BUGS ,WHICH HAVE BRED VIRUS

In a recent statement to the press, the Naval Chief  Nirmal Verma , when resting  the concerns of the public regarding the probable de motivating effect the spurt of scams, which have caught the attention of the people, will have on its own rank and file --- was specious by saying that, it was only some “Bugs” who sucked the organization. Like anywhere else, “Bugs”  exist in the  Armed Forces, also. You, have got it completely wrong this time, Admiral, because your analogy is least convincing and the metaphor grossly inappropriate. The problem in the instant matter is not the irritating sting of the customary bug, that can only cause pain and loss of blood at a very insignificant and innocuous  level, but instead the debilitating siphoning of a humongous volume of the vital fluid, which has the capacity to emasculate the Organization.

The series of scams and acts of reprehensible nature in the past decade, which have come to light, all involve senior and General rank officers of the Army. Sukhna Land Scam and The Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society Scandal, has a long list of one, two, three and four Star Generals (including three ex Chiefs) under the Armed Forces’ and the Central Bureau of Investigation’s scanner. These, can, by no stretch of imagination be explained off as aberrations and instances in isolation. These misdeeds are an endemic reality of the prevailing military environment and deserve to be lambasted with the entire force and facility, available to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). The Ostrich Syndrome will not resolve the problem of diminishing core military values, in its officership. This is synonymous to hedging the issue and ducking the responsibility to restore the elevating  culture of morals and ethics in the Armed Forces. The problem is extraordinary and therefore begs of the COSC to shun platitudes and take equally extraordinary measures to arrest, manage and eradicate the malaise. The matter is as serious as can be, and deserves a comprehensive approach to handle its repetitive occurrence. When the rot in the System is orchestrated and given finality to, by its Generals, we have a classic example of the ‘fence eating  the lawn’. Then it is not ‘Bugs’, Admiral, but instead borrowing from the more savvy IT terminology, a case of ‘Virus’ afflicting the System. This ‘Virus’ has the potential to crash the Military and its much heralded  Motivation.

Therefore, while Verma may be euphemistic in describing the current situation, he could improve upon his own understanding of the situation by being more direct in his response to the stigma which has tainted the ‘Uniform’. Yes, it could be a case of ‘Bugs, which have bred Virus’.

Brig (retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

7895131861

A DEFINING MOMENT FOR GENERAL VIJAY KUMAR SINGH,CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF,INDIAN ARMY

The stand taken by General V K Singh, when Eastern Army Commander and Designate Chief of Army Staff, to recommend disciplinary proceedings against the tainted  Military Secretary and Principal Staff Officer of ex Chief  Deepak Kapoor, Lt General Avdesh Prakash , was a momentous one. Vijay Kumar Singh’s reputation of being an honest and upright officer preceded him in South Block and he has since maintained this public perception. The Sukhna Land scam, which pre dated the current  Adarsh Society scandal was a precursor of things to come and oxymoronically raised the bar and level of corruption, which now engulfs the Army. Sukhna involved three star General Officers, whereas Adarsh, three ex Chiefs (one from the Indian Navy) and many more three and two star General Officers. While Sukhna and Adarsh were both premised on the pretext of an often misunderstood, misused and abused word, ‘Welfare’, the latter outdid the former as it is predicated on the emotive and sensitive matter of honoring and rewarding our very own Martyr’s. Nirmal Chand Vij and Deepak Kapoor, apart from all others have committed the most despicable and lowliest of acts, ever to have been done by a soldier, an officer and to top it all an Army Chief. These people have not only lied about their annual gross incomes, but also, presumably accorded their tacit and constructive support to engineer and manufacture the entire ploy and to profit from the same. No punishment can be enough for these shameless officers, who have literally and metaphorically built their houses on the graves of  Soldiers and Martyrs. They have fallen below the level of those criminals who commit thefts and are not ashamed to be called as such. This only because there is no pretense in the thought and deeds  of criminals, but is cleverly disguised and covered up in the “Officer and a Gentleman” masquerade of Vij and Kapoor, and their ilk.

The present Chief’s upfront and bold stand to bring to book the crooks and the guilty, notwithstanding their rank and office, is likely to become his ‘Defining Moment’. In my 37 years of commissioned service, I did not see or hear a single Chief, who went to the media and accepted the moral rot which has besieged the Army. Corruption, improbity and absence of rectitude in personal and public life of senior officers has derailed the lofty and above board perception, which the people of the country had for the Army. Perception is the reality and mirrors the truth, obtaining in the organization. To bring about a change in this understanding, demands of those who are within as also without, to relentlessly pursue and mobilize sustainable opinion which can engender a MOVEMENT TO CLEAN THE AUGEAN STABLES OF THE ARMY. It can be non other than the Chief himself, who will be required to give credence and requisite momentum to his spoken words. He must not be accused of being long on rhetoric and short on action.

It is for General Vijay Kumar Singh, Chief of Army Staff, to seize this opportunity,when the institution of the Chief has been badly mauled and disgraced, to display according leadership and come down heavily with a sledge hammer upon the alleged criminals.  Sir, Winston Churchill’s words are quoted with a telling and profound effect in this regard, “There comes in the life of each individual a special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents, What a tragedy if that  moment finds him unprepared for the work, which would be his finest hour”. General Singh, your defining moment is here and now. Do not let the demands of the onerous task of doing what is just and right, overwhelm your discretion and rob you of doing a historical deed of perpetual significance. Resurrect the spine of the Army’s officership, by meting out exemplary and humiliating punishment to all the scamsters, in not only the ongoing scams under investigation, but also others involving such officers in various shades, colors and degrees of corruption as violate the  code of conduct for an officer. The threat to the country’s peace and integrity may be from within and without, but the threat to the Army’s reputation is surely and only from the laundry list of the likes of Vij, Kapoor, Kaul, Avdesh, G I Singh, Sahni and their growing ilk, who subvert and debauch the SYSTEM.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

Tele no 07895131861

BUILD BRAND ARMY

I was invited to a seminar organized in 2009, under the auspices of HQ Southern Command, Pune on a subject of popular interest in these trying times, when shortage in the officer cadre of the Indian Army has put its spin doctors in an overdrive mode---but in vain. My course mates, Lt Gen V K Chaturvedi , Director General Manpower & Planning, Adjutant General’s Branch, Army HQ and Air Marshal Tejinder Randhawa, Commandant, National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla were the speakers and panelists, respectively. The subject for deliberation was “How Can We Build Brand Army”?.

The audience comprised very eminent and senior ranking personalities from the Armed Forces and Civil Services alike, including retired officers of distinction and merit. The focus and one point agenda of the seminar was to present, discuss, debate and agree upon a real time methodology to popularize the Forces in general and the Army in particular, as a career option for the youth of the country. This, essentially because of the persistent indifference of the ‘demographic dividend’ within India, towards a career in the Services and the Army, especially. A shortage of approximately 12000 officers in an Organization which has an authorized strength of 44,000 officers, is a matter of serious concern for the mandarins occupying offices in South Block.

Borrowing from the lexicon of Corporate Houses, which have sprouted in the aftermath of a liberalized economy ushered in during the Narasimha Rao Government in the decade of the 90s, “Brand Army” was coined in keeping with the prevalent mood of ‘India Shining’ and a double digit growth in the country. The Indian Army has years of history and traditions behind it, which give it the defining character of its name and fame. To be carried away by the attraction and popularity of material affluence and capitulate to its glossary is, to my mind, vacuous.

 The grasp of the audio visual medium to hard sell and publicize the espoused cause, by reiterating a life of honor, guts, glory and glamour has become passé and delivers no more. Reaching out to the school and college children through personal interactions, motivation and presentations about the Army, has not yielded the desired effect and deficiencies remain as hither to fore. Military and Sainik Schools, National Cadet Corps and the Ranks continue to remain the only regular feeders into the pre commission training establishments. Efforts to increase and improve the yield from the available catchment areas, for the purpose, has not been commensurate to the endeavor.

