1 .      Name . Col. Arun Gopal Datar –DOB-06 Oct 1946

2.       Name of spouse. Anjali – DOB- 28Nov

3.       Unit Commissioned into. 6 ASSAM

4.       Units served and areas of service with period / duration  And  COs

a.      6 ASSAM –Arunachal and Darjiling – 1 ½ yrs – CO – Lt Col DB Mal

b.      ARC – Shillong – 3 yrs – Comdts- Col RK Kurane, Col KS Brar

         c.      Wing Cdr, 10 Assam Rif  –         Nagaland- 3 yrs

         d.      SC,  74 Inf Bde – Hydrabad – 2 ½ yrs

         e.      Coy Cdr, 7 ASSAM – Tamilpur/ Kamptee – 3 yrs – COs -Brig P Shivpuri,  Brig KK Sood, VSM

f.      Coy Cdr, 9 ASSAM – Shillong / Dehradoon – 1 ½ – CO – Gen Mukherjee, PVSM, AVSM, VSM

         g.      Staff College – Wellington – 10 m

         h.      GSO
2, MI 10, Army HQ –  New Delhi –  1 yr 10 m

         j.      Coy Cdr, 9 ASSAm -Arunachal – 1yr 8m -COs- Col AM Lawate, Lt Col SB Rai

         k.      2 ic/ CO, 14 ASSAM – Abohar / Pithoragadh – 4 yrs – CO – Col   Gurdeep Singh

         l.       Col MS, 10 Corps – Bhatinda – 4 m

         m.     Dir MT 9, Army HQ – New Delhi – 1yr 10m

         n.      OC, SC Provost – Pune – 2 1/2yrs

         o.      Dy Cdr, 80 Inf Bde – Naushera, J & K,- 2yrs 3m

         p.      Col HR, Victor Force – J & K – 7 m

         q.      OC, 19 Inf Div – Baramula, J & K – 1 ½ yrs

         r.      Re – emp Pune / Ahmadnagar – 4yrs

5               I joined SS2 course, OTS Madras, in June 1966 and passed out on 23 Apr 1967.

6.       On Commission I was to join 6 Assam at NRS Missamari. No one in my family or friends knew where the hell Missamari is located. We bought India’s big wall map but still could not find Missamari. Ultimately when I went to change my rly warrant at RTO, they said it is near Gauhati. So after my short break and changing train at Kalyan, Allahabad, Barauni and Rangya at last reached Missamari in the evening of 7 May 1967. Sub Pathanga had come to receive me, who put me in Missamari transit Camp and told me to be ready by 5 o’clock next morning. I was wondering why so early but next day I realized that it was quite a day light at four in the morning. It was tentage accommodation and full of mosquitoes, there were more mosquitoes inside my mosquitoe-net than outside.

7.        Sub Pathanga had one ton vehicle and we did not wait for the cvy but took some shortcut to proceed to 6 Assam. This Sub Pathanga was quite a jolly fellow and later I came to know that he was popular for his Cabaret Dance in JCO mess. Bn was at that time located at Daranga, after completing some Trg Ex and having Bara khana in the evening. After Barakhana, therenwas a Coy Route march competition, to fall back to Gachham (permanent Bn loc).

We reached Daranga in the evening, just before Barakhana and I was placed under A coy. Maj BK Ghosh was my Coy Cdr. Col DB Mal was CO, Maj GS Khimta 2 i/c, Capt VK Ahluwalia Adjt, Maj Rajkumar, Maj N Thapa, Maj MS Kathait, Maj AB Sharma, Maj V Pant, all Coy Cdrs, Lt AM Lawate, Sr Subaltern, Lt Rattanjit 2/lt GD Raj, Coy Offrs , Capt Awtar Singh QM and Maj Rangnathan RMO, later on Lt Raji Ver and Lt Gray joined us at  Gacham / Darjeeling. A coy started for route march at  1 am.  I had tough time because for
the first time in my life I was climbing at that altitude. In Pune or Madras  I never had an opportunity to climb even 100 meters. Morning I crossed Bombdila and after that it was all downhill. It was my first route march but I enjoyed thoroughly with boys who kept me pushing, giving me Josh and sometime making my fun. Over all it was a great march.  My tenure with 6 Assam was hectic but full of fun. Offrs team was great.  Bn moved to Darjeeling and I got posted to ARC in Oct 1968.

