Facilities for Physically Challenged Veterans

CSD Canteens, Polyclinics, Sainik Boards, Sainik Aramgarh's and other welfare buildings need to have special friendly features incorporated. Few aspects that need attention are highlighted as under:
Access Path/ Walk Way
Access path from the entry and surface parking to Building entrance shall be minimum of 1.8M wide having even surface without any steps. Slope if any. shall not have gradient greater than 5:1. Selection of floor material shall be made suitably to attract or to guide visually impaired persons (limited to coloured floor material whose colour and brightness is conspicuously different from that of the surrounding floor material or the material that emit different sound to guide visually impaired persons here in after referred to as " guiding floor material". Finishes shall have a non slip surface with a texture traversable by a wheel chair Curbs wherever provided should blend to a common level.
Parking
For parking of vehicles of handicapped people the following provisions shall be made.
a) Surface parking for two car Spaces shall be provided near entrance for the physically handicapped persons with maximum travel distance of 30M from building.
b) The width of parking bay shall be minimum 3.60M.
c) The information stating that the space is reserved for wheel chair users shall be conspicuously displayed.
d) Guiding floor materials shall be provided or a device which guides visually impaired persons with audible signals or other devices which serves the same purpose shall be provided.
BUILDING REQUIREMENTS
The specified facilities for the building for physically handicapped persons shall be as follows.
1. Approach to plinth level
2. Corridor connecting the entrance exit for the handicapped.
3. Stair-ways.
4. Lift.
5. Toilet.
6. Drinking water.
Approach to plinth level
Every building should have at least one entrance accessible to the handicapped and shall be indicated by proper signage. This entrance shall be approached through a ramp together with the stepped entry.
Ramped Approach
Ramp shall be finished with non slip material to enter the building minimum width of ramp shall be 1.8M with maximum gradient 1:12. Length of ramp shall not exceed 9.0M. having 0.8M high hand rail on both sides extending 0.3M beyond top and bottom of the ramp. Minimum gap from the adjacent wall to the hand rail shall be 5cms.
Stepped Approach
For stepped approach size of tread shall not be less than 0.3M. and maximum riser shall be 15cm. Provision of 0.8M high hand rail on both sides of the stepped approach similar to the ramped approach.
Exit Entrance Door
Minimum clear opening of the entrance door shall be 0.9M and it shall not be provided with step that obstructs the passage of a wheel chair and user threshold shall not be raised more than 1.2cm.
Entrance Landing
Entrance landing shall be providing adjacent to ramp with the minimum dimension 1.8Mx2M. The entrance landing that adjoin the top end of a slope shall be provided with floor materials to atract the attention of visually impaired persons (limited to coloured floor material whose colour and brightness is conspicuously different from that of the surrounding floor material or the material that emit different sound to guide visually impaired persons hereinafter referred to as "guiding floor material".
Finishes shall have a non slip surface with a texture travarsable by a wheel chair. Curbs wherever provided should to a common level.
Corridor connecting the entrance/ exit for the handicapped
The corridor connecting the entrance exit for handicapped leading directly outdoors to a place where information concerning the overall use of the specified building can be provided to visually impaired persons either by a person or by signs shall be provided as follows.
a) "Guiding floor materials" shall be provided or devices that emit sound guide to visually impaired persons.
b) The minimum width shall be 1.5M.
c) in case there is a difference of level slope ways shall be provided with a slope of 1: 12
d) Hand rails shall be provided for ramps slope ways.
Stair ways
On of the stair - ways near the entrance exist for the handicapped shall have the following provisions:
a) The minimum width shall be 1.350M.
b) Height of the riser shall not be more than 15cm. and width of the tread 30cm. The steps shall not have abrupt (square) nosing.
c) Maximum number of risers on a flight shall limited to 12.
d) Hand rails shall be provided on both sides and shall extend 30cm on the top and bottom of each flight on steps.
Lifts
wherever lift is required as per bye-laws. provision of at least one lift shall be made for the wheel chair user with the following cage dimensions of lift recommended for passenger lift of 13 persons capacity.
Clear internal depth 1100mm.
Clear internal width 2000mm.
Entrance door width 900mm.
a) A hand rail not less than 60cm long at 100cm above floor level shall be fixed adjacent to the control panel.
b) The lift lobby shall be of an inside measurement of 1800x1800 mm or more.
c) The time of an automatically closing door should be minimum 5 seconds and the closing speed should not exceed 0.25 sec.
d) The interior of the cage shall be provided with a device that audibly indicates the floor the cage has reached and indicates that the door of the cage for entrance exit is either open or closed.
Toilets
One special W.C. in a set of toilet shall be provided for the use of handicapped with essential provision of wash basin near the entrance for the handicapped.
a) The minimum size shall be 1000x1750 mm.
b) Minimum clear opening of the door shall be 900 mm. and the door shall be swing out
c) Suitable arrangement of vertical horizontal hand rails with 50 mm clearance from wall shall be made in the toilet.
d) The W.C. seat shall be 500 mm from the floor.
Drinking Water
Suitable provision of drinking water shall be made for the handicapped near the special toilet provided for them.
Designing for Children
In the buildings meant for the predominant use of the children. it will be necessary to suitably alter the height of the hand-rail and other fittings & fixtures.
Related reading
QMG lays down priority for Physically Challenged Veterans

Steady decline of Military status will erode morale and combat effectiveness

Respected Sir/Madam,
The following report -- released by the United News of India news agency on December 17, 2010 -- is for your kind perusal.
With regards,
Abhi