Notwithstanding all else, the spate of scams and scandals involving the Army’s senior leadership in the past and  recent decade has not served our cause. The one Unique Selling Property (USP) which the Services and the Army were proud of, amongst all the discriminatory and belittling innuendos heaped upon its status, precedence and service conditions by the colluding politicians and bureaucrats, was its perception of a clean, honest and upright service. It enjoyed an exclusive reputation amongst a generally corrupt and mediocre environment of governance. Now, that too has been badly eroded and compromised. It is the consistency in our exemplary deportment and conduct, which should have been leveraged to our best advantage and publicly pronounced for the desired affect. This to my mind , even though I detest using the corporate analogy, would have built the “Brand Army” and served the cause of  the Army.

Will all those who belong(ed) to this Army and serve(d) in its rank and file, stand up for a noble and proud cause by joining together and declaring in a single and selfless voice, which resonates in the corridors of Sena Bhawan and South Block, that the scamsters involved in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society must be brought to book and given exemplary punishment, to partially redeem the Army’s Pride and Reputation. This may herald the beginning of a new era of probity and rectitude in Service life and  establish the credibility of ‘Brand Army”.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

15 B Shubash Road

Dehra Dun-248001

Tele No 07895131861

MAKE A CHALLENGE INTO AN OPPORTUNITY

 While in service, I was always distrustful of senior officers who preached, sermonized and spoke patronizingly at us. The brass on their shoulders and the rank they wore was seldom an affirmation of their caliber as an officer, because hypocrisy and double speak defined their personality. Their, condescending arrogance was born of their official status and positional authority, which they wielded in the institutional hierarchy. Even at the cost of  being cynical in the matter, my presumption has withstood the litmus test of fidelity, which is sustained by the plethora of outrageous instances involving senior and general rank officers. Time caught up with many but not most, even as they were exposed “better late than never”.

Emerging India with a robust and incremental economy, fuelled the desire and greed of those who were engulfed and consumed in the emerging whirlpool of its material wealth and ostentation. Corruption got institutionalized and politics criminalized in a representative democracy, premised on the principle of ‘first past the post’ getting elected. Probity and rectitude in public life went missing, only to be replaced by venality, dishonesty and duplicity. The Armed Forces not being an island in the ocean of brazen improbity were similarly affected and impacted by the menace of debauchery, obtaining in the country’s environment. Market forces and the prevalent culture of means to an end being irrespective, washed off on our person and got a tacit acceptance in the social reality of the Military. But, Tehelka, a sting operation by the media on the corruption existing in the Army, was a startling expose on its magnitude which echoed in South Block and shook the faith of the majority within the organization, in its own leadership and hierarchy. The then Chief of Army Staff, General Padmanabhan (Paddy) was quick to take a fire fighting action against the involved officers, by prosecuting and punishing them in accordance with the Army Act.

However, the seduction and lure of lucre is so intense that, the shame and ignominy of being discovered and punished is made hostage to the machinations of the mind and the power of money. The loopholes in the System are cleverly manipulated and exploited for serving the ulterior motives of those in authority. Compliant and willing personnel are inveigled into the deal, with a trade off or else a quid pro quo and the act is unabashedly committed. Nowadays, as the availability of revenue grants and money for public and official use in the Army is not a matter of anxiety, and Corporate extravagance has replaced Military frugality, opportunities to indulge in small/big acts of corruption are rampant. The moral fabric of the Military/Army has been treacherously and severely tattered. Unfortunately, corruption now is only a matter of opportunity as against a core value of personal and collective integrity, which underlines character and is a counterpoint to the  depravity.

The demographic dividend of the Military is between 20 to 35 years, where the majority of its officers and men belong to. Between 75% to 85% of the officers, who are in the non empanelled category (Lt Cols and below and equivalent ranks in the navy and air force) must not take counsel of their fears and show courage of their convictions to confront any perceived or otherwise wrongdoing of their seniors. Questioning and standing up against a wrong cannot be interpreted as being a Rebel. From what has been repeatedly emerging, it is fair to assume that the financial improprieties and mischief is mostly hatched and given finality to, in the minds and offices of Senior and General rank officers. The guardian becomes the perpetrator. A seemingly complex and difficult situation to address, by any stretch of imagination.

Engendered by the bold and upright statement of the present Chief, to take on the wrong doers in their own turf, by standing up to wrong, will demand of this demographic dividend varied forms of sacrifices . But, unlike the ultimate sacrifice which a soldier may be called upon to make in the call of his duty, this is more difficult of the two. For, morally inspired and motivated acts of righteousness are deliberate and well thought out and its consequences lucid and professionally devastating. In an environment, which questions the prerogative of an officer/soldier to speak the truth and virtually ostracize him, is not conducive to elicit such acts of ‘showing spine’. Therefore, the System has of necessity, to be supportive and collaborative, to enthuse one to display moral courage. I, do not think that General Singh will have an answer to this, because the intrinsic design of the structure and hierarchy of the Army, will not validate this mindset.

The answer to this predicament of leadership and management, probably lies in the willingness of the demographic dividend to outnumber and overpower the venal and grotesque Dragon, to bring about the change that they wish to see. A clean,upright and courageous officership---where role models and heroes also abound in the higher echelons of the hierarchy.

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

07895131861     

'Unbecoming Conduct'

In the Military, we have usage of the term ‘unbecoming conduct’ for an officer only, which includes all such acts of commission as are improper - by the exacting standards of gentlemanly behavior. Stating a falsehood, speaking a lie, withholding and misrepresenting facts and twisting the truth are all considered to be acts of unbecoming conduct, an anathema for any officer, to be guilty of having committed. Punishment, as ordained in the provisions of the Army Act and its Regulations, is to be meted out to all such officers as have transgressed in the matter. From what has recently emerged  with regard to the involvement and alleged culpability of ex Chiefs, Vice Chief, Army Commander,  Lt generals, Maj generals and Brigadiers, in the scandalous expose on Adarsh Housing Society by the tool of RTI and the media, brackets all these officers in the category of having displayed ‘unbecoming conduct’, because they all lied about their annual incomes to become eligible for a membership in the Society. The irony of the matter in the entire case of involvement of all the above category of officers, to wrongly profit from what was and is morally incorrect, is presumably their having sat on judgement and taken punitive action on many a case of  ‘unbecoming conduct’ by an officer,  during their service career, in the course of their duty. Therefore, each and everyone of these officers fully understood the import of lying and withholding information about their annual gross salary, when applying for membership in the now mired Society. Vij and Deepak Kapoor who are trying to deflect the core issue of having displayed ‘unbecoming conduct’, by pleading their ignorance about the purpose for which the Housing Society was formed, are only compounding their bundle of lies. Non will buy your story and get convinced of the subterfuge, being used in the entire matter of  this shameful impropriety.

Should the Army be serious about its efforts to investigate the systemic failure which causes scams and other acts of abashing improbity, involving its institutional authorities, then it needs to examine the matter in a more comprehensive and single pointed manner. Corruption will continue to flourish and prosper, till such time the military institutions of  Commanding Officer, Commandant, Commanders and Equal Status use their office, authority and discretionary powers for personal benefit and use their subordinates to orchestrate and manufacture the heist. In a hierarchical organization, like the chain of command, which is top down, corruption too follows a similar pattern. The sparkle and dazzle of material wealth has so blinded those who have not learnt to withstand its capricious nature, that military values are jettisoned without compunction. The Army abounds in a burgeoning environment of situational ethics, which is nurtured by a lack of mental integrity. When the likelihood of being discovered and punished exists, we are righteous, upright and honest. But, when it is unlikely our greed takes the better of us and we lie, cheat, steal, misappropriate and plunder. A, pathological examination of the series of scams involving the Army’s Top Brass in the past decade, which have punctured its reputation and pride will clinically establish the veracity of this postulate.