8.             In ARC, initially Col RK Kurane was Comdt. Later Col  KS Brar took over. Dy Codt was Maj Mohite and Trg Maj was Maj BS Manral.  Capt GD Raj was adjt/MTO. Col Bala, Col Ramalingm, Col V Pant, Col Das, Col Roy, were Coy Cdrs , Capt Prakash Ghatraj was SSO.  During this period, if I remember correctly, Maj Manral and Eilona got married at Gauhati in Kamakhya temple. Myself and Capt GD Raj took active part in whole proceedings.  Later I think they got married in ARC church, but by then me and Capt GD Raj, both were posted out to 10 Assam Rif. In 10 Assam Rif Capt GD Raj got married to Alamla at Chanki village, Nagaland and I was his best man.

 9.                  After Assam Rif, in 1974, I was posted to 74 Inf Bde,  Hydrabad, as Staff Capt.  During this tenure I got married to Anjali. Next posting was to 7 Assam at Tamilpur, under Brig P Shivpuri.  Anjali joined me at this loc and was baptized in the Assam regt. She quickly adopted to our culture and fell in love with our traditions and customs. She was very much impressed by Mrs Shivpuri and decided to follow her ideology and principles in her future Army career. We were staying in one room Bashs with bamboo partition. Newly married Capt & Mrs LS Vhora, our RMO, were staying  next to our room. There was no privacy as such and for any private talk / noise Capt LS used to put on his transistor with full blast. 

We used to laugh and talk across the room. Great fun.  Our 3 months old daughter was with us and when
she used to cry Mrs Vohra would say my transistor has started. In Tamilpur we were busy but had a great time. Brig. Ramanan 2iC was always extra considerate to familywalas. One day there was a talk that the meat served in the Offrs Mess was of PT master. Ladies were very much upset. We knew Maj Lingdoh is fond of Shikar and private cooking. The matter was no more discussed but I think CO/2ic had a serious talk with Maj Lingdoh .

 10      Seven Assam moved to Kamptee  and in 1980 I was posted to  New Raising , 9 Assam at Shillong under Gen J Mukherjee. We had a bad luck  on 01 Aug, the first day  of the raising. Somebody broke in our house at Bandstand when all of us were in QG hoisting the Flag. Anjali  lost all her jewelery and ornaments. Actually Capt SI Huda, who was posted in ARC, had asked us to keep our valuables in his house till we are settled down but unfortunately it was not in our fate. During the raising I appeared for Staff College Exam and Gen J Mukherjee was very kind to give me 2 months free time and valuable pre exam guidance. Unit moved to 

Dehradoon and from there I moved to Wellington for Staff college in 1982. After Staff College I was posted to Army HQ as GSO 2, MI 10, INT Br. My next posting was back to 9 Assam under Col Ashok Lawate. In 1986,  I got posted to 14 ASSAM on promotion as a 2/ic . Later I took over the same Bn from Col Gurdeep Singh.  A very fine CO who had molded the Bn in a great shape with strong foundation. I had a good offrs team and I was also lucky to get good 2/iC‘s like Col SP Marwaha, Col HS Katoch, Col CS Nair and Col Moti Pradhan. Bn moved from Abhor to Pithoragadh in 1990 . I had one sad incidence at Pithoragadh, where my 8 year old son had a serious accident and  was badly burned. Luckily MH had a good doc, Maj Tiwari,  and by the Grace of God my son survived without any permanent disability.

 11          Col Moti Pradhan took over from me and I moved to 10 Corps as Col MS to Gen Pillai,PVSM,AVSM, but within short period Gen moved to Army HQ and I also moved as Dir MT

9. I was dealing with Study Leave and could help many our Regtl offrs. 

12          From Army HQ I moved to HQ SC as OC Prvost, then Dy Cdr 80 Bde, Naushera , then  Col HR ( Col Human Rights ), Victor Force and lastly again to Provost Unit of !9  Inf Div. Gen K Nagraj our ex COR was my GOC. I retd on 31 Oct 2000 . I had two tenures of re-emp, one at Pune and one at Ahmadnagar and I am grateful to Gen Mukherjee for these postings because at that time my father was suffering from
alzheimer and  my presence was badly required.

13     Home Front. We are in Pune. My son Kedar who is MSc and working in USA. Daughter Prachi is CA
and working in Hong Kong. I am having retired life. Anjali is working for Blind Students Org with local NGO. Children are well settled. Grand Children two boys and two girls.

14.   Health Front. I got vision problem (Both retina’s were detached), hearing problem (since my RCL course), heart problem (recently Pace maker has been implanted), poor memory ( not a new problem ). Otherwise all is fine no Diabetes, no BP, no knee problem, no tension   (No restrictions on food and drinks ). Managing to play Golf (Handicap gone up to 22 ). Limited driving up to Golf course and MH is allowed. Luckily Anjali’s health is OK. God is Great. TAGRA RAHO