NDA: Declining Contribution of Sainik Schools

Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces
The Tribune Chandigarh, September 30, 2012 by Vijay Mohan.
Set up to serve as feeder institutes to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Sainik Schools are now under the scanner for more than one reason. A general decline in the percentage of its students joining the NDA, increasing dropout rate and a sudden spurt in disciplinary and ragging cases are among the issues that have brought these institutes into focus.
The contribution of Sainik Schools towards the intake into the NDA has gone down from 30.75 per cent in 2008 to 25.18 per cent in 2011. According to figures listed in the report of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence released last month, these figures were 29.23 per cent in 2009 and 26.17 per cent in 2010.
While there has been a consistent improvement in the schools’ academic performance, a comparative analysis also revealed that on an average, only about 20 per cent of Sainik School students join the NDA whereas in the case of the Rashtriya Indian Military College – which has a similar charter to that of Sainik Schools – the figure was 76 per cent.
One reason for the low intake from Sainik Schools put forward by the Defence Ministry is that students leave the school after their class XII examinations. As they are not under the supervision of the schools, they could have less inclination to write the NDA entrance exam or to appear for the selection interview. Candidates need to pass class XII to join the NDA.
Conceived in 1961 and managed by the Sainik Schools Society, whose board of governors is chaired by the Minister of Defence, the objective of Sainik Schools is to motivate and prepare students to join the armed forces as officers by focusing on moulding and developing their overall personality.
There are 24 Sainik Schools located in 21 states across the country and they are funded jointly by the central and respective state governments. Funding is another issue plaguing these schools with many state governments failing to give due budgetary support.
The dropout rate of students in these schools – having a strength of over 12,000 – has also been fluctuating, moving from 885 in 2008-09 to 843 in 2009-10 and 1,009 in 2010-11. The biggest chunk of dropouts is due to parental requests, which has witnessed a consistent increase, with the figures being 544, 564 and 689 for the aforementioned three sessions.
More significantly, the number of dropouts on grounds of indiscipline saw a spurt from seven and six cases to 60 cases for these sessions. In the past three years, 13 students were expelled and 15 were suspended for ragging. -via The Tribune
Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces

Shortage of Officers: Lack of Space in NDA

NDA doesn't have space to lodge cadets
MAYANK SINGH | Pune, July 29, 2011 13:14
While the Indian defence forces have been crying about the shortage of officers, they have been unable to house the extra cadets who joined National Defence Academy for their first spring term. The Spring Term, 2011 at premier National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune had caught the officials unaware. The number of cadets joining the academy was so high that they had to convert rooms assigned for entertainment and Gymnasium to accommodate the cadets by putting the beds and the cupboards.

An officer who looks after training of the Indian Army informed TSI on the condition of not publishing his name that while the total training capacity of NDA is 1800 cadets there were more than 2000 cadets who reported during the spring term of the academy. This lead to make extra arrangements as the sanctioned strength and arrangements is for only 1800 cadets. The academy has two terms of training, spring and autumn. Spring is the session which is from January to May while autumn runs from July to November; rest of the time is for vacations.

Although, this has come as a positive development for the forces as there is an acute shortage of the officers at the level of Lieutenants, Captains and Majors who lead the operations on ground, but it could have been avoided. Another officer informed that the difficulty of accommodating the extra cadets lingers because of a decade old proposal pending with the Ministry of Defence to sanction the 16th Squadron of the Academy. The academy is organised into four Battalions, each with 4 squadrons except for the fourth battalion which has only three squadrons. Sources also informed that the long term plan is to raise another battalion in the academy.

In a recent reply defence minister A K Antony had said "The extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of pilots in the Air Force is about 426."
NDA doesn't have space to lodge cadets
Comments: The Indian Armed Forces no longer fascinate the people as career. The Indian Army is currently facing a crisis and it is short of over 11,000 officers from the rank of captain to major. Despite campaigns like “Be an army man: Be a winner of life” the armed forces continue to face a shortage of officers. Officer’s shortage in Indian Armed Forces is acute now and seriously affecting the army, in quantity as well as quality. Dispensation of Justice to Veterans and many are seen battling in courts thereby reducing the Rank and Honour, which in turn diminishing the charm of Serving the Nation by the younger generation.