Anti-India strategy part of Pak mindset: IESM Chairman
By Abhijit C Chandra
Bhopal, Dec 17 (UNI) An anti-India strategy is an indelible part of the Pakistani mindset and generations of that country's military officers and civilians alike have been raised with it, opines Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement Chairman Lieutenant-General (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, AVSM, VSM.
"At any point in the future, Pakistan will never stop short of exploiting any chink in the Indian armour to stage a Kargil-type offensive," the veteran told UNI on the sidelines of yesterday's celebrations commemorating Vijay Diwas, the anniversary of the 1971 Bangladesh War.
Regretting the lack of enthusiasm among youngsters to enlist in the Indian Armed Forces, Lt-Gen Kadyan pointed out that society is becoming increasingly consumerist.
"At the juncture when I joined the Army, opportunities were limited and chiefly comprised the engineering profession, the medical stream and the military. Today, the Government and the Armed Forces simply cannot match the private sector mainly in terms of financial returns," he explained.
Soldiers are being increasingly deployed in insurgency-affected areas but that is not the Army's 'primary' role -- defending the nation against external aggression.
"Earlier, the general public simply had no idea of the hardships of a military existence but now television journalists have given them more than a peek into what it takes to be an officer or even a jawan," the veteran said.
Limited avenues for promotion also form a key factor that keep youth away from the olive green uniform.
"Respect is what one can earn even in society by being an ideal citizen but status is something that the Government accords. Unfortunately, the status of the military hierarchy has been constantly declining. In 1947, the Chief of Army Staff was the third position in the country but has now been relegated to 12th place," he lamented.
The spectre of leading a life of separation from families and in isolation from the social mainstream also haunts those shying away from a military career.

Strategic alliance to check assertive China

Grave security challenges and the risk of armed confrontation exist in South Asia. India must have potent politico-diplomatic deterrence, strategic alliances and the military wherewithal to ensure peace as well has ability to check adventurism by assertive neighbours or fight a war on two fronts.

India has had defence relations with the US since the Chinese attack in 1962. It was the US that India looked towards when Chinese troops were racing down towards the plains of Assam and Indian political and military leadership was paralysed. Americans airlifted badly needed weapons, equipment and a few fighter aircraft. Later, they equipped three mountain divisions with war equipment and there was a US military mission in New Delhi for a few years for the purpose.

During his November visit, President Barack Obama lifted sanctions against defence research and production establishments, including DRDO, paving the way for greater co-operation.

In the foreseeable future China and Pakistan would be India's main adversaries. There are significant differences in the fundamentals of these three societies, their value systems, religious beliefs and tolerance levels of others. India is a democracy and open society while China and Pakistan are comparatively closed societies, where military plays a dominant role. There is also economic competitiveness between China and India, though the Indian prime minister has repeatedly stated that there is enough room in the world for both China and India. In addition, there is a long-standing border dispute between China and India.
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)
Former Signal Officer-in-Chief of the Indian Army
Click here to read the full analysis in the Professional Matters Blog

Decoding Dragon for Dummies

Decoding the Dragon
India can’t be complacent on national security
by Lt-Gen Harwant Singh (retd)

THERE can be no greater proof of failure of India’s foreign policy than the reality of our unsatisfactory relations with all our immediate neighbours. From Pakistan in the West to Nepal and China in the North, Burma and Bangladesh in the East and Sri Lanka in the South, our relations with these countries vary from hostility to indifference.

China’s influence in countries on our periphery has been on the increase. In addition, China has this ‘String of pearls policy’. Though it is a nightmarish situation, India’s security establishment seems to sleep well. The Maoists’ problem and the one in Kashmir are security challenges being addressed in a cavalier fashion. Even if one is to discount the problems in the North-East, the overall security scene is disquieting.

We have been decidedly and overwhelmingly complacent on the issue of national security. Not only has our foreign policy failed to create friendly environment on our periphery but grossly neglected the emerging threats.

This policy suffered further setback when distant Japan, Australia and some South East Asian countries acquiesced to China’s claim that Arunachal Pradesh is a disputed territory. China has been calling it South Tibet and not a part of India.

Moreover, China has declared Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory and started stapling visas of visitors from that state. More recently, it has reaffirmed its stand on this issue by denying visa to a senior army officer posted in Jammu and Kashmir and who was leader of a military delegation to China.

This stance of China and reportedly inducting large body of troops into Gilgit region of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) is to give a fillip to the ongoing turmoil in the Kashmir valley, besides controlling any unrest in this part of POK. While China occupied large tracts of territory in Ladakh, Pakistan illegally acceded the Shaksam valley in PoK to it. China is also reported to be improving the Karakoram highway and setting out to build a high-speed railway line to Gwadar port on the Gulf of Oman, for transporting oil to Tibet and Xinjiang province from where it can be ferried to mainland China.

There are suggestions flying thick and fast in the media that India must strongly protest against this Chinese move into PoK. But, protest to whom? China will summarily dismiss such protests and going to the United Nations will merely resurrect the old ghosts of Jammu and Kashmir. At best India can deny visa facility to Chinese, but what of the massive trade we have with that country?

China’s policy keeps time on its side while complacency is our forte. Even keeping time on its side, China has been assiduously and with single-mindedness creating overall military capabilities and military infrastructure in Tibet and spreading its influence in countries on our periphery. It has with equal zeal and purpose followed the policy of using Pakistan as a proxy and a cheap option to tie down India locally.

Then, there is the ‘String of pearls policy’ to squeeze India from all sides. China is building its naval strength at a furious pace and making forays into the Indian Ocean. We have slept through more than half a century, ignoring the emerging security scene and the gathering storms all around and within India.

Not only have we been complacent but decidedly negligent of the emerging security threats, both internal and external. At 2 per cent of GDP for defence as against 7 per cent of China out of GDP, twice the size of ours, India’s lack of concern for its security ought to appear alarming, even to one with impaired vision and the dimwitted.

In the real world, economic strength in the absence of military power is unsustainable. The gunboat diplomacy and wars of nineteen century were to capture markets and enhance influence and commerce for economic gains. The power play of the 21st century is going to be no different except that the form, formulations and contours of policy and coercive techniques will undergo a change.

For long we have been indulging in a puerile debate on the issue of ‘development versus defence,’ as if the two are mutually exclusive and in no way reinforce each other. The mandarins in Delhi have been smug in a world of make believe. To quote Arun Shourie, “Corresponding factors that keep us from growing as fast as our potential are precisely the ones that weaken our defence. The same holds for constituents of defence: the choice is not, ‘valour or high technology,’ cyber warfare or conventional warfare or nuclear capability but capabilities across the broad spectrum.”

China has developed the Gwadar port and it will have a strong naval presence there. This port is at the mouth of straight of Hurmoz through which oil supplies from the Middle East flow to India. The strategic importance of this move by China does not seem to have fully dawned on the Indian security establishment.

