Gen VK Singh takes a beating

Indian Media Watch.... Crooks and Liars in the Indian media are the greatest danger to our democracy. Bias, outright lies, paid news, plagiarism and political leanings characterize much of our media.
Poll - India's Worst Journalists - 2012
Arnab Goswami 302 (32%)
Ashutosh (IBN7) 181 (19%)
Barkha Dutt 705 (75%)
Karan Thapar 350 (37%)
Kumar Ketkar 268 (28%)
Nidhi Razdan 247 (26%)
Nikhil Wagle 237 (25%)
Rahul Kanwal 163 (17%)
Rajdeep Sardesai 436 (46%)
Sagarika Ghose 540 (57%)
Shekhar Gupta 419 (44%)
Shiv Aroor 142 (15%)
Sonia Singh 195 (20%)
Vinod Sharma 414 (44%)
Vir Sanghvi 333 (35%)

Massager or messenger?

Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism. One can say he has improved a bit but still retains the unwanted scowl and growl when interviewing people. Madhu Trehan in her NewsLaundry interview showed up KT for the little puppy he was. Like the ones who just need a hug and a cuddle once in a while. And if you thought you knew nothing about KT, never mind. All you have to do is hear his signature line on his promo for his show on CNN-IBN: “I don’t want to go into the facts, the facts are disputed”. LOL! Facts are disputed? You have to undo a lot of learning to understand that facts aren’t facts and can be disputed. The worst job KT did in 2011 was massaging Kapil Sibal’s brazen attempt at pre-screening content on the internet. As if that wasn’t enough he pulled out Brajesh Mishra, former NSA, out of nowhere to call serving army chief, Gen. VKSingh, the worst ever chief of army in history. My prediction: As long as he is in the business, KT will be on this list.
Wheres the smirk? Congress spokesman- Seperated by Birth

Vinod Sharma (New entry): For those who don’t know, Vinod Sharma is the political editor of Hindustan Times. That’s right, ‘Political’ is the key word – less of an editor and more of a politician. It’s not very hard to recognise VS on a friendly channel. He has made the ‘smirk’ more popular than child-molester DGP Rathore on television. Sharma has also been acknowledged by many political spokespersons and viewers as the most loyal spokesperson of the Congress party. No matter what the scam or what the scandal you can expect him to staunchly defend even the worst misdeeds of the Congress by blaming it on the opposition or anyone else he can lay his hands on. The one chance to get him off TV for longer periods was a Rajya Sabha ticket, when Shobana Bhartiya, his boss at HT exited, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. So we’re going to be stuck with VS for quite a while. His best moment in recent times was during the debate over Gen. VK Singh and the Tatra trucks scam. He was angry that the debate was going one way (in favour of Gen. Singh) so had to somehow twist it against the tide. In his business time VS writes a blog titled ‘Separated at birth’. I guess that refers to some Pakistani connection or maybe his journalistic independence was separated at birth. Someday we’ll find out.
He's no Egghead

Shekhar Gupta (2010 #10): When he appeared on the last list, a fan of Gupta wrote in stating he will email my post to SG for his response. I was wondering whether that fan objected to SG being at #10 and wanted him to be lower on the list. I guess that fan’s prayers are answered. SG has sunk further in the rankings and his Indian Express is almost on doles from the govt. His senseless programme ‘Walk the talk’ , the equivalent of ‘Koffee with Karan’ or ‘On the couch with Koel’, continues on NDTV but what sunk SG the most is his misadventure with an article on Army troop movements. In his quest to please SG’s UPA, this SG splashed a headline in IE that nearly implied the army, led by Gen.VK Singh, may have dreamt of a coup. Worse, there have been reports that the troop movement story was stale and SG’s version was actually a plant by a union minister. SG laid an egg alright but ended up with more on his face. He will forever be credited with reducing a fiercely independent newspaper like IE to a mouthpiece of a political party. His permanent place on this list is forever assured.
Nidhi captures the Larger Picture- Left Right and Centre- Marching Up

