Why? Rameshwar Why?

THE SYSTEM NEEDS AN OVERHAUL

It does not serve my purpose to make a comparison of the venality in civilians vis a vis officers of the Armed Forces. While the construct of both these separate and native class of people is from the same indigenous environment, their selection, nurturing, training, work ethos, demands of profession and its inherent hazards etc are as distinct and different, as chalk from cheese. “The officer corps is the heart and soul of any military organization and it must be the reservoir of character and integrity, fountainhead of professional competence and the dynamo of leadership”. With this, then, being the fundamental requirement to qualify to become an officer and a de jure leader of men, media expose` on unbecoming acts by officers which stink of a lack of probity and rectitude in their personal and official life respectively is heart rending, to say the least. And, one more such story to spill out in the public domain through the pages of Times of India, New Delhi 28 September 2011 is about the Director General of the Assam Rifles (DGAR), misusing private funds for his wife’s personal expenditure. The story mentions about Lt General Rameshwar Roy spending about Rs 23,000/- from regimental funds for his wife’s clothing, hair dressing ,gifts etc.

Rameshwar and I officially interacted with each other while serving in Army Headquarters, New Delhi in 2002. He was then the Military Assistant (MA) to the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Training & Coordination) and I was Director Military Training, Section 8. That he grew and rose in the organization within seven years from a Colonel to a Lt General and later as DGAR, is to his credit and demonstrated professional ability. The question which poses itself to me time and again is, how do such senior officers beat the system and get exposed only after having reached their exalted offices. The laundry list of all those who were found guilty of having committed unbecoming acts is replete with the names of those having the honorific of Brigadier, Maj General and Lt General. Of course General (retd) Nirmal Chand Vij and Deepak Kapoor were both an exception, who even brought the institution of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to disrepute by their involvement in and being unsanctioned beneficiaries of the infamous Adarsh Housing Society scam. One can only imagine the hurt and pain which Kipper, Timmy, Sam Bahadur and others would have felt in sharing the Roll of Honor of COAS with these two  Generals, who await the outcome of the departmental inquiry and CBI investigation into the matter.

Notwithstanding the claims of the Military Secretary’s (MS) branch that, our assessment and promotion system is the best which can be thought of, the ground swell of the prevalent culture of sycophancy, spinelessness in the officer corps who negotiate values for success and manage postings, confidential reports and promotions leaves much to be desired. Despite the best intentions of General V K Singh to restore the primordial soldierly values of character driven leadership amongst its officers, the task is quite akin to cutting the Gordian Knot. Extremely difficult to achieve. Because, over the years character has been traded for success, without a thought to the means used for it. The erosion of family, social and professional values in the inclusive National environment, which only pedestalises success, the raw stock of young men and women who make the Army’s officer corps are similarly impacted in their thoughts and deeds. Specialized training and personality development during the formative years, evens out some of these character angularities and builds upon what has been imbibed in the family and schools. Should the stock be wanting in principled upbringing during puberty and adolescence, the likelihood of much being achieved from training alone in character building is rather remote. The train may be moving on the right rails but is going in the wrong direction. So, there is a need to accept our failing in this regard and take unusual steps to correct an unusual situation, wherein our existing SYSTEM is unworthy of sifting the grain from the chaff and precluding the possibility of more and more senior officers abashing the organization.

There is no gainsaying that, leadership in the army is more positional than personal. Therefore, the harm and damage which an unbecoming officer can do to his command is directly proportional to the position he occupies in the military hierarchy. The more senior in rank he is, more is the suffering to those who come within the ambit of his official authority. Moreover, he makes a very poor role model of character driven leadership but yet enjoys a privileged status. The message which reaches out to those aspiring for success in this steep promotional pyramid within the army, is to suck up to such an officer and earn his goodwill. Over time, the entire band of officers is infected and who in their own turn similarly pass on the contagion to others. The likes of Avdesh,  Rameshwar, Deepak, Nirmal, Kaul and others will continue to spring up from time to time and embarrass the army, unless an overhaul is done of the SYSTEM to restore the primacy of character, competence and courage as its keystone.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal,VSM

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National Sports Bodies Must Be Regulated

TREAT THE MALAISE AND NOT THE SYMPTOMS

Hockey our National Game and an Olympics Sport, has mostly remained in the public eye during the last decade for the wrong reasons than the right. The Indian Hockey team’s recent victory in the first ever Asian Championship Cup, is a welcome change from the despondency and many years of frustration, which accosted its fortunes in major international competitions. After having lost the opportunity to host the Champions Trophy in India, this win comes as a shot in the arm for Indian Hockey and augurs well for its chances to qualify for participation in the London Olympic Games 2012.

It is characteristic of the way and manner in which, Sports is treated and Sports persons engaged with by the aficionados who administer and manage it in India that, we were confronted by the ignominious news of the players being handed out a pittance as monetary incentive for this victory. The obvious ensued, and the entire hockey team in a show of solidarity, preserved their self esteem and dignity by refusing the reward. The snub was down played and the situation retrieved, when the Sports Minister declared that in pursuance with the Nation’s Sports Incentive Scheme, the team is entitled to a more respectable award of Rs 1.25 lacs per player. The ever active and visible electronic media literally went into an overdrive to churn out hours of coverage on this controversy and yet again put cricket and cricketers into a headlong comparison with the financial plight of hockey and hockey players. Like before, on many an earlier occasion, the debate and programme which ensued on television thereafter, unnecessarily dragged into public domain the monetary benefits accruing to cricketers as against that, of those who represent and play for the Country in our National Game---Hockey. This exercise is not only meaningless but also divisive. Because, in these times of television advertisement for product endorsement and the corporate money which fuels it, both the sport and our current international standing do not lend itself to generate any substantial earnings from the same. Notwithstanding the fact that, the corporate must show some social responsibility by backing Hockey our National sport and help it to achieve centre stage in the world standing, their business sense and commercial pragmatism does not suggest so. And no best practice business model will do otherwise.