The Chinese Navy will also have berthing facilities at the Sri Lankan and Burmese ports. Radars at Coco Island keep watch over the naval ship movement from mainland to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and India’s missile launches from the Balasore missile range in Orissa.

India has helplessly watched developments in Nepal. It is with China’s help that the Sri Lankan government was able to decimate the Tamil Tigers. China, even with a late start, has galloped ahead, leaving us far behind in the fields of economy, science and technology and military capabilities.

It is not our case that the developments on the Tibet border and in POK are the harbinger of an early conflict, but these do not bode well for India. These developments need to be taken as a wake-up call and shake ourselves out of our complacency and stupor. Activating a few airfields and adding some roads or two mountain divisions and deploying two squadrons of fighter aircraft or lodging a protest will not do. These are knee-jerk reactions and reminiscent of our actions leading to the 1962 war with China.

India as a nuclear and emerging economic power, in the midst of potentially unstable regimes and with ambitions to exercise influence for the stability and security of the region and to safeguard vital national interests, cannot have military capabilities which in no way match those of the potential adversaries. Equally, an antiquated and potentially dysfunctional decision-making and operational system in the defence apparatus is anathema to the successful conduct of defence and foreign policy. India’s ability to meet future security challenges is highly suspect and this state of affairs cannot prevail any longer without seriously jeopardising national security.

There is, therefore, the requirement of evolving a comprehensive and long term national security policy taking into account the current and future security concerns and synergising these with foreign policy. Thereafter, we must work assiduously to develop military capabilities backed by diplomatic thrusts to meet the security challenges of the future and be in a position to exercise influence in our immediate neighbourhood. We need to double our efforts to enhance our economic strength and create compatible defence capabilities.
The writer is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff
The Tribune- Decoding the Dragon

Jawans at borders get stale food: CAG Report

Wed, Aug 4 04:49 AM
The Indian Army soldiers posted at some of the most difficult locations in the world along the China and Pakistan border are getting food that is unfit for human consumption and at times is more than two years beyond the expiry date, a latest government report on supply of rations in the armed forces has revealed.

The audit report says the Army has violated its own norms and has been supplying troops with food items, including rice, sugar and wheat, which are way past their expiry date. Most of the cases, the report reveals, pertain to the Northern Command, the largest Army formation in the country that has troops along the Pakistan and China border as well as the Siachen glacier.

"It was found that atta, sugar, rice, tea, dal, edible oil and raisins were consumed six to 28 months after the expiry of their normal storage life," the report says, adding that the food items were given illegal life extensions by a Jammu-based lab that were against the standing rules of the Army.

While soldiers have been complaining about the bad quality of food served at forward locations, this is the first official report of a large-scale violation of norms across the Northern Command.

The report also suggests a large-scale rigging of prices by revealing that 36 per cent of cases of procurement of fresh rations were based only on single quotations, taking away any scope of competitiveness. Not only that, raising suspicions of corruption, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has found that rations worth almost Rs 2 crore, meant for soldiers in high altitude areas, remain untraceable in the Northern Command. A majority of these rations, the report says, were issued during 2005-06, during which former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor was heading the Northern Command.

The report also quotes an internal Army study that reveals only one per cent of soldiers in units across the country find the quality of rations they receive as excellent. A majority of the jawans have graded their rations as satisfactory or below.

While the armed forces have been trying to improve rations, the damning report has come as a shocker. The ministry is currently working on a long term plan to improve the quality of food as well as storage locations and is likely to come up with a new set of regulations soon.
Jawans at borders get stale food: CAG Report

India racing to build tunnel through range to avoid Rothang pass

Traveling on the Rohtang Pass road in northern India can be treacherous, with various natural and animal obstacles, so India is building a tunnel. By LYDIA POLGREEN New York Times Published: July 31, 2010

ROHTANG PASS, India — The name of this white-knuckle pass, one of the highest in the world, means “pile of corpses” in the Tibetan language. Every year a few dozen people die trying to cross these spiky Himalayan peaks.

For six months the road is snowbound, putting at the mercy of the elements tens of thousands of Indian troops posted beyond it in this remote but strategically important region along India’s long and disputed border with China.

In the past decade, as China has furiously built up its military and civilian infrastructure on its side of the border, the Rohtang Pass on the Indian side has stood as mute testimony to India’s inability and unwillingness to master its far-flung and rugged outermost reaches.

But now, India is racing to match its rival for regional and global power, building and bolstering airstrips and army outposts, shoring up neglected roads and — finally, decades after it was first proposed — building a tunnel to bypass the deadly Rohtang Pass.

In June, work started on the ambitious project, which will take five years and require boring five miles through the Pir Panjal range. Several other tunnels, which would allow all-weather access to Ladakh, which abuts the Tibetan Plateau, are also in the works.

“What India is belatedly seeking to do is to improve its defenses by upgrading its logistics,” said Brahma Chellaney, an analyst who tracks the India-China relationship at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, in an e-mail. “By building new railroads, airports and highways in Tibet, China is now in a position to rapidly move additional forces to the border to potentially strike at India at a time of its choosing.”

As a result, he said, “The Sino-Indian border remains more unstable than the Pakistani-Indian frontier.”

India and China are hardly enemies, but much of the 2,521-mile border they share is disputed or ill marked. The two countries fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962, and while these days they have, on the surface, a mostly cordial relationship, it is marked by tension over border disputes and the future of Tibet and its leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India.

China’s push to develop its infrastructure on its side of the border — including an all-weather railway to Tibet that includes the world’s highest tunnel, at 16,000 feet — is viewed with considerable suspicion in India.

For much of its history, India has regarded the Himalayas as a form of protection, not a barrier to be overcome, said Rajeswari Rajagopalan, an expert in India-China relations at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

“The Indian side has been very slow to develop the border areas,” Ms. Rajagopalan said. “They believed if you improved the infrastructure it would only allow the Chinese to walk into your territory. This was very foolish and naïve.”

Three hundred miles of winding road lead from the town of Manali, through the verdant Kullu Valley, to Ladakh, an alpine desert that abuts the Tibetan plateau.

