Start Punishing the Politicians and All Else Will Follow

THE COUNTRY AWAITS THE TRIAL  OF THE CWG SCAMSTERS – WHO SHAMED SPORTS AND INDIA

The news about the framing of charges against a clutch of officials of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Common Wealth Games (CWG) viz Suresh Kalmadi, Lalit Bhanot and nine others,who are guilty of corruption, criminal conspiracy, forgery, intimidation etc under various sections of the IPC and Corruption Act of India; is an emotional escape from the disgusting act of six men who physically and emotionally brutalised a 23 year old girl in Delhi. For those of us who are suitably informed about the happenings in the sports management and administration organizations which run, nurture and promote sports in the country, through the offices of various sports federations/ associations; the names of Kalmadi and Bhanot are known for all the wrong reasons than anything worthy. These two men had made the IOA and the Athletics Federation of India, as their private concerns and were destined to continue doing so in perpetuity, had the Government’s sports code and the CBI not spoilt their party. Kalmadi, when he was the president of the Athletics Federation, had Bhanot as his Secretary and it is from there that their nexus flourished and prospered, to favour him with a plum assignment in the Organizing Committee (OC) of the CWG, that of the Secretary General. It was here that these two and their other cohort, of the now charge sheeted accomplices, who were party to various misdeeds of financial nature in similar dealings earlier too, made merry with the tax payers money by lining their pockets. Anil Madan of Gem Enterprises, a manufacturing and trading firm in Faridabad and his partner, are vendors and suppliers for brand ‘Omega’ and have been in business in India for quite some time. They have thus been in close and commercial touch with the likes of Kalmadi, Bhanot, Verma, Prasad and others in the course of their business dealings. Any major international or else national level sports event, which is scheduled and conducted in the country, is an opportunity for those dealing in the sports industry to make a financial kill by selling and providing related hardware. And it was during such times that Madan could become passively aggressive in his attempt to somehow or the other win the bid and get the order. I have personally dealt with Madan and his company Gem Enterprises in my official capacity in the Army HQ, during the course of the Army’s surge to win medals in the Olympics and launch its ‘Mission Olympics’. I remember him as a portly, well heeled, affable, polite and courteous man who was correct to a fault in his behaviour and conduct. His persuasive skills and research into the equipment/ material that he had on offer to supply and provide were exceptional, convincing and saleable. It was difficult to say no to him. Moreover, the fact that he was the sole supplier representing an internationally reputed company ‘Omega’ in India, settled the indecision to purchase what was required in his Company’s favour, because of its indisputable quality. While the quality was a given, the prices too were high in comparison to similar products available in the market, from other vendors/manufacturers. The armed forces, for the conduct of the Military World Games in 2007, held at Hyderabad and Mumbai, bought much electronic equipment from his Company, Gem Enterprises. We, in the Technical Conduct Committee of the Games were hosted to two or three dinners in Delhi and Secunderabad by Madan and his business partner Purshottam, as an expression of their gratitude for enabling the purchase order to come through, in favour of their Company. The pleasure was entirely ours and we enjoyed the company of these two gentlemen, only because of their ability to have some social compatibility with us. Thereafter, retirement from service followed in a year’s time and we moved to Pune, which was preparing to host the Common Wealth Youth Games in 2008. Madan and his Company had made bids for the supply of equipment here too and this brought him to Pune often, during the build up to the Games. I tried to get in touch with him while he was there, to invite him over to our home to exchange pleasantries and reciprocate the courtesy he had shown us by having us for dinner with him, earlier. It was disappointing to say the least that, he neither received my call nor made any attempt to respond to my earnest courtesy. That was the end of the matter with me and I moved along, albeit with some questions in my mind about the nature of human relationships.