 Ironically, the decline and ascent of Hockey and Cricket in the world stage respectively, was contemporaneous. The emergence of the synthetic playing surface in Hockey, greatly benefited the robust and physical style of playing of the Europeans and Australians and which was in contrast to the Asian ‘skill predominant’ pattern of play. Poor vision and management by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI), which continues to remain, and our intransigence to train for fitness and speed endurance in particular, which underlines power play in Hockey, became our failures, resulting in our decline from a position of world supremacy. On the contrary, India’s win in the Prudential Cricket World Cup 1983, cemented the self belief of Indian Cricketers that they had arrived on the World Stage and are there to stay. Some professional and well thought of astute financial strategy and a futuristic vision of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI), significantly contributed to the professional development and promotion of the game. And the rest, as they say is history. Playing cricket and participating in cricket related activities became a win win situation for all. The financial possibilities which exponentially emerged from selling TV rights, advertisements, publicity, sponsorship rights, merchandising et al, helped make Cricket and Cricketers popular and iconic, respectively. Hockey had been derailed from its privileged position by Cricket. It therefore should not be anybody’s case to grudge what amount of money a Cricketer makes, lest he is wanting in his commitment to the game.

With the Atlanta Olympic Games, Television turned Sports on its head and most major international events amassed huge profits for its Organizers. The volume of people and  popularity for a Sport in India, make it a huge money spinner with accompanying business overtones. While Cricket profited from the environment and put the money it made to good use, Hockey which was on the decline became worse off owing to Government apathy and wanton mismanagement of its parent body, the IHF. The existing federation ie Hockey India (HI) has been dried up of money to such an extent that, it could only afford Rs 25000/- to each player as reward. Mr Maken came to HI’s rescue and assuaged the hurt feelings of a team and players, who are putting their best foot forward to redeem their place and pride. But, unfortunately this is only a temporary measure, which is unlikely to make any significant contribution in the fortunes of the game in India. The answer probably lies somewhere else and for sure must be discovered by the Sports Ministry, its field adjunct the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the parent body of the sport HI. In this, we should not be unduly optimistic about regaining our past glory, but endeavor and strive to promote, develop,  popularize and sell Hockey. Sporting excellence, a complex mix of genetic endowment and the environment, which includes training needs to be nurtured at an all inclusive level, with a no holds barred attitude replete with passion and love for Sports to the exclusion of all else.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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Bikram or Parnaik?

THE ARMY’S BATTLE OF SUCCESSION

Contingent upon the closure of the ongoing controversy regarding the date of birth of the present Army Chief, and its consequent affect upon the chain of succession within the Army, remains a matter of speculation, at present. The two most likely contenders for the privileged rank of General and the next Chief of the Indian Army, continue to be Lt Gens Bikram Singh and K T Parnaik respectively, subject to whether V K Singh was born on 10 May 1950 or 1951. Depending upon which of these dates is finally accepted to be the official one, as prevalent in our social and legal system, will determine the successor to General V K Singh. Notwithstanding, that there can be many a slip between the cup and the lip, whenever the office of the present Chief is finally demitted by its current incumbent,. However, this is a matter of conjecture only and hopefully, must remain as such and not otherwise.

With the stated position of the government, to be guided by the principle of seniority only, in the matter of promoting and appointing a Service Chief ; Bikram and Parnaik have both made themselves deservingly eligible for the singular honor. There is no professional/personal blemish or else reason for either of them to be overlooked to become the next Chief by the Cabinet Committee for Appointments, as and when they are respectively considered. They are not in competition against each other, because the principle of seniority provides for nomination rather than selection. Unfortunately, the Government’s decision on the matter of General V K Singh’s date of birth being in conflict with the officer’s justifiable perception and interest, has conspiratorially sprung up rumors which are both divisive and detrimental to the Army and Nation’s interests. The Government’s decision on the uncalled for controversy, is now being colored with a political and communal motive. The secular and professional fabric of the Army is being strained by the gossip amongst its officers, who see a design in this entire quibble by the Government to not take a final and decisive position in the matter and instead play politics. With the matter having come out in public, there are growing undertones amongst members of civil society, which specifically includes retired service personnel who are able to mobilize and flesh out an opinion, not necessarily objective and correct but judge mental for sure. Thus, we have a situation wherein Bikram and Parnaik are both being compared and their spoken reputations put to subjective scrutiny, for no fault of theirs. This is not a good situation to have, when the Army is trying to come out of its corruption and scams tainted phase and building up on its once battered reputation, for its own good.

Having subjected the professional standing and spoken reputation of both these officers through a tooth comb scrutiny and forming an opinion about one being better than the  other, it is likely to bring in motivated lobbying to influence decision making by the Government. Not only this, the Government too has its own expediency to attend to and  guided by, which detracts consistency and fair play.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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Lead From the Front

WILL THE CHIEF DISCIPLINE HIMSELF

It was when the present Chief of Army Staff was the General Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Army that, the squabbling about his date of birth was brought into the public domain by the media. This controversy was fuelled with an ulterior motive in the Army Head Quarters (AHQ) by the Military Secretary’s (MS) Branch, then headed by the infamous Lt Gen Avdhesh Prakash, who awaits a court martial for his complicity in the now popularly known ‘Sukhna Scam’. The then Army Chief,  General (retd) Deepak Kapoor was also party to fan the flames of this issue, because of his differences with  General VK Singh on the stand taken by him to proceed against his MS and thus show defiance to the institution of the Chief. General VK Singh stood his ground on what  was premised on principles and legally correct. The round went to him. And, he brought with him into the arched corridors of South Block and his present Office,which he occupied after Deepak Kapoor demitted it, a whiff  of soldierly probity and rectitude.

Soon thereafter, when the ghost of the shameful ‘Adarsh Housing Society Scam’ haunted the high and mighty including three ex chiefs and many other one, two and three star general officers, General VK Singh took centre stage and displayed tremendous moral courage to initiate an inquiry against the alleged officers, which included his immediate predecessor, Deepak Kapoor also. The Army had got its soldier Chief in General V K Singh, who dared to show spine and the courage of his convictions. A popular sentiment, which engulfed the hearts and minds of the military fraternity was indeed that, of  General VK Singh ‘Being the Right Choice’ in the prevailing circumstances of venality in public life and a pervasive military environment. He had come to clean the ‘augean stables’ of the Army and resurrect its pride and prestige in the public perception.