Unlike the suggestion espoused by the Raksha Mantri, to not make drastic changes in the Army’s policies concerning the management and growth of its officer cadre, my take on the same is to the contrary. Cosmetic changes will not suffice and instead an overhaul/transplant may be more appropriate to combat the market forces which have engulfed the national environment and insidiously affected the Armed Forces. When the license permit raj had outlived its utility, liberalization of our economic policies brought about our economic resurgence. Similarly, when the System has been infected and become chronically sick, it requires a major surgery to revive it. Nothing short of or less will suffice. The creation of the Army Tribunals in the Regional Commands, to hear and adjudicate on representations brought to its notice and jurisdiction by aggrieved personnel, is a case in point.

General Vijay Kumar Singh, Chief of Army Staff needs to examine the subject issue with a tooth comb and in a holistic manner, should he want something positive and meaningful to emerge from his endeavors to clean up the System .

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

Mob No- 07895131861

The Road Ahead---An Open Letter To the COAS Designate (This letter was sent to the present Army Chief, when he was the Army Commander Eastern Army and Located in Kolkatta, West Bengal)

The well known contemporary writer on leadership, as also  motivational speaker Stephen Covey, dwells upon the freedom of choice, which everyone has in the huge space existing between a stimulus and its response. It is upon us to make this choice and thereafter be fully accountable to our action. The direction and purpose of this endeavor is driven by one’s orientation and how one is  hardwired. Therefore, it is fair and correct to assume that the aforementioned response is contingent upon our character and the values & life principles we have imbibed into our personality. Those of us who are more steeped and rooted in the correct military and social values, will continue to make a choice of the harder Right than the easier Wrong.

In the recent incident involving three Lt Generals, a Maj General and probably some other middle rung officers, in a scurrilous deed of inducement by tactile/abstruse  gains/advantage, has nailed the lie of all is well with the TOP BRASS of the Army. Much to my chagrin and disappointment, the skeletons which have stumbled from the coffers of One, Two and Three Star General Officers in the past decade, is a woeful commentary on the state of probity, rectitude and righteous conduct and living, which afflicts our Officership. The shared societal value of success alone being pedestalised, irrespective of the means to achieve it has insidiously affected the middle and senior leadership in the Army, also. I am seized of the fact that the Armed Forces are not an island and as such will continue to be influenced by the prevalent National Environment, on matters of morals & ethics in public life, which is least inspiring. But this is too simplistic a refrain to justify the progressive and consistent decline in the  perceivable standards of   righteousness, obtaining in the Army. The Armed Forces by virtue of their role, design, organization and training are inspired, led and motivated by an inviolable culture of character, competence, courage and selflessness. The Officers and Soldiers of the Forces are committed to an Oath of Allegiance, Creed and a Code of Conduct, which ennobles uprightness towards their duty and in their conduct.

In a hierarchical Organization, such as the Armed Forces, authority follows a Top Down Model and is delegated for ease of operational, management and administrative functioning. Enmeshed into this endowed authority, is the personal authority which flows from the leadership qualities of those entrusted with the privilege and responsibility to lead and command, within the confines of the structure . As such, seniority of rank and office assumes great significance in the positional authority matrix of the Forces, in the decision making and command & control process. While personal authority continues to be overarching and dovetailed, facilitating collective performance and goal realization. Role models emerge from the practice of personal than positional leadership.

 Restricting and focusing myself to the Army, there is an authorized strength of approximately 44,000 officers, of which about 75% are in the non empanelled (Lt Col and below) rank and 25% in the select (Col and above) rank. For this major and huge percentage of officers to evolve and transit into the category of select rank officers, career advancement and management is ensured through an elaborate training, learning and evaluation process. Hands on command  & control experience, assists and hones the necessary skills for wielding authority in a progressive trajectory of career growth. An assessment system for evaluating an officer on demonstrated variables and performance qualities, including his potential for growth and ability to handle the responsibility of the next rank, is built into the Army’s management edifice. The Annual Confidential Report (ACR) system is a time tested and sustainable tool of management practice and serves the needs of most Armies and Organizations, the world over. Therefore, in a competitive and  steeply pyramidical structure, such as what we have in the Army; all other things being equal, the ACR is a critical input for Selection/Rejection of an officer for empanelment and subsequent promotion, to the next higher rank. In the context of the downward slide of morals and ethics amongst officers, the ACR has emerged as the most probable killing ground, for causing maximum damage to its honorable culture. It is from the killing fields of the Selection Boards held in South Block that, mediocrity is also thrown up to occupy positions of higher rank and office. Among deserving and capable officers who are promoted, we also get a significant percentage of Select Rank Officers who are driven by lucre than character. Their purpose and aim is to continue upwards in their career, even when this is based on the credulity of the soldiers they command.

This above postulate is sustained by an increasingly visible pattern, which has unfolded itself over the past decade, specially. A significant and critical percentage of Senior Officers have either been indicted or else punished for a large Laundry List comprising wrongs, unbecoming conduct, corruption and manipulation of trust, in their professional conduct. Subordinate officers in the chain of command and local hierarchy have been manoeuvered and compromised by these same officers, by a subtle and often brazen arm twisting to evince compliance from them in these scurrilous and self serving deeds, by the underlying threat of botching up their ACR. While the subordinate officers cannot fend off blame, for want of showing courage of their convictions and not showing spine while succumbing to the despicable and devious suggestions/nudges of their unscrupulous superior officers. The rot which has gripped our Service Culture and is driven by the  market practice of achieving short term success at all costs, is largely responsible for the sorry state we find ourselves in, today. The root of the problem, in so far as lack of Military Motivation in the Army is considered, is caught up in a Catch 22 situation, wherein some of those vested with the Official Authority to promote and sustain official and personal rectitude and probity in their conduct and dealings, are also the perpetrators of the wrongs and misdeeds. To day, we have only local pockets  of righteousness prevailing, which are sustained more by individuals than the weight and force of the monolith, we call the Army. The situation should be quite otherwise, where the System provides and ensures a transparent, honorous and inspiring environment, which celebrates Military Motivation.

It may well be worth comprehending the extent of damage, which the erring and senior officers, who embroiled themselves and their subordinate officers in infamy and chagrin; have caused to the Army, its culture and image. Is it any wonder then that, the public perception of Senior Army Officers is in a trough. Given the Role of the Military, where soldiers may even be led to making a supreme and final sacrifice of their lives for the Country, demands of its Officership a zero tolerance to corruption, embezzlement and self serving practices. Therefore, it is not alright of the Raksha Mantri to say that the Armed Forces are much better off than many other organizations, in so far as proceeding against those found guilty of having indulged in acts of corruption. The comparison is a platitude to boot and quite odious. In the entire matter of the COAS’s position on dealing with his Principal Staff Officer embroiled in the “Sukhna Land Scam” and taking appropriate action against him, he has been found wanting in displaying Character and Courage expected of the exalted Institution of CHIEF. It remains a matter of conjecture, whether Lt Gen HCS Panag (retd), PVSM,AVSM was right in taking a stand against his move from the Northern Command on posting, only because his penchant for dealing against the many financial scams which had occurred previously, could become a cause for embarrassment for General Deepak Kapoor. I come back to my initial point about being correctly oriented and hardwired to make a choice of the harder Right than the easier Wrong. This is what is understood by having and showing character.

How can the majority of Officers be held hostage, by a small but critical percentage (about 5%) of Senior Officers, who have used the System to their advantage and brought ignominy upon themselves and the Organization? The answer to overcome this virus of ill gotten success, unlawful ambition and lack of morals, probably lies in the practice of CHARACTER DRIVEN LEADERSHIP, which is a matter of Choice exercised from within ones conscience than from the cleverness of one’s mind. I do hope that the COAS Designate will give the required importance and priority to the issue of declining morals and ethics in the conduct of Officers, and make it his KEY RESULT AREA for achievement and restoring the image of the Army to its pristine GLORY. To the large and functional majority of the 75% to 85% officers, it will be my advice and inspiration to “have faith in their abilities and the desire to live with the honor of their soul, which only recognizes the merit of a good action”. Show the “AUDACITY of HOPE” to give to yourselves a philosophy that “one man with courage makes the majority”.