Thereafter, the Common Wealth Games scam bubble burst and Madan’s Gem Enterprise featured in the dubious story related to the purchase of the Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) system purchased for the event at a prohibitive cost of about Rs 165 crores, which was at least costlier by Rs 90 crores to what was on offer by a Spanish Company. That, the decision to purchase the TSR system from Gem Enterprise was taken even before the tendering process had been initiated, raises some serious doubts about and exemplifies the selling skills of Madan and his partner Purshottam. It puts a big question mark on the deliberate disregard of propriety of the procedure, existing for the purpose of procurement, involving the tax payer’s money from government coffers.  While Gem was able to clinch the deal and make a profit for the Company and ‘Omega’, Kalmadi, Bhanot, Verma, Prasad etc too were smiling all the way to their bank accounts, whether here in India or else abroad in any one of the banks, which have been in public gaze for parking slush money.  Madan and Purshottam were done in, because their Company accounts showed the payment in excess of what was actually priced by ‘Omega’ and to have been transferred to the account of an unknown and specious organization in Singapore, headed by Kalmadi. And it was from there that the money trail probably leads to the accounts of the other disgraced accomplices of Kalmadi, who were with him in the OC of the CWG. It is this very same Kalmadi, who moved about as an imperious sports aficionado, inspecting and surveying the various venues of the CWG and threatened to sue a TV news channel for making unsubstantiated and not established charges of corruption against him, in the use of funds for the Queen’s Baton Relay held in London, as a precursor to the Delhi Games. His equally moronic and supercilious Secretary General in the OC of the CWG, Bhanot, prospered under the shadow of his mentor and lived on Dutch courage, injected by the political stature of his Chairman. This became only too obvious when the tainted Bhanot was presented a bouquet and congratulated by Kalmadi, when the former was elected uncontested as the Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Assocation (IOA), which has since been de recognized by the parent body International Olympic Committee (IOC). This much to say for the stalwarts, sports administrators, managers and leaders of sports bodies, which are mandated to promote and nurture sports and sportspersons. They mirror the political class in the country, which cocks a snook at the people of the country who are not forthcoming to show them out of the door, for want of courage and underlying fear.

We, do hope that in keeping with the hopes of the people and in accordance with the canons of law as enshrined in our system of jurisprudence, these black-guards who pollute and discredit our society are punished in an exemplary manner, so as to set an example for others who are on the fringes of skulduggery in our society and its political class. It is then and only then that, there is some hope of democracy being prevented from getting derailed in India and becoming a glorious sham, which it presently is.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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Change the Political System in the Country

THE CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY IN INDIA

The recent incident of a gang rape, battery and attempt to murder of a 23 year old girl, in the country’s capital, Delhi is not just a shameless and brazen act of criminality, indulged in by a clutch of hideous scum who disgrace and embarrass men as a species, but is also an all encompassing metaphor for the larger rape, loot and plunder of the country; symbolized and enacted on a near regular basis on the floor of the Indian parliament, without prejudice to either gender. The unfortunate girl has become a sacrificial lamb to arouse and engender the anger and wrath of the people of the country, to come out in such large numbers on the roads of Delhi, as can rattle both the Houses of the parliament, only to make a statement about the growing apathy of the government towards people’s issues. Women, of course, who continue to remain the physically weaker sex and not sufficiently empowered to take their rightful place in the social mainstream of India, are the worse off, only because they suffer the indignities hurled upon them because of their gender by both , the people and the institutions of the government. Every time an eventuality takes place in the social canvas of a city, town and village, it is then and only then that the government of the day or else the public institutions or administration gear up to prepare for another similar such happening. Whether, it is the series of incidents involving children falling into bore holes left uncovered and thus dying, or incidents of recurring impropriety indulged in by the very guardians of civil society against women, or the macabre hegemony of the Khap panchayats against boys and girls who develop friendly liaisons and fall in love, or rapes of innocent children, young girls and women by perverts among us or road rage resulting in acts of violence and even murder; the government and public institutions invested with the responsibility to preclude these from occurring or else happening are woefully unprepared or under prepared to either regulate or prevent these. In most such cases as come to public notice, thanks to the ever alert and vigilant media, which is thoughtlessly accused of sensationalizing matters for catching eyeballs, the police and the lower government functionaries are to be held accountable for dereliction of their duties and being insensitive to the woes of the people, for whom these are meant. This does not in any way exonerate the respective apex hierarchies and the people’s representatives, who are charged with the constructive onus of ensuring the security of the masses and the taxpaying public at large.