While it is to the credit of the present Chief that, no eye ball catching financial scams have since come out in the public domain, but it will be premature to predict whether this has ushered in a culture of implicit morality in the Army, driven more by character than the fear of being discovered and resultant punitive action. So far so good. However, in the recent past, both the electronic and print media have with  regularity reported on the spat the Chief and the AHQ are embroiled in with the Raksha Mantri and the Ministry of Defence, respectively. With the facts of the contentious matter as written about in newspapers/magazines known to all, the subject has been referred to the appropriate competent authorities and an opinion/ruling obtained there of and accordingly communicated to the aggrieved parties. Given the status and dignity of the institution of the Chief of Army Staff, it seems rather puerile and oafish on the part of both, the individual and the organization to fight and contest the decision/ruling. Without getting into the technicalities of the case, the presence of two dates of birth, one with the records as maintained and held by the Adjutant General’s Branch and the other by the Military Secretary’s Branch, is an anomaly which should have been resolved and settled by the officer himself, long before in his service career. It is my case that, what was the officer doing ever since he was commissioned into the Indian Army and was duty bound to report any discrepancy which had come to his notice. Ignorance in the matter is not an extenuating circumstance to mitigate the officer’s culpability. At this point in time and stage of his distinguished career, it does not behove of the Chief of the Indian Army to exhibit such truculent behavior and get into a stand off with the Ministry of Defence. Conceding to the officer his service privilege and statutory rights of representing against any perceived grievance, his case has been examined in keeping with the facts on the matter and adjudicated upon. Military prudence and discipline must not be repudiated and ignored by General V K Singh, by directing his staff  to fight his case under the technical guise of the AG branch being the legitimate custodian, on matters of personal details of officers. General VK Singh should not get carried away by the opinion of Justice Verma, former Chief Justice of India, on the matter. Who, strongly feels that the corrupt lobby of officers which was smitten by VK Singh’s earlier principled stand against their interests, is behind the move to force him to demit office earlier. Notwithstanding the legality and judicial interpretation in the matter by Justice Verma, the fact remains that he does not enjoy any constitutional status or official authority to arbitrate in the matter. The decision of the Defence Minister and his Ministry is binding and must be respected. In a parliamentary democracy the Army is subordinate to the civilian government and any insinuation of intransigence by non other than the Chief himself, when it concerns his personal  interests is most unbecoming of this institution.

The message which is being given to the 1.13 million strong Army by this obduracy of the Chief, to accept the decision of a superior authority, is most unbecoming of this exalted service institution. It smacks of indiscipline and violates the spirit of  ‘Good Order and Military Discipline’. Should General VK Singh feel so strongly about an injustice being done to him in this whole episode, then his most preferred course of action  should be to offer his resignation to the Government. And after doing that, fight his case on its merit in the courts of the country, in accordance with the law of the land.  Do that and he will only enhance his reputation. Should the Chief  not be guided by wise counsel and instead charge his staff to continue with the engagement and get two bites at the cherry, by speaking to the media on the grave inequity being done in the matter. It will be an unfortunate day in the history of our Glorious Army, which is limping back to redeem its lost pride in the wake of the several scams, which have assailed its reputation in public perception

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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It is a Bikini

THE SURVEY IS DELUSIVE

(TOI New Delhi, September 06)

The media’s penchant for sensationalizing information and making it seem larger than what it actually is, continues to hound institutions.  A sliver of data is padded up to become a full fledged story, making exciting reading for the laity. An ‘Unfit Army’? Survey finds 30% Overweight; is indeed one such story which is very likely to attract the attention of the discerning public and unleash a spate of unwarranted skepticism about its worthiness. While, we do owe a great deal to the print and electronic media in recent times, to investigate acts of institutional and public criminality and mobilize an opinion against wrong; there continues to remain a whole lot of hyperbole in its reporting with the express intent to just catch eyeballs.

In an Army of 1.13 million persons, a sample survey conducted upon 767 ‘healthy personnel’ by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is not considered to be a representative group for the purpose of whatever study they wished to carry out. Of this number, only 130 are officers and the remaining recruits and personnel below officer rank (POBR). From an existing strength of about 10,000 officers (excluding those above 50 years of Age), the sample group comprises a niggardly 0.076 %, which is too miniscule a number to arrive at any worthwhile and revealing statistics, for the purpose of research/study. The numbers included for study from the recruits and PBOR, the aggregate strength of which is exponentially greater than that of officers, will make the sample group even less representative and probably redundant. Therefore, it is my case that the findings regarding the health parameters as stated in the ‘Study Report’ are not a credible reflection upon the state of  the Army’s Fitness.

It is said that “ statistics is like a bikini, which reveals what is interesting but hides what is vital”. Therefore, even if one is to disparage the findings of the above mentioned Study and put it in the ‘trash can’ for entirely different reasons, the need to delve into the prevailing state of the Army’s Fitness cannot be over emphasized. It is an imperative which deserves the due attention of none other than the Army itself, because the cumulative tally of about 300 suicides by Army Personnel in the past three years speaks for itself. And the verdict is ‘Poor’. Fitness implies the ability to withstand the demands and rigors of one’s functional environment and perform efficiently therein. That such a situation obtains, which adversely impacts the fitness of our personnel and impinges upon the health of our personnel, is an apt reminder to the Army Head Quarters to focus upon more important issues than just the controversy involving General VK Singh’s Date of Birth (DOB).

