Olympics 1904

Olympics 1904 - Saint Louis

When the Games crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time to be staged in Saint Louis in the American state of Missouri, it was the first step to becoming truly global. But the Games’ first appearance on a new continent saw the organizers repeat the mistakes of four years before in Paris and again spread them over more than four months, losing them in the hubbub of a much larger event: the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (Fair). The long costly journey prevented many European nations from participating. France had just one representative, the marathon runner Albert Coray, who lived in Chicago. Despite these problems, the Games spawned many popular and sporting success stories. Gold, silver and bronze medals were systematically awarded for the first time and boxing and wrestling made their debuts in the programme..

Between 29 August and 03 September, the track and field tournaments saw national and regional contests take place beside the official Olympic events. The organizers intended to demonstrate the superiority of American athletes even more categorically than in previous Games. The events began with the 60 meters sprint, a distance the United States had no rivals over. Tiny Archie Hahn came into the limelight by running the event in 7 seconds and equaling the world and Olympics records of his compatriot Alvin Kraenzlein. Hahn also went on to win the 200 and 100 meters sprints later, and became the first runner to win the prestigious ‘double’. These victories earned for him the sobriquet ‘Milwaukee Meteor’.

The 25 miles (40.2 km) marathon saw an astounding race produce two winners: a real one and an impostor. The marathon had taken place on a good surface, in the coolness of the morning over a flat course, but it was still an ordeal. In the stadium, the spectators oblivious of the difficulties faced by the runners were beginning to wonder why none had yet finished. Then with three hours and 13 minutes gone, the New Yorker Fred Lorz appeared. His victory was no surprise, as he was one of the best specialists in the event. He received a champion’s welcome, was photographed with US President’s daughter Alice Roosevelt and was about to receive his Gold medal when it was discovered that he had cheated. After nine miles he had collapsed with cramps and was offered a lift in one of the accompanying cars. As the car overtook the runners he applauded them and cheered them on, glad not to be suffering like them. Eleven miles on the car broke down and, as Lorz’s cramp had passed, he trotted towards the stadium to get changed. That, at least, was his version of events. When he entered the stadium, the crowd roared for America’s first Olympic marathon champion and officials prepared the laurel crown. Lorz smiled broadly, raised his arms in victory and crossed the finish line like a national hero. He had certainly enjoyed the moment, but it was just a piece of fun. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) officials had a less developed sense of humor: they immediately announced a lifetime ban on him.

The true champion of the Saint Louis marathon finished 15 minutes later, with a timing of 3:28:53. Thomas Hicks was an English born metal worker from Cambridge, Massachusetts and his victory was something of a miracle. Albert Coray of France finished second. The standing high jump, long jump and triple jump were dominated by Ray Ewry. He was not yet 25 years and won all three standing titles. His exceptional spring earned him the title of ‘the human frog’. He jumped 1.65 meters in the high jump, 3.30 meters in the long jump and 10.58 meters in the triple jump.

American George Eyser, a gymnast, got six medals and had one unusual feature: a wooden leg.

The Games in Brief 

Opening Date                01 July 1904

Closing Date                 23 November 1904

Participation                  12 Nations

Athletes                         617 Nos

Sports Disciples            16 (1 open to women)

Demonstration Sports    Basketball and Women’s Boxing

Olympic Flame              Not Lit

Olympic Oath                Not Taken

IOC President                Baron Pierre de Coubertin

PS – Matter researched from the Olympic museum in Lausanne

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+9194109 00051

Olympics 1900

Olympics 1900 - Paris

In order to provide the greatest possible stage for the second Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had the inspired idea of holding them in Paris during the Universal Exposition (Paris World’s Fair). On 14 July 1900, the Games opened in the presence of Pierre de Coubertin and the French Minister of Trade. Overshadowed by the Universal Exposition, the Games went unnoticed. The word ‘Olympic’ was nowhere to be seen and the Games were referred to as the ‘Paris Championships’. The events were held between May and November, and many winners were unaware until many years later that they were Olympic champions. Only tiny handfuls of spectators attended, in an atmosphere of tedious formality, and there was additional controversy over Sunday competition, which further blighted the spirit of the Games.