Today, the country stands at a historical crossroads, which undermines the credibility of the political system which we have adopted for ourselves and as enshrined in our constitution. Irrespective of the merit of the binding document which defines our System and its Constitutional ramifications, it cannot work for us. Only, because, we as a society and people are not worthy of it. We get the type of leaders and government within our political framework, which we deserve. Should we as a people want to bring about a much needed and welcome change into our political thinking, then it has got to be something which is not hackneyed and adaptive, but instead radical and out of the box. The choices therefore get limited and insinuate something as radical as a revolution in the country, which examines the possibility of considering an autocratic dispensation for a stated and predetermined period of time. Even though I am a votary to support the likes of the Aam Admi Party and civil society movements, which can keep a tight leash on our government and its institutions, but the manner and speed with which we repudiated our idealism and cultural values that, we swore by when we became independent from colonial rule, prognosticates a similar fate for the embryonic political party headed by Arvind Kejriwal. Therefore, it boils down to the postulate of being honest, upright, righteous, correct and competent only till such time, as one has not been sucked into the power game of Indian Politics. Then it is all the same, and it reduces itself into a comparative equation. Even though I may be read as tilting at the windmills, by making such a radical suggestion to replace the most evolved and progressive form of government, which is Democracy; yet it is probably the better of the two choices which we are headed for, the other being a blood bath supported by vested foreign interests.

It is heartening to see the crowds that, have spilled onto the roads and avenues of most cities and metropolises in the country, in anger and rage over the scurrilous act of five or more men who disgrace and mortify Indian society today; because it is this very sentiment and feeling against the ineptitude and hypocrisy of the political class and the government that, must get tweaked into a more enduring and all encompassing uprising against the POLITICAL SYSTEM obtaining within the country that has let down the NATION. The presence of the youth in this mass upsurge of disgust against the government of the day in Delhi and the Centre augurs well for the future of the country and it is this emotion which can shake the foundations of our polity for our collective good. An honest audit of the achievements of the political class in the recent past will bring India to shame like never before. Corruption, more corruption and yet more corruption. The political class has mastered the art of subterfuge and hypocrisy by which it confounds and inveigles the voter who elects its representatives, driven by hope for a better and dignified future, which articulates and embraces the promises as enshrined in the preamble to our Constitution.  This joke has been going on for too long and I only hope that the people are able to sustain their resentment against the entire political class and come out in a referendum in support of a change of the form of government. This is the state to which this scurrilous and self interest driven class of people, who represent us in the temples of democracy, have brought us to. We must think lateral and out of the box, to stymie the politicians from continuing to RAPE, PLUNDER AND LOOT THE COUNTRY.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051

My 100 th Blog - Makes Me Happy

CAN YOU BECOME A GAME CHANGER IN INDIA’S POLITICS? YES

India is passing through a phase of churning in its democratic evolution. The process, in the 65^th year of its independence, is driven by social activism and a cultural resurgence, which threatens to make ingress into the polity of the country, for the larger good of its people. After the political movement of Jaiprakash Narain, in the aftermath of the dark period of emergency which stifled democracy and consequently put a break to the rule of the Congress party in the government; the rumblings of social activism from Jantar Mantar and Red Fort, which were orchestrated by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Baba Ramdev and others respectively, has the potential to blossom into a welcome reality providing a political alternative to the people of the country. The rampant corruption in public life by politicians of all hues and colours, has galvanised the middle class and youth, like never before to come out of their comfort zones and participate in anti government rallies, aimed to cleanse the political system of pseudo leaders who personify criminality, venality and dishonesty in their dealings. The sense of the country is one of disgust against governance in the Centre and most States, where rectitude and probity in the conduct and behaviour of the people’s representatives has been thrown out of the window, for personal and Party interests. Money power undergirds political expediency, which ensures political power. The electorate is constantly cheated of its trust and faith in the politicians of the country, who brazenly practice subterfuge by misusing money to buy off the majority voters through material inducements.  The institutions of the country have been so derailed as to lose all legitimacy, with its people demoralised and confused and having lost faith in the system as a whole, including those who are a part of it. The common man is in despair and dejection at the prospect of what the present and the future hold for this country and its federalism. We are veering towards a cul de sac of instability and security, wherein both the people and the nation are doomed to an existence of moral and righteous penury, unleashed by both the government and the opposition. The choice is difficult to make between one and the other. In fact it is a Hobson’s choice between the UPA and the NDA at the Centre and a string of regional parties who entice the masses on the calculus of religion, caste, sub caste, class, language and all else, which divides the voters on emotive and petty issues of parochialism. The regional parties, which matter in a coalition in the Centre with either of the alliances, literally arm twist and blackmail the government to accede to their political agendas, suiting their regional constituencies. A game of quid pro quo is played out in the parliament, which insults and assails the essence of democracy.