Tens of thousands of Indian Army troops are stationed among Ladakh’s barren peaks, and the region borders several potential trouble spots, including Aksai Chin, a region that India claims as part of its territory but that China administers. North of Ladakh is the Siachen Glacier, a river of barren ice that India and Pakistan have fought over intermittently since the 1980s. Both countries maintain outposts on the glacier, which sits at an altitude of 20,000 feet.

During the summer, thousands of trucks, laden with supplies to last the harsh mountain winters, rumble up the two roads that lead to Ladakh, from Manali and Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

The road from Ladakh to Srinagar is also closed in the winter, and because of its proximity to the Line of Control that splits Kashmir between India and Pakistan, Indian officials worry that the road can easily be cut, as it was in 1999, when the two countries clashed at Kargil.

Gurmeet Kanwal, a retired brigadier who runs the Center for Land Warfare Studies, a New Delhi research institution, said India could not afford to be cut off from its most vulnerable reaches half of the year.

“As long as we have these territorial disputes you cannot rule out another border conflict,” Brigadier Kanwal said. “We would like to make sure that we can deploy our forces in the right quantities in the right places.”

The tunnel has been on the drawing board for decades, said P. K. Mahajan, the chief engineer on the $320 million project. He first became involved as a young engineer in 1988, when he helped carry out a feasibility study, five years after the project was first proposed by Indira Gandhi, then the prime minister.

“It is only now that these projects are seeing the light of day,” Mr. Mahajan said.

The challenges of building a long tunnel in the rough environment of the Pir Panjal are enormous. The Himalayas are the world’s youngest mountain range. They shift and grind, still moving, expanding and shrinking.

That makes life tough for people like Thomas Riedel, a German contractor working at the north end of the tunnel. Because no one is sure what kind of rock will be found inside the mountain, the tunnel will be built using a painstaking method of blasting and digging, rather than the tunnel-boring machines that have revolutionized tunnel construction in recent years.

“Nobody can look inside the mountain,” Mr. Riedel said. “That is where we will find problems.” Just weeks into what will be at least five years of digging, the workers encountered their first unexpected obstacle: a foot of snow. In June. The tunnel will sit beneath more than a mile of snow-covered rock for much of its length. Ventilation will pose a huge problem.

People who live on the other side of the Rohtang Pass say the tunnel will transform their lives.
“For six months, we are prisoners,” said Chetan Devi, a schoolteacher who lives in a town beyond the pass. “In the winter, you have to risk your life to go to Manali.”

The tunnel will turn an ordeal of several hours, even in the summer, into a brisk 20-minute trip.
Virender Sharma, the chief government official in Kyelang, the main town of the Lahaul Valley, which sits between Manali and Ladakh, said that last winter 21 people died trying to cross the Rohtang Pass on foot. People were found frozen solid, he said, “sitting with rucksacks on their backs, water bottles at their sides, but they were dead.”

Winters in the Lahaul Valley are a miserable affair, he said.
“During summer, it seems very pleasant,” Mr. Sharma said. “In the winter, there is no light. No vegetables. No mail. Nothing to do in the evening. If there is an emergency, you are practically at the mercy of God.”

For the engineers building the tunnel, it is not merely a matter of logistics, but also a matter of national pride. “Once this tunnel is complete, it will be an engineering marvel for the whole nation,” Mr. Mahajan said.
Hari Kumar contributed reporting for New York Times
India Digs Under Top of the World to Match Rival

National Security: Special powers for armed forces

We need clarity, not emotions by Lt-Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd)
The Tribune Sunday, July 11, 2010, Chandigarh, India
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, better known as AFSPA, has been brought out of wraps at various opportune times – opportune for those who have either something to gain, i.e. the insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir, political parties always ready to fish in troubled waters, with an eye on electoral gains or those who are regular establishment-baiters, who have made it a habit to take the plunge headlong in any controversy with the belief that if it is against an organ of the government, it needed to be opposed!

Many have called AFSPA a draconian law and have vehemently supported its repeal, but having read quite a few of their views and watched them pontificating on TV, I am convinced that most lack even a rudimentary, let alone in-depth knowledge on the subject. This Act has been in force for over five decades because it was essential for the conduct of smooth counter-insurgency operations by the army. It will continue to be needed as long as the army is employed on counter-insurgency/ terrorism tasks.

The Act was promulgated on September 11, 1958. The rationale for bringing the Act on the statute book needs to be appreciated. When the army was first employed on counter-insurgency tasks in Nagaland in the 1950s, two aspects came to the fore immediately. First, unlike in the case of maintenance of law and order, when the army is called out in ‘aid to the civil authority’, where time is available to employ the police before committing the army, operations against insurgents are entirely of a different genre, as the insurgents do not give any time for such niceties.

The insurgents we are fighting today are heavily armed, they act speedily, commit heinous crimes and disappear. Unless the army counters such actions with speed and not wait for orders from higher civil or military authorities, nothing would be achieved.

Secondly, the soldiers and officers of the army had to be protected from prosecution for consequential action taken against insurgents in good faith as part of their operations. Here too, the Act does contain the important caveat that the army personnel can be prosecuted with the Centre’s sanction, if their actions warrant it. There is, therefore, no blanket immunity from the laws of the land.

Over the years, some army personnel have indeed been prosecuted where a prima facie case existed. However, it is also true that due to the exceptional care which all army commanders take when their troops are employed against insurgents, such cases are few and far between.

After the initial employment in Nagaland, the employment of the army on counter-insurgency tasks continued increasing, till it was progressively employed in all the north-eastern states for such tasks. Along with such employment, AFSPA was also invoked in all affected states.

When insurgency erupted in Srinagar in 1990, the Act was extended to the Valley. Later, as the activities of the insurgents spread, first to the Poonch-Rajauri area, then to Doda and Bhadarwah and finally to the whole state, the entire state was brought under the Act’s purview in stages. It can thus be seen that AFSPA was invoked progressively only when the situation required the deployment of the army.

The army is designed and structured for fighting external enemies of the nation. Consequently, they are not given any police powers. However, when the nation wants the army to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations, then they must be given the legal authority to conduct their operations without the impediment of getting clearances from the higher authorities.

If this is not done, they would be unable to function efficiently and defeat the insurgents and terrorists at their own game. It is for this reason that the Act gives four powers to army personnel. These are for ‘enter and search’, ‘arrest without warrant’, ‘destroy arms dumps or other fortifications’ and ‘fire or use force after due warning where possible’. Once again, there is a safeguard in the Act, which stipulates that the arrested person(s) will be handed over speedily to the nearest police station.