1,225 athletes from 24 nations participated in 20 sports disciplines, of which 4 were open to women. There was no official opening and closing, lighting of the Olympic flame or taking of the Olympic oath. America’s Alvin Kraenzlien, of Austrian origin and born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the king of the Games, and became the first athlete to win 4 Gold medals: one as sprinter, two as a hurdler and one as a jumper. The long jump final which should have seen Kraenzlien’s eagerly awaited duel with fellow American Meyer Prinstein, who had earlier robbed him of the world record by jumping 7.50 meters in a sport meet in Philadelphia, on 08 Apr 1899, did not happen. A dramatic turn of events marred the encounter, leaving American officials seething. Long before the Games, they had requested the French organizers to reschedule the finals planned for Sundays, in order to respect the religious beliefs of some athletes. Their request was denied and Meyer Prinstein, to the amazement of the French, carried out his threat after a jump of 7.17 meters in qualifying and not showing up for the final. Kraenzlien too had hinted that he also would refuse to compete on a Sunday but changed his mind. He jumped 7.18 meters. His decision infuriated the American officials but Kraenzlien became the Olympic long jump champion, a quadruple Gold medal winner and the phenomenon of the 1900 Games.

The Americans sent the cream of their universities, Great Britain an incomparable squad of distance runners and France although the host, none of its athletes was victorious. The athletes of other continental European nations also fared badly, with the exception of Hungarian discuss thrower Bauer, who triumphed in a competition enlivened by the setting. The landing area was a narrow lane lined by trees and inaccurate throws which struck the trees were discounted. Among the many reasons that explained the European’s defeat, the one which stood out prominently was that the Americans had a superior moral life and, from an athlete’s point of view, morals have a significant impact on the physique.

Women competed at the Games, in spite of the fact that Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the President of the IOC, did not want them to. The first woman Olympic champion was British tennis player Charlotte Cooper, winning the single’s title.

Alvin Kraenzlein’s Four Wins-:

a)      60 meters sprint         7.0 secs

b)      110 meters hurdles     15.4 secs 

c)      200 meters hurdles     25.4 secs

d)      Long jump                  7.18 m

In rowing, the Dutch coxed pairs team suddenly found themselves without a coxswain. A young French boy between the ages of 7 to 12 was drafted in to fill the position. After the Dutch team won, this young boy participated in the medals ceremony and had his photograph taken. However, in spite of years of research, the name and age of this young boy, who would have been the youngest champion in Olympic history is still unknown.

Sports Disciplines -: Athletics, Rowing, Cricket, Croquet, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Pelote Basque, Wrestling, Swimming, Tennis, Shooting and Water Polo.

Pierre de Coubertin confessed to a friend after the completion of the Games: “It’s a miracle the Olympic movement survived Paris”.

PS-: Matter researched from the Olympics museum in Lausanne

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051

The Olympics

Olympics Journey---- A Precursor To The London 2012 Olympic Games

In July 2012 the world’s gaze will fall on London, as the Olympic Games, a festival of tolerance, solidarity, peace and friendship will be hosted by this City for the record third time, since 1896. The earlier two being in 1908 and 1948. The Olympic Games are and will remain a meeting of the world’s youth, where all participants share the same goal and enthusiasm. The Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) protest with the London Organizing Committee of the Olympics and the Paralympics Games (Locog), regarding DOW chemicals; an American Company which bought it from Union Carbide in 2001(the infamous Company involved in the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 in which thousands died and more than half a million continue to suffer from health problems) being a sponsor, did not find favor with Jacques Rogge, President International Olympic Committee (IOC). The matter has now been taken up by the Government of India with the IOC and awaits a response. One wonders what position India will take in the matter, should the IOC not relent. Boycott of the Games should not be an option, since it will adversely impact the morale and spirit of the sportspersons, who have arduously qualified themselves for the Olympics. However, Lord Sebastian Coe the Chairman of Locog, only knows too well that politics inevitably intrudes into Olympics, as he won his Gold medals in the boycotted Games of Moscow and Los Angeles in 1980 and 1984, respectively.   As of now, the Indian athletes who have qualified for the Games are a) archery - 4, b) athletics - 8, c) boxing – 4, d)shooting – 11, e) swimming – 2 and f) field hockey(men) – 16. Some more are likely to make the qualification mark and thus represent the country. In the long history of the Olympic Games, India has won Gold, Silver and five Bronze medals in individual events, respectively. After the ignominy of missing out on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the men’s field hockey team has qualified for the London Games. It remains a personal disappointment for me that Col RVS (Chilly) Rathore, a silver medalist in the Athens Olympics in Double Trap shooting has failed to get a quota place and not qualify.