It is in this environment of pathetic and murky politics, which is being played out in the parliament on a periodic and regular basis, that the requirement to support the social activists, who have shown the gall to pick up the gauntlet and participate in the process of democracy, was never more. A burgeoning middle class and a sizeable demographic dividend comprising the youth, must seize this opportunity, which is now being provided by the Aam Admi Party, Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev to come together in the political and social mainstream respectively and pose a real challenge to the career politicians, who have brought the character of this country to a state of near ruin and moral decay. The corrupt and arrogant politicians, who sully the corridors of Parliament and State Assemblies with their maleficience, draw their comfort from the confidence of ill gotten wealth, acquired from the loot and plunder of National and State resources and the tax payer’s money; to neutralise any threat to their political stature and position from those who are driven by a desire to serve the people and the country. This is a make or break period in the political history of the country. Wherein, any digression or else lack of enthusiasm on the part of those who want good governance; from the chosen course to strengthen the hands of all those who confront criminalisation of politics and are willing to join in the electoral battle, will drive the last nail into the coffin of Indian Democracy. The politicians and their cronies will laugh all the way to power and more arrogance and then only a bloody revolution like the Maoists want against the state will probably redeem the situation. To pre-empt this from happening, it will be in the interest of all stakeholders of good governance, which includes those politicians who are clean and selfless, to come together in forums of solidarity that are steeped in their organizational roots viz armed forces, bureaucracy, para military forces, central police services, civil society, corporate workers, academicians, service class et al to fight and defeat venal politicians, irrespective of party, religion, caste, sub caste, class, language and parochial considerations. The sole consideration should be merit and integrity, to vote and elect the people’s representative into power. It is then and only then, that the collective dream of the people of India, to have a comparatively corruption free government at all levels of governance, which impact the lives of the majority, may as well become a reality in the next decade or so. Otherwise, the country is doomed to an unfortunate future.

All concerned will therefore be well advised to move beyond being the chattering class, epitomised by the growing middle class and its cynicism; to come out and become a ‘Game Changer’ in India’s politics.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051 

End their Fiefdoms

HAIL THE SPORTS CODE; TO CLEANSE INDIAN SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS

The sports ministry’s decision to de recognize and suspend the archery and boxing associations, in the wake of irregularities reported and observed in their election process and not abiding by the sports code enunciated by the government; is a welcome step taken to cleanse the political muck and imperiousness obtaining in the sports federations, including its apex body the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). This could not have happened at a better time than this, when the IOC too has tightened the screws on the IOA and meted out a similar treatment to it, by de affiliating it from its Committee. The loot, rape and plunder of established societal and institutional values, which sustain efficiency and effectiveness in organizations nurtured under the umbrella of good governance or else business practices in a country, has brought the career politician to a new low in public perception and has hit rock bottom with the spate of scams, which have surfaced in recent times. Whichever aspect of public life has been dabbled with by the politicians has made it to rot and smeared it with venality, sooner than later. And sports are no different. When the emerging youth congress leader of Pune and Maharashtra, Suresh Kalmadi, who blossomed under the political patronage of Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, had settled down in state and national politics, saw a window of opportunity emerge for him in the Amateur Athletics Association, he grabbed it by the forelock. It provided an excellent chance to him, to extend and extrapolate his political constituency. And the rest as they say is history. Suresh Kalmadi had brought along with him all the ills and negatives of politics into the management and administration of sports associations. The freeloaders who till now were on the fringes of these associations and were sitting on the fence, saw the ingress of politicians into the sports associations as a God sent chance to make hay while the sun shines and accordingly aligned themselves and jumped into the bandwagon of these politicians who had taken the reins of leadership in these associations. The politicians provided the much required interface with the sports ministry and the government, to eke out funds for development and promotion of sports and sportspersons; in a country which still considered sports a low priority activity at the national level. Funds were provided few and far between, under the alibi of huge public investments made in social welfare, poverty alleviation and development programmes. With the financial resource crunch which obtained in most sports associations, other than cricket which is not part of the IOA, the politicians provided the required leverage to get funds from the government and sports benefited. The Asian Games held at Delhi in 1982 became the inflexion point for sports in India. The Sports Authority of India was then carved out as the field arm of the Sports Ministry, to support and promote the growth of high performance sports in the country and accordingly the financial allocation for sports in the annual budget too got a comparative hike. The effort of the government and the sports associations worked in tandem, to finally throw up an individual Olympic Silver in the Athens Games 2004, which Chilly Rathore won for the country in shooting, Double Trap. This was largely attributable to the vision of the Army, which had launched itself into its ‘Mission Olympics’, with the aim of winning medals in selected  individual sports disciplines. Col Chilly Rathore was then a product of this effort.  

