3 months ago
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Brigadier Henry Bhaskar is not a household sanction successful India, not adjacent successful his location authorities of Tamil Nadu. Yet his grounds of work successful the 1965 and 1971 wars talk volumes of his valour, grit and enactment that seldom seeks the spotlight.
Few would beryllium alert that an Indian Army serviceman went connected to go the archetypal president of the strategically captious Chittagong Port Trust successful recently liberated Bangladesh. That favoritism belongs to Brigadier Bhaskar, who held the station arsenic a Major successful the Mahar Regiment, playing a important relation successful stabilising a cardinal maritime gateway successful the aftermath of the 1971 war.
He traces his roots to Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli and Thanjavur districts. “I travel from a humble Tamil family. My begetter was a postal clerk. I studied successful Chennai’s Thiagarajar College and adjacent worked arsenic a zoology demonstrator earlier an NCC serviceman told me, ‘You are wasting your clip here. Join the Army.’ That changed my life,” helium recalls.
The proposal proved decisive. He cleared the introspection for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, joined successful 1962 and was commissioned 2 years aboriginal pursuing rigorous training.
In an exclusive conversation, Brigadier Bhaskar speaks astir his experiences successful the 1965 and 1971 wars, his modulation into civilian beingness arsenic a banker and administrator, and his aboriginal roles successful Hyderabad, including his stint arsenic CEO of the colonial-era Secunderabad Club and head of the Nizam’s Trust.
A worker baptised by fire
Living a content, peaceful retired beingness successful his Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) location successful Secunderabad, Brigadier Bhaskar has vivid memories of some wars. Just months aft being commissioned, helium recovered himself successful the heavy of enactment astatine the Khemkaran assemblage during the 1965 war. During an aggravated close‑quarter conflict successful transportation darkness, helium confronted the towering Major Razvi of Pakistan’s 9 Baluch Regiment.
“In close‑quarter battle, there’s nary metallic medal — lone golden oregon death. I fired a afloat carbine burst astatine point‑blank scope and neutralised a Pakistani Major. It was a uncommon honour to look an force decorated for bravery,” helium says.
A daring escape
Brigadier Bhaskar says his finest hr came during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. He recounts a chilling infinitesimal erstwhile helium got separated from his troops, unarmed and exhausted, portion being chased by Pakistani soldiers. “Bullets flew from some sides — Pakistanis down me, Indians up of me. I took a accidental and ran toward our ain fire. Not a azygous circular touched me. If your sanction isn’t written connected a bullet, it won’t deed you,” helium says.
He aboriginal led Indian troops, East Bengal Rifles and Mukti Bahini fighters successful a captious manoeuvre to halt Pakistani soldiers from fleeing by sea. “Our task was simple: scope Chittagong earlier the Pakistanis could escape. My institution was the archetypal to scope the port.”
After securing the harbour, riots erupted betwixt Bengali groups and pro‑Pakistan Bihari Muslims. “I restored bid utilizing minimum force,” helium says.
Impressed by his leadership, section authorities urged him to instrumentality complaint of the port. With India’s approval, helium became president of Chittagong Port Trust for astir six weeks, a uncommon honour recorded successful Bangladesh’s Roll of Honour.
Career spanning continents, sectors
His counter‑terrorism expertise took him to delicate assignments successful Jammu & Kashmir and the northbound east. “I trained successful Israel and Germany. Counter‑terror operations are similar aesculapian super‑specialisations — you larn precision,” helium says. He besides recalls lasting “eyeball‑to‑eyeball with a Chinese soldier” successful Arunachal Pradesh — a infinitesimal that, helium says, “tests each nervus successful your body”.
Though connected way to go a Major General, household circumstances led him to discontinue early. He near the Army arsenic Deputy GOC, Dakshin Bharat Area, Chennai.
Post-retirement, helium served arsenic wide manager of Syndicate Bank, CEO of Secunderabad Club, and aboriginal caput of Nizam’s Trust, wherever helium helped revive 28 royal trusts. His information firm, Expert Group, grew into an ₹80‑crore planetary endeavor earlier helium stepped speech aft 12 years.
Final mission
A nonmigratory of AWHO since 1988, Brigadier Bhaskar lives with his woman Christine, an educationist and erstwhile Army schoolhouse principal. Their son, Vinod, is simply a Colonel settled successful Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
Now, the decorated worker has taken up a caller ngo — securing a dignified resting spot for Christian defence unit by reclaiming the abandoned Commonwealth War Grave No. 5 successful Trimulgherry.
After a beingness defined by courage, subject and service, Brigadier Bhaskar continues to combat — this time, for remembrance, dignity and honour.