The modern Olympic Games came into being in 1896 in Athens. This happened at the instance of, exceptional vision and momentous leadership of the founder of the Olympic Movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, of France. The immortal words of Coubertin  “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part-----” are indeed an inspiration to humanity at large and its youth in particular, which exhort every sportsperson to believe in one’s  self and participate.

The Athens Games opened on 06 April 1896 and closed on 15 April 1896. 245 athletes from fourteen nations participated and the host city was Athens. There were 9 sports disciplines viz athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, tennis and shooting. American athletes dominated the Games and only the British offered resistance. The host country consoled itself by winning the marathon with more than 100,000 spectators lining the 40 – km route. The Olympic stadium was full to bursting capacity as a passionate crowd roared the winner, Spiridon Louis, to victory like a mythical hero. The moment the winner’s approach was announced, the Greek spectators rose to their feet; it was as if an electric current had been passed though them.

On 06 April 1896, James Brendan Connolly of America, became the first Olympic champion since the Armenian boxer Prince Varasdates in AD 396.The first modern Olympics consecrated their first victor when Connolly outdistanced France’s Alexandre Tuffere, in the triple jump with a distance of 13.71 meters. Every winner received a silver medal and an olive branch. Runners-up received a medal alone. Third placed participants were not rewarded.

The Hungarian swimmer Alfred Hajos won the 1200 meters event, in which the competitors were taken out to sea by boat and left to swim back to shore. The custom of lighting the Olympic flame and taking the Olympic oath was not there, as yet. In the 100 meters event Thomas Burke also of America, using a crouch start, considered suspect by the Greek spectators won in a time of 12 secs.

Olympic postal stamps were the first to celebrate sport. In 1895, the stamps helped the Organizing Committee balance its budget and build the final five sites required to host events. Thus, Baron de Coubertn’s attempt to revive the Olympic Games succeeds. Despite modest performances, even by the standards of the time, huge crowds witnessed the historical events.

PS- Matter researched from the Olympic museum of Laussane.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051

The Army is Greater Than its Chief

GOVERNMENT VINDICATED. CHIEF GIVEN A TESTIMONIAL LOLLIPOP

It comes as a sad disappointment to me that, the battle which General V K Singh had joined with the Government on the matter related to his date of birth, was given up mid stream by non other than him, alone. Having thrown caution to the winds by challenging the Government in the Supreme Court of India. Throwing in the towel, when the matter was still alive and under consideration in Room No 8 of the esteemed court is tantamount to developing cold feet and chickening out from the legal battle. An, unbecoming trait, for a soldier. Was an endorsement of the officer’s Honor and Integrity by Justices Lodha and Gokhale as also the Attorney General; enough to placate his righteous indignation against an inequity which had triggered off the series of events leading up to the Writ Petition. This appears to be an extremely limp and enfeebled response to a situation, demanding much greater courage of conviction to stand up to and face the Court’s Judgment. Irrespective, of whether, it favored the petitioner or otherwise. The entire belly aching by the General about his personal integrity being under a cloud, which the public was witness to ad nauseum, in the media, should have seen a much more dignified closure to it than what finally transpired.

An audit sheet of what has accrued from this ungainly withdrawal of the Petition prematurely? Has nothing much to show on the credit side. Except, some cajoling and window dressing, to balm the bruised ego of the General. Whereas, on the debit side, it shows the officer’s unwillingness to honor a commitment made to his superiors, not taking a legal recourse when he felt aggrieved about the same initially, having taken advantage of a situation by making a promise earlier now reneging the same on grounds of implied coercion and having reached such a stature not showing requisite wisdom. The General’s pathetic pleadings about the internal machinations which brought about this situation, in the absence of any concrete and substantive evidence to aver the same, did not find any favor with the Bench. The Court decides on the strength and basis of the facts produced before it and not on insinuations and innuendos, no matter how ardently these are presented.

