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`You have adjusted to both lives'

PHOTO: T. SINGARAVELOU

Their life while he was in the Army was quite different from what it is today. Leaving home to a safer place in the middle of the night, packing things into numbered trunks and shifting home frequentlywere not unusual for Lieutenant General M. M. Lakhera (PVSM, AVSM, VSM) and his wife Pushpa Lakhera. Her heart skipped a beat every time her father got a telegram from the Army when her husband was on duty on the war front. Having led soldiers in the Goa Operation in 1961, in the war against Pakistan in 1965 and in the Jammu Kashmir sector in 1971, not a moment's peace was known to the couple during Lakhera's tenure in the Army from which he retired only to take up other assignments. He is at present the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry. After leading a life, which for the adventurous would seem exciting, Lakhera and his wife continue to be as busy as ever. They talk about the Army and civilian lifestyles. Deepa H. Ramakrishnan recorded the Take Two at the stately Raj Nivas in Pondicherry.

Pushpa: Where was that place? Remember, you were saved from the mines? Wasn't it somewhere in Pakistan? You were leading a group of soldiers in an area full of mines. I still get tensed when I recall the incident.

Lakhera: (Shakes his head) Yes, all that happens in a war. Even though it affected family life, every war was satisfying, professionally. I will never forget my tenure in Srinagar when the insurgency started. I was only a Brigadier then, but I had good ground level knowledge, and many in the Government would ask me what should be done. It was a very challenging job. In the end, one feels he has done his bit for the nation. Similarly, in my last appointment as Assistant General I was at the highest level of policy making. It was then that I understood how the country is run... the constraints on the Government and so on.

Pushpa: That experience must be helping you now.

Lakhera: Certainly. Politicians have their own commitments, they have a constituency to take care of. But we must keep in mind the overall good of the people. I have a good working relationship with them and am satisfied with my work here.

Pushpa: Job satisfaction is something that everyone aspires for. After all you need to be at peace while working.

Lakhera: As an Army officer's wife, you had your own share of responsibilities. You were like a mother to the soldiers I led. You socialised with my colleagues and their wives but at home were part of a traditional set up. Without you I wouldn't have achieved all this. I still remember you as a beautiful, slim girl with long hair. Of course, you are still charming.

Pushpa: Remember how we used to correspond through letters during our one-year courtship? At times, you sent even two letters in a day and your friend would carry them to the post office. I liked you the moment I saw your photo. Besides, my family was full of doctors and I didn't want another doctor.

Lakhera: I was lucky not to be rejected. I wanted a girl who would adjust to both lives. And you have done it beautifully and continue to do so. While I am busy with the affairs of the State, you take care of people who come to us for help.

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