A System which Injures the Conscience is Criminal

“Passion for Courage — A Winners’ Creed”, by Brig Sarvesh Datt Dangwal (retd), will be released tomorrowTribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
Very few books in recent years have as inspirational a theme as the “Passion for Courage — A Winners’ Creed”, which has been written by Brigadier Sarvesh Datt Dangwal (retd).
The book will be released at a special function in Dehradun on June 23 by Lt. Gen. Hira Ballabh Kala (retd), former Army Commander of Western Command.
It is primarily a collection of articles, talks, letters sent and received during his 37 years career in the Indian Army.
Dangwal was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles (the 4th Battalion) on November 14, 1971, and received his baptism by fire along with his course mates during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
In his initial years as a Major, during his posting as a Physical Training Officer at the Indian Military Academy he found himself in the eye of a storm.
A Gentleman Cadet of the Technical Wing drowned during training and authorities showed it as an “accident” without negligence on their part.
Major Dangwal, knowing otherwise, informed bereaved father of true circumstances that led to the tragedy. He was later accused of briefing unauthorised person.
“How could the unfortunate and grieving father be an unauthorized person,” he says, recalling those events with much anguish.
What happened subsequently is a long story, told lucidly through a series of articles that Dangwal wrote during his career.
The book narrows the yawning gap between the precept and practice, and lays down cardinal truths for a functional leader.
“The challenges of leadership are met only when our own conscience is put on trial by fire and we choose between right and wrong,” says Dangwal.
Dangwal played a major role in the success of the 4th Military World Games held in Hyderabad in October 2007 as the Chairman of the Games Technical Conduct Committee. For this, he was decorated with the Vishist Seva Medal (VSM)