Good health does not presuppose absence of sickness, but instead implies a state of  positive well being encapsulating physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social features of an individual’s personality. The medical touchstone of blood pressure, cholesterol and lipid profile are indicative of the state of health and presence/absence from organic disease and is a definitive measure of physical well being. But, the physiological parameters are best determined and established by the body’s ability to withstand the demands of exercise and physical activity.  Therefore, a ‘healthy person may not be fit’ and a ‘fit person not healthy’.  The, essence of developing and maintaining a healthy and fit profile is an inclusive endeavor of a balanced diet, exercise, moderation in habits and value based living. The Army will be well advised to consider this suggestion and instead not yield ground to the scientists of the Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied Sciences (DIPAS) and ICMR, who for want of doing something better, continue to flog the dead horse of ‘Sample Surveys’ upon Army personnel and espouse delusive details which are not only misleading but also inconclusive.

It is time that the Directorate General of Military Training  in Army HQ reflect upon the ground swell which has emerged in the past and even now, and examine at length the reasons for this poor perception about the Army’s Fitness. The Army should not yield its turf to any other organization and task its own integral resources to analyze, evaluate and establish its functional doctrine, which sustains and promotes Fitness. It is too serious a business to be left only to the scientists/doctors/ generals/trainers, but instead requires a collective application of mind to overcome the adverse reputation, of being perceived as  ‘UNFIT’ .

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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Why? Sports is Languishing In India

MAKEN’S DILEMMA

Now, that we have a Sports Minister, who has shown the required acumen to draft a Bill for the good of sports and games in the country---the political lobby which administers and manages the several sports associations in India, has risen up in arms against any such move to rein in Sports Bodies. Regulation or else restraining the autonomy of these National Sports Federations (NSFs), which have literally become the fiefdoms of the powerful and the rich, has devastated Indian sports, to the chagrin of the people. It is the case of  the NSFs that, the charter of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) does not allow or permit any government regulation/ interference in their internal management. Therefore, the government which represents the people of the country does not have a mandate to exercise any supervision/regulation over these NSFs, irrespective of their performance and continuous inability to lift and improve the standard of sports in the country.

We had a situation in the recent past, wherein the highest forum of the country’s representative democracy was literally brought to its knees, by the people. This because, the people, who are supreme in any permutation and combination of democratic arithmetic prevailed. It becomes rather difficult to understand and digest the stand of these NSFs on the issue of either regulation or autonomy, only because it is loaded with chicanery and is bereft of any worth. When it is everyone’s case that the bottom line for tenanting any office of authority must be premised on accountability and delivery, the constant ranting and raving of the office bearers of the NSFs  in the backdrop of the IOC’s Charter, is nothing but a charade. It genuinely surprises me that the Government has been duped  by this ruse played upon it, by a clutch of politicians who benefit from the authority and privilege which accompanies the office of Sports Bodies.

Should the Government not be guided by its sense of equity and responsibility to the Nation, in the matter of reining in the NSFs and bringing about  a closure to this entire matter. The loudest and biggest votary of autonomy for the NSFs---Suresh Kalmadi, is the Frankenstein who has created this cacophony amongst the Sports Bodies, who continue to threaten the death of Indian Sports, should there be any move to regulate their functioning and management. Mani Shankar Aiyyar too had sometime back, articulated a Draft Sports Policy with the same objective of demanding accountability from the Office Bearers of the NSFs, but he demitted his office soon thereafter and brought glee into Kalmadi’s face. There is an inextricable political link in the ceaseless efforts of the Sports Bodies to resist regulation and any suggestion of treading upon their autonomy. The Country has been witness to the massive blunder created in the organization of the Common Wealth Games 2010, by leaving almost everything to Kalmadi and which resulted in unprecedented corruption. As there was no visible political will shown to fight corruption in public life, till Anna arm twisted the Government to show a resolve in the Parliament; similarly there appears to be no political will in the matter of regulating the Sports Bodies.

It begs of the Government of India to show some political sagacity and dare the hollow claims of  the IOA/NSFs, of facing an International boycott from participation in all IOC  sponsored sporting events, by going ahead with what is considered best for the promotion, development and management of sports in India. This includes regulation and reining in of their functional autonomy. However, it is imperative that those who step into the vacuum so created in the IOA/NSFs are professionals who understand sports and are driven by genuine love of sports than all else.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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Good and Success,Must Become Mutually Inclusive

WHAT CAN THE ARMED FORCES LEARN FROM THE ANNA HAZARE MOVEMENT

In a representative democracy as we have in our country, the supremacy of the parliament is unquestionable and non negotiable. That this institution was jolted and forced to take notice of the people’s demand for an effective Lok Pal Bill to be introduced, discussed and most likely become law, is a defining moment in our political history. The collective outcry of the people against  the menace of corruption in public life, literally compelled  the government to take notice of this demand and thus initiate a process for probity and rectitude in our polity.

While comparisons are always odious, the situation in the Armed Forces though not exactly analogous to that in civil society, does have the potential to grow into what is undesirable and unacceptable, commensurate with its traditions and culture. With the proliferation of the electronic media, trend of investigative journalism and the Right to Information Act, perverse acts of misappropriation, misuse of authority and financial impropriety have come out in the public domain in the past decade, rather regularly. There have been a series of dishonest acts involving senior and middle rung service officers which has embarrassed the Armed Forces. Rations, Sukhna and Adarsh scams have epitomized this venality amongst our officers.

Given the process of selection, training, grooming and on job learning which officers of the Forces undergo; selflessness, probity and rectitude in their conduct and dealings is the keystone of this arch for character building and development. Moreover, the draconian statutory Army/Navy/Air Force Act which oversees and dispenses justice in the Services, makes it very difficult to believe that the greed for lucre can cheat such a class of people and make them succumb to temptations, despite its inbuilt punitive deterrence. Well, the possibility is always there, even if one was to argue one’s case by maintaining that these are aberrations only and not the rule.

To begin with, the situation was quite similar to what obtained in public life, when a ‘Jeep or Mundra scandal’ was few and far between and political leaders were largely above board. But with the period of time, owing to various reasons when politics became a refuge for scoundrels and no longer a selfless public service - the rot set in. Corruption got institutionalized and politics criminalized. Political leadership was colored by muscle and money power, having scant respect for ethics and morality in public life. The national environment was insidiously becoming vitiated and ‘short term gains’ mentality amongst the people was emerging to the fore. People were continuously inveigled into believing that the System had undergone a transformation for the worse and redemption was way too beyond any individual or collective effort. The future generations of the country were being nurtured and indoctrinated with these beliefs. A wrong was redefined as such, if only one was caught in the act. Situational ethics became the buzz word for survival in an emerging and competitive environment, which had slowly but surely gripped the minds of the people.