The General’s case, largely rested on the manipulation he was subjected to, in accepting 10 th May as his official date of birth. It was this which should have been his line of argument to establish the malafide of his superiors to carve out a motivated and pliable line of succession. And this could have only been done by continuing with his battle and bringing into the witness box the impugned persons for cross examination, to establish his defense unequivocally. This attempt by V K Singh would then have truly brought the existing muck which continues to rot and stink in the corridors of power within the Army. Since nothing of this has happened, the fault lines in the Organization will continue to remain and may at the most be hidden for the time being, till the dust raised by this unseemly imbroglio settles down. I consider this to be a missed opportunity, to carry out a much needed cleansing of our prevalent procedures and systems, which could have substantially mitigated the possibilities of manipulation, cronyism, favoritism and coercion continuing to remain an Organizational deficiency. The reason why this did not happen is either because there was no substance in VK Singh’s assertions, of his being arm twisted to accommodate a pre determined line of succession and as envisaged by the Chief in 2006. Or else the officer thought that this would be a major embarrassment to the Army and its hallowed Institution, should he expose this conspiracy for it to stand legal scrutiny. And, therefore, the officer’s counsel decided to spare the Army this public humiliation, should the matter have been drawn into the court for examination. This, latter statement by the counsel does not seem convincing enough. Because, in the ‘trial by the media’ and in its debates and through its panelists, which had occupied public attention for days together, had already imputed motives to the previous Chief for manipulating the six years hence, line of succession. Therefore, the assumption that V K Singh was forced into an acceptance and had no option but to acquiesce to this perverse demand of his superiors, does not hold any merit. The moral grandstanding was needless and a subsequently thought of line of argument, to sustain his case upon.

Therefore, as I have maintained in this entire matter right from the time it came into the public domain that, the officer had decided upon playing for the gallery alone and nothing beyond. It was difficult for most to discern this covert motive through their impassioned perception of the matter and hence mobilized an opinion within the Army, of a grave wrong being done to its Chief. The bureaucrats became the obvious target of their ire, for this diabolic twist to a simple matter. Unfortunately, the Chief by withdrawing his writ petition has not only vindicated the stand of the Government, but also given untrammeled space and authority to the same breed of civil servants to interface the Army with the polity. And, that too, with an attitude of condescending authority. So, when General V K Singh reflects upon his tenure as the Chief in his twilight years, I am more than certain that this will occupy his mind more than all else and continue to haunt him for causing immense grief to the pride of the Institution which he once represented.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal, VSM

Arborea

Dehra Dun- 248001

Singh is No King

CAESAR’S WIFE MUST BE ABOVE SUSPICION

The Supreme Court’s dismissal of General VKSingh’s petition must have come as a major disappointment to him and all those who aligned with his thinking process, whether in service or out, as also civilians. I, as an aware, informed and dyed in the wool officer who served in the Army for 37 years and achieved; what my potential was deserving of, am in complete admiration of the principled sagacity of the Division Bench which pronounced the judgment and disposed the subject civil writ petition. The Order, yet again restores my faith in this Apex Legal Institution of the country, which adjudicates dispassionately and without favor or prejudice. It is a matter of immense pride and esteem for the people of this country that, we have this constitutional pillar of our democracy functioning with utmost equity and an abiding sense of jurisprudence. While being sensitive enough to uphold the dignity and honor of the individual, in keeping with the prestige of the office and position he occupies; the Judicial Bench also averred to the restraint the petitioner ought to have shown in bringing the dispute into the public domain. We, must be reminded that it is a judgment of this very court, which said that “Truth is its own Evidence” and does not require any witness to support it, and yet maintained that the facts available on record in this matter being diverse, cannot be ignored. The veracity therefore lies beyond the obvious and will only be best known to those who perpetrated it. Furthermore, like most balanced people had opinionated against the Chief’s penchant to fault the Government  and metaphorically ‘wash the dirty linen in public’, the Court’s Speaking Order too deliberated upon this aspect and advised the petitioner to show the necessary wisdom befitting his age, maturity, service and status.

