Know the Unknown Soldier

Ask us increasingly cynical and notoriously fickle Indians to name something or someone we still have deep and abiding respect for and chances are we will all have the same answer: the Indian Solider. We may have lazy scorn for our politicians, historic resentment of our bureaucrats and deep-seated 

envy of our industrialists. But show us those landscaped images of a lone jawan stoically standing guard on an icy, barren, mountaintop, throw in a few strains of AR Rahman’s Vande Mataram and watch our tears turn into a flood of empathy.

We push our military into duties that were never really part of its job description. So, apart from and in addition to fighting wars and terrorism, we count on our soldiers to play roles as varied as building bridges when the tsunami hits, keeping the peace during religious riots and even managing the now-epidemic condition of saving children who mysteriously end up at the bottom of borewells. 

But if we are a country that really cares so deeply for its military, why is it that a monster called apathy is in serious danger of devouring the future of the Armed Forces?

This week, while we were all consumed by whether the Olympic torch would make its way safely past India Gate (built by Edwin Lutyens to honour the 84,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I), the Army Chief was making a trip down the same road. He was on his way to meet the Urban Development Minister, probably wondering — as many of his predecessors had before him—  whether he would have any luck convincing this government to do, what the British had already done as far back as 1921. He was carrying a file that has now travelled through multiple ministries for seven years: the plans and architectural designs for a National War Memorial.

For the last two years, different government bodies including the Delhi Urban Arts Commission, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Heritage Conservation Committee have squabbled like recalcitrant children over whether the designs for the memorial are tenable. Could anything be a more shocking illustration of the stranglehold of red-tape around what should have been a flagship project for any government?

The designs for the memorial (the proposal is to build the structure around the canopy at India Gate) have been created by Charles Correa, easily one of India’s most venerable architects. Yet ask officials what has held up the green signal, and they will tell you it is a “lack of consensus” over how high the walls of the memorial should be. Have you heard of anything more ludicrous?

Admittedly, India Gate is a heritage building, and any new construction within its circumference would have to be aesthetically sensitive. But that is not even the point. Surely the question to ask instead is why military chiefs should have to implore different mantrijis to sign on the dotted line for something that should be a matter of intuitive national pride. We like to think of ourselves as self-confident nation, a global powerhouse that is hard to beat. And yet, a file to create a national memorial for soldiers who die in conflict has gathered cobwebs and dust for seven long years, and we aren’t even angry enough to ask why.

Perhaps it’s time to admit that cocooned in the embrace of the new economy and the surging sensex, we may like to be believe that we care about the ordinary Indian soldier, but at best, our solidarity is notional and feeble. We have passionate opinions on whether India is a ‘soft state’ or whether our governments are ‘tough on terror’. But beyond the sound and fury of drawing room debate, soldiering is something that happens to other people. We respond to stories of valour and tragedy with applause and tears but as the moment passes, so does our interest and engagement. It’s almost like watching a movie — for those three hours we are transported enough for celluloid emotion to tug at our hearts, but as the popcorn winds down and the lights beam up again — we know that our lives are elsewhere. Our engagement with the plight of the Indian Soldier is similar — ephemeral and maudlin, but essentially indifferent.

The PLU (People like us) brigade would no longer consider the military as a career option and many of those who did are now lining up and pleading for the freedom to leave. Ask the Generals and Admirals unofficially, and they will concede that they have to reject resignations, because the shortfall would be too dire to deal with. In Kashmir, there are already reports of ordinance and artillery units doubling up for infantry duty, because of the numbers crunch. And for the first time in years, the Army is actually considering a one-time emergency, short-service commissioning of officers to fill the ever widening gap. That’s how serious and morale weakening the situation is. 

Like any other wing of the government, the military knows it can’t compete with the big bucks of the private sector. But, no matter, what your view is on the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, can you think of a single reason why the military has never had a representative on any pay board? Or why the military shouldn’t just have its own wage board?

The carpers will ask where it will all end. Tomorrow, the police and the paramilitary, they say, will ask for the same. The liberals will hurl phrases like ‘jingoism’ at you and say far too much fuss is made about soldiers. But chances are that they have never had to stand upright and tearless to salute a coffin draped in a flag. And the rest will say we are on the side of the soldier and forget all about it with the turn of this page.

In the meantime, the old school soldier will try and tell a generation that doesn’t care that everything is not about money. He will say that there are such things as romance and respect for which there is no other substitute. He will then open the newspaper and read about a country that has been debating whether we need a war memorial since the 1960s. And he will be silent.