 The personnel of our Forces not being an island in this ocean of  humanity, were similarly impacted and Good was substituted by Success. A culture of mutual exclusion than inclusion was slowly overtaking the principles and values of positional and personal leadership, which were embedded in the military traditions of our Forces. Character, which is the most potent driver in a leadership calculus was becoming endangered and sycophancy was redefining loyalty. The spine of leadership was constantly under threat from the pseudo officer ship, which  was fast climbing the rung of ill gotten success. Service privileges were transgressed with blatant impunity and authority misused for personal gains. The environment had become perverted.

Generally, a feeling of fear to stand up against the wrong of superiors and show moral courage in adverse circumstances, became the sine qua non of the Forces’ officer ship. This, even when the Defence Services Regulations and the respective Service Acts encapsulate provisions to uphold righteous conduct and loyalty to principles. Showing spine, as understood in the Services became passé and wrong became predominant. Just as it is in the case of the much maligned politicians in civil society, the senior echelons of the Services were becoming similarly venal. Their condition was sustained by authority and fear of the subordinate officer ship to rock the boat. This class of officers exulted in the situation created by the prevailing circumstances and eventually the System was subverted. The voice of truth was buried.

The Forces demand of its junior and middle rung officer ship, to take a leaf from the recent movement of civil society against corruption in public life, and fearlessly expose those who indulge in unethical and immoral conduct in their official conduct. The Statute and the Organization will always uphold the truth, provided it is  spoken and revealed with an abiding sense of commitment and absence of any motive.

After all it was for a retired Army person to give this message,through his personal leadership, for the young and future officer ship of the Forces to emulate and practice.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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A Watershed Moment

DEMOCRACY VINDICATED

The happenings of the past fortnight as witnessed in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkatta and many other towns/cities/villages of the country, wherein people joined together in one voice to fight corruption, was an unprecedented event in the history of pre and post independent India. Never has an apolitical movement of such magnitude and purposeful nature galvanized the masses in this manner. The simmering disgust and anger of the people against government inability to rein in corruption in public life, over the years, was given a window for expression under the altruistic leadership of Gandhian Anna Hazare. The symbolic temple of our democracy ‘the parliament’ was literally pushed and shoved by the moral force unleashed by a long suffering mass of humans, demanding the resolution for an effective Lok Pal Bill to become law and deter/mitigate the disease of corruption in public life. What was witnessed thereafter in this temple of democracy were some astute, mediocre and political grandstanding debates which culminated in the thumping of  tables to indicate the ‘sense of the house’ and adopt the resolution as desired by civil society.

While it is nobodies case to sabotage the parliament and usurp its supremacy and rights as articulated in the Constitution, but it is also not acceptable to the people that the parliamentarians who constitute and animate it, take their authority for granted and transgress the privilege of office. The veteran and dyed in the wool politicians who cling to the shibboleth of eternal supremacy of the parliament and indulge in shenanigans to protect their turf, did not cut much ice with the aware, responsive and informed people. Who have seen through this shrewd political maneuver of assigning Constitutional propriety, only to their rights but not duty. The fuel which stokes the fire within the  people against the political class, is the genuine apathy for the sufferings of the masses by the latter. In the years which elapsed between our becoming a republic and now, it is the class of the politicians who have brought this day upon themselves by taking their position for granted and indulging in political expediency. It is they who cumulatively eroded the supremacy of the parliament and belittled the Constitution, by violating both its content and spirit in equal measure.

Democracy like freedom does not come for free, but instead entails sacrifice, responsibility and restraint. Thus, as a form of government ‘by the people, of the people and for the people’ it demands of each one the ability to analyze, evaluate and decide upon the merit of those who represent us in the Constitutional forums. In a plural, multi religious, multi cultural and multi caste polity where education and literacy continue to remain marginalized, there exists a great opportunity for politicking to take centre stage and thus belie the essence of democracy. The hurt utterances of the members of parliament, who singled out civil society and the media for lampooning them and thus belittling their status, is a consequence of their own doings and pathetic conduct. The People who found the politicians lacking in the political will to purge the SYSTEM of corruption and lack of probity in public life, seized their chance under the stewardship of a selfless and committed septuagenarian from Ralegaon Siddhi and literally arm twisted the Parliament to accept the proposal of civil society  to introduce and enact an effective Lok Pal Bill and make it Law, respectively.  

The perpetual whining of the politicians and their hollow claims to declare an unprovoked assault by civil society on the principles of the Constitution, undermining the supremacy of the Parliament, has been flayed and trashed by the might of the People. This is predicated on the acceptance of the demand made by civil society, who continue to remain a sounding board for the Government. This is indeed a defining moment in the country’s political history, wherein corruption in public life which has become a bete noire for most will be tackled with a firm hand, despite the Government. The much denounced and flogged SYSTEM will get a breather to redeem itself and purge the country of corruption and lack of rectitude in public dealings by public servants of all categories. Democracy will then have been vindicated.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Tarla Nagal

Pargana Purva Dun

Dehra Dun-248001

07895131861

    

The Government's Sincerity to Fight Corruption in Public Life is Suspect

ONE MAN WITH COURAGE  MAKES A MAJORITY

The country has been consumed by a popular opinion against corruption and the masses have united in solidarity, like never before, under the morally inspiring leadership of a believing Gandhian. He has given an effective and purposeful direction against this National scourge. Following which, the helplessness and consequent frustration of the people against this pervasive malaise in our society and public life, has emboldened Civil Society to stand up as one against the might of the Government and coerced it to substantially and meaningfully act against it. In a representative democracy such as ours, the Parliament is the highest forum of public opinion within the Country. It is indeed a travesty of our democracy that over the years this institution has been subverted by the politicians who constitute it. This is evident from the fact that even with the Constitutional authority reposed with it, the sufferings of the people in this regard has not been mitigated and corruption reached its zenith in the recent past. The vicious cycle of financial and positional corruption always has its epi centre in the office of a Minister, Politician and its supportive bureaucracy. That, this insidiously affected the lower executives, functionaries and officials in our federal system of governance is an unfortunate reality, which is brought about by the disgusting and shameful greed for money--- by the people’s representatives, the much denigrated Politician. The Country’s public working environment, which is mandated to provide service to the citizen and the tax payer has become vitiated, and its morality is unscrupulously assailed and eroded.  National Character has become an unfortunate casualty in this immoral matrix of perverse thinking and living.