The law stipulates that AFSPA can be imposed only after the area in question is declared a ‘disturbed area’ by the state government concerned. When this writer was the Director-General Military Operations (DGMO) and the army was asked to deploy in the Doda-Bhadarwah area, we requested for the invocation of the Act. The state government was reluctant to do so on account of political considerations, but we did not commence operations till the Act was invoked.

Clearly, the Army has no desire to get embroiled in counter-insurgency tasks. It is not the army’s job. However, despite over 50 years of insurgency in our country, the state police as well as the central police forces (CPOs) have not been made capable of tackling insurgency. Consequently, in each case the army was inducted to carry out counter insurgency/ terrorist operations. If the national leadership tasks the army for conducting such non-military operations, then it is incumbent on the leadership to provide the legal wherewithal to all army personnel employed on such tasks.

It is only then that the operations will be conducted in the usual efficient manner of the army and would be result-oriented. They also must be legally protected. It is because these two aspects have been catered for that the army has been neutralising the insurgents and terrorists, so that normalcy is restored and the political leaders and officials can restart governing.
The writer is a former Vice-Chief of the Indian Army
Special powers for armed forces: The Tribune
Special powers for special needs: Army chief to NDTV by Nitin Gokhale

National Security: Chinese Rail to link Pakistan

PTI, Jul 7, 2010, 02.09pm IST
NEW DELHI: India today expressed "concern" over China's plans to have a rail link with Pakistan through the Karakoram ranges, but said it was doing its own preparations to counter such a move.

"It is definitely a matter of concern. But we are taking our counter measures and we are doing our own preparation," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju told reporters here.

He was responding to a question on the Chinese plans to build the rail link to Pakistan and reach the Arabian Sea via Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pak-occupied Kashmir.

Raju said both China and Pakistan had made it "very apparent" that they were "working closely together and cooperating closely" on defence and strategic issues.

China has already built a rail line up to the Indian borders along the Tibetan plateau and now the plan is to have the rail link to Pakistan and reach the Arabian Sea.

Media reports had suggested that a Memorandum of Understanding for the rail link will be signed between Beijing and Islamabad soon.
Chinese rail link to Pak matter of concern: India

Final farewell to a braveheart

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR THE TIMES OF INDIA
SENSITIVE COVERAGE BY THE TIMES 0F INDIA
Sir,
Colonel Neeraj Sood was killed in action in an encounter with terrorists on June 22 in Kupwara district of J&K. His final rites with full military honours were performed in Delhi on June 24.

One felt touched by the coverage given and the photograph of the tricolour-draped body of the late Colonel--with Army colleagues acting as pall-bearers--that appeared in The Times of India on June 25 ("Final farewell to a braveheart").

It was a fitting tribute paid by your newspaper to a gallant soldier who, like a true leader, led his troops from the front in operations, and laid down his life for his motherland and the security and honour of its citizens.

Even as we feel anguished about this untimely and sad demise, we offer our most heartfelt condolences to the next-of-kin of the martyred Colonel Neeraj Sood. May his soul rest in peace! May God give his family members, relations and friends enough strength to bear this irreparable loss!

Just a small request, Sir. Such news concerning the Armed Forces personnel should be included in the section "NATION" of the newspaper and accorded front-page prominence. If ordinary Toms, Dicks and Harrys can find a place on the first page of The Times of India why not our heroes who deserve to be honoured at all times. Let people across the length and breadth of India know what all sacrifices our brave soldiers and their families are making and what all trials and tribulations they are undergoing for the sake of their countrymen.
Regards.
Sincerely,
SC Kapoor
Wing Commander (retd)

Final farewell to a braveheart
Joel Joseph, TNN, Jun 25, 2010, 05.16am IST
NEW DELHI: When Priti learned about her husband Colonel Neeraj Sood’s death in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday, she displayed no emotion. Her family members pleaded with her to cry, but she showed a stoic resignation to her fate and went about arranging her husband’s cremation. But on Thursday, when Col Sood was cremated with full military honours in Delhi, the reality sank in.

When an officer asked whether Priti would like to place a wreath on her husband’s body, she begged everyone to let her hug him for one last time. Her family members prevented her from doing so, but the tri-colour was partially lifted for her to see her husband’s face. Gently, she caressed his face and touched his feet. She then clutched the national flag that draped her husband’s body close to her heart and cried.
‘‘I can’t let him go, I don’t want anything else. Just get him back for me. He said he’ll come back,” is what she kept saying as tears rolled down her cheeks. Their daughter, 11-year-old Mishika, sobbed silently close by.

The 39-year-old commanding officer of 18 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was killed after he was shot in the head while carrying out counter-insurgency operations. ‘‘He was a dare-devil but kept a cool mind. He believed in leading from the front. We had many memorable moments together. He always outplayed us at sports,” said Lt Col Shailender Singh and Lt Col Uttam Dixit, who were his batchmates in NDA and IMA and had known him for 22 years.

Many retired and senior officers too came to pay their last tributes.” I was his instructor in NDA when he was a cadet in hunter squadron. He was full of life and excelled at sports,” said Col Rajneesh Handa.
A few of his friends from Ferozepur attended the cremation. ‘‘Yaar tha hamara, yaar chorh ke chala gaya. We became friends when he was posted in Ferozepur. I spoke to him on Saturday and told him we are planning to come to Srinagar for a vacation. He was very happy to hear that,’’ said Nitin Gupta, trying hard to control his tears.
joel.joseph@timesgroup.com
Final farewell to a braveheart

Revisiting Kargil: Finding alibis for failures serves no purpose

Courtesy Indian Defence Review Issue: Vol 25.2 Apr-Jun 2010

Every military operation carries many lessons. The receptive imbibe some while the obstinate simply ignore. To be in a state of denial or finding alibis for mistakes rather than learn from failures can be counter productive. National war is a joint effort, not only by all the wings of the defence services, but equally involves civil administration and the nation at large. In war no single service does favour to another in doing its designated duty as required of it. Any attempt to defend the indefensible invariably leads to irrelevant and specious arguments.
The article ‘Kargil Conflict, Sorry State of Higher Defence Management’ which appeared in the IDR of Oct-Dec 2009 issue highlighted failings at various levels in meeting Pakistani challenge at Kargil. There was hesitation, procrastination, and timidity in the Indian response. There are lessons to be learnt from this operation. Turning a Nelsons Eye will only result in repetition of these in future.

