Just nine places in Pakistan and PoK witnessed Indian Armed Forces performing military strikes late Tuesday night over two weeks following the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam. Gopieshwar, with a cricketing background, recalled the India-Pakistan war of 1965, while tensions escalated between the two countries. One of the all-time greats of cricket, Gavaskar remembered how people were told to remain indoors and cover their windows at night.
“I remember a lot about 1965,” said Gavaskar to Sports Tak. “I was about 15 or 16. During the war, we were asked to cover our windows in the evening after the lighting of lamps. We used black cloth to stop the light from showing. Those people with houses facing the sea were told to be more conscious about their lights, mostly using torches and lamps.”
“Siren sounds prevailing very often, would not tell if it was just a drill or for real. I remember the black cloth on our windows and vents. We had restrictions going out too much from outside. Within our local areas, they had made some shelters within the basement which people started moving into when they heard the timbre of the siren.”
Gavaskar added, “There were no fears among Indians during the 1965 war. We mostly got news from All India Radio because televisions were not yet common. The economy was not doing well, with prices rising. So, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked India to eat only one meal a day. My dad said we should cut down on food. We either had chapati or rice, never both in one meal; it was never forced upon anyone; it was just by choice.”
