Page 27 - Leadership in the Indian Army

men tried to make the most of them. Fatehgarh was a small town with little
to offer in terms of entertainment or sight-seeing. Cariappa thus had plenty
of time on his hands, which he spent reading books on history and tactics,

as well as some classics. He also began writing for military journals and
newspapers. This provided him not only the pleasure of seeing his name in
print but also some additional income. He enjoyed music and theatre, and
was an avid fan of Prithvi Raj Kapoor, K.L. Saigal, and M.S.
Subbulakshmi. In fact, Prithvi Raj Kapoor became a close friend and in
subsequent years often stayed with Cariappa, in both Delhi and Coorg.
Cariappa was a man of frugal habits and did everything in moderation.

His cigarettes were made especially for him by a firm in England and had
the letter ‘C’ embossed on them. In later years though, he gave up cigarettes
and switched to cigars, and still later to a pipe. He drank moderately and
never exceeded two pegs, even during formal functions and parties. Fussy
about his attire, he took pride in always appearing immaculately dressed.
He never wore casual clothing, not even in his own home. He was

fastidious about punctuality, etiquette and table manners, and there are
many stories and anecdotes about his obsession with them.
In those days, as it is even now, the Staff College was considered a
stepping stone to higher ranks in the army. The Staff College at Camberley
trained officers of the British Army, whereas the one in Quetta had been
established primarily for the Indian Army. Once Indian officers began to get
commissions, a few vacancies were earmarked for them in Quetta, but these

remained unfilled, as the Indian officers were still too junior and none had
passed the entrance examination. In July 1931, Cariappa was posted to HQ
Peshawar District as DAQMG. This was a non-graded staff appointment,
and gave him some experience of the functioning of administrative staff at
higher headquarters. His superiors and colleagues urged him to take the
Staff College examination, and offered to provide some coaching. Through

the efforts of one of his friends, in January 1932, he went to England for
tuition, by the Royal United Service Institution (RUSI). He was also able to
get a month’s attachment with a British battalion, the Coldstream Guards. In
addition, to round off his preparations he attended two short courses at the
Small Arms School and the Royal Artillery School. As a result of the hard
work put in by him, Cariappa passed the entrance examination, and became
the first Indian officer to attend the course at the Staff College, Quetta.