Page 257 - Leadership in the Indian Army

this, two of his colleagues, who were in a similar predicament, followed
suit. When the requests reached Prem, he called the three officers to his
office. He made them sit down and treated them to a lavish high tea. In the

meantime, he had asked his ADC to call the Station Commander and the
Brigadier in charge of administration. When the two officers arrived, Prem
asked them if they had houses for themselves. When they replied in the
affirmative, Prem wanted to know why the young officers, all newly
married, did not have any houses. He said:

If we go to war tomorrow, it is these youngsters who will die, while you and I will be twiddling
our thumbs in the Corps HQ. I am not interested in excuses. If you do not have MES
accommodation, hire it from civilians. If these youngsters don’t have a house by next week, I
will ask both of you to vacate yours and allot it to them.

Needless to say, the officers got the accommodation, and three joyful brides
joined their husbands soon afterwards.
In August 1970, Prem became Army Commander and was appointed

GOC-in-C Central Command at Lucknow. He had now reached the highest
echelons of the profession, just one rung from the very top. He now had the
authority and the wherewithal to put into practice many of his ideas, and
improve the living and working conditions of the troops. Soon after taking
over, he visited Jabalpur. When he visited the single officers’ quarters, he
was shocked to find them living in a barrack, without any furniture or
furnishings. Furious, Prem asked the Area and Sub-Area Commanders, who
were present, to explain. When he heard the usual excuses about MES

procedures and shortage of funds, he blew up.

You expect these officers to be leaders of men, and yet you make them live like pigs…. If these
youngsters do not get proper accommodation in three months, I will make you vacate the Flag
Staff House and allot it to these officers.

The officers were provided with proper accommodations well before the
deadline.
By now, Prem was a well-known figure in army circles, but very few
civilians had heard of him. All this changed in September 1971, when the

city of Lucknow was ravaged by unprecedented floods and the army was
asked to provide assistance. Under his directions, the army provided
immediate aid and was able to plug the breach, thus saving a large part of
the city from inundation. There are several stories about how he saved the
city. A large embankment, built on the western bank of the Gomti river to

protect the city, had been breached. Prem who was present at the site, could