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal, VSM

Pune-411036

Tele No-020-26804194/09765920745  

Stand Up Against Wrong

Dear Chief,                                                                                           Nov 2010

                  Your interview with Karan Thapar, in the prime time tv news channel programme ‘Devil’s Advocate’, was very inspiring and truthful. Corruption and its counterpart, sycophancy, have become the Army’s bane. Even with your most sincere and honest intentions to exorcise the twin virus of corruption and sycophancy, which plague the Army, my optimism in the matter is rather tenuous. Systems are as good or as bad as the people who make it. Therefore, the need of the day is to make the Army’s rank and file steeped in the culture of  Character, Competence and Courage. The Good have to win over the Successful, always and every time. This will demand of the top rungs of the Army’s hierarchy, to do some honest soul searching and introspect into their own career growth.

You and the Army have to invest in the young leaders (both, officers and pbor) for a clean break from the prevalent culture of ‘ends justifying the means’. Market forces have overtaken military values and opened the flood gates for mediocrity to flourish. System building can only come about when the bulk of the human resource in the one million plus Army is, transformed from a follower into a leader. A leader who is driven by character and leads more from personal than positional authority. It is then and only then, that your conviction of soldiers and subordinates standing up to the wrong of their seniors will get realized.

I, send you a copy of my Book for your reading, as I feel that its contents are in keeping with your thoughts and may provide the desired direction to the Young and Middle rung officers.

I had also written to you earlier, when you were the COAS designate and in Eastern Command. The theme of the letter was similar and dwelled upon the Road Ahead for you as the Chief. I hope you remember.

With very warm regards

Yours truly,

Sarvesh Dangwal

Brig (retd)

Dehra Dun-248001

Mobile No 07895131861

WHO ??? – ‘WILL BITE THE BULLET’ (post the cnn-ibn interview of General V K Singh, Army Chief, by Karan Thapar on 04 Nov 2010)

Never before in the history of the Indian Army, has the institution of the Chief of Army Staff been eroded and damaged to the extent it has, than in the recent allegations involving General (retd) Deepak Kapoor,  in a series of unbecoming and wanton acts of shameful deeds. Notwithstanding the alleged and established impropriety of a brazen bunch of General rank and senior officers, in a series of disgusting scams comprising meat, cereals, petroleum, liquor, stores, sexual harassment, fake encounters, military intelligence funds, real estate et al , the  Adarsh Co-operative Housing scam has nailed the Army’s lie that Chiefs and Vice Chiefs are men of honor and unimpeachable integrity who lead by personal example and epitomize professional rectitude. Nirmal Chand Vij, A S Sihota, Shantanu Choudhary and Deepak Kapoor have besmirched the exalted offices they tenanted in the recent past, by joining the band of  one, two and three star General officers who exposed their flanks by profiting from the ignominy of short changing Martyrs.

The present Chief, General V K Singh has come out in the print and electronic media and made an exceptional and unequivocal admission about the hurt it has caused him and the institution of the Chief, by the happenings of the recent past. The faith of the Army in its own exalted Institution has been shaken and imperiled by the likes of Vij and Deepak Kapoor. What is left of the respect and regards that a soldier has for this Office?  While General Singh continues to remain sanguine and assured, that the Army will come out of this shameful crisis; brought upon itself by its very own echelon of top ranking General Officers, including two ex Chiefs, my assumption is to the contrary. The reason why I feel as I do is, because the Chief even with his personal penchant for righteous living and integrity, does not have a magic wand with which he can wish and wave away corruption in the Army. Today, the Army does not have a culture which is sustained by the noble credo of  ‘Chetwodian’ thought and inspiration. The  edifice of culture is beliefs and environment, both of which remain completely marginalized and made defunct. Market forces have equally besieged the personnel of Army and the Armed Forces respectively, as these have done the politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and the laity. The Officer and the soldier is palpably consumed by the meaning and purport of success, which remains pedestalised by the shared social value assigned to it.  In the calculus of success, the means no more justify the ends.

The Military environment today lacks conviction and motivation, because the yawning gap betwixt preaching and  practice  has become huge and is exemplified in the conduct and behaviour of Successful Officers, who may not be  Good. The Armed Forces demand of its officers very high standards of leadership, which must evolve from positional to personal and be more character driven than authoritarian. Should General Singh want his men and officers to stand up against all that is wrong and despicable in the System, then the way forward is not by addressing the symptoms of the malaise but instead by overhauling the whole concept of morality and honor as it obtains today, and  injecting into it the core values of character driven leadership. Truth must never be punished and a whistle blower upheld than condemned. The challenges which face the present Chief, emerging from the existing crisis and its eventual fallout by coloring the people’s perception, must be made into an opportunity for starting the process of cleansing and purging the  monolith organization and giving to it an upright culture which celebrates and glorifies human  character, than all else. The Army’s leadership must of necessity be nurtured by the triple values of Character, Competence and Courage, for morality and ethics to become the cornerstone of its Leadership Doctrine. Failing which, there will be no one to ‘Bite The Bullet’ on the misdeeds and wrongs of senior officers, who will continue to wield their positional authority to milk and abuse the System, for personal and selfish gains.

Brigadier(retd) SD Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

Tele No-07895131861

  

CAPPING THE TENURES OF SPORTS FEDERATIONS OFFICE BEARERS, TO REJUVENATE COMPETITIVE/ELITE SPORTS IN INDIA

The Delhi High Court’s direction to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, to provide information regarding Government policy, orders and rules & regulations on the Management and Administration of the National  Sports Bodies; with a view to enable a  comprehensive grasp of the matter as raised and submitted through a PIL to the Honorable Court, resulted in the Sports Minister’s public fiat to Cap the tenures of the Office Bearers. This has lead to the on going turf war between the Minister and the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Mr Suresh Kalmadi, who in a brazen display of solidarity displayed and expressed by the various Heads of State Sports Association (SOA)/National Sports Federations (NSF), has frontally launched into an acerbic attack on  Mr MS Gill, accusing him of interfering in the affairs of these Sports Bodies and disregarding their autonomy, as enshrined in their respective Constitutions. The Secretary General of the IOA has even quoted from written correspondences received from the IOC and the OCA, that any attempt by the Government to over ride the autonomy of and interfere in the affairs of these Sports Bodies, will result in the exclusion of our participation in International Sports, including the Asian and Olympic Games.

The previous Sports Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s attempt to rein in the Sports Bodies by regulating their functioning and making these more accountable, was a non  starter as it was sabotaged by non other than the politicians who occupied positions of power in these Associations/Federations, eventually clipping the MOYA&S portfolio from him in the UPA 1 Government. The Principal Office Bearers of the Sports Bodies have inexorably stood up against any  attempt or even a suggestion by the Government, to follow best management practices in their functioning, for a better and improved Sporting Environment, which lends itself to enhanced International Performance and Achievement by the Country’s Sportspersons. The four prongs of Sporting Excellence viz  Sports Vision, Sports Culture, Sports Infrastructure  and Corporate Funding will ever remain the mutually inclusive responsibilities of the Government and the Sports Bodies. The bottom line for both is to throw up excellence and actualize the Sports Potential of its vast pools of untapped talent.

In sixty three years of our Sports History, our achievements have belied our potential, only because the four prongs which sustain and elicit Sporting Excellence were unaligned and disjointed . What little we did achieve, in either few team or individual sports in these years, has been more Despite the System than Because of it. The Ministry as also the Sports Bodies are responsible for this pathetic state of sporting glory, in which we find ourselves today. The two sports which have given us Gold and Silver medals in the Olympics, have their respective Federations in disarray , wherein the hockey players and shooters have come out openly and vociferously against the mismanagement of affairs in these Bodies. Is it anybody’s  case that the Office Bearers of these and similar other Federations must continue to tenant offices and bring these sports to their nadir. No. The pride of the people of India is  at stake, to which the elected government and its executives are fully and wholly accountable. We cannot get into a situation where the Sports Minister when asked about the failure of the Indian Hockey team to qualify for the Beijing Olympics 2008, gives a tongue in cheek response “I can only watch and suffer”

The oft repeated and stated bogey of the IOA, about our being banned/excluded from the International Sports Conglomerate and sports participation, has been used to great effect by the spin doctors who run these National Sports Bodies and which must be nailed by the Government and the Courts of the Country, for the pride and dignity of the PEOPLE and the glory of sports. The desire of those who wish to continue with their offices in the Sports Bodies is driven more by the greed for Power, Visibility, Perks and Privileges than all else. This is the TRUTH. While the Chief Editor of the News Channel, did embarrass the President of the NRAI during the prime time debate and visibly disturbed him, by asking about the clique which brings them to office again and again, it was disappointing that the matter was not pursued and debated to its logical conclusion. Where is the doubt that the elections to the office of the President of IOA/SOAs/NSFs are foregone conclusions, when Politicians and Public Servants are in the fray. It is Money and perceived Favors which swing the results. The entire process is contrived and a sham. Unfortunately it is not overseen by any Election Commissioner. The foreign tours, social status and jauntings which are on offer to the supporters, is a given. That is the clique, Mr Arnab Goswami, which you surprisingly missed out on .