The article ‘Kargil Controversy,’ essentially relied on the writings of the principal actors during the Kargil operations, discussions with those who took part in this operation and personal knowledge of ground etc. Air Marshal RS Bedi (Retd) in his article, ‘Kargil - an IAF perspective,’ in the IDR issue of Jan-Mar 2010, as rebuttal to the above article, is long on arguments but short on facts. He seems to prove the maxim that, ‘in war, truth is the first casualty.’

Air Force in ground support role is a very potent weapon and can turn the tide in battle. The dynamics of a short war does dictate the imperatives of putting greater weight of air effort to support ground battle in all its facets. There is a compelling need for evolving acceptable tactical and strategic concepts for employment of various wings of the defence forces, in the context of a short war and synergizing their combat potential. Regular joint training for smooth functioning and for each service to understand the strengths and limitations of the other two, is essential. However, in the absence of unity of command much of this is likely to remain on paper.
Lt Gen Harwant Singh, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He also commanded a corps in J&K.

Extracted: Read the full article
Revisiting Kargil: Finding alibis for failures serves no purpose

National Security: Kashmir dispute

Quick guide: Kashmir dispute
Kashmir has been disputed by India and Pakistan since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

The two neighbours, now nuclear powers, have twice waged war over Kashmir, which is over 60% Muslim. The mountainous region is divided by a Line of Control, often breached by separatist militants. The Indian side - Jammu and Kashmir state - is home to about nine million people. Some three million live in the northern part administered by Pakistan.

Rival claims
Islamabad said Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan in 1947 because of the province's Muslim majority. But Kashmir wanted to remain independent. In October 1947, Pakistani-backed tribesmen invaded Kashmir.

The maharaja turned to India for help and agreed to sign over some of his powers in return for military support and a UN-supervised referendum or plebiscite.

Line of Control
India reneged on its promise and the plebiscite never happened. The first Indo-Pakistani war started with the October 1947 incursion and the arrival of Indian forces in Kashmir. The conflict ended in January 1949. A ceasefire line - now known as the Line of Control - was agreed and the UN recommended a referendum on accession.

War broke out again in 1965 after a Pakistani offensive across the line. In 1999, fighting between Indian and Pakistani-backed forces in Indian Kashmir led to a new conflict but not full-scale war.

Separatist movement
Since 1989, Kashmir has seen a growing, and often violent, Muslim separatist movement against Indian rule. Some separatists favour independence, others would like Kashmir to be part of Pakistan. India says Pakistan gives the militants logistical and material support - a claim rejected by Islamabad. Years of separatist attacks and cross-border firing between the Indian and Pakistani armies have left tens of thousands of people dead.

Peace talks
In 2004 Pakistan and India embarked on a peace process, but major sticking points remain. Delhi would like the Line of Control to become an international border, while Islamabad would like Muslim-majority areas to become part of Pakistan.
Quick Guide to Kashmir dispute: BBC
Related news
India withdraws 30,000 troops from Kashmir: Army

Battle of Longewala: Indo Pak War 1971

Dear General Kadyan,
I read with interest your mention of Battle of Longewala in your last e-mail. I agree with the similarity of the situation and the lessons we learned from this battle.

I appreciate the tremendous effort being made by you, Brig Kamboj and your Team of Veterans to get justice to the Indian Armed Forces. It is a gigantic task and as you rightly said, it is not easy to move the Bureaucracy.

Just to add a few facts about the historic battle of Longewala as being talked about in various discussion groups. I watched the movie “Border” with great interest and must say that it was one of the best war movies ever produced in Bollywood. However, there appeared to be a major gap in the story. Perhaps it was done intentionally to show the superiority of the Indian Soldier.

At no time this Company of 23 Punjab was without any Artillery support (as being depicted everywhere). A Battery of 168 Field Regiment was in its direct support right from the time this Company occupied defences at Longewala. Further, when forward patrols reported the movement of the enemy tanks, a Battery of Heavy Mortars commanded by me was ordered to be deployed directly behind this Longewala Company.

Since we were ready to march towards Kishangarh (in the opposite direction) we had no maps of Longewala Sector. Regardless of this shortcoming I led my Battery personally and advanced towards Longewala. On reaching Longewala, we were given the maps of the area and ably guided for deployment by guides from the rear elements of 23 Punjab.

My OP officers then Capt Santosh Datta and Yogiraj Kapoor reached the Longewala post around midnight and the Heavy Mortars of 185 Light Regiment were firing continuously on the enemy tanks throughout the night and the next two days (Sarvatra Izzato Iqbal).

It was a combination of some exemplary courage of our Infantrymen, the massive fire power of the Indian Artillery and its brave Gunners, the supporting Arms and the IAF working together as a well knit team which compelled the enemy to withdraw after suffering very heavy losses.

A few rare pictures of the place after the battle are attached.
Col Kulvinder Singh, psc (NRI)
Armed Forces Veteran
Earlier Blog Posts on Longewala Battle
A Real Life Hero Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Battle of Longewala 1971 Honouring Heros
Brig KS Chandpuri shares battle experience: Indo Pak War 1971

India, China dispute most complicated in the world

16/10/2009
India, China dispute most complicated in the world
New Delhi: In the backdrop of war of words over Arunachal Pradesh, India has said the recent developments have intensified the need for the two countries to resolve the outstanding issues with "more seriousness and determination".

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the boundary issue between India and China is "one of the most complicated" border disputes in the world and both countries are determined to resolve it.