Nidhi Razdan, NDTV (New entry): She has come to prominence more for many reasons other than journalistic skills. ‘Left, right, centre’ is her signature programme and happens to be one of those mindless debates on every topic under the sun. She is proof that you can be an expert on everything with specialisation in nothing. The best part of Nidhi? Now, don’t get me wrong, she likes everything large. Whenever confounded by a brilliant argument or point by a panellist she quickly jumps to her favourite line “let’s look at the LARGER picture”. One would have thought that debates are meant to look at the finer small details. No, not with Nidhi, the larger picture is a convenient exit. Training from NDTV helps. My prediction for this debutant is that she is likely to go higher up in the list in the future. (She lined up with arms lobbyists doing "Panel Discussion on Gen VK Singh's tenure".)
So there you are. Let’s also not forget that are many journalists who now increasingly seem to be anti-nationals. Their ties to Ghulam Nabi Fai aren’t even being investigated by the govt. Industry leaders usually raise the standards of performance of the industry as a whole. The opposite seems to be true in the media. Systematically, many of India’s journalists have brought the profession to rock bottom over the years. I continue to maintain, they are the greatest threat to our democracy.
Click here to read hilarious resume of more Journalists

Indian Government Asks Army to get off Facebook

Earlier this week, TV media was reporting of how 4 naval officers leaked confidential information on social networking sites divulging information about the location of warships and other confidential data etc.

The four officers were being tracked for quite some time by naval authorities for allegedly leaking confidential information, including location of warships, armaments being carried by them and their patrolling patterns (source) and now, government is reported to have issued orders asking all its men, officers and other ranks, who had joined social networking sites like Facebook or Orkut earlier to immediately quit them.

Similar incident happened in 2009 when government advised army to stay away from social networking sites and even banned social networking sites/ picture sharing sites for Indian diplomats.

“The Army’s worry is that public access to such information could increase the vulnerabilities of both the Army and its personnel. Some information could provide clues to the Army’s strategies. It could also make personnel more vulnerable to things like honeytraps (spies using sex to extract information)”.

Incidentally, Indian Prime Minster joined Twitter 2 days back.
Indian Government Asks Army to get off Facebook

Banning or curbing social media could become a major demotivating factor for youth aspiring to join the Army at all levels
This very important aspect is actually a point currently not even on our radar. We must find a practical and balanced solution in consonance with the times which would not only ensure personal freedom but also hands-on adherence to security requirements. If social media is taken as an enemy of security then so could be normal day to day human interaction, all types of computing devices and mobiles. Would be, or could we ban those too? Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh
Read More: Social media and the Armed Forces : Need to refrain from knee-jerk reactions

Barkha Dutt's way to trail a blaze

Barkha Dutt, the best-known face of NDTV, has attained iconic status as a reporter. A role model for the young, her appeal cuts across all age groups. Barkha has pushed the limits of intrepid news reporting far beyond the conventional. In an exclusive interview to Nirupama Dutt, Barkha talks of her life and work.


She has been given the title of Indian Christiane Amanpour for bringing home war on the television sets. Many are the appellations that young Barkha Dutt has earned in her career as a reporter and now senior editor with New Delhi Television, the country’s biggest private TV company. She is an unmistakable icon for the young. A Miss India 2002 contestant called out from the stage that among the women who inspired her were "Winfrey Oprah, Barkha Dutt and Sushmita Sen".

Young Barkha has earned four journalism awards and the Inlaks Scholarship (1997), which sends six Indians abroad annually for graduate work. Numerous are the positive reviews that her reports have been given in Indian print media. Recently, bubbly Bollywood actress Preity Zinta donned the Barkha Dutt look with cropped hair and no make-up except for kajal as she played Romila Dutta, a war reporter, in Lakshya. All this would be enough to turn any head, young or old. But not Barkha’s for she is a young professional woman with a sensible head on her shoulders.

Meeting Barkha, one thinks she is indeed her mother’s daughter. Her mother’s story of war reporting begins years before Barkha was born. At the time of the Indo-Pak war in 1965, Prabha Behl, a bright young reporter with the Hindustan Times, sought permission to cover the war for her newspaper. Those were the subdued sixties and women were still struggling hard to make a place for themselves in a man’s world. The editor said a firm "No" to Prabha. "We don’t send women reporters to the war front." But Prabha was a competent reporter and she found a way out for herself. She took leave from office and went to stay with her grandparents in Amritsar. Recounting this, Barkha says: "There, she made contacts and went to the front on her own. She started sending news dispatches from there. And these were so good that the newspaper had no choice but to use them." There is pride in the daughter’s voice as she tells this.