Warriors on the Front- Fifty Golden Years Remembered

The Chinese aggression was undoubtedly a debacle for the nation and the Indian Army but individual soldiers and officers fought bravely and their course - mates led from the front in many areas, recalls former Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun

The earlier Hindi-Chini-Bhai-Bhai phase had ended and ours was the first course with enhanced numbers. We could sense that we would inevitably get involved in active operations sooner than later. This was welcome,as we saw it as an opportunity to prove ourselves. In our hearts of hearts, we did have that nagging suspicion of what we call the ‘fear of the unknown’ in the army, but it was taken in one’s stride.

Dear Chander,
Our Course- 18 NDA, 27 IMA, 12 NCC AND 13 TECHNICAL GRADUATES had celebrated the half century of our passing out from IMA from 17 to 19 June, 2011. My article on the event has been published in the Magazine- Power Politics July 2011 Issue.
Warriors on the front- click here to read the full article.
Thanks. Warm regards.
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Former Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS)
Former Director Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS)

How a President treats his Armed Forces Personnel

US Coast Guard Academy Commencement:President's Address
Sir,
You may like to publish the following in the RMS blog.
I am currently in the USA and watched with interest the "Commencement" (Graduation) ceremony of the US Coast Guard Academy, located in Connecticut, attended by the US President Barak Obama on the NBC TV on May 18 and also read the report in the state newspaper "The Hartford Courant". Brought up in the Indian ethos, many things struck me as unusual and worth sharing with IESM community.
The President was very informal during the ceremony and while delivering the speech, made some humorous remarks. He shook hands with all the 220 odd cadets, some of whom even hugged him! (Indian VIPs would stay at least 100 feet clear of Indian Defence Academy cadets to preserve their dignity and status).
He said in his speech," The graduates would soon join a military and intelligence community that made sure "the terrorist leader who attacked us on 9/11 will never threaten America again... We remember our moral compass that we are citizens with obligations to each other... that we rise and fall as one". (For Indian VIPs, only the servicemen have to have moral compass and obligations and none for the others).
Obama continued a presidential tradition when he jokingly absolved the cadets of any outstanding "minor" infractions. He also gave special acknowledgments to graduate Jennifer Proctor, who attended Obama's old high school in Honolulu, and Melissa McCafferty, the recipient of the academy's third Truman Scholarship, saying... "Where is Melissa, let me embarrass you" scanning the crowd.
I felt it is "Them and Us!".
Regards,
Shashank Bendre
Wg.Cdr.(Retd)

Charming them into the Armed Forces

Amutha Kannan The Hindu 09 May 2011
Do you have it in you, asks Commodore Amar Singh Bagel to Generation Next
It is a myth that salary of a Defence officer did not match up to employees of other sectors
Photo:M. Periasamy

Call to fight: Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, President, Naval Selection Board, explaining the opportunities in Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 in Coimbatore on Sunday.

COIMBATORE: As much as they had realistic answers for why youth did not want to join the Armed Forces, students had interesting answers for why they did want to join, at a session on career opportunities in the Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 on Sunday.

Queries from them to Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, president of Naval Selection Board, disproved the theory that there was no awareness among the public about a career in the Armed Forces. It was more of a reassurance forum for a moderately informed audience that the Armed Forces, too, offered attractive job options.

The session began with Commodore Baghel providing the basic information on these options. But, it did not continue as a routine one-way affair. It turned lively with the high-ranking officer switching to an interactive mode. What followed was a more-than-an-hour discussion on the salary, perks, professional advancement prospects and other benefits the services offered.

While Commodore Baghel got answers such as “danger to life, frequent transfers, pay package not being good, difficult life, highly competitive, disruption in family life, etc.” for reasons behind youth not joining the services, he pointed out that ‘simply not knowing how to join' was also as a reason. While he gave ‘honour, pride, quality of life, educational and pension benefits, job security' as some of the reasons for joining the services, he got interesting add-ons like “love for the uniform, spirit of adventure, stability in employment” as other reasons from the students.

The Armed Forces also provided success, monetary gain, advancement, responsibility, recognition and an amiable working environment that youth sought in a career.

Busting the myth that the salary of a Defence officer was not on a par with that of a personnel in a private firm, he said the allowances, perks and privileges that came along with the salary could not be quantified only in terms of money. It showed in the quality of life an officer enjoyed, Commodore Baghel said.

He also cleared other ‘misconceptions' like knowledge of Hindi being mandatory and physical fitness being given the top priority.

He said all this could be learnt or improved in the training period.

He also spoke about the opportunities the personnel got to showcase their talents at national and international level sporting events, and listed the various points of entry into the services for those who completed Plus Two or graduation.