"We must take a realistic view that there are differences, there are differences when it comes to perceiving the Line of Actual Control (LoAC) in the border areas. And there are differences also in terms of conflicting territorial claims," she told All India Radio. Source: PTI
India, China dispute most complicated in the world

Why boundary disputes are complicated by the Bureaucrats?
The reasons are simple: Bureaucrats are trained to confuse the Politicians and the Citizens as well. Bureaucrats do not go on ground to study the terrain and history of native inhabitants who populate the region. They tend to resolve issues based on maps and depend heavily on hearsay rather than on ground reality. How many from MEA officers and Foreign Secretaries' have visited disputed areas? What are the geographical assets of each disputed area? Has it been studied and quantified by the professionals from various fields? We need to resolve disputes quickly as nothing has happened since 1962. Foreign Secretary's comments are typically bureaucratic procrastination.

Kargil Diwas: “Why Have We Forgotten Kargil?”

Dear All,
My second piece on Kargil Diwas has been published in the COVERT Magazine 01 to 14 August 2009, as GUEST ESSAY
“Why Have We Forgotten Kargil?” By Lt. Gen. Vijay Oberoi
On the net (http://www.covertmagazine.com/prayaag.htm), you can only access part of the article. The full piece may be released in a few days.
I am, however, enclosing the full piece that I had sent to the Magazine.
Vijay Oberoi

WHY IS VALOUR NOT HONOURED IN OUR COUNTRY?
By
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi
The 10th anniversary of Kargil Diwas on 26 July passed with no fanfare and little remembrance. Only the serving personnel and the veterans of the defence forces remembered their erstwhile comrades who had laid down their lives on those forbidding heights, as well as those who had fought shoulder to shoulder with the brave martyrs. That they prevailed against tremendous odds is a tribute to their guts and valour. The drama of Kargil was enacted over nearly two and a half months, till the last of the Pakistani intruders were killed or chased out of the Kargil Sector, by the doughty brave hearts of the Indian Army and Air Force. The Kargil Sector is actually a swathe of real estate along the Line of Control (LC) in J&K, stretching north east from the steep glaciated heights north of Drass and extending to the general area of Turtok, just short of the Siachin Glacier.

Kargil had caught the imagination of every citizen of our country during those tumultuous summer months of 1999, from the time the Pakistani intrusion was first detected in early May, till the last of the Pakistani soldiers were neutralized and the entire area was sanitized by 26 July. The various battles fought in the sector were a series of tactical level offensive operations, conducted with courage and élan. The officers and men of the Indian Army had scaled those formidable and razor sharp sheer heights, unmindful of their lives and limbs. They had won victories on those high peaks, where the defenders - the Pakistani troops, had all the advantages. The nation had lost 527 valuable lives and over 1300 officers and soldiers of our defence forces were wounded, many losing limbs and organs permanently. They were all brave young men, who sacrificed themselves, with grit written large on their determined faces and a fierce fire burning strong in their bellies.

Why is such unparalleled bravery forgotten by our countrymen within a span of a mere 10 years? Have our nationalistic feelings atrophied to such an extent that we have no time to remember the sacrifices of our brave soldiers and airmen, who fought so valiantly to restore the sanctity and pride of the motherland? Is it the government, which needs to be reminded to take the lead on such occasions, or the military or the people? The country does need to honour its soldiers and the earlier it is done, the better it would be for the security, growth and progress of our nation.

Over the last nearly two and a half months, remembrances of the Kargil martyrs appeared in practically all newspapers on a daily basis. These were either inserted by their kith and kin or by their comrades and units to which they belonged. All of them were proud of these warriors and there is a lot of meaning in such remembrances. However, our government neither had the time nor the inclination to pay homage to those brave men who laid down their lives for their country. I was horrified to read in the media the callous statements attributable to the political leadership, the political parties and the bureaucracy, that made light of the valour and sacrifices of the officers and soldiers who gave their all for the honour of the country.

It is the media, both print and electronic and the ex-servicemen (ESM) who took a lead in generating enthusiasm for the 10th anniversary of the Kargil Diwas, but alas the somnolent functionaries of the government remained unmoved. One newspaper had reported that the government has decided that the Kargil War was not worth celebrating as we had not crossed the LC! What logic indeed? Another report clarified that the army on approaching the government was grudgingly “allowed” to celebrate the Kargil victory on a “low key”! How generous of a grateful government that does not hesitate to call in the army at the slightest pretext? The related question is for the army. Since when does the army need permission to remember its comrades and martyrs, notwithstanding the low or high key effort the army chooses to adopt? This is solely the prerogative of the Chief and the C’s-in-C; they must not let anyone interfere with this. If the news report is correct, it is another unwarranted effort at reducing the status of the military, politicizing it and treating it with disdain.

Ours must be the only country in the world where decisions to commemorate military events are based on which political party is in power! One national party, when in power, celebrated Kargil Diwas because that military victory took place when theirs was the ruling party. The other does not, but celebrates Vijay Diwas instead, as it was their party which was in power when the Indian Military did the country proud by their resounding victory over Pakistan in 1971. A third category popular with the government is when no event is celebrated, or is celebrated in ‘low key’, on the specious plea that it may adversely affect the peace process with a particular country! It is this kind of convoluted logic that shames our nation. The end result of such a thoughtless and lackadaisical attitude on the part of the government is that the military, which is proud of its brave military heritage, is forced to have such celebrations and remembrances in the confines of their cantonments, with no participation by the civil populace, the political leaders or the government. What a dismal and farcical situation?

It is the intelligentsia, the opinion makers and the common man and woman who should have taken matters in their hands and honoured the warriors of the Kargil conflict on the 10th anniversary. In future, let such events not be sacrificed at the alter of political and administrative expediency, because the government wants to play politics, forgetting that when those brave soldiers assaulted the enemy sitting on those forbidding heights, they did so for the security of the nation and to restore its pride.

The author is a former Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).

Kargil Diwas: Report from the States

Some more pictures of activities at Panchkula on July 26 are sent for perusal of members.
Regards,
Brig Kiran Krishan, SM (Retd)
Coordinator, IESM, Panchkula

From: Brig V A Subramanyam
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 10:33 PM
Subject: Observance of Vijay Diwas - Besant Nagar, Chennai
A report on the Meeting: click me

Kargil Day at Tirunelveli
click me

Kargil Day: Medical Relief Camp for ESM- Photos

Kargil Diwas: Max India honours heros

Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:12 PM
Subject: Commemoration Service Honoring Kargil Heroes
Gen Renjen, Gen Satbir and I have just had the privilege and honor of attending the Max Foundation Commemoration Ceremony to honor the Kargil heroes. A very solemn and extremely well organized ceremony at which the VCOAS Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj, PVSM, AVSM, ADC was chief guest.