Extracts from... Dutt’s way to blaze a trail
Barkha Dutt has extensively reported on Kargil war, Kashmir, The Mumbai Mayhem- the Pak terror attack and Moderator cum Anchor for "We The People" A NDTV Presentation.

The creeping menace versus talkative generals

Ref article by Maj Gen Rajendra Prakash, VSM, dated 13 Sep 10 click here. The concluding sentence of AG Noorani’s article, ‘Only the moral and intellectual authority of the political leadership can nip the creeping menace in the bud’ is indeed a profound statement and deserves serious consideration, both in letter and spirit. He must have implicitly meant it and has offered this as solution/conclusion/recommendation- any or all of these. This last sentence, however, has rubbished his entire article completely. Let me explain how. The ‘menace’ is creeping, as per him, for the last several decades. Thus, by now this poisonous creeper should have entangled and immobilized anything and everything including Noorani. That has not happened. So it is not a menace at all. And where is the bud (to nip) if the off shoot is creeping for tens of years. So much for the snide remark about ‘pious’ and ‘holy’. Next, let us examine the ‘moral’ and ‘intellectual’ ‘authority’ of the ‘political leadership’. Authority is there and is being used with impunity and gay abandon. As for the qualifying attributes of authority, those are conspicuous by their absence as portrayed in TV and newspapers daily. Their ‘intellect’ is confined to the first letter of the word and does not go further, though, mind you, many of them are very well qualified educationally, but ‘morally’? No, sir. For proof refer to TV and newspapers. So, Nooraniji may like to withdraw the last sentence, or better still, the whole article. Therefore, ‘the creeping menace’ is neither creeping nor is a menace. There is no bud to nip. And, of course, there is no political authority with ‘moral’ and (even or) ‘intellectual’ attributes. ‘Mera Bharat’ is really ‘Mahan’.
Veteran Col BN Ratha
14 Sep 10

A befitting rejoinder to AG Noorani's "Talkative Generals"

Dear Brigadier Kamboj,
A fine example of "Propaganda, with an Agenda" was published in weekly "FRONTLINE"(13 August), in an eight-page "essay" by AG Noorani, indiscriminately castigating some of our soldier-icons! As such inchoate outpourings against our Armed Forces cannot be allowed to go unchallenged, I made a rejoinder which has already been published in the September issues of the "FORCE" and "DEFENCE WATCH" magazines (in "FORCE", a truncated version of the inevitably long rejoinder).
I am attaching click here a full version of my piece, in case you feel that it may be of some interest to the readers of "Report my Signal". I am afraid it is over-long, but Mr Noorani, a lawyer-cum-journalist, needed to be answered in full.
For members who may NOT be able to get to the Site for Noorani's article, here is the Link: just click here
With regards,
Major General Rajendra Prakash, VSM

Democracy and Military
In India armed forces have played a role in both democratising and anti- democratic transitions. Political tendency here is to emulate bygone rulers (Politicians) tending towards authoritarianism. Patterns of civil-military relations and degrees of authoritarianism/ democracy in governance have varied widely. Any attempt at understanding this variety must begin with an appreciation of the particular historical and cultural circumstances under which credited apolitical military involvement in politics is developing in our country. I am sure AG Noorani understands that Insurgency, Naxalism and Maoist threats are outcome of poor governance, inept bureaucrats and self- centered Politicians rather than the "Talkative Generals". The author certainly will get focused and enlightened reading the essay "Democracy and Military" (click title). A cocky General is certainly a successful battle winner in comparison to a cunning Bureaucrat who is more often careful to preserve his own career rather than work for citizens welfare.

