As a young reporter working in IPA in its New Delhi office under Nikhil Chakravartty, I had the good fortune to watch the developments unfolding before me from March 26 to December 16, 1971 when finally, the Pakistan army under General Niyazi surrendered in Dacca, the then capital of eastern Pakistan. But the most interesting was my experience on December 3, 1971 as this evening, India officially went for war against Pakistan.

Our IPA office was then at Hanuman Road, near Connaught Place and every morning at 10 AM, Nikhilda used to come and hold the meeting of reporters. I was in office that day before 10 AM as the fighting was continuing for the last few days and rumour was there that the full scale war between India and Pakistan will start soon. Just after 10 AM, I got a phone call from Nikhilda that he would not be coming and he asked me that I should be ready for work today till late night.

It struck me immediately. Ours is a news analysis service and we close generally by 4 PM. Then why Nikhilda said so. I went to the PIB at noon as for quite some days, the briefing used to take place twice at 12 noon and 6 PM on a daily basis to apprise the media of the day to day developments on the border and the policies of the Indira Gandhi govt.PIB was full of foreign journalists at that time, many of them back from visiting the liberation areas in the eastern part. The top names of western journalism Peter Hazelhurst of The Times, Sydney Shemberg of New York Times were present. R C Dutt, the cigar smoking ICS secretary of the Information Broadcasting briefed the press but gave no indication that something big was in offing.

Mohan Ram, who was then working for The Mail of the then Madras used to send stories by afternoon as his paper was an afternoon daily. He was a good friend of mine. I used to give him tips sometimes. He came to me and told me Nitya give me some big lead, I am fed up by writing every day that the confrontation is intensifying. I took the risk and told him something big might happen tonight. You can start your story by writing Full scale war is imminent. We had a bet over one bottle of whiskey. If something big happens, Mohan will offer him and if nothing happens, I will offer him the bottle in the evening at his INES building office room where he was staying at night also.

At 6 PM, PIB press room was crowded with media people, both Indian and foreign. Suddenly there was full blackout and the siren started in an ominous manner. Then briefing did not start and there was impatience among the press people. After quite some time, R.C Dutt appeared and the correspondents started complaining that they were waiting for too long. Dutt, the scion of the legendary Dutt family of Hatkhola of Kolkata belonging to famous ICS historian Ramesh Chandra Dutt and the British Communist leader Rajani Palm Dutt started at the press persons like a Hollywood actor and then said " Gentlemen, I am late because we are now at war. Pakistan has attacked India on the western front and India has retaliated. We are officially at war.

He then said that the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was in Calcutta addressing a meeting, the emergency meeting of the union cabinet will be held after she was back and the briefing would be held at night after 9 PM. The reporters rushed. Mohan Ram came to me and said you have won the bet. All of us rushed to file the story. I had to send to my paper in Calcutta through press telegram. So I went to the Eastern Court and sent it. Then Both Mohan and I attended the late night briefing and went to Mohan’s office. We drank to our heart's content and I was happy that I won the bet though the war cost thousands of lives.

In the eight months following March 26, 1971, Indira Gandhi aided by her principal secretary framed the strategy foolproof and she was aided by a bunch of exceptionally brilliant bureaucrats like foreign secretary T N Kaul, defence secretary K B Lall and I & B secretary R C Dutt. I remember in one briefing attended by K B Lall and R.C Dutt jointly in the course of the ongoing war. a foreign correspondent tried to be provocative with his anti-India slant question, Dutt gave him such reply in his baritone voice that after that the foreign correspondents never asked him any further slanted questions.

Indira Gandhi's strategy was so well made and it was executed with such professional expertise that even many Muslim nations extended support to her. The first was the signing of the Indo-Soviet Treaty on August 9, 1971. By that time she was convinced that the US will solidly stand against India, even can take the risk of siding with Pakistan. Both Nixon and Kissinger disliked her, she knew. The she told the Soviet leadership candidly that India had no expansionist ambition. Not an inch of territory of Pakistan will be taken by India. India’s only wish is that the Bangladesh should be allowed to emerge as an independent nation.

This equivocal stand helped Indian PM to get full military backing during those days in December when the USA threatened India with its Seventh Fleet and India equally replied that it would take adequate retaliatory measures. Soviet fleet was alert and followed giving rethinking i among Nixon-Kissinger camp that another Cuba episode should be avoided.

1971 was that way the year of Indira Gandhi also. I tried to find out later whether it was all planned for Indian foray on December 3 in a planned manner or it was really the retaliation by India of Pakistani attack on December 3 evening. I asked Nikhilda many times, he avoided. I got hold of P. N Haksar once when he was the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. He started laughing and said let us discuss about planning commission. He avoided that.IN any case, whatever the truth, it was a superb feat of Indira Gandhi in 1971. (IPA Service)