IESM: OROP is a winnable marathon

Dear Colleagues,
We are familiar with the famous Longewala battle of December 1971. When the Pakistani tanks, after deep penetration, had reportedly surrounded the Rifle Company post of PUNJAB Regiment, there was very little wherewithal to stop their assault except the sheer grit of Maj Chandpuri and his men. They persevered, held on and prevailed, the tanks finally withdrawing. The Indian Army heaved a sigh of relief.
Some of us might have read the other side of the story, from a book by the Pakistani Divisional Commander who was sacked after this event. The crux of what he wrote was that it was God’s grace that the Indians did not pursue the withdrawing tank column. Otherwise, according to him, there would have been a massacre.
Both sides felt relieved at the adversary did not seize the opportunity. The lesson that comes out is that in a struggle we should look at both sides of the picture and not be overawed by the difficulties we are facing or be disappointed by the seeming lack of success.
OROP is a long struggle. It is a ‘war’ not a ‘battle’; a ‘marathon’ not a ‘sprint’ and one should be taking a long term perspective. We need to avoid any sense of fatigue that medal return has not had any effect – it actually has, though may not be in visible form.
We need to persevere.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM.
Chairman IESM.

Dear General,
There is no doubt that we are into a war and not a battle.
I also take this opportunity to suggest that we prepare a 'real-life pic of a soldier's life' to distribute to aspiring soldiers and circulate it so that the people at large know how we are being taken for granted and ill treated. For a change we should start from the Sepoy and go up to the General. It should include comparisons with the civil government employees to drive home the points.

Hope you are aware of the Maj Gen's case where the babus have introduced a date by which application have to be submitted for revision only to deny them the 10% interest that the court has ordered! Can anybody use RTI and get the file notings leading to such an arbitrary decision? Also an application should be sent to the cda pensions seeking info on the number of maj gen pensioners/ widows. Both should be collated and disseminated.

Of course all these will reiterate only one thing- the need for fundamental changes in our system of governance. The causes that I have been espousing for quite some time now. The need of the hour is to take up cudgels against the judiciary which has lost all credibility. Think of it, isn't it why even we are seeking justice on the streets?

I also take this opportunity to request you to support the online petition at clik here

It is addressed to the President and PM of India to constitute a National Judicial Commission to try and punish guilty judges as per laws applicable to ordinary citizens.
regards n best wishes,
ravi (veteran)
Maj PM Ravindran, Activist against corruption in Judiciary