Financial Planning - Armed Forces

Col Arun Gupta 15 Aug 2010 Financial Planning - Armed Forces: TV Appearance



Dear Friends,
Here are more links to my recent TV appearances. You may like to watch.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Regards and Best Wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Colonel Arun Gupta (Veteran)

Fight against unsavoury comments in the Media about the Armed Forces

Ref: Criminal Charges Against IAS/ IPS Officers to restore Public Confidence
From: P Surendra Nath
Sent: 07 September 2010 20:35
Cc: Brig Chander Kamboj, VSM
Subject: FIGHT AGAINST UNSAVOURY COMMENTS IN PRESS
Dear Sir (Wg Cdr SC Kapoor),
I have been following your relentless fight against comments on Defence Forces written with malicious and bad taste in the press - more specifically from 'Times of India' with great interest and appreciation. I now wish to congratulate you for the success that you are achieving through Press Council of India on such writings. Sir, keep it up - we are all with you.
With respectful regards,
Lt Cdr (Retd) PS Nath

From: Amit Bhadhuri
Sent: 07 September 2010 19:15
TAKE CASES BASED ON MERITS
Dear Brig. Kamboj,
I refer to your email in the blog regarding the success of Wg Cdr Kapoor in winning complaints against infactual and unsubstantiated news involving Indian Armed and Para-Military forces.
You have quite rightly suggested, that, we should set up a sub-committee under the leadership of Wg. Kapoor to take up the prospective complaints and then pursue them through the Press council of India. Having worked in the legal system in the UK, I have seen, in most criminal cases CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) will only charge the defendants where CPS feel there is al least 65% chance of winning the cases in the courts. And at the same time in employment cases lawyers will normally take up such cases only, where there is a 70% chance of winning the cases.
Therefore, you idea of all prospective complaints should go to the sub-committee is an appropriate one. The committee then should study the merit of the cases and should only pursue such cases, which will have sound prospects of winning.
With best wishes,
Amit
Amit Bhadhuri
Former CISF officer

Dear Friends,
Jai Hind. Kindly read the email below.
Wg Cdr SC Kapoor, for over a year has been taking on the Indian Press head-on.
As far as my knowledge goes, this is the second case he has won in Press Council of India – may have been more such cases. The earlier case Wg Cdr Kapoor won was against the caption of a photograph - a band playing in Kargil on Kargil Diwas Day; caption was “Blowing Own Trumpet”.
Since Press Council is being very fair and just – I suggest all of us should be on the lookout now and if you find any derogatory remarks against the Defence Services– lodge a formal complaint with Press Council Of India.
I am sure Wg Cdr Kapoor will be too happy to give us advice how to proceed with the case.
The best thing would be that we help Wg Cdr Kapoor and create a team which should centrally take on all complaints against the Press. We should bring the cases to the notice of Wg Cdr Kapoor first and then act as per his advice. Too many un-coordinated complaints going to Press Council can be counterproductive.
Only strong cases should be taken up– targeting one newspaper/ magazine at a time.
Gradually all of them will be on their guard and will stop misbehaving with the Defence Services.
On behalf of YOU ALL, ‘i’ congratulate Wing Commander SC Kapoor for running this show as ‘ONE AIRMAN FAUZ against the might of Indian Press’
VERY WELL DONE WING COMMANDER KAPOOR.
GOD BE WITH YOU.
Veteran CS Kamboj

To:The Editor, The Times of India
Sir:
Please refer to the letter from Press Council of India, Soochna Bhawan, 8-CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110 003 issued under file no. 14/55/09-10-PCI dated 16.8.2010 addressed to the undersigned and copy to you and The General Manager (Legal), Legal Department, The Times of India, 7, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002 forwarding a copy of the decision "rendered by the Press Council of India on July 30, 2010 at New Delhi for your information/necessary action/compliance." Extracts from the said letter are given below
Mr. Editor, kindly ensure to follow the advice/guidelines issued by the Press Council of India while keeping in view the sensibilities of the readers.
Also, please intimate the date on which the apology was published in the Times of India.
Warm regards. Have a nice day, Sir.
Sincerely,
Wing Commander SC Kapoor (retd)
Member Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) Veterans Groups

Denigrating the Armed Forces: A Dangerous Agenda

(Published in Indian Defence Review Sep 2010). Need to subscribe to read the full article: click here
Denigrating the Armed Forces: A Dangerous Agenda
While watching TV on 03 June 2010, viewers were shocked to read breaking news – “Army shamed by sex scandal.” Another channel informed viewers that a serving Lieutenant General had been forced to resign for molesting another officer’s wife while on an official tour to Israel. Every channel tried to outdo each other by sensational headlines. Reputation of the military leadership in general and that of the General Officer concerned was torn to shreds. Most e-papers reproduced the news item released by PTI. The furor got somewhat dampened when the Army Headquarters (AHQ) issued a denial. It said that preliminary investigations had shown that there were a number of loopholes in the account of allegations and that further investigations were in progress. It also clarified that the General Officer had neither resigned nor had been asked to submit his resignation.