Finally, let it be unequivocally understood that neither the IOC or else the International Sports Bodies are answerable to the people of India,  who have been short changed by their own National Bodies, in the prolonged mismanagement and  maladministration of sports in the country, resulting in the loss of NATIONAL pride, esteem and self belief. We have been done in by our own. So where is the question of these International Bodies Cracking the whip on us through their interpretations of the Olympics Spirit as enshrined in the Olympics Charter. The Government, formed of the elected representatives of the People of India, is fully accountable to them and the Country and must act in the best interests of the Nation State. No directive, ruling, order or advice of the IOA/OCA/International Sports Federations can supersede the interests of the PEOPLE and the Country. This is the Grandfather Clause, which is overarching and inviolable. The, long delayed fiat of the Sports Minister to cap the tenures of the Association/ Federation Heads, is the best thing to have happened for Indian Sports and Sportsmen after the euphoria of Chilly Rathore’s Silver and Abhinav Bindra’s Gold Medals in the Athens and Beijing Games, respectively. Mr MS Gill must not buckle to any pressure  from the Prime Minister now, even if premised on the compulsions of coalition politics.

Yours truly,

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun-248001

PS- The Delhi High Court has directed that the tenures of President of Sports Bodies will be restricted to a maximum of 12 years and  up to the age of  70 years. Mr V K Malhotra, President of the Archery Federation of India has raised a voice of dissent against this judgement and drawn a parallel with the absence of any age restriction in the elections of the President and Prime Minister  of the Union of India, to argue his case.

Passion for Courage- A Winner's Creed

The self published book by Brigadier (retd) Sarvesh Dutt Dangwal is a must read for the young and middle rung officers of the Indian Army, Armed Forces and budding Management Executives, who are standing on a professional crossroads, uncertain about the way to choose in their life’s journey. The Country, Armed Forces and the Army is transiting through a trying period in critical times, when the absence of character driven Leaders is abundant and role models are few and far between. The Army’s image has taken a palpable beating in the recent past, where senior officers who wield positional authority in the organizational hierarchy have been found involved in brazen and unbecoming deeds of questionable integrity, intent and corruption. The latest such scam, which is under investigation has revealed the depravity of intent in our General Officers, including those who were once the CHIEFS of the Proud and Valorous Army. These officers have stooped to profit from the solemn and noble cause of honoring our MARTYR’S, by engineering the creation of a WELFARE PROJECT, only to hoodwink  and cheat for lucre. Disgusting, by any standards of personal and public rectitude.

The Book, without preaching, establishes by the personal example of the AUTHOR while in service, that irrespective of the odds loaded against one; “One Man With Courage, Makes a Majority” and enthuses his personal followers who are more driven by principles and values than the virus of ill gotten success, wealth and rank.

The book may be ordered from Natraj Bookshop, Rajpur Road, Dehra Dun-248001, Uttarakhand. E Mail natrajbookshop@gmail.com

Mobile Number of Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal 07895131861 

It Is A Black Day For The Indian Army

The startling expose on the slowly but surely unfurling ADARSH CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY, COLABA has lifted the lid on the active and tacit involvement of Four, Three, Two and One star General rank officers in misleading, cheating and  profiting  by exploiting the credulity and sentiments of people, which is associated with the noble and solemn cause of  honoring our Martyrs. It is a BLACK DAY for the Indian Army, which has been shamed by the string of Area Commanders, commencing from Maj Gens Yadav( an Engineer Officer), T K Kaul (Kumaon Regiment), Tejinder Singh (now a Lt Gen, from the Brigade of Guards) and Hooda(also from the Brigade of Guards). Even while the Court of Inquiry which has been ordered by the Army, to investigate into the alleged scam and establish the involvement of all these officers is yet to finalize its findings and make recommendations to initiate disciplinary/administrative action against the defaulters, my sentence is out. THEY ARE ALL GUILTY. Only the extent of their guilt may vary according to the degree of their involvement and design, which the Inquiry will definitely establish.

Having served with all the above officers except one, I am convinced of their involvement in appropriating for themselves a residential apartment in the now contemptible HOUSING SOCIETY. T K Kaul has indeed outdone everyone else, by establishing himself and emerging as the master mind of the entire misdeed. The officer was posted in Mumbai as the Sub Area Commander and subsequently as the Area Commander, giving continuity to his noxious designs by ingratiating himself to the politicians and bureaucrats, with whose collaboration the improbity was planned and executed.

To add insult to injury, two ex Chief of Army Staff and one ex Naval Chief also chipped in to profit from the scam and used their status and connections to enroll as members of this now infamous Housing Society and purchase an apartment each, in the same. Gen Nirmal Chand Vij and Deepak Kapoor are remembered in the Army, more for their ability to climb up even when it exposed their backside, while without being partisan to Admiral Madhavendra and the reputation he commanded while in service, he may have genuinely got it wrong. Kapoor’s name and implication in the scam is more likely to stick out as a sore thumb because he was in office and must have used his office and authority to acquire the impugned property. I smell further trouble for Kapoor now, because his can of worms of financial impropriety which was reported in the findings of  the CAG when he was commanding  the Army’s Northern Command, but kept inert till now may as well burst open. Lt Gen H C S Panag (retd) who followed Kapoor there, had met the Raksha Mantri in connection with an apparent wrong being done to him by the former when he was removed from command,lest he spill the beans on the incumbent Chief ie Kapoor.

General V K Singh, the present Chief of Army Staff who stood his ground to prosecute and proceed against the clutch of General Officers, involved in the recent Sukhna Land Scam has committed himself to cleanse the Augean Stables and redeem the ARMY’S Reputation and Pride. Junior, middle and senior rung officers as also soldiers, are all patiently waiting and watching for the outcome of the Inquiry and the action which will be taken against the defaulters, including the two ex chiefs. It will demand great strength of character and moral courage from General Singh to go the whole distance in substantially prosecuting the guilty and sending a much awaited message to everyone, that “No Matter How High You Are, The Law Is Above You.”

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun -248001

God Will Not Let Me Fail

It remains my gut feeling that the alleged misuse of the swath of land in Colaba, Mumbai for construction of a multi storied building comprising residential apartments in Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society, is a scam. From the list of the occupants and high ranking beneficiaries reported by the media, some are prominent for their lack of integrity and want of spine. However, what they do have in ample measure is their uncanny ability to manipulate the SYSTEM, even when it is disgustingly done under the charade of a noble and lofty cause in the guise of  WELFARE, intended for the wives and families of  Kargil Martyrs. This is a scurrilous and disparaging deed of malafide intent, absolutely indefensible under the laudable tenets of moral and ethical conduct, as envisaged within the scope and meaning of OFFICERSHIP.