With sports competitions and championships as a rallying point for projecting national pride and youth power, most countries got rightfully sucked into it and international sports events became more grand and visible. Television had a huge hand in popularising sports and monies started flowing into the coffers of organizers, who used the medium for generating profits through television rights sold to media houses and partners. The sports industry had made its presence in a big way and technology brought in a fresh paradigm to make sports more interesting, competitive and viewer friendly. This was the time when Indian politicians were wooed by the lesser sports administrators and managers to become a part of their outfit and also provide it with leadership. Unfortunately, when you pick up one end of the stick you also pick up the other and this is what happened to Indian sports associations too; who while benefiting from the presence of these politicians in their organizations had also provided the very same people to bring the dirt and grime of national / state politics into sports. The immediate fallout of the politicians coming into sports administrations was in dividing the house into camps, with its own retinue of followers and supporters and money to influence and win elections with. The elections to become office bearers assumed significance, as it entitled those who remained at the helm to enjoy the perks, which are a plenty. Promotion and development of the sport was coincidental and failure was attributed to the ministry, whereas a win had many fathers.

The overbearing desire of the heads of sports associations to continue and remain in office, without any accountability towards their charge and regulation by the government, is a testimony to the fact that there is something very lucrative in holding onto one’s office in these sports bodies, more as one’s fiefdom than a democratic dispensation driven by a similar process. The examples of Suresh Kalmadi, V K Malhotra, Abhay Chautala, Ajay Chautala, Jagdish Tytler, Praful Patel , Yashwant Sinha etc are there  for all to see and make one’s own assumptions about. The happenings in the elections of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF), as have been revealed in the electronic and print media, make the entire process into a mockery of the procedure as enshrined in its constitution. We hope and pray that, for the good of Indian sport, the minister of sports does not yield to any political pressure and continue with the ministry’s stand to de recognize all such sports associations as will not abide by and adhere with the sports code.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051

The Quagmire of IOA

The Imperious and Bizarre Mindset of the IOC: Will Jacques Rogge Wake Up!

The imperious manner in which the IOC is bullying the IOA and the Government of India, in the procedure to be followed for the upcoming elections to be held for the office bearers in the executive committee of the IOA, must be resisted, at all cost by the GoI and wait for the outcome of this defiance and for how long. It is most bizarre that, the IOC, while having the provisions for regulating the age, duration and tenure of the members elected to the executive committee on a 70, 12 and 8 model in its own charter and constitution, is expressing umbrage and interpreting a similar practice by the IOA in keeping with the government’s sports code, as interference in the autonomous functioning of the association. Nothing could be more outlandish, ridiculous and vacuous on the part of the IOC to read into the entire matter, as one of imposing a government diktat upon the IOA, in contravention to its charter and constitution.