While public disgust and contempt for the existence of corruption in our social fabric was always there, the Indian psyche was gripped and molded by its inability to fight and stand up against it. Only because, this hydra headed monster had so definitively and substantially permeated into all the pillars of our democracy that, it did not inspire any confidence in the people, of their having even an outside chance to win in the fight against corruption in public life. It had become a fait accompli. The SYSTEM was under attack from decadent thinking, which unabashedly justified the presence of corruption as a necessary offshoot of development and thus institutionalized it. Among other things, politics got criminalized and the presence of money power in elections became a blatant reality. Muscle and money power was shamefully used by politicians to win elections in the Centre as also the States, and thus arrogate constitutional power to themselves. A phenomenal transformation by any yardstick to measure upward social mobility. From a criminal to becoming an honorable people’s representative, in no time. Political leadership of the country had  become a mix of some good and others bad and indifferent. The game of Numbers in the Parliament and the Assemblies respectively, to be able to form a government had undermined political morality and given space for corruption to collectively make its presence in these forums of our representative democracy. Horse trading of members became the norm than an exception. With the emergence of regional political parties in the National scenario, which exploited religion, caste and class of the electorate to meet its aspirations and the progressive dilution in the share of National parties in these areas; brought about the political dispensation of Alliances, both in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. This gave a free run to politicking and made corruption a willing handmaiden to the compulsions of politics. The political situation became worse and reached its nadir, when the torrent of scams involving Ministers, Politicians, Bureaucrats, Corporate and Tax Evaders often working in silent collusion, during the current regime of United Progressive Alliance II (UPA II) Government spilled out in the public domain and became a huge embarrassment for it.

It was in this ground swell of public cynicism that, a flicker of hope entered into the People’s heart, when the institutions of the Supreme Court, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) exercised their authority and duty to investigate the guilty and bring them to book. The people’s anger against the elected representatives was growing and given a plausible shape, to enact a law which will investigate and prosecute all public servants found guilty of either corruption or else dereliction of duty. The introduction of the Jan Lok Pall Bill in the Parliament and its enactment as law has thus become the instrument for dispensing punishment to the guilty and non performers in public service. Even at this, the Government in an insulting subterfuge upon the people prepared a toothless and meaningless draft of the bill for debate, discussion and approval by the Parliament to become law. This much for the sincerity and commitment of the Government to arrest corruption in public life.

Anna Hazare, the man who is spearheading the movement for bringing probity and rectitude into public life continues to display tremendous intuitive sagacity to pre-empt the Government’s ploy to neutralize the Bill and deflect the public upsurge against corruption. However, the ONE MAN who stands between the Government and their desire to cheat the PEOPLE by ducking behind CONSTITUTIONAL provisions and enact toothless laws is non other than HIM and is the “One Man With Courage ,Who Makes The Majority”.

Brigadier(retd) S D Dangwal,VSM

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Tarla Nagal

Dehra Dun-248001

Uttarakhand      

The Fight has Just Begun

From The Merit Of My Soul

The crux of the exhortations made by Gandhian Anna Hazare at the Ramlila Ground on 21st Aug 2011, was regarding the commitment of the people to take the fight against corruption in public life, by individually and collectively acting in keeping with their conscience, which only knows and understands what is morally and ethically right. This will demand of the people small and big sacrifices in their life and living, and for which they must be forever willing and ready. Wrong survives and blossoms in society when the majority is indifferent, callous or else afraid to act and stand up against it. Those in the government and civil society know it equally well and it is the manipulation of this reality which accrues financial advantage and power. The topical debate and movement for the introduction of the Jan Lok Pal draft bill in the Indian Parliament, will loose much of its meaning and effectiveness, should the people of the country in all and most walks of life not be driven by sincerity, in their desire to exorcise the evil of corruption from public life. Each one of us will be required to individually and collectively stand up and fight this malaise, which has besieged the country. It is only then that the demonstration and movement which has come out on the streets and roads of Delhi and other metropolises/cities/towns/villages in the past four or five days, will have the possibility of cocking a snook at corruption and misuse of  authority by the politician, bureaucrat, judge, civil servant, corporate and business people and whosoever has arrogated whatsoever power he/she has in personal and public life.

Corruption in public life must be in our quadrant of influence than merely concern. Influence will necessarily mean that what we do about it must start from us and affect a change in our personal life. Concern while good up to a point continues to remain an indulgence of the burgeoning middle class or the mocking chattering group and therefore does not veritably contribute to either our betterment or that of society. To think about and expect any society to be free of corruption and graft in absolute terms, is a monumental fallacy, which must be abjured. Yet to sustain and promote such a culture in society is not anybody’s brief and must be understood in its entirety. Corruption does not survive and propagate itself in a vacuum but instead in a venal environment of  unethical and immoral beliefs. To stymie its growth and proliferation in society, we need to impact this pervasive environment as also our ill founded beliefs. A right minded and thinking individual has the ability to carry out course correction to his beliefs and thereby collectively contribute to the cleansing of the environment. This impact brings about the requisite transformation in the culture of a society. History is replete with the examples of societies undergoing unrestrained changes, triggered by the change in individual beliefs and the public environment. The ubiquitous Indian culture of ‘chalta hai’, ‘jugad’ and ‘sab bhrasht hain’ may well undergo the desired change and completely overhaul the psyche of the people, especially the youth, in the liberalized democratic economy of  INDIA.

