Page 238 - Leadership in the Indian Army

at the time. Despite losing both parents, he remained very close to his
stepmother and her four children.
Prem’s performance in the first term was not very encouraging. His

company commander, Captain Jebens, wrote on 19 May 1937:

Intelligent, capable and good all round performer at games. He has, however, much too high an
opinion of himself and suffers from a quick temper…. His instructors at academic subjects
report that he is careless. Unless he eradicates this fault he will not pass examinations.

Endorsing the report on 3 June 1937, the Commandant, Brigadier H.E.W.B.
Kingsley, DSO, wrote:

I have noted his failings with regret…they show that he thinks far too much of himself and not
enough of others…. I hope it is just the fault of youth and the result of an athletic success at
school….

At the end of the second term, there was only marginal improvement in
Prem’s performance. His company commander again commented on his

‘high opinion of himself’, and felt that he was a bad influence on the rest of
his batch in the company. After a stern warning that an officer who sets a
bad example does not deserve a commission, Prem showed some signs of
improvement. Brigadier Kingsley wrote on 3 January 1938: ‘After these
two clear warnings, I hope he will change his outlook. It will be a great pity
if a boy of his ability were to fail through a foolish fault of this nature….’

After the first year, Prem mellowed down, and there was visible
improvement in his performance at the Academy. It is quite likely that his
father’s death in January 1938 had a sobering effect on him, and he realised
that he was now virtually on his own, and could not afford to fail. At the
time of his father’s death, both his brothers were away, and Prem was the
only male member of the family present. He therefore had to shoulder all
the responsibilities connected with the funeral. When he returned to the

Academy, he was depressed for some time and seemed to have lost interest
in everything. Fortunately, he soon came out of it and applied himself with
new vigour.
At the end of the fourth term, his company commander, Major Jebens,
wrote on 10 December 1938:

He has this term justified my confidence in him. He has worked hard and played hard. As senior
GC of his term he has shown leadership and set a good example…. I have recommended him as
Under Officer for his company next term.