A dispassionate analysis of the entire sequence of events resulting in the dismissal of the Chief’s petition, will pronounce that there is nothing as useless as doing efficiently as that which should not be done at all. Was all this required?  And, for what purpose. Just to get a certificate from the Attorney General or else the Division Bench of the Supreme Court that, General V K Singh is an honorable man. When, this was never ever the issue with anyone. Was this a case of an ideal opportunity to be seized, driven more by sanctimonious pompousness, for projecting the self, much more and beyond the Organization. A point was raised on a matter of reconciling differing dates of birth and brought up to the notice of the highest competent authority, for resolution. Having, reposed trust and faith in the same. However, when an acceptable decision did not follow, which was to the liking of the officer, the Army Headquarters went into an overdrive in an attempt to take two bites at the cherry and attract media attention to a grave inequity being done to its tallest Institution – The Chief of Army Staff.  It is most unfortunate that the officer got carried away by his own arguments, which were validated by those who were giving him a ‘snow job’ and which convinced him about his infallibility in the matter. The attempt to walk with one’s shadow and become one with it, demands a monumental sense of selflessness, which was absent in this case.

It is not for me to conjecture what will unfurl in the immediate future, but my conscience echoes to me that, my line of thought though contrary to what was maintained by most veteran colleagues, is evolving.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

E – 102 Arborea

Dehra Dun - 248001 

Await the Judgement. There are no winners only survivors

WE NEED TO CHANGE. ITS WRONG TO BLAME ANYONE ELSE FOR OUR WOES.

Having lived life on my terms and that, which elevates the spirit; it interests me to muse on the happenings which have occupied media time and space and emerged into the public domain, in the intervening years since my superannuation. Everything else apart; the huge moral and ethical deficit in the demeanor of some senior officers in the Army, has absorbed my undivided attention and made me to second guess, the cause thereof. Why, has the responsible leadership in the Army succumbed to such perverse conduct? Is it a recent phenomenon only or else, has the recent pro active and ubiquitous media expounded the festering malaise of corruption into an embellishing reality. Which, was always there but kept veiled from the prying eyes of the public? For lack of intrusive investigation into the goings on behind the fig leaf of an over trusting Chetwodian Credo; of ‘Country first, Men second and Self last, Always and Every Time’. Or, the noble minded motto of the National Defense Academy, ‘Service before Self ’. My personal sagacity however precludes me from making a sweeping and unilateral observation into these assumptions. But, nonetheless convinces me that changing times have yielded to the gratifying market trend of ends justifying means, which impinge upon values, morals, ethics and character. Therefore, it should be fair to assume that probity and rectitude should not be perceived in absolute terms. But, its relative absence in the behavior of the present generation of senior ranking officers has proliferated and hence caught media attention in a rather exaggerated manner, with an agenda to sensationalize.

 Be that as it may, history is witness to a progressive and enduring change coming about in a Society, Culture, Creed, Organization etc only when the yearning for it has come from within and not without. Similarly, if there is such a growing aversion to the moral down slide which has besieged the Army in the recent past, among the majority of serving officers and the veterans who constitute its brotherhood. Then, I am afraid the answer to arrest this phenomenon has to come from within the rank and file of the Organization, alone. It is a travesty of our Army’s History that, we do not learn from the past and most often prepare for the last war we had fought. Likewise, it is most unfortunate that success alone, which gets equated with rank in the career growth of an officer, gets pedestalised in the tight and closed hierarchy of our Army. Many a good officers in particular, who provide the mainstay to the calibrated demand of character driven leadership in the Army, are more often than not superseded. Uprightness gets punished and ‘vice paying homage to virtue’ gets rewarded. Hypocrisy and Sycophancy thrive to upstage core values, leaving the Army poorer by the absence of those officers who could well have become the genuine guardians of its heart and soul. It provides an ideal environment for mediocrity and corruption to breed and proliferate. And, we thus land up into a most undesirable situation of ‘missing the wood for the trees’. Where from will this demand of providing good officers, who show spine and abide by the courage of their convictions, to give the desired leadership to units / formations / head quarters,

 materialize. This will continue to remain the chronic problem which haunts the Army’s reputation, on matters concerning probity and rectitude in its officers.

Conceding that, thoughts have within them the power to influence and bring about a change. The bottom line for this to happen will forever remain the credibility which accompanies the proclamation. A captive, obsequious or enforced audience can never afford a genuine response to a planted thought for a value based demand. This has to come from example and not words, because principle driven actions come from an abiding sense of selflessness. Unfortunately, in an environment bereft of such perceivable reality among the majority of its senior leadership, the espoused belief gets progressively eroded and compromised. The yawning gap between practice and precept continues to make the situation, still worse. A hybrid moral culture of convenience, rather than values and principles is conceived, which propagates the contemptuous art of Situational Ethics. When the consequences of being discovered exist and punitive action is inevitable, be moral. However, when this is not so, do whatever one wishes to, and without any moral compunction. This gets endorsed and validated by a subterfuge of redefining this trait as Tact, an indispensable quality of higher leadership. The situation could not be more absurd from what it is and begs some real serious answers for its redemption.

