Paddy’s Heroics You know Paddy Singh? Don’t get nervous! He is not a Sardarji, as you would have thought. He is very much a Mallu like me in flesh and blood and his actual name is A Padmanabhan, hailing from Pirappancode. As customary in Army we find some nicknames to each officer so that it is easy to interact with him. So Paddy is his nickname & I was the one added Singh to it Paddy is a wonderful man, my association with him goes beyond 40 long years now. While in service & after retirement he has landed me in trouble umpteen times but he is bashing on regardless now too. Paddy is a man of integrity and simplicity incarnated! He can’t say ‘NO’ to anyone! One of his COs commented once that if he were a girl he would have been pregnant 100 times! Thank God he is Not! I can write volumes about this special man whom I call ‘Boss’ (which he definitely likes!) and he fondly calls me ‘ Mate’ This book gives you a collection of his heroics for which I was his buddy in all as Dr Watson was to Sherlock Holmes. So please go thru this patiently, then you will be able draw a true caricature of Col Paddy Singh, my boss Don’t you ever forget Meera, his beloved wife who truly is his friend, philosopher and guide. I leave you here now. Shall meet you with more of Paddy Singh once you have finished reading his heroics 01: Paddy lost the battle by a whisker Paddy and I were doing the JC (Sigs) Course way back in 1975 in Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow. In one of the term exams, we had a quiz test on PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). Upon completion of valuation of the answer sheets, Maj AK Sinha, the instructor announced that Capt KKS Dadwal stood first with 24 marks out of 25. Taking every one by surprise Paddy got up and asked the instructor ”How can that be Sir, I also got 24 correct Sir, I am also the first Sir” Maj AK Sinha, a brilliant instructor, but cool as ice told Look Paddy, marking of this test is not based on the correct answers, but on the questions you wrongly answered But Sir, how would one incorrect answer be better than the other? Asked Paddy, who was sitting next to Capt Dadwal, with dejection writ on his face. Come on Paddy, It is so simple” said Maj Sinha with a rare smile on his face. He continued “ You Know, Dadwal put down on question No 20 I dont know. And you put down, Neither do I.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:20:17 +0000