It is learnt that the high level Court of Inquiry (C of I) convened by the Army Headquarters has found the allegations to be totally baseless. Apparently, either the concerned PTI correspondent had erred in not confirming the veracity of the report with AHQ or was a willing party to the slander campaign. It is doubtful if he would ever be taken to task for his transgression. Predictably, PTI did not consider it necessary to apologise for its senseless blunder. Similarly, it is unlikely that other over-enthusiastic media players can muster enough moral courage to regret their mistake publically.

Similarly, media coverage of the Sukhna land case is characterised by unrelenting campaign to tarnish the image of the armed forces by targeting its senior officers. Facts of the case were totally and intentionally ignored to justify allegation of gross misappropriation. The case was nonchalantly termed as a scam despite the fact that the land in question was privately owned and did not belong to the Army; no transfer took place and no money ever exchanged hands. The civilian owner wanted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Army before investing resources in the construction of a school on the said land, lest there be objections subsequently. The total case revolved around an act of indiscretion by a General Officer when he recommended issuance of NOC to the incumbent Corps Commander. Incidentally, no pressure can be exerted by a Military Secretary as Corps Commanders do not report to him.

Not one media personality cared to find out as to what the scam was. The coverage dealt with the case as if it were another fodder scam or Chhattisgarh loot. As most TV channels thrive on sensationalism, speakers from various fields were invited to air their views. Without understanding the real nature of the case, they took stands as per their own prejudices and mindset. A rare sane voice was invariably silenced by an aggressive anchor carrying the mandate to steer discussion as per the channel’s agenda. Objectivity was the inevitable casualty. One self-proclaimed military writer of suspect credentials went to the extent of stating that the accused officers should be publically shot dead. He forgot that Indian governance works purely on recommendations – every political leader and bureaucrat issues numerous letters of recommendations every day. Should they all be shot dead or is the law of the land different for the services?... subscribe to IDR to read full article...
Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD (Retd)

Military needs to respond to media onslaught of corruption charges

Dear Veterans,
Yesterday evening, the team of Head Lines Today, comprising Sawant Gaurav, Manoj Joshi & the anchor Rahul Kanwal, was at it once again with another expose. The Formation involved was 2 Corps, one of our Strike Corps. This time, the Army as well as the well meaning Veteran Fraternity, were left speechless. The onslaught was so vehement, in spite of some sensible points & suggestions made by Gen VP Malik & Ajay Shukla, the Defence Analyst. In normal circumstances, I would have reacted to such expose in a different way. But, viewing the full episode, telecast at 8 pm & 9 pm, I felt some thing is drastically amiss in our system of checks & balances. In fact, it was abundantly clear that any such system is totally absent.

Through out the show, on the top left hand corner of the screen, there was an in set window, showing a Subedar Major of the Provost Unit, counting wads of currency notes given as bribe, in his own office. While counting the currency, he also instructs the contractor to send bills for 3 colour TV sets, 'bills only'.

There was a Lt Col from the Ordnance, seated in a Delhi Restaurant with the under cover contractor, placing orders for Radiator Caps. When the contractor mentioned as to who will believe that a Radiator Cap if quoted as Rs 6,400/- the Lt Col advises him to change the nomenclature to "Cap Radiator with Chain Assembly".

Some of the banners streaming below the show were:

'Sold the honour for a few thousands'

'If uniformed Army Officers can be bought so cheaply, how can we blame the ISI for breach in our National Security.

'Chinks in the Armour'

'Rot in Ordnance Units'

'Traitors in Unifrom'

Gen Malik accepted that the expose was in the interest of the Nation & also of the Army. But, by sensationalising the issue the Channel is also doing a great disservice to the morale & reputation of the Army. With deep sense of anguish, visible on his face, he regretted that some where down the line the present lot of officers were caught in five star culture & living beyond their means. In our days the Officers Mess functions used to be better than a five star in its grace & dignity.

In the previous show at 8 pm, Maj Gen Ashok Mehta made a pertinent point that we cannot keep explaining every corruption case in the Army highlighted by the media, as mere aberration by a few individuals.