I, had an opportunity to serve under the immediate administrative jurisdiction of  one such Army Officer, the then General Officer Commanding (GOC)  Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa Area (MG&G Area), while I was Commanding the  Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT), Pune. My establishment was inspected by him and he wrote my annual confidential reports. While he rose to the rank of a Major General, and was decorated with the series of distinguished service awards viz Param, Ati and Vishisht Seva Medals, there was nothing out of the usual about him, which stood him out for such distinction to be so conferred by the President of the Union of India.. That is what I thought  about him then ,but not now. He, as the Army’s representative custodian of this piece of open land space, on which the Adarsh Housuing Society today stands, was able to manipulate and contrive in cohoots with the bureaucrats in the civil administration of Mumbai; enabling the passage of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to permit the construction of a 31 storey complex .This officer was endowed with a  conniving mind, an indispensable ingredient in the equation for success.

I was also privy to some of his morally inspired and spiritually motivated exhortations to a captive audience, wherein he gave words to his thoughts about rendering selfless service sans belly aching. In his words, his achievements were attributed to the Divine Grace showered upon him  from time to time, as his causes were always for collective  good.Therefore, I always knew that “ GOD WILL NOT LET ME FAIL”. Profound words, Maj General (retd) T N Kaul.

Post retirement, when the captive audience is no more there,the inquiry ordered into the very genesis of the slowly unfurling alleged scam, will be able to nail the guilty. Both,the Raksha Mantri and the Chief of Army Staff have taken serious cognizance of the purported fraud and in deference to their spoken reputation and penchant for probity and rectitude in public life, will nail the scamsters irrespective of their position, authority, rank and office. GOD WILL NOT LET THEM FAIL.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun  248001

Capping the Tenures of Sports Office Bearers, to Rejuvenate Competitive Sports in India

The Delhi High Court’s direction to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, to provide information regarding Government policy, orders and rules & regulations on the Management and Administration of the National  Sports Bodies; with a view to enable a  comprehensive grasp of the matter as raised and submitted through a PIL to the Honorable Court, resulted in the Sports Minister’s public fiat to Cap the tenures of the Office Bearers. This has lead to the on going turf war between the Minister and the President of the IOA, Mr Suresh Kalmadi, who in a brazen display of solidarity displayed and expressed by the various Heads of SOAs/NSFs, has frontally launched into an acerbic attack on  Mr MS Gill, accusing him of interfering in the affairs of these Sports Bodies and disregarding their autonomy, as enshrined in their respective Constitutions. The Secretary General of the IOA has even quoted from written correspondences received from the IOC and the OCA, that any attempt by the Government to over ride the autonomy of and interfere in the affairs of these Sports Bodies, will result in the exclusion of our participation in International Sports, including the Asian and Olympic Games.

The previous Sports Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s attempt to rein in the Sports Bodies by regulating their functioning and making these more accountable, was a non  starter as it was sabotaged by non other than the politicians who occupied positions of power in these Associations/Federations, eventually clipping the MOYA&S portfolio from him in the UPA 1 Government. The Principal Office Bearers of the Sports Bodies have inexorably stood up against any  attempt or even a suggestion by the Government, to follow best management practices in their functioning, for a better and improved Sporting Environment, which lends itself to enhanced International Performance and Achievement by the Country’s Sportspersons. The four prongs of Sporting Excellence viz  Sports Vision, Sports Culture, Sports Infrastructure  and Corporate Funding will ever remain the mutually inclusive responsibilities of the Government and the Sports Bodies. The bottom line for both is to throw up excellence and actualize the Sports Potential of its vast pools of untapped talent.

In sixty three years of our Sports History, our achievements have belied our potential, only because the four prongs which sustain and elicit Sporting Excellence were unaligned and disjointed . What little we did achieve, in either few team or individual sports in these years, has been more Despite the System than Because of it. The Ministry as also the Sports Bodies are responsible for this pathetic state of sporting glory, in which we find ourselves today. The two sports which have given us Gold and Silver medals in the Olympics, have their respective Federations in disarray , wherein the hockey players and shooters have come out openly and vociferously against the mismanagement of affairs in these Bodies. Is it anybody’s  case that the Office Bearers of these and similar other Federations must continue to tenant offices and bring these sports to their nadir. No. The pride of the people of India is  at stake, to which the elected government and its executives are fully and wholly accountable. We cannot get into a situation where the Sports Minister when asked about the failure of the Indian Hockey team to qualify for the Beijing Olympics 2008, gives a tongue in cheek response “I can only watch and suffer”

The oft repeated and stated bogey of the IOA, about our being banned/excluded from the International Sports Conglomerate and sports participation, has been used to great effect by the spin doctors who run these National Sports Bodies and which must be nailed by the Government and the Courts of the Country, for the pride and dignity of the PEOPLE and the glory of sports. The desire of those who wish to continue with their offices in the Sports Bodies is driven more by the greed for Power, Visibility, Perks and Privileges than all else. This is the TRUTH. While the Chief Editor of the News Channel, did embarrass the President of the NRAI during the prime time debate and visibly disturbed him, by asking about the clique which brings them to office again and again, it was disappointing that the matter was not pursued and debated to its logical conclusion. Where is the doubt that the elections to the office of the President of IOA/SOAs/NSFs are foregone conclusions, when Politicians and Public Servants are in the fray. It is Money and perceived Favors which swing the results. The entire process is contrived and a sham. Unfortunately it is not overseen by any Election Commissioner. The foreign tours, social status and jauntings which are on offer to the supporters, is a given. That is the clique, Mr Arnab Goswami, which you surprisingly missed out on .

Finally, let it be unequivocally understood that neither the IOC or else the International Sports Bodies are answerable to the people of India,  who have been short changed by their own National Bodies, in the prolonged mismanagement and  maladministration of sports in the country, resulting in the loss of NATIONAL pride, esteem and self belief. We have been done in by our own. So where is the question of these International Bodies Cracking the whip on us through their interpretations of the Olympics Spirit as enshrined in the Olympics Charter. The Government, formed of the elected representatives of the People of India, is fully accountable to them and the Country and must act in the best interests of the Nation State. No directive, ruling, order or advice of the IOA/OCA/International Sports Federations can supersede the interests of the PEOPLE and the Country. This is the Grandfather Clause, which is overarching and inviolable. The, long delayed fiat of the Sports Minister to cap the tenures of the Association/ Federation Heads, is the best thing to have happened for Indian Sports and Sportsmen after the euphoria of Chilly Rathore’s Silver and Abhinav Bindra’s Gold Medals in the Athens and Beijing Games, respectively. Mr MS Gill must not buckle to any pressure  from the Prime Minister now, even if premised on the compulsions of coalition politics.

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal

Dehra Dun 248001

One Tent One Team

It was in the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad during the Sports Administration and Management Capsule Course Program in 2006, organized under the auspices of The University of South Australia, that we students were taught about the complexities of Organization and  Conduct of  multi discipline Sports Events. Mr Jeremy Evans, a Britisher and a Management Post Graduate working with The South Australia Olympic  Organization, was our course Director. I attended the Program as a sponsored student from the Indian Army (Directorate General of Military Training). This, essentially, to invest me with the detailed knowledge about my responsibilities as a critical functionary in the Organizing Committee for the Military World Games, 2007.

One aspect which glaringly emerged from the  instructions we received and imbibed during the course, was the stitching together of the numerous functions and responsibilities designated within the scope of the several Committees and Sub Committees, constituted to prepare, organize, conduct and deliver the  Mega Sporting Event. It is only when the Command and Control Organization is structured, aligned and staffed in keeping with the tenets of business/corporate best practices and functions as‘One Tent One Team’ that the challenge is overcome with efficiency, financial propriety and collective pride. That this did not happen in the case of the Organizing Committee ,X1X Commonwealth Games, Delhi  as has become apparent from the plethora of damning reports, both in the print and electronic media, is the essence of the Corruption and Scam in the Rs 70,000 Crore extravaganza.

The aftermath of  the XIX Commonwealth Games, Delhi is a series of investigations and enquiries by the Enforcement Directorate, Central Vigilance Commission, Income Tax Department and Central Bureau of Investigation. The main Opposition Party in the Parliament is demanding a probe and inquiry by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for such is the scale and audacity of the corruption. Public money has been siphoned, wasted, misused and swindled by some of those who were entrusted with the authority to utilize  it with due care,honesty and a sense of enduring accountability. From the bits and pieces of incriminating documentary evidence as has been shown by television news channels Times Now, Headlines Today, NDTV, CNN-IBN et al the trail of financial corruption is slowly but surely leading to the offices of the Organizing Committee and its Partners in the National Capital Region of Delhi.

