Lt Gen Khanna, Maj Gen Surjit Singh on his left and Brig SK Dovedy on his right, the author on extreme left
Stranger's call
A hundred Rupee Note did get exchanged from my hand to his; was it at his request or due to the empathy, his penury and destitution being so transparent and his efforts to dress as he was making it obvious that he had seen better days, that I felt for him? Did I consider him to be source of of wise counsel or prophetic opinions?
Selection Board
It was a few days after my appeal for having been passed- over had been rejected by the authorities that be, and I had reconciled to the fact but not Jeet, who in the meantime, had packed the house and decided to bid farewell to Mhow with or without me, that we were sitting together in the veranda of our beloved hutment, both in silence, possibly contemplating the next step and the future plans, that I noticed an elderly gentlemen dressed in suit and tie standing at the gate and beckoning me.
ESP
From a closer look he appeared to be pretty down at heels, his clothes had certainly seen better days and a bit desperate from his demeanour. ‘I can feel some vibrations’ he sad and pleaded ‘please let me come in I have some thing to tell you’. His being a stranger and me not being sure as to what he could have to tell me opened the gate of the compound and rather reluctantly let him in. It transpired that he had a claim to have some ESP (Extra Sensory Powers) at his command, though not a believer in ESP or astrology, possibly remembering my earlier encounter with the Oracle from Nathang, way back in 1970 at Lungthu in Sikkim; I let him have his say.
Reading the lines
I now do not recall if he held my hands or looked at the lines in my palm but he soon declared that I would get my next promotion very soon. Though his prediction was pleasant to the ears, I was convinced that it was pure hogwash, especially with the rejection- slip to my appeal safely locked, from the eyes of Jeet, in my briefcase. I responded by telling him that there was no chance of his prophesy coming true. He still insisted, was quite adamant and positive about it.
Prediction
Fortunately for me he was right and I was wrong in my thinking: to mine and everyone’s surprise the next Selection Board, strangely based on the same old, my earlier Annual Reports and with no fresh inputs, cleared me for the next rank. However, the damage had already been done in nullifying the advantage of the two years anti- date which I had due to my technical qualifications. Perhaps it benefited some individual or individuals, yet I have no regrets.
Signal Officer in Chief
The prophesy by the Oracle of Mhow came cent percent true unlike the prediction by the Oracle of Nathang which was only fifty percent correct, in that Banker, did not make it to Lt Col, while in his case the prophecy in respect of then Maj Gen V C Khanna along that made about me also came true. I do not remember as to who had apprised me of this, but it is also a fact that at that time it was Maj Gen J Mayadas who was the favourite and centre of all attraction, so obvious when both of them had together visited MCTE for some function, to be the next So-in-C. However, it was Khanna who to every one’s surprise, shock and awe, got promoted to Lt Gen and took over as the next So-in- C, on retirement of Lt Gen RP Sapra.
Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)
Link: Signal Officer Narrative 1971
Comments:
The Army employs a system of annual appraisals which are called Annual Confidential Reports (ACR). The ACR is produced annually to a timetable depending on rank and performs two functions: It tells the individual honestly how he/ she has done during that period and leaves them in no doubt how to improve their performance. When placed with the individuals other previous ACRs it becomes the raw material used by selection boards to assess potential for promotion, training and appointments. Along with the ACR is tagged the Annual Medical Report.
Newly commissioned army officers will not be subject to the annual confidential report for the first nine years of service. It was found that the "zero error syndrome" was creeping in among the young officers anxious not to mar their career profile by taking risks. Therefore, under this plan, officers will not be assessed in the first two years of their service. Thereafter, for the next seven years there will only be a "unit assessment card", which will be done by the officer's peers within the battalion.
The ACRs and Medical Reports do not generally represent the true picture of the Officer especially from rank of Brig to Lt Gen as all are branded "High Profile". The Medical Standards need to be made more stringent to knock out the flab. Fifty percent of the Generals are medically unfit but due to their rank influence they retain SHAPE One category till retirement and most of them aspire to serve and retire in Delhi, as per statistics.
Ideally there should be no representation on ACR's, however, erroneous one surmises it to be. Showing of ACR to concerned officer is not prudent unless a feedback system is evolved to evaluate leadership traits. What we heard from media reports in Maj Gen AK Lal's case was that, subordinate officers ACRs were discussed by his family members. This surely is an unwelcome trend. The sanctum and confidentiality of ACR must be scrupulously preserved at all times.
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