Is corruption in the Army becoming a habit or still to be regarded as an aberration?

The entire panel agreed on the point that Army does not spare anyone, however high he may be in the hierarchy. Point given said Sawant Gaurav, "but only after the expose from the Media. Where are your checks to ensure that the same is nipped in the bud"?

"Most of the present purchases & bribe pertains to Annual Training Grant. The Generals must show the way. The senior Officers must be held responsible for negligence in carrying out specific checks" said the Anchor. A Col or a Lt Col, the former from the Provost Unit, are senior enough. Still what deprivation they can have after the Sixth CPC, to accept the bribe of a few thousands, at the cost of honour, dignity & fair name of the Army. So, salary is not the criteria any more. Greed is the reason.

At least now the Army should wake up. With the effort of every individual, right from the Jawan to General, the Army's reputation has been built over the decades. The road to such a high pedestal was paved with valour, honour & sacrifice.
Veteran Raman
Col (Retd) TN Raman
Video Clips Part 1 to 8
Friday | July 30, 2010 | 00:00 IST
Headlines Today's camera exposes how some corrupt Army officers of Ordnance Corps are taking money after passing inflated tenders at the ordnance depots.
Army officers caught taking bribe: click here

The unsung heroes of Indian democracy

The unsung heroes of Indian democracy: Express Buzz
Vir Sanghvi First Published: 27 Jun 2010 01:28:54 AM IST
Do you know the name of the Chief of Army Staff? The Chief of Air Staff? The Chief of Naval Staff? Or, if you want to stick to the army, the most high-profile of the three services, do you know the name of the Deputy Chief of Army Staff?

Okay, I am guessing here but I reckon that you had difficulty naming all three service chiefs and had to struggle with remembering the name of the Deputy Army Chief before giving up.

Is this a bad thing? Well, it is if you look at American parallel. In that country, generals are huge media figures. General David Petraeus, who was behind the surge in Iraq, has been on innumerable magazine covers, takes questions from interviewers on TV on a regular basis and was even cited by John McCain in the Presidential debate as the cure for all of America’s war ills.

Nor is this new. American generals have always been public figures. You could argue, that during the Second World War, America needed to publicise such figures as General Eisenhower (who commanded the D-Day operation and later became President) and General Patton (later the subject of a hit movie starring George C Scott). But in the post-war phase many generals have become household names: Douglas McArthur, William Westmoreland, Norman Schwarzkopf and of course Colin Powell.

Moreover, generals often cross the divide to join politics. Eisenhower and Powell may be among the best known but there are loads of others including Alexander Haig (who died recently) who was Richard Nixon’s Chief of Staff, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state and who was once regarded as a potential president. The American parallel is significant because of a blow-out that occurred last week. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, was profiled by Rolling Stone magazine. In the profile, the General and his staff made several disparaging remarks about the civilians on the administration’s Afghanistan strategy team and sneered at Vice-President Joe Biden.

The quotes were leaked in advance of publication, set off a predictable uproar and led President Obama to take the virtually unprecedented step of calling McChrystal to Washington and firing him face-to-face over a 30-minute meeting at the White House. McChrystal is well-known in the US, has frequently been interviewed and has regularly appeared on TV. Perhaps, as a consequence, Obama made sure that his replacement was even more high-profile: General Petraeus.

What’s interesting is that neither Petraeus nor McChrystal are America’s equivalent of our Chief of Staff. Yet the media profile they enjoy in the US is higher than any Indian army chief (with the possible exception of Sam Manekshaw in the years after the Bangladesh victory) has ever enjoyed. Some of this may have to do with the fact that both Petraeus and McChrystal commanded armies in countries where the US was at war. But it is hard to think of an Indian parallel where Indian commanders (not the Chief himself) are so well-known even during war time.

Nor do our generals become so personally identified with the war effort. Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf became heroes on the back of the first Gulf War while much of the anti-war fervour during Vietnam was focused on William Westmoreland (who even got abused in anti-war-songs) personally.