My take on the matter will always remain and what has been reiterated by Anna Hazare on 21^st Aug 2011, to live by the “Merit Of One’s Soul” than all else. The fight against corruption in public life has just begun and needs to be sustained by the People of the country.

Brig(retd) S D Dangwal, VSM

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Tarla Nagal

Pargana Purva Doon

Dehra Dun_248001

Uttarakhand

Tele No7895131861

Gandhian Response to Government Apathy

WHEN THE THRESHOLD FOR CORRUPTION IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN INDIA WAS CROSSED

Mahatma Gandhi was of the view that, the Indian National Congress Party would become ineffective and unworthy to deliver in the new democratic dispensation of independent India. This, only because its leadership and following was slowly but surely moving towards a culture steeped in corruption and void of the moral values evident during the Freedom Struggle. He was of the opinion that the Congress had become irrelevant and must give place to a new and worthy political organization, which could govern and steer the country towards prosperity and greatness.

His thinking was prophetic and pregnant with meaning. After 64 years of our independence from the British Rule, we are today witnessing a popular civil movement against the present government, under the stewardship of Gandhian Anna Hazare, which has given expression to the anger and frustration of the People of India. They have taken to the streets, in all corners of the country in a demonstration of their solidarity with Anna Hazare, the veritable icon of civil society, in its fight against corruption. Public response to the demand voiced by Anna Hazare to the government, for an effective and potent Jan Lok Pal Bill to be introduced in the Parliament during the Monsoon session, has taken the wind out of the sails of the government, who continue to remain obdurate and defiant in their position on the issue. It is heartening to see the youth fired by the purpose and manner of this public arousal and their participating in large numbers to provide the required impetus and thrust to Anna’s clarion call to fight corruption in the Legislature, Judiciary and the Executive.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Indian democracy is trapped between those who participate in the process of forming the government and those who are concerned about governance. While the former are not concerned about governance, the latter do not participate in the making of the government. A weird situation, by any stretch of our imagination. An elected government takes solace in this bizarre democratic dichotomy and arrogates to itself constitutional authority. Good governance is consigned to the trash can, in this ‘first past the post’ election process obtaining in the country. With the compulsions of coalition politics, which has helped form our governments in the past decade and now, the situation has only become worse. Corruption got institutionalized in the 70s and 80s and for a politician winning an election is all that mattered. The means to the victory could take a walk. Sheshan, as the Chief Election Commissioner of the country did yeoman service in bringing about systemic changes to the entire process of elections, and things improved marginally. However, the rot is so deep rooted in the psyche of the people who wield authority of any kind, be it politician, bureaucrat, judge, police, revenue official et al that we as a country remained mired in moral and financial corruption.

The surge of a liberalized economy and end of the ‘License Permit Raj’ spiraled a Corporate culture, which colluded with the government in appropriating the spin offs accruing from the discretionary authority vested with Ministers and Bureaucrats. Money was the common denominator for both the parties, while one extracted it from the Corporate by doing favors the other made a fortune for themselves from the purses of the People. The costs of contesting and winning an election were ensured and the Ferris wheel of give and take moved on in perpetuity. When the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance {UPA} yet again anointed Sardar Man Mohan Singh to become the first executive of the country for a second consecutive term, his political skills were put to a severe  test in managing his cabinet and take refuge in the apology of the dictum----“compulsions of coalition politics”. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran are the corrupt faces of that compulsion. While Kalamdi probably brow beat the PMO and the PM, with his skills in expedient politics, to misappropriate public money under the garb of National Pride in the organization and conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Whatsoever be the reason, corruption became a National scourge and evoked anger and cynicism in equal measure from the People. A proactive and sensitized Supreme Court as also the institutions of the CBI and the CAG, nailed the corrupt and helped put them behind bars in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The country sincerely hopes that they are convicted and punished as and when they are tried in a court of law.

It is an appropriate moment for the much talked about demographic dividend of the country, to make a commitment to them selves that, they shall stand tall and clean in the decaying morass of political expediency in public life and instill within the same passion and fire which glorified the youth of pre independent India.

Brigadier {retd} S D Dangwal

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Tarla Nagal

Purva Doon

Tele No 7895131861

   

The Country's Shame---Squadron Leader(retd) Suresh Kalmadi

Subsequent to the successful conduct of the 4^th World Military Games (MWG) at Hyderabad and Mumbai from 14^th to 21^st  Oct 2007, which the Indian Armed Forces were entrusted with and the Army made responsible for, I received a letter from Mr Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee (OC), Common Wealth Games 2010 (CWG 2010). It was about sharing my experience , expertise and ideas as the Chairman of the Games Technical Conduct Committee, MWG 2007 with the OC CWG 2010,to value add in the build up to the multi discipline sports event. Accordingly, to benefit from my knowledge and understanding, I was invited to attend a meeting under the auspices of OC CWG 2010 and make a meaningful contribution in the collective effort.

By virtue of my being entrusted, associated and involved with the administration, management and conduct of competitive sports in the Army and the Armed Forces, as a professional in my service career, I was aware and informed about the murkiness which engulfed and obtained in the National Sports Environment. In fact, while dealing with the Office Bearers of the  National Sports Federations (NSFs) on a regular basis, their lack of vision and professionalism, playing politics, marginalizing the sportsperson and corrupt practices did not elicit my regard for their official conduct and behavior. With the exception of a miniscule  NSF, most are worthy of contempt and disgust.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which is a conglomeration of  the NSFs and the State Olympic Associations (SOAs) etc is the bedrock of the prevalent organizational attitude towards all that is wrong with Indian Sports. The NSFs and the SOAs are mirror images of the IOA and perpetrate the same functional ethos which runs common to both, apathy for and mediocrity in sports. A lamentable situation by any stretch of imagination.

