CYCLIC is well known in aviation circles. We are now privileged to carry an article by him, quite appropriately with a Khadakvasla background. Even though he is an alumnus of PWMC and NDA, CYCLIC has not lost his sense of humour. He also dabbles in seriousaviation history. He proudly calls himself a “supercilious scoundrel.”

 

 

Air Marshal Minoo Jehangir Dotiwalla passed away on 5 May 16 at the ripe old age of 90. His wife had preceded him.

I spent a year in NDA as a ‘Div Oh’ in 1979 after which I was sent to FIS. When I arrived at NDA without my ‘Ho Chi Minn’ moustache, ten years after my stint as a cadet, despite being older, I was almost the same 18 Div Cadet Captain back in 69.  I hadn’t grown up that much mentally, morally or physically.

A few months later, venerable Dotiwalla Sir was posted in as Cmdt NDA (9 Jul 79). Either his staff officer was dumb, or the then AVM Sir didn’t know a thing about the power, pomp and glamour of the Cmdt NDA.  A telegram arrived in NDA fifteen days before the AVM. ‘Arriving by train with family, request arrange transport and accommodation’ !!  Obviously it became ‘the joke of the year’ amongst the officers in NDA.

 

My then Bat Com, late Cdr Mohan Chandy (the man who got his MTB towed to Karachi and attacked Pakis with aplomb in 71), a roly-poly very jovial man, conferred with us youngsters of No 1 Bn and plotted a prank on the AVM’s arrival for having sent that stupid telegram (I am sure Chandi Sir must have taken the Dep Com too into confidence).

 

I was detailed as the LO to pick up the AVM from the Rlwy Stn in my beat up Herald car. So I received him at the Rlwy Stn, made him push start the ruddy Herald, and took him to my Flt Lt quarters in D3 area. Mrs Dotiwalla first inspected my toilets and spartan quarters. She was most disappointed and gave a piece of her mind to my brand new wife masquerading to perfection as the maid. 

 

 

After a cup of tea, I suggested that since Mrs Dotiwalla didn’t approve of the accommodation that we had arranged, I will take him to an alternate accommodation, marginally better. Made the AVM push start the car again.  And when he arrived at the ‘Lake Palace’ overlooking the Peacock Bay he almost had a heart attack.

Screen shot of NDA Commandant’s house overlooking Khadakvasla Lake. (Could not get any photo of the exalted place)

There was a guard of honour by sixth term cadets, brass & pipe band, and the entire staff of NDA and their wives lined up to receive him. Last one in the line-up was my wife, still dressed as a maid !! Mrs Dotiwalla hugged my wife when introduced, and started crying and laughing at the same time. She said something in Parsi tongue, which perhaps meant some very very very affectionate things.

 

 

 

I never got to meet the Cmdt or his wife at close quarters for several  months, even though there were very lively parties at his Lake Palace, as well as by the  pool side, with the star attraction being the swimming wonder, beauty queen, Nafisa Ali Sodhi, the brand new wife of our equitation officer, RS Sodhi. Life went by at supersonic speed with the Cmdt raising the bar, ‘bar bar’, higher and higher.

A file photograph of Nafisa Ali, taken at the time of her participation in the beauty contest

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I had an outstanding Cdt in B Sqn, whose father (just like  mine) had no sense of humour and gave him a name (just like mine) that contained the complete postal address with the pin code. Every day I was called upon to write something or the other, a mix of facts and fiction, in this cadet’s dossier.    Now how many times can you write ‘Padmanabha Venkata Varaha Venkatehswaralu’, did this or that, on daily basis. Out of frustration, I decide to chop his name to ‘PVVV Lu’. After making him front roll down the corridor of B Sqn, I told him to get up. Like Queen of England, I pronounced him a knight, ‘Rise, Sir Lu’.

 

 

He immediately went to ‘Gol Market’ and got a new name tab, ‘PVVV-Loo’.

Everything went well till this bugger, Loo, went and got himself several medals in athletics or something like that. During the prize distribution, the Cmdt got tired of  hanging medals around his neck. So he asked him like Gen Patton, ‘What is your name son ?’.

The Cdt, with exemplary military bearing, stood to ram rod attention.

‘I am Cadet Peeee, Veeee, Veeee, Veeeee, Loo Sir’ he said..

The whole thing was being broadcasted on the PA system. The academy started laughing and yodelling like hyenas, very musical, like Kishore Kumar. I didn’t have a place to hide.

‘What is your name, come again ?’, the Cmdt repeated.  

‘Cadet Peeee, Veeee, Veeee, Veeeee, Loo Sir’, my boy shouted again at the top of his voice with very justified pride of Centurion Pontius Buggerusall, the star performer of the Roman Army.

The academy started hooting with uncontrolled mirth despite repeated shouts by the Adjutant to ‘Shut Up’. 

‘Did your father give  you that name ?’, the Cmdt asked with an incredulous look on his face.

‘No Sir, my  Div Oh did’, Loo confessed truthfully.

I was marched up to the Cmdt without a belt, and the bugle was blown. I suffered ‘hicum-foocum’ imagining that the Cmdt was going to relegate me to ‘Corporal’, ‘Do Phiti’ on my sleeves rather than on my shoulders.

‘I like your practical jokes, but this is going too far’, the Cmdt warned me very seriously.

‘Just imagine, one day he will be a General. Do you want him to be known as General Toilet ?’, he asked very sagaciously.

‘Yes Sir’ I said with all humility. ‘I will go back and revert him to his original name.

I didn’t tell the Cmdt that, behind his back, I had christened him ‘AVM Lungi’ !!!

 

In keeping with the promise I made to Lungi Sir, I went to Gol Market and got Lu a new name tab, ‘Venkateshwaralu’. There was no place to put PVV on the name tab. I called Lu in the afternoon, and ordered him to wear the new name tab, that he was no longer a ‘Loo’, but God ‘Venkateshwaralu’

Some years ago I was told that ‘Venkateshwaralu’ was given command of a Brigade. And because he is such an illustrious fellow, the troops very affectionately, with pride, calls him ‘Commander Pishab’.  I now agree with AVM Lungi’s sagacious advice, tampering with names, even as nom-de-guerre, can have grave consequences, I was a silly bugger !!!!

Air Mshl Lungi Sir, and Mrs Dotiwalla, you have chosen to go far away.  But no  matter how far you have gone, you will be remembered by us with fond affection and pride.

 

Rest In Peace, both of you.

‘CYCLIC’

 

 

 

 

Post Script from the Editor

At the NDA many cadets got ‘Academy Names’ and some stuck  on for the entire service. Some of them were acceptable to the boys, but some were not. In extreme cases, there were instances where people got their names officially changed to break away from the name given to them by their course-mates. Permit me to mention two cadets of Easy Squadron who changed their name:

• Cadet ZM Puthetto XVI/E  was sometimes referred to as ‘Potato’ . When commissioned into the Corps of Signals, he changed over to PZ Mani.
• Cadet NR Baindur XVIII/E of the Ordnance changed over to BN Rao for a similar reason.