Indian Army warns its soldiers against Facebook, Orkut, Twitter

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, are striving hard to woo the Indian users, but the Indian Army has directed its soldiers to stay away from social networking sites.

Javier Olivan, the international manager for Facebook, is really having busy time in finding new ways to expand the operations and user-base of Facebook. In order to attract more users in India, Facebook has added Hindi and five other Indian languages including Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu; the site now officially supports 57 languages. The site is considering introducing several dozen more languages, under its expansion plan.

But, Facebook’s expansion plan has got big setback, with the Indian Army showing cold feet towards social networking sites, such as Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, and MySpace, fearing that the men in uniform could inadvertently leak nation security information on these sites.  

The Indian Army has issued a circular to its personnel directing to be very careful while posting any information on social networking sites. The Indian Army has directed its soldiers to refrain from posting the information about employment or profession, their ranks, and their whereabouts on public forums such as social networking sites.
 
According to the Indian Army, such information must be removed from the internet immediately. Such info is not only dangerous for the defense personnel, but also for national security.

The Indian Army has circulated that if any soldier found violating the order, dictionary action will be taken against the soldier, under The Army Act; the soldier could be for up to seven years. According to the Indian Army estimate, about 35,000 of its 1.1 million soldiers, from all ranks, are active internet users.

Armed Forces officers join IIM-A to prepare for boardroom battles

Ahmedabad, Oct 12, 2006: After spending a good part of their lives with tanks around them and adapting themselves to the heat of deserts and cool climes of the Himalayas, 60 officers of the Indian Armed Forces have joined the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad to prune their management skills and equip themselves to enter the private sector, post-retirement.

Welcoming the 'new students' at the campus at a formal inauguration function, IIM-A Director Bakul Dholakia said, ''The basic idea behind the course is to smoothen the transition of these men in uniform to civilian life after retirement and to help them find gainful employment.'' He said since the retirement age in the armed forces is much lower, after superannuation they can still work for 20 years or so.

The course is designed to give them inputs which will help them to take up managerial positions in the corporate sector, he added.

He said designing the course was a challenge for the IIM faculty. ''This was because these distinguished senior officers have leadership qualities and strategic insights and have been trained to deal with uncertainties all the time. They were also expected to have a quick response ability and their decision-making ability was bound to be above average,'' Mr Dholakia added.

In a lighter vein, he also hoped that their highest levels of discipline would also rub off on other students in the campus. ''I think they (students) are taking notes of the discipline aspect in the mess room,'' he quipped.

He also said the intake of students for the course may be increased in the coming years.

Also speaking on the occasion, Maj Gen Harwant Krishan, Director General, Resettlement, said it was an achievement for the Armed Forces Resettlement Board to have struck a partnership with the most premier management institute in the country and expressed the hope that the officers will combine the ethos of the Forces like loyalty, team spirit, punctuality and discipline with that of civilian life.

He said about 3,000 officers retire from the Forces every year and such courses can be of help to them to re-orient themselves to civilian jobs.

''Similar courses are also being run by IIM-Lucknow and IIM, Indore while those in Kolkata and Bangalore are due to start the programme next year,'' he added.

Among the 60 personnel who have enrolled for the course, 36 are from the Army, and 12 each are from Navy and the Air Force, said Prof P Khokle, one of the coordinators of the course. Officers who are not below the rank of colonel in the Army and its equivalent in the Air Force and Navy, have been selected for the course. ''They are either on the verge of retirement or have few months in service. In fact, at least four to five of them are already retired,'' he added.

The course will comprise of 24 subjects including accounting, finance,economics and the like. ''The basic pedagogy, and the depth and range of method of instruction will remain the same. Your takeaway will be proportional to the input you provide,'' Prof Dholakia told the students.

The selection of the officers has been done by the Directorate General of Resettlement and Training. It will also be contributing 60 per cent of the course fees of each student. ''The officers have been shortlisted from among 450 applicants, who were keen to join the course,'' said Maj Gen Krishna.

For Hemika Bakshi, it was a God-sent opportunity to enter the portals of the country's most premier institute. ''When I was posted in Ahmedabad and used to cross the IIM, I would look upon with envy and never thought that I would be here as a student,'' she said.

Hemika, who is from Delhi, had left the Army a month back and was looking for employment in the corporate sector.

