ARTICLE CONTRIBUTED BY LT
GEN D KUMAR (VETERAN)
Butler in Public
An article emerged in Pak Daily
(Interesting reading)
By Lt Col S. Riaz Jafri (Retd), Pak Army
By Lt Col S. Riaz Jafri (Retd), Pak Army
During the
recent swearing in ceremonies of the PM and others being televised live, I noticed
a senior army officer pushing the chair for a dignitary, which took me back in
years to1954. Allow me to narrate it in some detail:
It was the first
re-union of the Corps of Pakistan Signals, in March 1954, and the finals of the
Inter Regimental Hockey were being played at the GHQ Signals Regiment
Rawalpindi hockey ground. General Muhammad Ayub, then the C-in-C Pakistan Army,
was the chief guest. It was customary then, and may be the practice is still in
vogue, to detail a local ADC from the unit for the visiting General as the unit
officer was expected to be better informed of the local environs than the
General’s actual ADC. I, a Second Lieutenant, was detailed to perform
this onerous task.
He was
introduced to the General on his arrival as such by our then Director of
Signals, Brig. Zaman Janjua (an uncle and God Father of Asif Nawaz Janjua later
General and the COAS Pak Army). I felt heavy over my shoulders for the task
assigned but at the same time was looking forward excitedly to the best part of
the job - to ride in the Chief’s car after the match, sitting in the rear all b
y myself, and directing the chauffeur to take it to the JCOs’ mess where the
General accompanied by the officers was to take a short cut on foot for
addressing a Durbar and later attending the Bara Khana there.
During the match
I was seated immediately behind the General in the second row on an upright
chair while the Brig. was sitting next to him on the sofa. After a while
General turned his head half back towards me and asked for the cigarette. (For
security reasons Cs-in-C did not smoke others’ cigarettes). I cranked my body
rearwards and signalled the Chief’s big moustachioed and turbaned chauffeur for
the cigarettes, raising my two fingers motioning for a smoke. He immediately
produced a States Express Triple Nine (999) tin and the General taking a
cigarette lighted it with his Ronson lighter. I felt pleased for having
performed my first task efficiently and reasonably well. During the interval a
mess waiter brought the tea for the General – a simple cup of tea and a few
biscuits. While the General was helping himself with a drop of milk and half a
spoon of sugar, I, without even getting up from the chair stretched myself a
little forward and pushed the coffee table by the side of the General closer to
him to place the teacup on it. The match came to the end and the General was
chatting affably with the players when Brig. Zaman started slowly closing in
upon me. With a menacing look in his eyes, clenched teeth and in a low voice so
that others around do not hear but certainly in a harsh tone, he chastised me
stern and straight there, “Since when have you started behaving like a butler
in public?”. “Beg your pardon, Sir?” I stammered. I did not have the foggiest
idea of what I had done. “Don’t push the table yourself. Ask someone around to do it. You are an
officer and behave like one” , Having scolded me well and proper he melted
away, leaving me aghast. Oh my God – that was some dressing down. I forgot all
about the prestigious ride in the Chief’s limo – in fact I did not have the
heart to ride in it anymore. I asked some one to explain the route to the
driver and trailed behind the others towards the JCOs’ Mess.
That evening we
had the Corps Reunion Dinner in the Signals Officers’ Central Mess, Rawalpindi.
General Ayub was the Chief Guest and in his usual best. Army’s entire top brass was there and so were
there many young and senior Signals’ Officers. Cold drinks were going rounds before
the dinner and every one seemed to be enjoying the evening. Only, I had not
recovered from the reprove of the evening and was mulling over it quietly in a
corner with other subalterns. Suddenly, I noticed Brig. Zaman, glass in hand,
weaving through the maze of the officers as if looking for someone and lo; sure
he smiled as he spotted me. Seeing him making for me I lunged forward and
wished him ‘Good Evening, Sir’. Putting his arm round me he pressed it lightly
and patting me on the back affectionately said, “Jaff, look after your guest (the
General). Do any thing you wish here. This is your home and
you are the host. Go and get him a drin k”. Brigadier was clearly compensating
for the reprove he had administered to a subaltern earlier that evening. Oh!
Blessed be the Lord, he didn’t have to do it. But, how thoughtful, how
fatherly, how magnificently compassionate of him ?! Second Lieutenant Jafri was
immediately his old jovial self and part of the crowd. Brigadier had salvaged
the spirits of a young officer.
Time marches on.
In comes January 1970. Preparations to stage the annual Horse & Cattle Show
at the Fortress Stadium Lahore are near completion. General Amir Abdullah Khan
Niazi is holding one of his daily adm conferences for the final fine tuning of
the event. Shah of Iran was to be the Chief Guest for the Opening Ceremony.
“Who will present the Shah with the scissors in the platter to cut the ribbon
?”, asks the General. All present look expectantly towards him for the honour.
“Who else deserves it more than the person who has worked so hard to make this
show a success ?” and then with a poignant pause, he announces, “ C O Signal
Battalion”. There is a thunderous applause from all. But lo and behold,
Lieutenant Colonel Riaz Jafri rises sombrely and says impassively, “Sir, I am
sorry, I cannot do it”. There is a hush. Everyone is wonder struck at such a
response. “But why, oh Shah Jee, why?”, asks General Niazi. (Niazi used to
address Col. Jafri as Shah Jee at times) “Because, Sir, I cannot be a butler in
public!” Replied Colonel Jafri calmly. Somewhere deep down in him Second
Lieutenant Jafri had spoken out.
And, up above in
the heavens Brig. Zaman nodded his approval with an understanding smile. May he
keep smiling ever there in the heavens – ameen.
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