Most contemporary writings on leadership by Indian Army Officers are not inspiring enough, for the young and upcoming officers to either emulate or else validate their beliefs from. Hence, it falls short of creating the requisite impulse and momentum to reinforce that which is enduring and truthful. The moral and ethical exhortations / illustrations in these writings are more for pandering to one’s ego and conceit than genuine self examples of righteousness. Such writing can seldom inspire and impact the embedded line of popular and success driven thinking, which engulfs the majority. Even, when this is immoral and unethical. It was in such a reality that I, in my own modest and humble manner, authored a book for exactly the very purpose of establishing by example the virtue of living by the merit of one’s Soul. And still grew and prospered in the very System, which has been vilified by most for being callous towards those who are of character, competence and also courageous. Not satisfied to be a Columbus to my soul, I tilted at the windmills for what I perceived as right and faced disciplinary and administrative consequences, including an attempt to trial by a General Court Martial. And, all these punitive actions were unleashed upon me by the organization, for standing up for truth. This brief context is not for self praise or else acknowledgement, but instead to make my contribution to the future leadership of the Army, which has not as yet been sullied by the deviousness that consumes the good officer in his transition to a successful officer. I consider these years of living as a veteran, pay back time for all that the Army has given me to enrich my Spirit with and live a life of gratitude towards all. I, titled this book ‘PASSION FOR COURAGE – A WINNER’S CREED’, in the hope that through its pages a discerning reader can reinforce the sentiment that, ‘The Officer Corps is The Heart And Soul of Any Military Organization’.

In these unfortunate days, in the history of the Indian Army, the question which begs an answer from each one of us veterans, is not what the Politician or the Bureaucrat has done to the Army? But instead what we have done to ourselves? Imagine what reputation is being bequeathed to the future generations and to the future Chief. It is not as if the Honor Roll of the Chiefs will end with Generals NC Vij, JJ Singh, Deepak Kapoor and VK Singh, who all have in some measure or the other brought discredit to the Institutions of the Army and its Chief. All the raving and ranting about either the politicians or else the bureaucrats will not achieve anything substantial,but instead only invite further opprobrium. The only thing which one can change is HIMSELF and non else.This is what should set us thinking on the measures, which the Army must adopt to resurrect its battered public perception. 

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal,VSM

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Dehra Dun-248001  

Public Perception

ANOTHER VIEW POINT

It is being publicly talked about that, the most important aspect of General V K Singh’s date of birth controversy is not what has been spoken about till now, but is something even more intriguing. The fact about the officer’s Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) application for taking the National Defense Academy (NDA) entrance examination, showing the date of birth as 10 May 1950 is not an oversight by the Master who filled up the same. It was instead a deliberate and well thought of move to enable the then young boy to become eligible for the examination, which had its lower age cut off as 01 Jan 1951, i.e. those born after this date became ineligible for taking the UPSC conducted NDA entrance exam, being under age. The officer after selecting himself into the NDA awaited his Matriculation Certificate, certifying his having passed High School, which followed later. To make the said selection final, from the earlier, provisional. Now, the authorities in the NDA owing to either oversight or otherwise missed out on the fact of VK Singh’s ineligibility to join the Academy being underage. And, he continued to remain there. Thus, the entire process of his selection and joining the NDA was vitiated and against the existing UPSC rules on the age criteria.

Can one imagine what this will do to the entire argument? Which till now seems to favor the General. Exclusively, on the basis of the recorded evidence as available in his birth certificate, father’s service record and the crucial matriculation certificate. Should this deliberate scheming to accrue undue advantage to V K Singh, even if it was manufactured by others, be true. Then, where does the issue settle itself? It is my sincere hope and belief that, this was not the case, because then it will be the saddest day for the Army, which will have done irreparable damage to both, the Institution of the Army Chief and the Army. Think about all the grandstanding which we have been witnessing day in and day out on a vital aspect of Honor and Integrity. Where will it take us? I shudder to think of the under fire bureaucracy in the Ministry of Defense, cock a snook at the Army and further ridicule its holier than thou posturing.

