Lt.Bisht from Uttarakhand, and the liberation of Goa.

[madhav kapdi]

 

 

                    In the liberation of Goa, Seven Indian soldiers laid down their life, and out of that, I happened to meet a Naval officer, who was leading an advance party, assigned to board on the Portuguese Naval Ship [PNS] Alburquerque.

 

                    In the late 1961, Indian Naval flotilla headed by INS Mysore [I am not sure, but it may be INS Delhi also.] has encircled the Panjim harbour, and the PNS Albuquerque who took a shelter in the harbour, expressed its desire to surrender by showing the white flag. 

 

                    Commanding officer leading the Naval force, ordered young Lt.Bisht to land on the PNS Albuquerque as an advance party. Lt.Bisht took charge of a small Diesel powered boat and headed towards the Albuquerque.

 

                    As his boat neared, the Alburquerque lowered the flexible ladder, and then the advance party, started climbing the ship. Portuguese sailors fired on the party from the point blank range, and then all the soldiers fell on the small boat Lt.Bisht was standing. 

 

                    He immediately took out his revolver, but lost the balance due to the heap of his colleagues falling on him, and was thrown into the water. He was certain that the enemy would spot and fire at him, so he went right below the ship, and went to the other side.

 

                    The events taking place were being observed from the INS Mysore, and they immediately attacked Albuquerque. I do not know as to what they did, but i very much recall having seen a image of Alburquerque, with a Hotel Mandovi in the background, and a funnel [exhaust chimney] of the ship was punctured, right at the center of the funnel, by a shell from INS Mysore.

 

                    I am not a soldier but a civilian, but I don't understand how a vertical steel structure can be punctured with a shell fired from a couple of kilometers away in a perfect Geometrical circle. 

 

                    In 1993, I took over a sick unit for rehabilitation at Nashik, and a Bombay based security agency was called for submitting the proposal for the security package. They sent a retired Naval officer for the assessment, and his name was Lt.Bisht from Uttarakhand.

 

                    After his assessment was over, we sat down for the casual banter. When i told him that i hail from Goa, his eyes were lit with the spark, and then what he told me, is being shared with you.

 

                    This world is very small. You will never know, whom you will meet and where.

 

                    Madhav Kapdi.

                     [9860081951]

 

 

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