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