On the hand, Captain H B Sharma from the Indian Navy, said he was keen to attend the course to equip himself for a good corporate sector job. ''I have two more years of service and may take premature retirement if I get a good break,'' he said.

Source: One India

72 Army officers sold their weapons for profit

In a shocking disclosure, the Army on Friday admitted that 72 officers, including a serving Colonel and three Lt Colonels, posted in border districts of Rajasthan and at the Indian Army Training Team (IMTRAT), Bhutan, were part of an illegal arms sale racket.
    The admission came in a status report submitted to the SC through additional solicitor-general Vivek Tankha after a PIL petitioner advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma cried himself hoarse for three years and after the Supreme Court pressed for a probe.
    Weapons procured and sold in violation of the Army Act and Customs Act to arms dealers and private persons included both prohibited and nonprohibited bore and “a total of 72 officers and one JCO were blameworthy”, the Army said, quoting a report submitted by the Court of Inquiry two years ago. In an affidavit submitted to an SC bench of Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar, the Army said that its officers posted at IMTRAT, Bhutan, wrongly felt that it was alright for them to import firearms and ammunition and sell them at a profit. “This needs to be corrected immediately,” it said. 
    It gave the names of the Colonel and 3 Lt Cols along with the number of weapons traded by them — Col Neeraj Rana (5 weapons of Army officers), Lt Col V S Rathore (17 weapons of Army officers including his weapon), Lt Col S S Rathore (5 weapons of Army officers including his own) and Lt Col B S Shekhawat (11 weapons of Army officers).
    While clarifying that most of the weapons illegally traded off were not service ones but non-service patterns (NSPs), the Army said: “Forty-five officers and one JCO had sold their NSP weapons without taking sanction of competent authority in violation of SAO 1/S/96 and the Arms Act, 1959. Of these, 10 officers have since retired.”
    “Twenty-five officers who were posted at IMTRAT, Bhutan, were found to have imported ammunition in excess of their authorization,” the status report said and detailed the disciplinary action taken against them.
    Shockingly, of the 35 serving officers, one JCO and 10 retired officers who were asked by the authorities to deposit back their NSPs with the Central Ordnance Depot, Jabalpur, within three months, only four officers have been able to retrieve their weapons and deposit the same with COD Jabalpur and Chandigarh. While disciplinary action was initiated against four who deposited back their weapons after retrieving them from arms dealers, the rest of the weapons appear to have been lost.
    “Regarding 31 officers and a JCO who had sold their NSPs without sanction and failed to deposit them back with COD, these personnel are serving in various parts of the country. Their attachment orders have been issued by competent authority on August 31, 2010 with the instructions to report to the concerned formation headquarters and units forthwith. On arrival of these officers, disciplinary action will commence against them under the Army Act and Army Rules,” the affidavit by the Army promised the SC.
Courtesy: Times of India

Army called in to help in Common Wealth Games

When all systems fail, call in the Army. With time running out, a desperate Delhi government has now asked the Army to build a foot overbridge outside the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in place of the one that collapsed on Tuesday. The bridge will facilitate movement of spectators. 

    The move came after officials responsible for securing the stadium found that an alternative movement plan for spectators would pose a security risk.
    Top Delhi government officials said the Army plans to begin work immediately and is expected to deliver the bridge within five days. ‘‘This will be a Bailey bridge,’’ chief secretary Rakesh Mehta told TOI. A bailey bridge is a prefabricated truss bridge used by the military to bridge gaps. The new bridge will not be as fancy as the one that fell, but will be built at a fraction of the original cost. Rs 5 crore was being spent on the suspension bridge that collapsed.
    The PWD has been asked to complete the second foot overbridge that will also take spectators into the stadium. This structure will be completed before the Games by PWD, which claims material is ready and it will be possible to finish work in time. Army sources confirmed military engineers had been asked to build the bridge following a request from the Delhi chief secretary. Some of the equipment had already been moved to the site, they added.
    As the entire Delhi Government machinery swung into action to execute a belated salvage operation at the Games Village, by afternoon it was evident that a replacement for the collapsed foot over bridge at JLN stadium would be necessary. Earlier, the government and the traffic police had proposed an alternative plan for movement of spectators who were supposed to use the FOB.
    According to top sources, under the alternative plan, spectators would have had to walk an extra kilometre to enter the stadium. Thus a meeting was held with the Army representatives on Friday where the modalities of building a bridge were discussed. Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said, ‘‘For now, they have agreed to make one bridge.’’ 
Courtesy : Times of India