Therefore, it was not surprising that given my views on the wretched conditions which engulf the promotion and development of sports and the level of people who administer and manage it in the country, that I courteously declined Mr Suresh Kalmadi’s invitation. My reply was pregnant with meaning and read as follows-:

       “I regret my inability to attend the meeting, as I do not find the present sporting environment conducive to inspire me or else have faith in the existing leadership”.

Given the arrogance and pride which had become Kalmadi’s second nature, my response to his request was probably the first of its kind from anyone leave alone a Service Officer, and hence invited his wrath upon me. The copy of my reply was sent to the Director General of Military Training (DGMT) and President Services Sports Control Board for perusal and action as deemed suitable. In Mr Kalmadi’s understanding, I had probably transgressed in replying to him in the manner I had, as he being an MP and President IOA was deserving of a more obsequiously worded reply. An appreciative letter from him could only draw a fawning response, because he has the authority to dole out any number of freebies which, most who come under his patronage bend over backwards to receive. Kalmadi had the power to make petty seekers eat from his slimy hands and remain indebted to him for the largesse. This is how he cultivated his cronies.

The DGMT who wanted to browbeat me by asking for my explanation,as the same would have to be put up to the Chief of Army Staff, summoned me and presented Mr Kalmadi’s letter. My reply to him was spontaneous and which was, “I stand by what I have written and have nothing further to say on the matter”. There were no further questions put to me on the matter by anyone, thereafter.

Not only this, in the aftermath of the Athens Olympics 2004 when Chilly Rathore of the Army had got India its first individual Silver Medal in a long and hopeless history of 100 years, I had shared with the press my article “The Joke Must End”, detailing the string of excuses which the IOA comes out with every time after a dismal performance and yet its Office Bearers continue to tenant their offices in perpetuity. It is another matter that the story did not get published owing to its controversial content. However I did compile this in my Book--- Passion for Courage, A Winners Creed and had also shared the same with  Mr Mani Shankar Aiyyar, when he was the Sports Minister. The matter regarding regulating the tenure of office of IOA/NSF/SOA office bearers was again written about by me in an Open Letter to the Sports Minister, consequent to his interview on a  TV News Channel in the wake of the failure of the Indian Hockey Team to qualify for the Beijing Olympics and his remarks in response to a question regarding the regulation of the Sports Bodies that,“I can only wait and watch”.

Suresh Kalmadi had been so emboldened by his political acumen and expedient practices to generate wealth and cronies in equal measure that, he started believing in his infallibility. The magnitude and enormity of the corruption that he indulged in and leveraged in the OC CWG 2010 is an apt testimony of that belief. He got done in by his arrogance and the system which played ball with him, till it got pushed to the wall by the plethora of exposes into a series of financial scams and corruption in high places.

Now that the long arm of the law has got to him and he will have the dubious distinction of sharing the premises of Tihar Jail with the  likes of Lalit Bhanot ( “we have different hygiene standards from them”, fame) and VK Verma, the Government, IOA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) too have distanced themselves from a potential criminal. The Sports Minister must now step in boldly and destruct the bogey of the IOA and the IOC, regarding non interference in the running of the Sports Federations including the IOA and bring these under selective regulation by a competent and capable government body.

Mr Maken, you are the Sports Minister of India and hence National Pride and Prestige cannot be held hostage to the specious argument given by the IOC, regarding government regulation being a sacrilege, which will invite disqualification for India from participation in International Sports Events under the auspices of the IOC. In this the Sports Minister must continue to be guided by the sentiment that, the principal Office Bearers of the IOA continue to parrot the nauseating bogey of absolute autonomy,which their likely to be Ousted Leader Kalmadi has mastered to perfection.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

07895131861

It is only today that, I learned about the ongoing Court of Inquiry (COI) ordered by HQ Southern Command, Pune to investigate into and establish a series of wrongs, which were committed during the past two/three years in the Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT) Pune. The inquiry, a consequence of a report made by an officer of the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) to the Chief of Army Staff/General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, against the previous and present Commandants as also some other officers of AIPT, Pune is in progress. The complaint, on which the convening order of the COI is premised, alleges serious and contemptuous acts of un-ethical official impropriety, indulged in by those blamed. In the recent past, some senior and middle rank officers of the APTC have cleverly manipulated the Service rules and financially milked the institutions/organizations they either headed or served in, for personal pecuniary gains. These despicable deeds of improbity, which are alleged to have been committed by this clique is not only sustained by the proverbial ‘ There is No Smoke, Without a Fire’ but is substantiated by the culpable evidence available to an open mind and a discerning eye. Having served as an Officer (Master at Arms) in the APTC for about 27 years, commanded the AIPT and been the Head of Service (HoS) of APTC, I enjoy a detailed and clear insight into the opportunities on offer to those officers, who are weak of soul and bereft of an abiding conscience. Unfortunately, these kind of people draw strength and courage to enact their misdeeds from their official position, hierarchical connections and a perverted sense of character. Much alike the berated politician and bureaucrat, who stand abashedly exposed in the public domain. It was during the last few years of my Military Service, when I was at the helm of affairs of the APTC, both at AIPT, Pune and the Military Training Directorate, Section -8, Army Headquarters, New Delhi and had the mandate, that I dutifully reached out to all officers of the APTC and implored them to practice character driven leadership, which upholds values and principles to the exclusion of all else. This, because being a minor Corps and small in size, but valueless in terms of the charter, contribution and content of its competency, any failure of its leadership will have an indelible and exaggerated effect upon the training environment and its own perception in the eyes of the General Staff. The COI, instituted on the basis of a written report, comprising a long list of financial and criminal irregularities and ethical wrongs of some officers, must be guided by the canons of verifiable evidence and justice and not become a handmaiden to official clout, which subordinates Truth. The present Chief’s recent counsel to his brother officers to report the wrong doings of their seniors, to eradicate corruption in the Army, has been well received by this officer and who knowing the truth must now endeavour to take the matter to its just conclusion. Should I say that character and the courage of his convictions has been shown by this officer, who was guided more by his conscience and sense of righteousness than falsehood and hypocrisy. Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal 15 B /2 Shubash Road Dehra Dun-248001 07895131861