Page 43 - Leadership in the Indian Army

only five years of service. Of course, as Chief, Cariappa could waive the
rule if he wished. When Cariappa heard this, he dropped the idea; he did not
want to bend the rules in anyone’s favour and set a bad example. He sent

for Sinha and explained the situation to him, regretting his inability to give
him the coveted appointment.
Soon after taking over as Chief, he visited Madras. A general officer, who
was also a close friend, tried to informally discuss his future employment
with him. Cariappa curtly told him, ‘Please talk to the Military Secretary.’
In fact, Cariappa’s reputation as a stickler for discipline and propriety made
even his close friends hesitate to take liberties with him. Thimayya was

related to him and had also been a colleague both during the War and later,
in Kashmir. During a visit to Srinagar, when Cariappa was the Army
Commander, they were travelling in the same car. Thimayya lit a cigarette
and had just taken his first puff when Cariappa reminded him that smoking
was prohibited in military vehicles. Thimayya immediately snuffed it out
and continued talking as if nothing had happened. After some time, out of

habit, he pulled out another cigarette, but remembering Cariappa’s
admonishment, put it back. Cariappa noticed this, and asked the driver to
stop so that Thimayya could smoke.
On the day that his appointment as C-in-C was announced, Cariappa was
sitting with the British High Commissioner on the balcony of the Delhi
Gymkhana Club. There was a party being held at the club and several other
army officers were also present. Brigadier Sarda Nand Singh went up to

Thimayya and suggested that they request the band to play ‘For he’s a jolly
good fellow’, and that as the senior officer present, Thimayya lead the
chorus. The last thing one could accuse Thimayya was of timidity, but he
declined, saying that the old man may consider it an act of indiscipline!
Cariappa had a quick temper, but like a tempest, it would blow over in no
time at all. Even when he was angry, he was open to reason and willing to

be corrected if wrong. In 1951, he visited the Rajput Regimental Centre to
present the Cariappa Banner, which was awarded to the best training
company of the year. There was a doubt whether the banner, like the
Colours, should also be escorted on parade. The Centre Commandant,
Colonel Guman Singh, did not believe in polite gestures and after looking
up the orders on the subject, decided that the banner was not entitled to an
escort. When Cariappa arrived and saw that the banner named after him was

not being properly escorted, he went crimson with rage. The initial blast