Maureen Dowd, in the New York Times, suggests that McChrystal was “a product of the warrior-god culture: four-star generals with their own public relations teams.” And it is certainly true that American generals have their own media teams and are frequently advised on how to project their own images. Dowd’s is a recurring theme in US criticism of the army. In the best-selling book, Seven Days in May, a charismatic General (played by Burt Lancaster in the film version) plots to overthrow the President. And when President Harry Truman fired the iconic General Douglas McArthur over differences on policy towards China, there were fears that such was McArthur’s popularity that Truman might damage his own standing by axing such a “warrior-god”.

I have often thought that one reason why Americans find it so easy to do business with military dictators in South America, East Asia and Pakistan is that they are used to the idea of formidable military men. We find soldiers who have seized power faintly repulsive. Americans, on the other hand, warm to them. But when you think about it, there is something intriguing about our refusal to worship “warrior gods” particularly when we contrast it with the US experience. America’s wars (Vietnam, Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan, etc.) are all fought abroad and do not really place its own civilians at risk. Our wars are fought at home and the consequences of defeat can be dramatic: in 1962, we thought we had lost Assam; in 1965, the intention was to wrest away Kashmir. Because there is so much at stake, you might expect us to focus more on the men who command our armies.

Yet, curiously, neither the Indian people nor the Indian army want to change the balance between the profiles of the military and the civilian administration. In 1965, we admired General J N Chaudhuri who commanded the army but within a few years, he had dropped out of sight. In 1971, Western analysts kept suggesting that Manekshaw was popular enough to stage a coup. Not only was this view mistaken, but the General (or Field Marshal as he later became) showed no such inclination.

One of the most interesting things about our commanders is that even those we have held in the highest esteem — men like General Jagjit Singh Aurora or Air Marshal Arjan Singh — have never sought the limelight. In the aftermath of Kargil, General V P Malik could have parlayed that victory into a huge public profile for himself. Instead, he opted for a quiet retirement and now, has to be persuaded to come to Delhi or to talk to the media. Consequently, a situation has developed where Indians are content to let the army be. It is unthinkable for any magazine to want to profile an army commander (below the level of chief) or to assign a journalist to follow him around, the way Rolling Stone did with McChrystal.

And even when journalists do try and get generals to talk most are tight-lipped. (It helps, I think, that most military men have a barely repressed contempt for the press!) Even when they do talk, off-the-record, rarely do senior officers seek any personal publicity for themselves.

Contrast this with McChrystal. According to the Rolling Stone journo who wrote the story, not only did McChrystal make most of the damaging remarks within the first two days of their interaction, but the general’s staff insisted that the journo fly out to Afghanistan. In that sense, the general came across like a movie star eager to secure favourable coverage for his new release.

To the credit of our forces, no Indian general would behave that way.

I’m not sure why this is. It cannot be that our generals are simply respecting British tradition. The Pakistani army also came from the same stock and their generals tend to be megalomaniacs and publicity-hounds.

I suspect that the army’s readiness to remain in the background and the low profile chosen by its generals are both relatively unsung manifestations of the success of Indian democracy. Even in this media-crazy age, our officers have not been swayed by the glory of personal publicity or lusted for fame. One more thing to be grateful to our armed forces for.
— Exclusive to TNSE. More at www.virsanghvi.com. Follow him at twitter.com/virsanghvi
The unsung heroes of Indian democracy

COMMENT
Writing in the TIME magazine at the height of the Emergency in August 1975, Claire Sterling wrote: “Neither development is likely to leave the Indian Army unmoved. And that is perhaps the crux of the situation. India’s standing Army of nearly a million men has been resolutely non-political since Independence. But it is also sensitive to the smallest slight to its honour, dignity and military independence, not to mention the nation’s sovereignty; and it is steeped in loyalty to constitutional principles……”.

The article concludes: “Depending on how fast and how far she goes in changing from a traditional Prime Minister to the one-woman ruler of a police state, the Indian Army ~ the one group with the power to stop the process ~ could intervene. If it were to do so, it would almost certainly be not to replace her with a military dictator , but to restore the institutions it has been drilled in to defending since birth”.

Land scam: Protect Army Image

Shankar Roychowdhury
Jan 12, 2010, The Asian Age
The Indian Army has been under sustained battering in the media around a running series of incidents and allegations regarding senior and middle-level officers involved in various acts of alleged impropriety. The latest is that of three of its very senior officers in an issue pertaining to security clearance for commercial utilisation of non-military land in the vicinity of a formation headquarters in north Bengal. Whatever be the truth of the matter (and there most assuredly has to be another side to the story, too), seeing their proud and beloved institution under siege has been mortifying for veterans watching from the sidelines, and undoubtedly for their serving brethren as well.

