre assistants). When I recall this my heart brims with pride even now.
My duty was to prioritise the casualties –sounds simple but I thank the Lord I did not have to do it again in my life.. After a hurried assessment I had to decide whether casualty “A” has better chance of survival with surgery than casualty “B”.and send the one with better chances into OT and offer “expectant” treatment  (medical profession is successful in inventing such phrases to delude the relatives into believing that “doctor is doing his best!”.) to those I had condemned. No colleague to confer, no lab to help. , I don’t know if I prayed for the decision to be right. I don’t think I had the time. But I recalled my appa ,General Medical Practitioner, predicting death with uncanny precision and advising relatives not to waste money any more on treatment but save it for final rites.But again they were sick persons & here in fronf of me were thakada jawans (healthy soldiers) in their prime of youth but maimed by war.
Pathologist did the blood grouping & cross matching. We NEEDED blood not litres but gallons! Only AMC personnel posted to MH were around and each one of them was fully engaged. Somehow news reached the civil population and in a moment droves of donors walked in. Ask Indian to face a national crisis and no one can better his response!! What is more Dal Roti was also brought by them in plenty.
Time for ‘ward rounds’ was available in the nights when trucks & ambulances stopped. No lights allowed. My nurse & I waded thru darkness guided by my pen torch. ( Later I was to meet this nurse as the wife of an airforce officer in Delhi) ”Is that you Krishnan? This voice cant be any one else’s” I rcognised the voice too. Joshi,  Sapper (Engineer)  officer.
 During my tenure inJ&K I was drafted to escort a recce team from Srinagar to Leh. Awaiting to get adequate number of mules to carry us & the rations we were asked to stay in Srinagar transit camp.Joshi was the sapper officer in the team. Strikingly handsome and bubbling with energy Joshi & I enjoyed each other’s company. It was a paid holiday in Srinagar .We were out every day exploring Dal lake in  boats or hiking or just walk & walk thru streets .He also was an avid sportsman, Hockey was his forte. Leh recce was called off after four weeks because specified number of mules was not available!!
“is that you Joshi?” I yell ,all the time troubled  not knowing why he was in the hospital . I rushed up to him & asked. Joshi asked me to flash the torch on his legs. Oh God! No legs!! He had stepped on a mine & both lesgs ,one below knee & the other upto ankle were blown.I cried aloud. Doctors are human too. Sister Gill ( I remember her name now) consoled me. She said “ Sir, at least your friend is alive”. She had lost her father in 1947 war in Kashmir when she was barely a few months old.

To be continued…..