CHANGE IN DRESS

 

CHANGE IN DRESS

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

06/IX/2023

 

India is changing to Bharat. So, the Armed Forces are also ‘Bharatizing’. Bhartiya Navy is at samundar and in the lead as it adopts a smart new Bhartiya ‘Mess Dress’. Brings down so many memories and ‘fauji idiosyncrasies’ to mind.

We were the ‘first course’ who passed out from IMA Dehradun to change from Cotton Olive Greens to Terry-Cot uniforms. Starched pants and trousers had their own charm. Everyone wanted them to be as stiff as stiff could be. Then that era faded away. Full sleeves uniform shirts were changed to half sleeves. We had to rush to the unit tailor to get our sleeves cut to size.

My first posting was in Jaisalmer as a 2Lt. Dungaree was the dress for all occasions. Nice starched ones which had multiple pockets on the sleeves and sides. More the number of pockets, the more the style. My Dad told me to buy Khaki cloth. ‘Desert colour’ was his logic. It was the ‘Nark Army’ uniform colour. That length of cloth finally got converted to my motorcycle cover after retirement.

‘Armed Corps’ wore ‘black’ dungarees. We the Mechanised thought we were no less. We dyed our OG ones to black and wore a black Patka with a company coloured 'chindi' on the forehead. All we needed was an order of ‘Tally-Ho’ from a CO who wore Blue Air Force overalls.

Mess was a ‘pain’ as far as the dresses were concerned. We had ‘Kharrant’ seniors and most of them were chronic bachelors or forced bachelors who ensured we learnt how to maintain mess decorum the hard way. They screwed up our happiness for that by giving us a dressing down.  

Dungarees were not allowed in the mess. You ran BPET almost everyday, changed to uniform for breakfast, changed back to dungarees for the next parade, changed to uniform for lunch. One deviation meant a night guard check. There was no exception, only rules applied.

It was harder than NDA and IMA putty parades. At times I thought a ‘’twelve pack Bajri order' was an easier rig and so was IMAs Hackle order. Though that damn hackle on the beret would tilt at a wrong angle at the wrong time or get wet and look like a hen drenched in rain.

Jeans were not allowed in the mess. Later, they were permitted but with a caveat that they could not be ‘folded’ ones. Things relaxed, when dungarees could be worn after a vote was passed in a mess meeting. What a relief it was!

Once some 2Lt fcuked up and wore something to the mess which was taboo. All youngsters below five years service were taken to task and had to come to the mess in a ‘three-piece suit’ with tie even in the afternoons till further orders, in Jaisalmer summers mind you. Then one senior most youngster took a panga. We were back to open collars. Crazy times they were!

Shoes had to have laces. No sneakers or sandals were allowed. For PT, it had to be Bata kind of PT shoes. White meant white, no strands or coloured streaks on the socks were allowed. One CO came and introduced black shorts in 'games dress'. Someone down the line changed it. They are back to white again.

A time came when everyone had gotten SD & 6 Bravo stitched. Written reports had to be submitted till Army HQs that all officers were in possession of all prescribed army dresses. Blue patrols & White patrols were stitched overnight. Tailors in Mhow made a fortune. Post dated cheques were accepted by them.

Dinner nights were conducted to physically check. Officers had to submit ‘self attested certificates' that they possessed all dresses. Disciplinary proceedings had to be initiated against defaulters. Crazy!

Then ‘Band Gala or Jodhpuri’ became part of the Mess dress as National Dress. Some regiments still wore brown shoes and Sam brown belts with Buff Patrols. Have they and other regimental dresses changed?

From dungarees, we changed to Combat Dress. Should the shirt be tucked in or hung out? Should the belt be worn on top or inside the trouser loops. All this consumed a lot of time and effort until SOPs were written. Meanwhile while the debate of wearing the belt took top priority, Pakistan was sending hordes of terrorists across.

Then came a top Commander who wanted everyone to wear the WWII vintage Helmet and Anklets during operational deployment. A Tambi by origin and Jat by regimentation screwed the daylights of people for not wearing one. His staff officer carried his helmet and handed it over to him when he got down from a chopper. Even cooks in the langar had orders to wear one if he came visiting in the vicinity.

In the ‘Pinja outfit’ it was work which mattered. In high altitude, someone wore a coat parka inner, someone its outer. Snow boots were for kept inspection, as Pinjas were sons of the soil. Chuba was the dress, Thuppa was the meal, Gurgurchai and Chang was the drink. Tashi Delek was like Jai Hind. It was fun.

Today, all ranks above Colonel have one uniform, de-linking their regimental affiliations. Deep inside, his regiment lives more strongly than ever before. Change of dress is cosmetic.

I only hope they change the ‘Kirch’ or sword carrying drill. I see the Admiralty carrying swords all around. The army I can understand, fought with swords but the Navy if she can use it against 'frogmen' is fine, otherwise swords can be welded to the anchors to make them heavier.

The Kurta Pyjama with a jacket looks good. Mojris and sandals should also be allowed to match such a dress. Breeches are out already. Let us not make it a kind of ‘Mufti’. Officers should be free to choose colours and design of their waist coats.

Time wish was changed to Jai Hind some years ago. What would be next? I wonder!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND-JAI BHARAT

© ® NOEL ELLIS