The general reaction to the whole mess is anger, dismay and exasperation at the activities of a handful of individuals who have smeared the otherwise highly positive public image of the Army, painfully built and maintained by the achievements and sacrifices of successive generations of soldiers and commanders.

The perplexing aspect of the latest incident is — what on earth possessed these undoubtedly distinguished officers with unblemished records to become involved with a class of commercial entrepreneurs with whom they obviously have nothing in common? If reports of their supposed involvement are eventually found to be even partially correct, it would signify an abrupt and startling reversal of character which would indeed be incomprehensible. The truth lies somewhere out there and will perhaps emerge over time.
Read the full article from Asian Age
Protect Army image: Asian Age

IESM: Media Coverage- OROP Campaign

It is with immense joy that I write to you regarding the outstanding work accomplished by WO Bala regarding the MEDIA COVERAGE for yesterday's Medal Deposition campaign.

WO Bala carried out tremendous ground work by repeatedly communicating and liaising with the South Indian media persons ensuring coverage for our event in those regions.

Reports from ESM from the southern parts of the country have come saying that the event was given ample media coverage. Certain news channels, including but not limited to, Sun TV, Surya TV, AsiaNet, have been carrying this news for two days in a row! Some newspapers have also carried the same news. We must all congratulate WO Bala on this achievement.

Also, I strongly recommend his name as our Media Manager based on his outstanding media coverage lining up capabilities. I am certain that he can handle the northern parts of the country as deftly as he handles the southern parts right now.
Once again congratulations to WO Bala.
Kameshwar Pandey
Sub/ Maj Hony Lt (Veteran)

Heartiest congratulations Bala. Keep up the good work – Chander Kamboj

Journalist Couple with a flair for Military Affairs

Courtesy: media.bharat-rakshak.comThe Headlines Today correspondent Shiv Aroor who had Interviewed the IAF helicopter display team 'The Sarang'.
Current: Senior Special Correspondent at TV Today
Past: Senior Reporter at Indian Express Reporter at Financial Express
Education: Cardiff University/ Prifysgol Caerdydd St/ Stephen's College
Journalist specialised in defence and military affairs for five years, with three years reporting for a national newspaper, and the last two years with the 24-hour news broadcasting station.
His mail ID is shivaroor@yahoo.co.uk.
Blog: LiveFist
He is the son-in-law of Air Vice Marshal Anil Chopra who was the AOC J & K and now posted in Air HQ. His wife is Shaili Chopra Aroor the anchor you must have watched on the NDTV Profit...

She has pursued master's degree in Broadcast and Television from 2002 batch, The Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She is an avid traveler and is planning to make documentaries and short films in the near future. She finds time to write, which is a passion for Shaili despite her busy program in television. She believes the blood of a martyr more sacred than the ink of a writer. Her writings and poetry are also published in Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer, Femina among various other magazines and websites. Some of her poems are The windy night, Kingdom of Gods, Fear, Loneliness too is a feeling of joy, Hide and Seek.

Details provided by:
Brig PT Gangadharan (Retd)

Defence Forces need to harness the power of the Media

Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, former Signal officer-in-chief, observed that since the media has a profound effect on the thinking of people and authorities, winning the media battle is as important as winning in the battlefield.

Talking of his experiences with the media during counter-insurgency operations, Lt Gen JS Dhillon(Retd) said had the Army’s media interface been good, they wouldn’t have got adverse coverage during Op Bluestar. He urged Army officers never to hide facts or shy away from the media.

Former vice-chief of Army Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi said archaic and cumbersome procurement procedures is the bane of our system. He added that structure of the armed forces should be capability- based. He, too, urged the Army officers to harness the power of the media and advised them against remaining cocooned and isolated. He harped on the need of the Army to allow access to more reporters to help expand the media’s knowledge of the military.
Barring foreign media in Kargil cost India dear

ESM: There is greater need for ESM organisations to expand the media's knowledge of the Military and the Defence Forces at large. The words of wisdom quoted from senior veterans also speaks of the importance of media to champion for our veterans cause.