Sir,

I regularly read KBG’s Abracadabra column with interest. I fully concur with his views about Jairam Ramesh’s comment on Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa (SOM dated Feb.10). I don’t know whether Jairam Ramesh has ever met the Field Marshal and noticed his highly democratic and humanistic qualities.

I recall an instance that happened exactly 50 years ago where I had an occasion to spend over an hour listening to Field Marshal Cariappa. It was in 1970 and I was in Bangalore at that time teaching in APS College, fresh from completing my Post-Graduate studies in Commerce, at Manasagangothri and was into the teaching line for about 6 months.

I was selected for a 10-day training programme held by the Leslie Sawhny Programme of Training for Democracy which was held at Bangalore. We were about 15 or so members in the programme, including K. Jairaj (retired Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka), a good friend of mine and a student of B.A (Hons.) in Central College at that time. That day we had M.R. Masani and Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa to speak to us, who both spent nearly half-a-day with us speaking on various aspects of Democracy, Discipline and the need for our commitment to nation-building.

After his talk, Cariappa had a free-wheeling chat with us and shook hands with each of us. We had such a good time talking to him so freely on issues of nation-building.

Thank you very much KBG, your piece in the Abracadabra column helped me to recall those wonderful moments that happened half-a-century ago.

– V. Krishna Moorthy, Srirampura, 11.2.2020

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