The whole story plays out like this, the office bearers of the NSFs and the SOAs / IOA were having it as good as it gets, by hanging on to their chairs in their respective executive committees, for near perpetuity and without accountability to the country and its sportsperson. Age, duration and tenure were of little concern to these sports administration and management aficionados, who were running the NSFs, SOAs and the IOA as their personal fiefdoms, without any regulation from an outside authority, more so the government, through its sports minister. The idea was to reign in these office bearers, who were making merry at the cost of the tax payer and the marginalised sportsperson. Sick with the goings on in these sports bodies, eminent and well meaning sportsperson came together to form an organization Clean Sports India (CSI), as a pressure group to prevail over the government and push it to do something about the goings on in the administration and management of sports bodies, wherein, sports had been largely politicised and management best practices were literally thrown out of the window. The erstwhile sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyyar , made an attempt to do this during the run up to the Delhi Commonwealth Games, but was axed from his charge owing to a fait accompli situation, which then prevailed and India’s prestige was at stake for failing to live up to its commitment to the Commonwealth Nations. The chairman of the Organizing Committee, the bombastic and hot air and nothing else Suresh Kalmadi, was mainly behind this change. It was then that MS Gill stepped into the shoes of the sports minister and saw the conduct of the Commonwealth Games, in an exemplary manner. However his halcyon days were short lived, and in the wake of the tomes of scams which emerged from the office of the Chairman Organizing Committee, he too was eased out from his ministry. It was MS Gill who had the proud distinction to be the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, smelled the coffee and accordingly introduced the government’s Sports Code, for implementation in the functioning and procedures of these sports bodies. Where had he faulted in articulating and codifying, what already exists in the IOC charter and its constitution? It was a management best practice, which had seen the strangle hold of Avery Brundage and Juan Antonio Samaranch, which ran for years and years, as the President / Chairman of the IOC come to a thankful end. This provided an opportunity to young and fresh blood to make a foray into the coveted office of the IOC, and which essentially brought in new ideas and practices, for the good of sport and athletes, round the world. The Delhi High Court upheld the contention of the government, when this was challenged by the IOA, who premised their argument and defence on the escape clause in the charter and constitution of the IOC; forbidding any government or third party interference in the affairs of the IOA. Therefore, while VK Malhotra, who has been heading the Archery Association for more than 40 years and had thus become ineligible on grounds of age and tenure, shot off a letter to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland), informing them about the situation as it obtains and the elections being held in accordance with the government’s directive as enshrined in the Sports Code. This immediately evinced a response and reaction from the IOC, who averred this as government interference, notwithstanding the fact that the same model of 70, 12 and 8 is being followed in their own charter and constitution. A mischief had been played by this blubber nosed politician and acting president of the IOA. How? It also made Randhir Singh, who is the present Secretary General of the IOA, ineligible to contest for any office in the executive committee, owing to the embargo of duration and tenure, which he succumbs to. This brought in the corpulent Abhay Singh Chautala, a politician from the INLD party of Haryana and an associate of the NDA as well as the Chairman of the IABF, into the fray. Keeping in mind the muscle and money power, which is available to Abhay Chautala, all others who had a desire to contest for the office of President IOA, gracefully withdrew from the contest, leaving the field open for him to get elected un opposed, as and when the elections are held in the IOA. Randhir Singh, who is also an executive member of the Olympics Committee of Asia (OCA), is looking at the IOC’s threat to derecognise the IOA, to put pressure on the government and leverage his chances to get elected as the President. This is his only ploy to scuttle the wicked and gross act of VK Malhotra, who could as well work out an understanding with Chautala to let him contest for the office of the President, this time and then pass on the baton to him subsequently, when age will probably take its toll and have him tottering and unlikely to hold the same office.

So how does the scenario, unfold itself, in light of the calculus which exists in the IOA? Jacques Rogge the Chairman of the IOC is hell bent on bullying the Indian Government and behaves in a most imperious manner by arm twisting it by the threat of de recognising the IOA, and to follow its policy on non interference in the affairs of the IOA, even when its take on the matter of age, duration and tenure is congruent to what the Sports Code encapsulates. VK Malhotra, the wily old fox of politics, is licking his jowls on the sidelines to see what happens and give him a very probable and likely chance to become the President of IOA. Chautala is keeping his cards close to his chest and is planning on how to upstage both Malhotra and Randhir, depending on how things play out in the National and International domains. And, the shameless, Lalit Bhanot has his fate in the future executive committee, very closely linked to the fortunes of Chautala.