Therefore, it’s not a question of round one going to the Chief, but instead of the General knowing deep within his own soul the truth, notwithstanding the slew of available documentary evidence to support his word and make him more Honorable than the Army he commands.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal,VSM

E-102 Arborea Luxury Homes

Dehra Dun-248001

No lord is a hero to his valet

CAN THE PRESENT SITUATION BE REDEEMED? YES

It was during a dinner hosted in Dehra Dun by the Chairman, Special Olympics Bharat, North and Central India, Air Marshal (retd) Ashok Goyal, PVSM,AVSM,VM that, I met and got talking to the Commandant Indian Military Academy, Lt Gen Manvender Singh, AVSM,VSM. After an exchange of the usual social pleasantries, the conversation slowly drifted to what was the most singular challenge in these contemporary times, which faced the officer as the Commandant of this pre commission Army Institute. The answer to this was no surprise and an obvious one to me, “To embed and consolidate in the Gentleman Cadets a Spiritual Temperament; which is our bloodline, and leverage this as an appropriate conduit for imbibing core values that, sustain Moral and Ethics in personal life and official conduct”. This opened up a very interesting and meaningful discussion on the subject, presupposing that it had not been as yet gainfully engaged and dealt with, in the training curriculum of the Academy. The Commandant further stated that from the feedback he receives from the environment about what should be the most desirable trait in a young officer? The unanimous ground swell is “to be morally and ethically strong”. Therefore, while all agree on this, it is also a telling response to a pedagogic deficit which continues to remain in our system. As, it demands incessant belaboring upon and is not inevitable, considering that our structured training syllabi has been in place for long and yet falls short of the requirement, necessitating added emphasis without commensurate results.  

While it is nobody’s case to either discredit or else disparage the young officer’s reputation, who on most occasions have unfailingly stood up to the onerous demands of their duty and profession. It is after the transition from a junior to a senior officer wherein the perceived moral and ethical decay sets in. It is when an officer grows in rank in the military hierarchy and acquires financial / material authority as also becomes entitled to service privileges; which is within the ambit of his position and control that, the lure of lucre overtakes his sense of righteousness, rectitude and probity. An objective analysis of perceived wrongdoings, involving acts of venality by officers, will nail the truth of the above statement. The likelihood of getting discovered for wrong doing in an environment, which is largely populated by subordinates who are ever willing to bend over backwards to please and accommodate, is rather remote. And, hence, tacitly encourages unbecoming conduct in the senior officers. This trend continues to grow and flourish in an exclusive coterie of successful and upcoming officers who fully appreciate and understand the virtues of professional cronyism and indulge in a quid pro quo for career advancement. Morality and ethics just become words, to be used for histrionics by this category of officers. The credo of this breed of military leaders becomes ‘Do as I Say and Not as I Do’.

The young and junior officers, who are time and again exhorted to stand up to the wrongs of their seniors and superiors, today find themselves in a predicament to display courage and stand up to the wrong of the latter. This, primarily, because of the veiled threat of

impairing the Annual Confidential Report and even victimization; an unwanted and distressing consequence for displaying moral strength. What should be upheld and applauded in the exercise of one’s moral prerogative instead gets singled out for isolation and punitive harassment. In the prevalent competitive environment and the steep pyramid promotion structure within the Army, the Confidential Report is a vital career advancement input and can undermine a good officer’s possibilities of further career growth. The possibility of this reality changing in the Army is rather distant, except if the subordinate and junior officers, who are the cutting edge of the Organization, believe in their ability to make a change. In terms of the numbers who comprise this group, these officers far outnumber the select rank and general officers, who are the cause for the increasing incidents of misuse of authority and financial embezzlement. It requires these officers to show spine and refuse to succumb to any perverse inducements made by their superiors, which puts them into a position of undeserving advantage. It is for this breed of officers to rely more on their competency and character to deserve their rightful position and rank. It is with this premise that the situation can be redeemed.

