Gen Manoj Pande, Chief Of Army Staff, and others singing in a video shared by Lt Gen HS Panag (retd).
A retired officer today shared a rarely seen side of the army, with the chief at the centre of it.
General Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff, can be seen singing karaoke with fellow officers and the families in a video shared by Lt General HS Panag (retired) on Twitter. "Chiefs have fun too!" is the caption by Lt Gen Panag, a former chief of the Northern and Central Commands.
In the video, singing talent appears secondary to enthusiasm — much like any other family party — as the officers are led by General Pande in following the lyrics to "Phoolon ke rang se" from Dev Anand's 'Prem Pujari' (1970), originally sung by Kishore Kumar and composed by SD Burman.
The one-minute-thirty-second clip has the officers, dressed in civvies, trying sincerely to not jump the gun on almost each line. At several points, General Pande is seen stopping his colleagues from ignoring interludes to launch straight into the next lyric. Others at the party are seen clapping along, some of them dancing.
Many of those who commented on the tweet by Lt Gen Panag said they enjoyed seeing this side of the army too. "Cherish every moment when life itself is so dynamic and unbounded," commented one.
Another said, "Defence forces are talented in all the domains."
Some also asked Lt Gen Panag — a prominent commentator on strategic affairs, also known to many as actor Gul Panag's father — about the timing of his tweet. He had not immediately responded to them.