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

Respect The Challenge

The Indian Armed Forces pulled off The 4^th Military World Games (MWG) under the auspices of the Counceil  International  De Sports Militaire (CISM) from 14 to 21 Oct 2007 at Hyderabad and Mumbai, with Professional and Clockwork precision. This was the first ever International Multi Sports event hosted by the Indian Military, comprising 13  Sports Disciplines and in which 102 Countries participated. The event earned encomiums from the participating International Military Fraternity, for its Military exactitude and one pointed purposeful conduct. The Organizing Committee for the Games hosted 4500 athletes, officials and delegates who provided meaning to the CISM motto of  ‘Friendship Through Sports’, during the MWG.

The challenge of Planning, Preparation, Organization and Conduct of the MWG was immense and analogous to the Over Hyped Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010, which has insidiously sabotaged our National Pride and Respect in the comity of Nations. Irreparable damage has been done to Indian self respect and dignity by the scurrilous deeds, unabashed arrogance and condescending attitude of the various constituents of the Organizing Committee CWG Delhi, 2010 under its vainglorious and lumpish Chairman, Suresh Kalmadi. The adage that, Good Leaders Lead and Bad Leaders Mislead is most appropriate to explain and nail the fiasco.

For the Organization of multi sports events, such as the MWG, CWG, Asian and Olympic Games,  it is an indispensable requirement to have the command and control structure unequivocally articulated and delineated. The hierarchy of the Organizing Committee is determined not by position, authority, rank or office but instead by competence, merit and established capability. The stewardship of the Indian Olympic Association alone  should not have been an over riding reason for assigning to Suresh Kalmadi the onerous responsibility of being the Chairman of the CWG , Delhi 2010. With the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs (MOYA&S) and the Government of Delhi being the foremost and major stakeholders in the Organization and Conduct of the CWG, the Chairman IOA did not qualify himself for the JOB. Kalmadi, an MP from Pune,  played to  the galleries of his political constituency under the façade of being a sports aficionado, and Organized the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 in Pune. Had he an iota of respect for the humongous challenge of CWG , Delhi 2010 the most plausible and logical course of action should have been to use this wonderful opportunity to Test the Preparedness of Delhi for the 03 to 14 Oct 2010, Sports Extravaganza.

Kalmadi’s boasts about getting the CWG to India and Delhi, and these being his ‘Baby’ reeks of  his being an eternal  windbag, who has very conveniently distanced himself from the overall responsibility of Organizing the Games, which includes Infrastructure, Security, Catering, Hospitality, Transportation et al and not just the Technical Conduct of the Games. Notwithstanding the empty bravado shown by him to at last accept partial responsibility for the National Shame, when he shared the dais with Mike Fennel in the last Press Conference, Kalmadi continues to arrogate authority within the National Sports Environment, to the dislike of the majority in the Demographic Dividend of India. And this because there is a disgusting pervasion of politics in Indian Sports and a perpetual atmosphere of sycophancy in the Management and Administration of our National Sports  Federations/Associations.

The cost escalations and over runs, which are absurd by any stretch of imagination are indefensible. The ad nauseam sound bytes of “These will be the best ever CWG” and “The infrastructure is better than Melbourne and Beijing”, thrown at us in the electronic media has caricatured and insulted our intelligence. To draw a parallel with the prime role of the Military, operational success is measured and defined by the bare minimum losses suffered in human lives while achieving tactical and strategic goals. Similarly, in the organization and conduct of mega events when costs have gone up by as much as 300% of the initial planned budget, the achievement is instead an apology for belying the trust reposed in the Organizing Committee.

The Armed Forces, which continue to remain the last bastion of National Pride, did what they did in MWG 2007, only because we abided by the aphorism of “To Overcome A Challenge, We Must Respect it First”. How, we wish our  politicians and bureaucrats, who continue to climb on the credulities of our countrymen, had in the instant case of the CWG, Delhi 2010 learnt from the experiences of the Armed Forces and avoided the huge embarrassment and shame which has visited the  Nation , in our endeavour to showcase the emerging economic power INDIA.

Brigadier(retd) Sarvesh Dutt Dangwal, VSM

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