I, would rather prefer that, the government dig its heels on the issue and see how it can manage the crisis which engulfs Indian Sport. When a push becomes a shove, it demands of our government to show its strength against the colonial mindset of the IOC. Should the government give in to the most unrealistic appeal and action of the IOC, it would have surrendered an excellent opportunity to cleanse Indian Sport of rampant politicking and unscrupulous politicians, who exploit the forum for expediency than genuine love for sports.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

+919410900051

The Mess in the IOA

The Destruction of Sports in India

Ever since Suresh Kalmadi, the disgraced and criminally charge sheeted erstwhile President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), made his foray into the management and administration of first the Indian Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) and subsequently the IOA, the National Sports Federations (NSFs) and the State Olympic Associations (SOAs) were politicized and made into the personal fiefdoms of politicians; who did little else than exploit their charge for making their presence in their political constituency, for political gains and advantage. The other minions who bent over backwards to please and help sustain these pseudo sports leaders for near perpetuity, enjoyed the loot that was on offer as a quid pro quo for the trust reposed in them through the instrument of the vote cast in their favour, in the democratic dispensation that governs the constitution of sports bodies. The present imbroglio which has ensnared the elections to the offices in the executive committee is a disaster which was waiting to happen, sooner than later. The corpulent and vernacular Abhay Singh Chautala, who is the sole aspirant to the post of President IOA and is most likely to be elected unopposed in the elections, as and when these are held in the immediate future, is himself involved in a controversy for the arbitrary manner in which the elections in the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) were held, wherein his brother in law has been passed on the baton for a period of four years to preside over the future of the pugilists, who will train and compete under the aegis of the said federation. Not only that, to add insult to injury, he has supported the candidature of a tainted person, who made national headlines by philosophically espousing different hygiene standards of Indians and Europeans, during the turbulent build up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, 2010. He is none other than the scam embroiled Dr Lalit Bhanot, who is contesting un opposed for the office of the Secretary General IOA.

Like the politics of the country and its disgraced politicians, the fate of the IOA and the NSFs / SOAs is no different, wherein criminals who were lodged in the country’s Tihar Jail, continue to take shelter behind the facade of not having been proven guilty in a court of law, which moves like a donkey in dispensing judgement. While a judgement awaits promulgation, the interim period is used to advantage by the accused, under the labyrinthine tenets and provisions of law. The argument is used to justify assertions of little minds, which hide behind the canons and procedures of Indian jurisprudence. The political leadership of the country is replete with examples of such lumpish persons, who become a precedent to quote when arguing in favour of venality in public life. Lalit Bhanot and his future first executive in the IOA are persons who flog this argument to their positional advantage. What has sports management and administration in the country come to? Where the country is at a loss to find such suitable persons to tenant the pivotal offices of the President and Secretary General of the apex body, IOA. There couldn’t be a bigger shame to engulf the country’s sport, at a time when things are looking bright for its sportspersons in the wake of their performance in the just concluded London Games. The prospect of the IOA being de recognised by the international conglomeration of national sports associations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and being debarred from participating in events held under its aegis, is a loaded possibility that stares Indian sportspersons.

Having anticipated the existing situation as it seizes Indian sports today, I as the Secretary of the Army Sports Control Board (ASCB) had put up a proposal to the Chairman Integrated Staff (CIS) to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CSC), way back in 2004, to restructure the sports organization within the Armed Forces and make an attempt to seek affiliation of each of the Services, viz Army, Navy, and Air Force to the NSFs and the IOA. This would enable the Services to leverage its interests within the federation and the association and take control of the happenings, as these would affect and impact sports and sportspersons. By making this happen, each of the Service would have had three votes in the election process to any of the office bearers in either the NSFs or else the IOA. In a democratic dispensation where numbers and correspondingly votes is an imperative ingredient to acquire authority or else enable to make a good choice of people to steer sports bodies for the larger good of sports and sportspersons, ours would have been a major presence to contend with. But it was most unfortunate that, the proposal was dropped for considerations which emanated more from the colour of the uniforms than any objections to its inherent merits. Well, that is how many a good suggestion or else a recommendation is dropped, only because it stems from abject parochialism than a larger good that encompasses the interests of the multitude. And history is replete with such instances, which spring up from time to time, only to be ignored by those who could have shown some sagacity and vision for a noble cause, which serves the interests of a much larger spread of people. Had we exerted our will at that point in time to go with the proposal of seeking individual affiliations for the Army, Navy and The Air Force, ours would have been a conglomerate which would have called the shots in cleansing the Augean Stables of Indian Sports.

