Lord Hanuman, the icon of safe driving

Of late, those in high and mighty positions are making news. Some for their supercilious remarks throwing fresh light on the peacock, and others in uniform for hankering after Colaba, a Mumbai address.

But the one who takes the cake is the God-fearing politician, who went about encroaching on public space, merely to conform to the dictates of Vastu.

The episode reminds me of an incident in 2003.

The example is not about the mindless adherence to a superstition but how such practices can have uncanny fallouts.

We were out in field for over a year, face to face with our acrimonious neighbour following the terrorist attack on Parliament.

The driving conditions in the field, especially the open desert, are free flowing. Traffic and road rules do not apply under operational circumstances as long as military drivers adhere to tactical norms. Driving military vehicles in civilised areas, thereafter, is a challenge.

The moment we returned to the barracks and got on with our routine, the biggest test was to re-introduce safe driving among our troops.

A slew of accidents were already a matter of concern. The brigade commander called a conference of all commanding officers (COs) under his command. “Any suggestions, gentlemen? We need to tackle the menace head on and disseminate the ethos of safe driving.”

All of us looked towards our ever vigilant colleague, the CO of the mechanised infantry battalion. He obliged, “Sir, I suggest a caution board at the ‘out’ and ‘in’ gates of our units. It should have a bold picture of Lord Hanuman. This will force our religious-minded troops to halt, bow and read the dos and don’ts for an accident-free trip outside the unit.”

The brigadier was impressed. Yet another feather in the cap of this brilliant CO and a ‘why can’t anyone else come up with ideas’ look towards the other three of us.

I called a conference of my officers and ordered the second-in-command to go ahead with the task.

The next morning, as I drove into the unit, my driver, typical of a boss’s driver, rash and uncontrolled, surprised me by halting at the gate where he bowed respectfully at the huge board with Lord Hanuman’s painting and safe driving tips below.

I was happy that the instructions were in place and a surprise visit by the brigade commander wouldn’t catch us with our pants down. I drove through the unit area, including the tank garages, barracks, stores, and training areas.

This time, the sight around had me astounded. There was an idol/painting/of Lord Hanuman outside each of these places.

I summoned the second-incommand and the risaldar major (RM).

Diplomatically, I began, “So gentlemen what is happening?” The RM was the first to respond, “Saab, jawan bahut khush hain. Kal roll call (evening gathering of troops to disseminate the CO’s orders) mein jab hamne aapka order sunaya to sabne naara lagaya Bajrang Bali ki jai aur phir CO saab ki jai.” “Why,” I enquired. This time, the second-in-command seized the initiative. “Sir, our troops are followers of Lord Hanuman and they are happy to learn that even their CO is one of them. Do you know, these guys did not sleep a wink the entire night to ensure an omnipresent Bajrang Bali in every nook and cranny of the unit. Aren’t you pleased, sir?”

“SIR, A CAUTION BOARD AT THE ‘OUT’ AND ‘IN’ GATES OF OUR UNITS SHOULD HAVE A PICTURE OF LORD HANUMAN. THIS WILL FORCE OUR TROOPS TO HALT, BOW AND READ THE DOS AND DON’TS FOR AN ACCIDENTFREE TRIP OUTSIDE THE UNIT”