The evening could not have got off to a more inauspicious start. Five minutes later, it got worse. I spilled a glass of wine over my shirt. Brig. Misra ran over. “What’s this, what’s this,” he asked, full of concern. “You have ruined your shirt! Come, let me give you a T-shirt for the night.” And he led me into Maratha House, calling for his Man Friday to bring out his box of T-shirts. A box appeared, believe you me, crammed to the top with about 80 brand new T-shirts! The Brigadier was magnanimous. “Take what you like,” he said, amused at my surprise. Then, seeing my hesitation, he picked a sky blue Van Heusen for me. “I love T-shirts,” he told me happily. “So do I,” I honestly replied. Brig. Misra looked at me with a more kindly eye. And, perhaps since I was already inside, he decided to take me on a tour of Maratha House. “Come,” he said, leading me by the elbow and marching off in a sou-west direction.
It is a four bedroom home, each comes with its own dressing room and a bathroom large enough to hold an informal dance for 25 couples, plus a spacious living room and vast dining and cooking areas. Then there is a laundry room and a pooja room. Plus Brig. Misra’s gym and golf room. Yes, he has a dedicated golf room in which he stores gear, his T-shirts and many hats and caps. I was to discover that dressing and playing golf are the Brigadier’s two main passions. But he was soon leading me into his bedroom to listen to a kind of music that was totally unlike the sounds being created outside by the army band. His son, Gaurav, is something of a music composer. And his daughter Juhi sings. The Brigadier had a CD of something his son had done. Bollywood music moguls wanted to buy it off the boy, he said. But Gaurav was firm. He would sell the music score only if Yash Johar would use it in his next film and the song was pictursied on Shah Rukh Khan. Now Brig. Misra switched on the CD and we sat back to listen. Seven-and-half minutes later, when he remarked, “Kya song hai!”, I had to agree. Gaurav Misra’s music was certainly meant for Shah Rukh Khan. I asked the Brigadier, “How come after four generations of the Misra family serving the army, your son is doing something else?”Gaurav is 24 and working in a BPO. It turned out he was a good sportsman but developed back problems after an accident. It would not be correct for him to join the Indian Army in this condition, Brig. Misra said. “It was a big letdown for him an me,” he added somberly.

Outside, Juhi was entertaining his guests by taking over the band’s mike. And Messrs. Shinde, Kadam & Co. had laid out the dinner on a long buffet table. The food was vegetarian, because Brig. Misra is a vegetarian. He is also a teetotaler, but thankfully, there were no restrictions on his bar. And everything from whisky to wine was flowing generously that night. The dinner was outstanding. A mixture of Maratha and Kannadiga cuisines: Jhunka Bhakri and Kaju Korma, Varan Dal and Rasam, Amrakhand and Huggi. And all through the dinner, Brig. Misra talked. This is his third posting in Belgaum. He’s been posted four times in Punjab, twice in Kashmir, he’s been to almost all the North-Eastern states, to Sikkim, Sri Lanka, he’s been the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Force Commander of the National Security Guard and its elite Black Cat Commando force. But now, in Belgaum, his job is to ensure that recruits are trained at the centre, he also looks after the welfare of ex-servicemen and their widows. Training a sepoy who might be inducted directly into J&K and not knowing when war will start, is a challenge for him. His force is a mix of mainly Maharashtrians, Kannadigas and other Indians. As station commander, he also has a lot of other responsibilities.

But I was more interested in Brig. Misra’s lifestyle. He wakes up at 5.45 every morning to work out. The body is used to the routine. He just can’t sleep after 5.30 a.m. The Army has taught him discipline and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “The biggest thing the Army gives its men is a FD when they retire -- health. At 54, I can run 20 km, my counterparts can’t walk 20 km,” he said. He works from 8.30 to 1.30, gets home for a light lunch, then goes to play golf from 2.30 to 6. This is his daily fix. He’s been playing golf for four years and has won a number of tournaments and has a room full of trophies to show. His handicap is 10. “Why golf,” I asked. “Because there was nothing else to play,” Brig. Misra replied. “I am the last man who should have played golf. And I have now realised that I am late at least by 30 years!” But still, he has done well for himself. He has two sets of golf clubs with 14 irons each, and another one is coming from the US, plus over 60 hats anc caps and a box full of T-shirts that comprises his golf attire. “Earlier, football used to be my favourite sport, I still see every league match, that’s why I have a TV in every room. You switch on any set, it will be tuned into the sports channel,” he told me. I believed him. Brigadier Ranjeet Misra is that kind of man. Now he was escorting me back to the car that would drop us off at the Army Officers’ Mess and asking if I wanted my wine-stained shirt laundered and sent back the next day!