Page 128 - Leadership in the Indian Army

Singh, GOC 4 Infantry Division, and Brigadier M.S. Pathania, his senior
staff officer, were crossing the Yamuna river in an assault boat. All three
had fishing tackle with them and were casting for fish. The boat dashed

against a rope that had been slung across the river and capsized. Bahadur
Singh and Pathania abandoned their fishing rods and began to swim
towards the bank. Thorat, however, held on to his fishing rod with one
hand, using the other to swim. To everyone’s surprise and amusement, he
reached the bank still clutching his precious rod.
An upright and meticulous soldier, Thorat was always correct in his
dealings with his seniors and subordinates. He rarely fell foul of his seniors.

But once, in 1956, while he was commanding 11 Corps, he did manage to
offend the army commander. Torrential rains had flooded Jullunder and
Amritsar districts and the Grand Trunk Road was submerged under 5 feet of
water. An artillery unit at Kasu Begu near Ferozepore was also threatened
by a breach in a canal. Thorat rang up Air HQ in Delhi and requested an
aerial reconnaissance to determine if there were any other breaches. The

Army Commander, Lieutenant General Kalwant Singh, was very annoyed
and threatened to take disciplinary action against Thorat for failing to
follow the proper procedures. Thorat stood firm and, when asked to explain,
replied that since the safety of his men and installations was in danger and
he could not contact the Command HQ in Simla, he had no other option but
to approach Air HQ. He also told the Army Commander that in case he
decided to take action, he himself was more likely to land in trouble than

Thorat. The matter was dropped.
When General S.M. Shrinagesh retired in May 1957, Thimayya was
nominated to succeed him as Chief of Army Staff, superseding Lieutenant
General Sant Singh, who was commanding the Eastern Army, and
Lieutenant General Kalwant Singh, in Western Command. Kalwant decided
to continue, but Sant preferred to take retirement. Thorat was appointed

GOC-in-C Eastern Command, which at that time had its HQ at Lucknow
and comprised the area of the present Central and Eastern Commands.
Thorat soon fell in love with Lucknow, which was called the city of
nawabs, and its people, who still the spoke the flawless Urdu of their
forbears. Lucknow was famous for its tehzib (good manners), courtesy and
leisurely lifestyle. It was also a centre for classical dance and music, and

Thorat soon became a connoisseur of the thumri, dadra and kathak. *