What makes me call the occasion a privilege and honor is the fact that we had the opportunity to meet and hear the war time CO 13 JAK RIF Col YK Joshi, VrC and L/ NK Sanjay Singh, PVC. We also met three other gallantary award winners of ' The Bravest of the Brave' 13 Jak Rif. Nk Mehar Singh, VrC, Nb Sub Mehar Singh, SM, Nk Narinder Singh, SM. The ceremony comprising the following was attention gripping.

Shradhanjali.

Auld Lang Syne. (Performed beautifully by two pipers)

Abide with Me (Sung on synthesizer, and

since we had the song sheet, we could join in singing this very emotional hymn)

Presentation by Col YK Joshi, VrC. Totally gripping audio visual show. Phew! Was that moving? Deeply.

Experiences of L/Nk Sanjay Kumar, PVC. Earthy and touching.

'Mind of a Soldier' - What makes him perform against odds? A short narration by Lt Gen Daljeet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM- erstwhile GOC in C Western Command. Apt, to the point, interesting and short. Well done Sir.

'A soldier's prayer' A soul stirring hymn rendered by Dr Sunil Katoch, to accompaniment of drums and synthesizer. WOW ! What an inspirational prayer? 'Nishchay kar apni Jeet karon'.

Address by VCOAS. Anecdotal, apt and short. We loved it.

Address by Mr Analjeet Singh, Chairman Max India Group and Managing Trustee Max Foundation. Spoke very highly of Defence services, is concerned that intake is suffering in recent times. Would like to associate in any manner to attend to it.

Address by Mrs Mohini Daljeet Singh, Head Max India foundation.

National Anthem.

High Tea.
As I said earlier, it was an evening worth spent. An honorable occasion. Wish MORE corporate houses follow the lead of Max India. And NOW it really is curtains on Kargil Divas 2009.
With Warm Regards,
Col RP Chaturvedi, IESM

Kargil Diwas: Raipur

JAB SHAHEED KI CHITA JALI THI
SARA GAON WANHI THA
SEENE PAR THE GHAO SABHI
PEETH PAR EK BHI NA THA
EK GHAO MATHE PAR BHI THA
JO ANTIM GOLI THI
JISEY DEKH SHAHEED KI MATA BOLI
GHAO MAT KAHO ISE
TILAK HIMGIRI NE LAGA DIYA
SOYA MERA LAL HAI LEKIN
SARE BHARAT KO JAGA DIYA
This is what was recited by a person during the Kargil Diwas function organised at Raipur. Many luminaries spoke on the Saga of Bravery shown by Indian Soldiers at various operations. The Rotary club honoured the Widows and dependants of Soldiers who laid down their lives.
At 1830 hrs, a silent march with lighted candles started and reached "JAI STAMBH", in the heart of the city and placed the candles with flower petals at the pedestal. Thereafter, a convention was held followed by dinner. Both parties, viz BJP and Congress were represented. Seven e- media and most print media covered it but with the political tint.
Pamphlets were printed and distributed to all and sundry through various means. However, it was a beginning worth the effort. The Rotary Club is now keen to hold many more such events. We must make efforts to have at least one day in the year recognised as "Veteran Day".
Jai Hind
Col Siddhartha Bose
CG State Convener

Kargil Diwas: Calicut- Kerala

We thank Nk Prem Menon Ex NK from AMC for sharing the solemn moments with our readers.

Kargil- Soldiers Spirit Spells Fate of the Nation

Date: Wednesday, 22 July, 2009, 1:55 AM
To the Editor-in Chief, Letters@tribuneindia.com

Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am Maj Gen Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM and am a war disabled officer of the Indo-Pak War of 1971. I am currently in the UK and have been following with interest the issue of the Kargil war and the Government's decision not to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of that war.

I am the author several books on military history including 'Param Vir - Our heroes in Battle', 'The sinking of INS Khukri', 'The Indian Army- A Brief History' and 'The history of the first-firfth Gorkha Rifles'. I have also had several articles published in military journals and national magazines.

I would be grateful if you would consider the attached article (click me) for publishing as it is topical in view of the forthcoming 10th anniversary of the Kargil war.

Thanking you
yours sincerely
Maj Gen Ian Cardozo, AVSM,SM (Retd)

Whatever the faults of the political hierarchy of that time and the political hangover of today, the courage of the Indian soldier must not be forgotten. The sad truth is that the soldier is remembered only in time of war. Kargil has already faded from public memory and it appears that some politicians would like the story of that war to be permanently dead and buried.

The fate of a nation during war hinges on how well her soldiers fight. Recognition of the sacrifices that soldiers make, so that we may live is the least that we can do to tell them that their sacrifices have not been in vain and that the nation is grateful and remembers. Good leaders understand that this is the essence of morale and that morale is a battle winning factor. Failure to understand this basic need of the soldier may have consequences that will only be known as and when we go to war again and then it may be too late.
Read the full article click link below:
REMEMBERING KARGIL By Ian Cardozo

Kargil Diwas: Coimbatore and Secunderabad

Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 9:37 AM
Dear All,
My extended family at Soundaryam- Santhosham- Shenbhagam Comfort & Retirement Homes joined hands with me and we paid our homage to the Martyrs of Kargil. Please view the photographs in the link below:
Slideshow- click me

I must add that we lent a helping hand in organizing the Conference for evolving a National Strategy for Dementia which was held at Coimbatore on 25-26 July under the aegis of Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI). The President Emeritus Mrs Narula and some more members of ARDSI Executive Committee, who were our guests, also joined us in paying the homage. At the end of the day, I am a satisfied man because our extended family of Senior Citizens showed their solidarity on Kargil Divas. My sincere thanks to them
Regards,
Colonel (Retd) A Sridharan, VSM

Dear Brig Kamboj,

As a sincere SOLDIER I have lighted a candle and prayed with my Family for those MARTYRS for their soul to always REST IN PEACE as they have won the war for their fellow citizens at the cost of their lives and WE (THE NATION) lost them. We remain ever grateful to them
JAI HIND
Maj (Retd) Sreedharan
Secunderabad