Some sites for reference that could be of help: www.indiannavy.nic.in, www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, www.careerairforce.nic.in.
Charming them into the Armed Forces

Boots Belts Berets- Book review

Boots Belts Berets; Tanushree Podder; IndiaInk; Rs.295.
BOOTS BELTS BERETS. Book titled ‘ Boots Belts Berets ‘is all about the NDA which would interest all officers. It is authored by a Tanushree Podder, the wife of a cadet of the 70’s. It describes the life and times of cadets at the NDA in such graphic details (even if somewhat exaggerated in parts !) that it is hard to imagine that she and not her husband actually scripted it. Full marks to her because she has not only written in the most glorious prose but made it so funny and nostalgic for any NDA cadet of the past while giving a truthful glimpse of it to those of the present and future. Its style is good and the anecdotes familiar to us all, which makes interesting reading!
Best wishes.
Madhav
1st Course JSW

We have to thank Chetan Bhagat for popularising a genre of writing that most Indian book editors would dump into without skipping a beat. After chick lit and college sagas comes Tanushree Podder’s Boots Belts Berets delves in to the lives of the freshers at India’s premier defence academy, NDA.
The book starts off with a batch of freshers undergoing training at the NDA. Most are greenhorns but soon fall into line when they realise that there’s hell to pay if they don’t. There are unforgiving seniors whose only joy in life is to bug the freshers, bark orders and make their lives even more miserable. The teachers are as varied and while most spell doom for the poor freshers, the man behind the breakfast counter is the most loved. Even those with fastidious tastes develop a respect for food of any kind.
A motley crowd of freshers is thrown together here, most sticking with each other due to the proximity of their rooms. But that’s another thing about hostels — they teach you to be more tolerant and to live with most people. While there are pranks galore there is also an element of seriousness. But mostly it confirms that life at the academy can be a riot if taken in the right spirit. The NDA is not a place for the faint-hearted. Read it if you’re planning on joining the forces and otherwise too. It helps pass a few hours...
Read more Reviews

Punjab enhances welfare funds for Veterans

3-fold hike in Sainik welfare Budget- Non-plan expenses up 11 pc by Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service Chandigarh, March 14
Though no new welfare schemes have been announced, a three-fold increase in the planned expenditure by the Department of Defence Services Welfare has been proposed in the state Budget for 2011-12, while the department’s non-planned Budget is earmarked to rise by about 11 per cent.

The non-planned Budget, which relates to establishment-oriented expenditure and recurring expenses, has been pegged at Rs 23.5 crore for the coming fiscal as compared to Rs 21.1 crore for 2010-11.

Similarly, the planned expenditure, which relates to various welfare schemes and other projects introduced or approved by the state government from time to time, is set to rise to Rs 13 crore from Rs 4.1 crore.

The combined expenditure for this department for 2011-12 is pegged at Rs 36.5 crore vis-à-vis Rs 25.2 crore for 2010-11, representing an overall increase of over Rs 11 crore or close to 45 per cent. Punjab has 2.87 lakh ex-servicemen and 53,000 widows.

For the next fiscal, Rs 2 crore has been proposed to meet the expenditure relating to grant of Rs 5 lakh to next of kin of battle casualties in lieu of a plot. Last year the Budget on this account was Rs 4 crore. Departmental sources said that as of now there were no pending cases in the state on this account and payments would be made as and when fresh cases came in. However, the cases for grant of land to 28 war widows of the 1971 Indo-Pak war have still not been resolved.

The planned segment proposed today also includes Rs 6 crore for the construction of Sainik Rest House and Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum at Ludhiana. Coaching classes for entry into service academies, training of wards of ex-servicemen, grant to Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre and ex-gratia to families of martyrs are among schemes falling in this segment. The increase in the Budget also caters to 40 per cent hike in the allowances of gallantry award winners introduced in December 2010 and grant of Rs 1 lakh announced last year to every candidate who enters a service academy for training as an officer.
3-fold hike in Sainik welfare Budget