The two most visible pictures in the build up to the Commonwealth Games were  those of  Suresh Kalmadi and Shera, though both  different as chalk is to cheese. The first arrogant, condescending and humbug while the latter friendly, self effacing and eminent. A contrast by any stretch of imagination but ironically giving the same message of National Pride and Grandeur. While the energy and spirit of Shera found expression in the performance of our athletes and the conduct of the Games, it was the Organizing Committee’s deeds of commission and omission, insulting justifications and presumption which eroded, damaged and derailed National Pride, as never before. An opportunity to build upon our achievements was wasted and lost, for want of integrity and character in those who enjoy public trust and are vested with authority.

All this could have been avoided, had the Government been prudent in listening to the saner voices within its own establishment and given due diligence in arriving upon the best practices approach for the organization and preparation of  this Mega Event. We bungled right from the beginning and a disaster was just waiting to happen. That it did not happen is a 21^st century miracle. The Sports Minister’s facetious comment in the Parliament about the event being an Indian Wedding , when the subject was being debated is a disturbing testimony of the seriousness with which we went about the entire exercise. While the International Media went ga ga about the Opening Ceremony, it is a choreographic wonder that about 7000 participants went into the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on the eve of 04 Oct 2010, with just a SINGLE REHEARSAL. Suresh Kalmadi may indeed turn the best practices concept of management on its head and could be on the consultancy list for the 2012 London Olympics. Is Sir Sebastian Coe, the CEO for the coming Olympics, willing to shortchange time by seeking the expertise of Mr MS Gill and Suresh Kalmadi and subscribe to the poor substitute of management by ‘Jugaad’, an Indian equivalent for improvisation?  We hope,  Michael Fennel, Chairman Commonwealth Games Federation and Jacques Rogge, Chairman International Olympic Committee who went overboard with their praises for Kalmadi’s organizational skills in pulling off the XIX Commonwealth Games , will recommend him to Coe for manufacturing crisis, absurd cost escalations, cost over runs, corruption , mismanagement and ‘Jugaad’.

Brigadier (retd) Sarvesh Dutt Dangwal

15 B Shubash Road

Dehra Dun, 248001

Uttarakhand

The Road Ahead: An Open Letter to the COAS

The well known contemporary writer on leadership, as also  motivational speaker Stephen Covey, dwells upon the freedom of choice, which everyone has in the huge space existing between a stimulus and its response. It is upon us to make this choice and thereafter be fully accountable to our action. The direction and purpose of this endeavor is driven by one’s orientation and how one is  hardwired. Therefore, it is fair and correct to assume that the afore mentioned response is contingent upon our character and the values & life principles we have imbibed into our personality. Those of us who are more steeped and rooted in the correct military and social values, will continue to make a choice of the harder Right than the easier Wrong.

In the recent incident involving three Lt Generals, a Maj General and probably some other middle rung officers, in a scurrilous deed of inducement by tactile/abstruse  gains/advantage, has nailed the lie of all is well with the TOP BRASS of the Army. Much to my chagrin and disappointment, the skeletons which have stumbled from the coffers of One, Two and Three Star General Officers in the past decade, is a woeful commentary on the state of probity, rectitude and righteous conduct and living, which afflicts our Officership. The shared societal value of success alone being pedestalised, irrespective of the means to achieve it has insidiously affected the middle and senior leadership in the Army, also. I am seized of the fact that the Armed Forces are not an island and as such will continue to be influenced by the prevalent National Environment, on matters of morals & ethics in public life, which is least inspiring. But this is too simplistic a refrain to justify the progressive and consistent decline in the  perceivable standards of   righteousness, obtaining in the Army. The Armed Forces by virtue of their role, design, organization and training are  inspired, lead and motivated by an inviolable culture of character, competence, courage and selflessness. The Officers and Soldiers of the Forces are committed to an Oath of Allegiance, Creed and a Code of Conduct, which ennobles uprightness towards their duty and in their conduct.

In a hierarchical Organization, such as the Armed Forces, authority follows a Top Down Model and is delegated for ease of operational, management and administrative functioning. Enmeshed into this endowed authority, is the personal authority which flows from the leadership qualities of those entrusted with the privilege and responsibility to lead and command, within the confines of the structure . As such, seniority of rank and office assumes great significance in the positional authority matrix of the Forces, in the decision making and command & control process. While personal authority continues to be overarching and dovetailed, facilitating collective performance and goal realization. Role models emerge from the practice of personal than positional leadership.

Restricting and focusing myself to the Army; there is an authorized strength of approximately 44,000 officers, of which about 75% are in the non empanelled (Lt Col and below) rank and 25% in the select (Col and above) rank. For this major and huge percentage of officers to evolve and transit into the category of select rank officers, career advancement and management is ensured through an elaborate training, learning and evaluation process. Hands on command  & control experience, assists and hones the necessary skills for wielding authority in a progressive trajectory of career growth. An assessment system for evaluating an officer on demonstrated variables and performance qualities, including his potential for growth and ability to handle the responsibility of the next rank, is built into the Army’s management edifice. The Annual Confidential Report (ACR) system is a time tested and sustainable tool of management practice and serves the needs of most Armies and Organizations, the world over. Therefore, in a competitive and  steeply pyramidical structure, such as what we have in the Army; all other things being equal, the ACR is a critical input for Selection/Rejection of an officer for empanelment and subsequent promotion, to the next higher rank. In the context of the downward slide of morals and ethics amongst officers, the ACR has emerged as the most probable killing ground, for causing maximum damage to its honorable culture. It is from the killing fields of the Selection Boards held in South Block that, mediocrity is also thrown up to occupy positions of higher rank and office. Among deserving and capable officers who are promoted, we also get a significant percentage of Select Rank Officers who are driven by lucre than character. Their purpose and aim is to continue upwards in their career, even when this is based on the credulity of the soldiers they command.

This above postulate is sustained by an increasingly visible pattern, which has unfolded itself over the past decade, specially. A significant and critical percentage of Senior Officers have either been indicted or else punished for a large Laundry List comprising wrongs, unbecoming conduct, corruption and manipulation of trust, in their professional conduct. Subordinate officers in the chain of command and local hierarchy have been maneuvered and compromised by these same officers, by a subtle and often brazen arm twisting to evince compliance from them in these scurrilous and self serving deeds, by the underlying threat of botching up their ACR. While the subordinate officers cannot fend off blame, for want of showing courage of their convictions and not showing spine while succumbing to the despicable and devious suggestions/nudges of their unscrupulous superior officers. The rot which has gripped our Service Culture and is driven by the  market practice of achieving short term success at all costs, is largely responsible for the sorry state we find ourselves in, today. The root of the problem, in so far as lack of Military Motivation in the Army is considered, is caught up in a Catch 22 situation, wherein some of those vested with the Official Authority to promote and sustain official and personal rectitude and probity in their conduct and dealings, are also the perpetrators of the wrongs and misdeeds. To day, we have only local pockets  of righteousness prevailing, which are sustained more by individuals than the weight and force of the monolith, we call the Army. The situation should be quite otherwise, where the System provides and ensures a transparent, honorous and inspiring environment, which celebrates Military Motivation.

It may well be worth comprehending the extent of damage, which the erring and senior officers, who embroiled themselves and their subordinate officers in infamy and chagrin; have caused to the Army, its culture and image. Is it any wonder then that, the public perception of Senior Army Officers is in a trough. Given the Role of the Military, where soldiers may even be lead to making a supreme and final sacrifice of their lives for the Country, demands of its Officership a zero tolerance to corruption, embezzlement and self serving practices. Therefore, it is not alright of the Raksha Mantri to say that the Armed Forces are much better off than many other organizations, in so far as proceeding against those found guilty of having indulged in acts of corruption. The comparison is a platitude to boot and quite odious. In the entire matter of the COAS’s position on dealing with his Principal Staff Officer embroiled in the “Sukhna Land Scam” and taking appropriate action against him, he has been found wanting in displaying Character and Courage expected of the exalted Institution of CHIEF. It remains a matter of conjecture, whether Lt Gen HCS Panag (retd), PVSM,AVSM was right in taking a stand against his move from the Northern Command on posting, only because his penchant for dealing against the many financial scams which had occurred previously, could become a cause for embarrassment for General Deepak Kapoor. I come back to my initial point about being correctly oriented and hardwired to make a choice of the harder Right than the easier Wrong. This is what is understood by having and showing character.