The threat which looms large and real over the horizon of Indian Sports, with the rot which has eaten into the vitals of the sports bodies and has not been stemmed, could have possibly been avoided, had our Lt Generals, Air Marshals and Vice Admirals not succumbed to the demons of the mind, which always prevent one from taking a bold and out of the box decision. An opportunity was missed and we continue to wallow in the sad state of affairs, which obtain in our sports management and administration culture. The IOA is obdurate and pig headed in not adopting the very same provisos of the Olympics Charter as contained in clauses 16 (3) and 19 (2 and 3), regarding the age and tenure criterion of office bearers and as reiterated in the Sports Code Bill, enunciated by the Government. Thereby, making a case for the IOC to interpret the matter as one of Government interference in the affairs of the IOA and hence not maintainable in keeping with its constitution. The IOC, should it come true on its veiled threat, will put to shame the country and assail the sports interests of the country’s youth. What a pity that such a mess, has been given as a legacy by these unscrupulous politicians, who have been playing this joke on the people of India for far too long.

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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A Story of Valour, Recollected and Narrated

NURANANG DAY, 17^TH NOV HELD AT DEHRA DUN

The veterans of ‘Fighting Fourth’ Garhwal Rifles commemorated the 50^th anniversary of Nuranang Day, which was awarded to the battalion as the only Battle Honour for operations in the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), present Arunachal Pradesh; at the Defence Sainik Institute, Dehra Dun on 17^th Nov 2012. The gathering comprised a collection of senior veterans of the unit, their wives and the mother of the valorous Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC (posthumous) whose deeds of dauntless courage and sacrifice are immortalised in the annals of military history. The event was presided over by none other than the nonagenarian ex commanding officer of the unit, Lt Col Inder Singh Rawat, KC who was given the onerous responsibility of putting it back on rails, after the ravaging happenings of the 1962 Sino – Indian war. Also present were the wife and daughter of Col Hasta Bahadur Rai, who had participated in the war and discharged his responsibilities as a company commander with great fortitude.

The proceedings were held in a very befitting, precise and solemn manner, as will do proud to any commemorative military event held anywhere. Rfn Jaswant Singh, MVC (posthumous) whose legend today lives on to inspire the ‘Garhwalis’ and others in service of their motherland, has immortalised himself in the memorial which exists in Nuranang, later re named as JASWANTGARH in his honour. The spirit which pervaded the event was full of unprecedented and singular camaraderie, while recollecting the saga of exceptional bravery, doughty courage and extreme professionalism; as was displayed by the unit in those very trying and difficult times and as recorded in the pages of the Regiment’s history. The veterans, who had come in large numbers from all over in Uttarakhand, resolved to make this commemoration into an annual event and approved the establishing of a Trust Fund, essentially to help organize it with due military propriety. It was a matter of great pride for all those who were present that, while they were here in a spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, the Colonel of the Regiment of Garhwal Rifles and Garhwal Scouts, Lt Gen Ata Hasnain, who is the Military Secretary and a principal staff officer to the Chief of Army Staff, was laying a wreath at the JASWANTGARH memorial in Arunachal Pradesh.

The unit had suffered very heavy casualties in this war, which included 3 Officers, 4 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), 148 Other Ranks (Ors) and 7 Non Combatants (Enrolled), killed in action. The battalion received the following gallantry awards -:

Maha Vir Chakra

Lt Col B M Bhattacharjea (CO)

Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat (Posthumous)

Vir Chakra

2^nd Lt V K Goswami (Posthumous)

2^nd Lt S N Tandon

Sub Udai Singh Rawat

Jem Jatan Singh Gusain

U/P/L Nk Trilok Singh Negi (Posthumous)

Rfn Gopal Singh Gusain

Rfn Madan Singh Rawat (Posthumous)

Sena Medal

Nk Ranjit Singh Gusain

Mention in Despatches

Jem Gabar Singh Rawat

It will also be pertinent to mention here that 4 Garhwal Rifles, which has a proud history of gallantry, has also acquired for itself the singular honour of having represented the Indian Army in the CAMBRIAN PATROL on three occasions, which is held in England as a test of junior level professionalism in the Army’s of the world and won a Bronze and Silver medal. The battalion is surely a crowning glory of not only the Garhwal Regiment but the Indian Army.  

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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