Diamond Triangle team: 14th Reunion and Centenary Celebrations

Corps of Signals Centenary Celebrations
Indian Express Mon Jan 31 2011, 03:14 hrs Pune
The National Defence Academy (NDA) stopover of the Diamond Triangle Expedition, which started from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, was marked by a spectacular 40-minute aerial display.
The aim of the team, which includes 13 pilots and comprises four microlight aircraft and two powered hang-gliders, is motivating more youth to join the Armed Forces
“The lot consists of two Savannah, an X Air and a Hanuman aircraft and Clipper hang-gliders. The whole idea is to expose more youngsters to the glory of the Indian Armed Forces and attract them to join the services,” said Major Ankush Goyal, one of the pilots in the team.
The expedition, undertaken by the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow, with participation of the Army Aero Nodal Centre (AANC) — an adventure node run by the Corps of Signals under the Army Adventure Wing—- marks the centenary celebrations of the Corps of Signals.
The next stop is Belgaum on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. It will touch Goa and head back to Madhya Pradesh. The expedition will cover 2,700 kilometres aerially and the path is roughly a triangular and hence the name.
“...We are heading to Goa followed by Jabalpur on February 11. En route, we are displaying aerial acrobatics at various places,” said Goyal.
The aerial display at the NDA was attended by NDA Deputy Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Ajit S Bhonsle and Chief of Administration, Southern Command, Major General Chacko Tharakan besides officers and cadets. The team displayed stunts like low flying, ladder formation, split flying and paradrop.
Diamond Triangle team sparkles at NDA

Alumni of National Defence Academy wins Prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Medal

Honour for Ex- naval Officer of India, Cmde Arogyaswami Paulraj (Retd)
Dr Arogyaswami Paulraj received 2011 IEEE Alexander Bell Graham Bell Medal. It is IEEE's most prestigious medal, and given mainly to pioneers/ fathers of major telecom and networking technologies- internet, ethernet, DSL, cellular phones, satellite Communication, are some examples. Recognized as the highest recognition in the world for pioneers in telecom technology. A first for India- The first Indian of course- Proud Alumni of National Defence Academy, Pune.

Broadcom congratulates Dr. Arogyaswami Paulraj
"As a community of engineers, we at Broadcom are delighted and honored by the IEEE's selection of Dr. Paulraj for the Bell Medal," said Dr. Henry Samueli, Broadcom's co-founder and Chief Technical Officer. "This is an outstanding achievement, and all of us at Broadcom extend our collective congratulations to him, his family and all of his colleagues who have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Paulraj over the years." Dr. Paulraj, a co-founder of Beceem Communications Inc., which Broadcom acquired last month, is a pioneer in MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) wireless technology, which relies on multiple radio antennas as both the transmitter and receiver to improve communications performance. An emeritus professor at Stanford University, where he supervises the Smart Antennas Research Group, Dr. Paulraj will continue as a senior technical advisor to Broadcom.

Citation: Alexander Graham Bell Medal
"For poineering contributions to application of multiantenna technology to wireless communications systems."
Citation Letter: Click here

He has also won more than a dozen national awards in India, including the Padma Bhushan in 2010, one of India's highest civilian awards. He serves on several company advisory boards, university councils, and government committees in the U.S. and India.

Paulraj's career in India included development of military sonar systems (1971-82) for the Indian Navy (NDA Alumni), massively parallel computers (1987-91), and the founding three national level laboratories -- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Center for Advanced Computing, and Central Research Laboratories (1986-91). He has received over a dozen national awards in India for his contributions and is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering.
Read more
Naval Officer is Padma Bhusan Awardee 2010

Corps of Signals Connection: Prof A Paulraj is son in law of Late Brig RA Rajan (ex CO of 11 Corps Sig Regt)

Career in the Armed Forces a dream come true

Abhishek Mande
In our special year-end section, Rediff.com looks at people -- who for better or worse -- wrote the India story this year.
Krishnant Gholap is an autorickshaw driver's son. After two failed attempts, he made it to the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasala, which he saw as the only way out into a better life.

He graduated from the NDA last month.

Abhishek Mande spent time with Krishnant on his last day at the Academy and met the Gholaps at their humble home in Pune. He tells the story of the hardships faced by the family to realise a long-cherished dream.

Sometime in the last semester at the NDA, Cadet Krishnant Gholap was struggling.

He had to pass a run test -- complete a stretch of 5 km in 26 minutes. This was his fourth and final attempt.

The first three times the cadet missed the target by a little over 20 seconds. If he couldn't meet it this time, he would have to stay back for another six months and graduate one batch behind his peers.

There were other things to consider too. His sister Rohini was to get married. The family had been saving up for the wedding for a long time.

Another six months would mean the family would also have to keep aside Rs 1,500 each month for his pocket money according to NDA rules.