How can the majority of Officers be held hostage, by a small but critical percentage (about 5%) of Senior Officers, who have used the System to their advantage and brought ignominy upon themselves and the Organization? The answer to overcome this virus of ill gotten success, unlawful ambition and lack of morals, probably lies in the practice of CHARACTER DRIVEN LEADERSHIP, which is a matter of Choice exercised from within ones conscience than from the cleverness of one’s mind. I do hope that the COAS Designate will give the required importance and priority to the issue of declining morals and ethics in the conduct of Officers, and make it his KEY RESULT AREA for achievement and restoring the image of the Army to its pristine GLORY. To the large and functional majority of the 75% to 85% officers, it will be my advice and inspiration to “have faith in their abilities and the desire to live with the honor of their soul, which only recognizes the merit of a good action”. Show the “AUDACITY of HOPE” to give to yourselves a philosophy that “one man with courage makes the majority”.

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal, VSM

Pune-411036

Tele No-020-26804194/09765920745  

We must stem the rot

The “Dishonor Roll” of officers, involved in acts of corruption, dishonesty, inducement and lasciviousness in the past decades; and written about as well as debated and discussed in both the print and electronic media respectively is indeed a matter of great concern for the Army and it must not be argued against and defended unjustifiably. That there is a prevalent culture which has embedded itself in the minds of the majority officer cadre, which pedestalises success at the cost of all else, including principles and values, is a given. The danger is the insidious manner in which this culture has seized and gripped the Soldier Combatant also and may assume alarming proportions in the imminent futre. It is in the interest of the Army to accept the situation and not go into a denial mode about such happenings, which are engendered by arresting the symptoms and not addressing the actual malaise.

In most acts of wrongdoing, decadence, veniality and inducement it is the intent underlying the action which qualifies the deed. The recent happenings of perceivable disrepute have mired the Army’s image and standing, and is attributable to the inducement to which each of these officers has succumbed to. Having been a part of the System for a sufficient period of time to know the nuances of the Game played in the confines of the Court of Inquiry (COI) and the manner in which its Findings and Recommendations can be Doctored, to contrive justice, is not an argument I am willing to buy in the instant case, to fix the blame on the guilty. Therefore, I am absolutely convinced in my mind that each of the alleged officers are guilty by design or default, and must be proceeded against without much ado.

On 01 December, 2009, the Electronic Media News Channels were abuzz during prime viewing time with the story about the 72 acres Sukna Land Scam and the involvement of three/four top General Officers in the matter. While one understood that there was no direct sale of Military Land and misappropriation of money accruing from the same by those brought under the scope of the Court of Inquiry, what did stand out unequivocally was an Error of Intent n the part of each and every one. For the Military Secretary (MS) it was an inducement by Mr. Aggarwal to settle him into a prestigious and remunerative post retirement job. For General Officer Commanding (GOC) 33 Corps it was to play ball at the behest of the MS and induce him into manipulating a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the educational institution. For General Officer Commanding (GOC) 11 Corps, who was then an immediate sub-ordinate of the GOC 33 Corps it was going along with the desire of his superior Officer, for a price, not in the material sense. Each of these officers had his own Agenda and felt secure in his choice to do what could be quibbled as Correct, in the circumstances. That there was the weight and authority of the S in the apparently genuine and just cause of working out a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be inked between the Army and the Institution was an infallible assurance of probity and correctness in the entire matter. Even though I am not privy to the Findings of the impugned Court of Inquiry my conclusions are based on my understanding and an innate sense of justice.

In a previous case, wherein a General Officer Commanding a Division had misused his sense of propriety and authority to induce subordinate Brigade Commanders to indulge in unscrupulous acts of commission, what stands out significantly is the degree to which Senior Officers of the Army have stooped to and brought to disrepute the Service, which has nurtured them on the Chetwodeian ideology of selflessness.

The source of these moral misdemeanors can be rightly attributed to a perceivable lack of character driven leadership in the Army. It is only when we give in to the market driven practice of succeeding at all costs irrespective of the means to it, that Functional Leadership takes a back seat. The hackneyed “Do as I say and Not as I do” and “ No Lord is a Hero to his Valet” are in practice and circulation amongst the officers and soldiers, respectively. And this is what is worrisome, because it reeks of hypocrisy and double standards – despicable qualities as such and more so for the Men in Uniform. We need to emphasise and insist upon making Character Driven Leadership a Habit which transcends and subordinates situational ethics.

The time has come for most of us to make a choice and not duck the challenge posed by the truth in Practice and Functional Leadership. It is only then that we will be able to stem the rot which may completely overwhelm and engulf us in the years to come.      

Brigadier  (retd.) S.D.Dangwal VSM

D1/6 Solace Park

BT Kawade Road

Pune 411036 

Hobson's Choice - Suresh Kalmadi

India today, has been pushed and shoved into a state of obsessive apprehension regarding the successful and incident free conduct of the Delhi Commonwealth Games from 03 to 14 Oct 2010. Notwithstanding the criticality of time and preparedness of the sporting venues, which generate a palpable degree of genuine circumspection regarding our ability to deliver, the centre of gravity of these Multi Sports Games will shift to the Games Technical Conduct Committee, nearer time. Suresh Kalmadi, is aware of this and has prepared in detail for the past five or so years, to operationalize the 13 venues in which the 17 sports disciplines will be held and played. International experts and professionals suitably assisted by subordinate office bearers comprising the National Olympic Committee’s (IOA) coterie of sports aficionados, have been employed for the past two/three years to prepare for the actual conduct of the Games. It is a given that the Games will be remembered for their conduct than all else, and should the Indian contingent better their medals tally of 50 in the previous edition, the monkey of corruption, mismanagement and poor leadership will be off Kalmadi’s back. Suresh knows this only too well, and has kept this  ace up his sleeves to get the proverbial pat on his back from the Prime Minister. Madam Sonia Gandhi would have pre empted the opposition’s demand of punitive action against the guilty, in the name of phony patriotism. Michael Fennel and Mike Hooper of the Commonwealth Games Federation will parrot the same sentiment only to get the cross off their backs and heave a sigh of relief. India will have crossed the bridge but at an astronomical financial cost, which could have been better utilized for much else by a country struggling with poverty, drought, floods et al.

The Government’s decision to depute bureaucrats to oversee the completion of work in the unfinished stadias, is a fire fight action to keep the media and the opposition on hold. The interim period leading to the Games will continue to be manipulated and punctuated by the patriotic exhortations of the Congress Party. This is quite similar to the incongruous “either you are with us or else against us” utterance. Issues as have been raised in the run up to the Games and echoed by most conscious and sensitive institutions/people, have all been deflected and ducked under lies and various subterfuges by the Organising Committee and blatantly supported by the Government Of India. It requires great character on the part of the Country’s Leadership to act in a morally courageous and up front manner, to strip of authority all those who are perceived to be the beneficiaries of the numerous scams related to the CWG. It is visibly apparent that the crisis in the build up to the  Games has been manufactured by the Organising Committee, only to hold the Government to ransom and dilute the meaning and purpose of patriotism. Suresh Kalmadi  is well informed about the Government’s compulsions and is fingering his dyed beard with a sense of utmost glee. In the absence of an ethically oriented system of governance, Suresh is therefore the Government’s ‘Hobson’s Choice’ as the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games.

Brigadier(retd) Sarvesh Dutt Dangwal, VSM

Ex Secretary and Chairman Army Sports Control Board and Games Technical Conduct Committee, MWG 2007