The Article by Manoj Joshi is 10 years old but today even more relevant. One of the thrust of the Article is that there has been considerable intake from what we call ‘lower middle class’. May it be suggested that this is not a new phenomenon. However, it is true that earlier larger number came from well to do families than these days.
The British had established RIMC and KGRIM. While the former had cadets from richer families the KGs mostly had wards of JCOs and OR. Many generals and other officers who did well during wars were from KGRIM!!
If a ward of a JCO, NCO, taxi driver makes it to the NDA/IMA/OTS, he/she have to have special qualities. They obviously have talent, will power, self confidence, brains and leadership qualities to overcome the short comings if any in their upbringing. After all they made it, beating thousands from better off families, during the tough and unbiased selection process and later in various academies! Gen Kyani, Chief of Pakistan Army is son of a JCO!!
It is for consideration that in today’s consumerism society, many of the wards of the neo rich will not be fit for the Defence Services. They will not be attuned to discipline and hard military life. The Defence Services require a hardy, tough human being and those who have had to struggle in childhood are likely to have such inherent qualities. May be that such officers can empathize with the soldiers better!!
They may be at a disadvantage initially, but the training in NDA/IMA/OTS polishes up most of the cadets. Later it is up to the senior officers in units to bring up their officers. True the family back ground will have some continued effect but gradually it will wear off. Social graces, living standard etc are also important but over emphasis on these is not justifiable.
The real test/evaluation of performance would be to analyze the back ground of bravery award winners (PVCs, MVCs, Ashok Chakras, VrCs, SMs etc) officers. My hunch is, quite a few of them will be from what is termed ‘non affluent/lower middle class’!!
Not with standing the above, there is no doubt that diluting status and Izzat of the Defence Services, lesser pay, very hard life, frequent postings in non family stations, large number being left out for ranks higher than a Lt Col due to very narrow pyramid, do inhibit certain spectrum of young men and women from applying for the Defence Services. This needs to be rectified expeditiously.
Jai Hind.
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen, PVSM
Former Signal Officer-in-Chief
Readers may send in their comments on the Article---Indian Army's Changing Face by Mr Manoj Joshi
Blog Link: Indian Army's Changing Face
Showing posts with label Army Cadet College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Army Cadet College. Show all posts
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Cadets Prayer
Dear Brig Gangadharan,
In response to your 'The Soldier', I am enclosing a copy of the prayers that we in JSW, way back over half a century, used to recite, during first period of our indoor classes; thinking that it might interest you. The contents, free from any religious leanings, are so aptly worded, that even today, when rest of this world is on the run of a different kind, these continue to guide the older lot like us, on wholesome lines.
Regards
Col R S Kashyap (Retd)
Cadets Prayer
O God, our father, Thou searcher of men’s heart, help us to draw nearer to Thee in sincerity and truth. May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural.
Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish. Encourage us to endeavour to live above the common level of life. Wake us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be one.
Endow us with courage that is born out of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns compromise with vice and injustice, and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy. Guard us against flippancy and irreverence in sacred things of life. Grant us new ties of friendship and new opportunities of service. Kindle our hearts with fellowship with those of cheerful countenance and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer.
May we find genuine pleasure in clean and wholesome mirth and feel inherent disgust for all coarse minded humour. Help us in our work and in our play to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight, that we may better maintain the honour of the service, untarnished and unsullied, and acquit ourselves like men in our effort to realize the ideals of our Armed Forces, in doing our duty to Thee and our country. All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of men.
We thank veteran Brigadier PT Gangadharan for sharing the cadets prayer with the blog readers
In response to your 'The Soldier', I am enclosing a copy of the prayers that we in JSW, way back over half a century, used to recite, during first period of our indoor classes; thinking that it might interest you. The contents, free from any religious leanings, are so aptly worded, that even today, when rest of this world is on the run of a different kind, these continue to guide the older lot like us, on wholesome lines.
Regards
Col R S Kashyap (Retd)
Cadets Prayer
O God, our father, Thou searcher of men’s heart, help us to draw nearer to Thee in sincerity and truth. May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural.
Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish. Encourage us to endeavour to live above the common level of life. Wake us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be one.
Endow us with courage that is born out of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns compromise with vice and injustice, and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy. Guard us against flippancy and irreverence in sacred things of life. Grant us new ties of friendship and new opportunities of service. Kindle our hearts with fellowship with those of cheerful countenance and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer.
May we find genuine pleasure in clean and wholesome mirth and feel inherent disgust for all coarse minded humour. Help us in our work and in our play to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight, that we may better maintain the honour of the service, untarnished and unsullied, and acquit ourselves like men in our effort to realize the ideals of our Armed Forces, in doing our duty to Thee and our country. All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of men.
We thank veteran Brigadier PT Gangadharan for sharing the cadets prayer with the blog readers
Friday, January 25, 2008
Can Retired Officers Contribute
The Indian Army is short of twenty percent of its officer strength, and is considering conscription as a solution. The air force and navy are also short, but only by 12-15 percent. But it's not just officers that are hard to get and keep. Technical specialists are in short supply, which is a growing problem as the Army adds more high- tech gear. The basic problem is that the army must compete with the civilian economy for highly trained or educated personnel. The Army maintains high standards for officers, thus trying to eliminate the shortages by more aggressively recruiting young JCOs/ NCOs for officer candidature from Army Cadet College, which has not really worked because many of them cannot pass the entrance exam.
The Sainik Schools are a system of schools in India conceived in 1961 by Krishna Menon to rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the officer cadre of the Indian armed forces. The inspiration for Sainik Schools came from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) which have given India many service chiefs and the public school system of England. Sainik schools can be regarded as the ordinary citizen's public school where deserving students can get high quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The Sainik schools contribution towards Officer cadre is discouraging if not dismal.
The result is best demonstrated by looking at who applies to what school. The elite Indian Institutes of Management gets 200,000 people applying each year, for 1,200 slots. The Indian Military Academy gets only 86 seats filled for 250 vacancies. (The statics may vary depending on cadets who actually report to/ withdraw from the Academy)
The Indian military has long been an all-volunteer force, and had no trouble filling the ranks. But over the last two decades, as the government dismantled controls on business, and privatized many government owned companies, the economy has boomed. There are not enough qualified technical and management people to fill all the skilled jobs. India has been looking at how other nations solve these problems. They have noted American success in outsourcing a lot of support jobs. This is almost a necessity with some high tech specialties, where even civilian firms face shortages. Another American technique, cash bonuses for jobs with shortages, is more difficult as it hampers Modernisation of the country's Armed Forces.
The Nation has a vast reservoir of Retired Officers, can their services be utilised to tide over the present shortages? Can some of the Support Jobs be outsourced to Retired Ex Servicemen?
The Sainik Schools are a system of schools in India conceived in 1961 by Krishna Menon to rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the officer cadre of the Indian armed forces. The inspiration for Sainik Schools came from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) which have given India many service chiefs and the public school system of England. Sainik schools can be regarded as the ordinary citizen's public school where deserving students can get high quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The Sainik schools contribution towards Officer cadre is discouraging if not dismal.
The result is best demonstrated by looking at who applies to what school. The elite Indian Institutes of Management gets 200,000 people applying each year, for 1,200 slots. The Indian Military Academy gets only 86 seats filled for 250 vacancies. (The statics may vary depending on cadets who actually report to/ withdraw from the Academy)
The Indian military has long been an all-volunteer force, and had no trouble filling the ranks. But over the last two decades, as the government dismantled controls on business, and privatized many government owned companies, the economy has boomed. There are not enough qualified technical and management people to fill all the skilled jobs. India has been looking at how other nations solve these problems. They have noted American success in outsourcing a lot of support jobs. This is almost a necessity with some high tech specialties, where even civilian firms face shortages. Another American technique, cash bonuses for jobs with shortages, is more difficult as it hampers Modernisation of the country's Armed Forces.
The Nation has a vast reservoir of Retired Officers, can their services be utilised to tide over the present shortages? Can some of the Support Jobs be outsourced to Retired Ex Servicemen?
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