The prevalent situation in the Army has reached such a state that; structured Spiritual training in the Academy could well be an answer to remedy the malaise which exists. Our culture, which is inclusive and secular, has a rich repository of militant Spiritualism. It is this which must be leveraged and used to provide the bedrock for character building in the young cadets / gentleman cadets. When an enduring sense of righteousness becomes an all consuming passion with these young minds, the future will augur well for the Army.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal,VSM

E-102 Arborea

Dehra Dun-248001

        

The Army Cannot Be The Winner

THE ARMY HAS BEEN CARICATURED

It was as a young major in 1978, while serving in an uncongenial and high altitude field area on the Indo – China border that; the Corps Commander* in his address to the participants on the conclusion of a War Game, expressed his deep concern and anguish at “the growing occurrence of spinelessness among officers”. Unctuous and ingratiating behavior has slowly but surely supplanted uprightness and courage of conviction in the emerging military leadership of the Army. Soldiering has most unfortunately yielded to the market forces of careerism and being good has most certainly lost out to becoming successful. The two have become mutually exclusive. It was only a matter of time when the Generalship in the Army would stoop to pitiable levels of conduct in the public perception. In an emerging era of media activeness and consequent public awareness, the prognosis could not have been truer, in the wake of the series of scams which came into public gaze in the past decade. The recent imbroglio concerning a serving Chief, most unfortunately dragged the reputation of two others into a tooth comb scrutiny by the media, for public consumption. Even the Army Head Quarter’s ineptitude to resolve an in house matter concerning an officer’s date of birth for over 36 years, is fatuous, to say the least. The junior, young and middle rung leadership of the Army is witness to a most bizarre display of rectitude and probity in the conduct of its superior ranked officers. In fact it has left most wondering about the very meaning of character driven leadership, the corner stone of an evolved paradigm of endowed authority as against positional.

While General V KSingh’s case is sub judice and will come up for hearing in the Delhi High Court on 10 th Feb 2012; the matter which must consume the attention of the public at large and the Army in particular, is the alleged communal motive implicitly imputed to an ex Chief  to manipulate its line of succession. In doing so a grave wrong was initially perpetuated by One and subsequently underpinned by Another, for specious self serving reasons, respectively. These officers too were Institutions at that point in time and professionally represented the Army in the not too distant past. Even though we may continue to predicate that, a pliable Chief is desirable to the government; this position is not an explicit policy which enjoys official sanction. Therefore, is it to be now assumed that other than the principle of seniority which decides in favor of an Army Commander to be appointed as the Chief, the pliability index is the game changer?  And, therefore by deduction, General VK Singh too was seen as pliable earlier, but now has bucked the System. This sort of an argument could go on and on, like wheel within wheels, to paint the Chiefs with the same brush and acknowledge in public gaze the caliber of our Generalship. Has the Indian Army, with its glorious and valorous history embellished by individual and collective deeds of sacrifice, patriotism, selflessness and service beyond the call of duty; been reduced to an object of raillery by the bureaucrats, who interface our organization with the political leadership of the Nation.

The fallout of the entire matter, which has hogged media limelight in the past months, has only brought the Machiavellian designs of our very own apex Institution into public domain and made the Army a laughing stock in people’s perception. It is not a case of tilting at the windmills and taking a resolute stand against a perceived injustice but instead, of understanding the responsibility which goes with a Position and Institution. When the matter is expounded into an argument for defending one’s honor and integrity, it sounds good to the ear and nothing more. Maturity and tolerance to ambiguity demands from one; the good sense to understand that, when one picks up one end of the stick, one also picks up the other. Therefore, irrespective of the outcome of the current controversy, which rests with the Courts of the land, the Army has been projected in very poor light and the Institution of the Chief largely undermined. Our fig leaf of rectitude and probity in our conduct and manner, as the moral icon of the Nation and the Youth of the Country has suffered a major set back. From what has been in the public domain on the current issue, the following has indisputably emerged-:

      

a)      The Army Headquarters is inept and functions without commonsense

b)      The Army Chiefs are pliable and therefore hold that position

c)      An Army Chief was covertly communal and manipulated the truth to favor his own community

d)      Army Chiefs  could be as venal as others and can manipulate a line of succession for pecuniary gains

e)      The Army has eroded its reputation in public perception

f)        The next Army Chief will inherit an Institution with unwanted baggage, which could further contribute to greater control and authority over it by the bureaucracy

* The Officer later became the Chief of Army Staff

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal, VSM

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