For a family that lives in an apartment slightly larger than the cadets's rooms in the Academy, this was a lot of money.

Plus the fact that he could not make it with the rest of the batch would be a blot on his career.

"There were too many things tied in with my passing out (from the NDA). I couldn't afford to lose," Krishnant recalls.

And so he ran.

With a 20-odd kilo bag on his back, a gun on his shoulder and a pair of boots as heavy as lead, Krishnant Gholap ran because his life depended on it.

On November 29, 2010 a little past nine in the morning, Cadet Gholap marched with the rest of his batch and stepped on the 'Antim Pag' or the 'Final Step'.

Somewhat poetically, as the last of the cadets marched out of the parade ground, the sun -- that was hidden behind the clouds all morning -- began to shine brightly.

Image: Krishnant Gholap, right, with a friend in the white uniform worn in the NDA cadet's mess. Photographs: Abhishek Mande/Rediff.com
I was desperate. I wanted to get into the army
Army chief appeals to techies to join the forces by Akhilesh Kumar Singh, TNN, Dec 5, 2010, 02.50am IST

The Young Everester Meets the Army Chief

The Chief of Army Staff, General V.K. Singh felicitated Arjun Vajpai, a young boy who scaled Mt Everest recently, in New Delhi on June 03, 2010.
PIB Photo no.CNR - 31907
Friday, June 04, 2010 15:29 IST
Army Chief General VK Singh felicitated yesterday the Arjun Vajpai, a young boy from Noida who scaled Mt Everest recently.

Arjun who has an army background, is an alumni of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. On meeting the Army Chief, he expressed a deep desire to join the Indian Army, where fortitude and courage is a norm. His next mission is to join the elite National Defence Academy. Veerendra/Rajendra
The Young Everester Meets the Army Chief

India's first defence university to come up near Delhi

New Delhi: Drawing lessons from the 1999 Kargil conflict, the government on Thursday decided to set up the first defence university in the country to enable holistic study of defence and strategic security challenges.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accorded "in principle" approval to set up the Indian National Defence University (INDU) near Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here.

To be established at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, the university would come up on a 200 acre land at Binola in Gurgaon, Haryana. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for acquisition of the land.

The existing defence educational institutions like the National Defence College in New Delhi, College of Defence Management at Secunderabad, National Staff College at Wellington and National Defence Academy in Pune, would be affiliated to INDU. At present, these institutions are attached to various universities.

"INDU will undertake long-term defence and strategic studies and create synergy between the academic community and government functionaries," Soni said.

The proposed university, which would be fully autonomous and constituted under an Act of Parliament, would promote policy-oriented research on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making, she said.

"It will encourage awareness of national security issues by reaching out to scholars and an audience beyond the official machinery," Soni said.

INDU would educate national security leaders on all aspects of national strategies in the fields of security, military, information and technology, through teaching and research, she added.

After the Kargil conflict, the government had set up a Review Committee, headed by eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam, which had recommended establishment of such a university to exclusively deal with defence and strategic matters.

The Committee had also recommended finding of ways and means to integrate the academic community, armed forces, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies and the bureaucracy in strategic security policy making and related issues. Source: PTI
India's first defence university to come up near Delhi

NDA: An Ideal Instructor

1st POP at NDA, Khadakwasla... 10th course POP reviewed by Pt. Nehru : 5 Jun 1955

ABOUT RSM AYLING of NDA by a former cadet
Many of us had associations with RSM Ayling. I have cut and pasted what a 10th course cadet had to say about him... Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retd)

An Ideal Instructor
This June, 10th Course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) would complete fifty years. This course had 232 cadets-one of the largest at that time. We first went to the Joint Services Wing, Clement Town, Dehra Dun in 1953. After completing eighteen months, we were shifted to NDA, Khadakvasla. The Academy was being developed at that time and roads were under construction. Only one wing of the Mess was ready. Most of the time we were carrying cycles on our heads.
Our course became one of the most illustrious courses. It poduced Chief of Army Staff, Gen S Roy Chowdhry, Vice Chief of Air Staff, one Army Commander-Lt Gen Jameel Mahood, Lt Gen Sher Amir Singh, Vice Admiral Kasz Raju,Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Surinder Nath, Lt Gen RN Batra, Lt Gen Surinder Kumar and fifty more Brigadiers, Admirals and Air Marshals.
In the process of becoming officers from Boys, some of the great staff of officers, civil professors and JCOs are always remembered for they “shape up” the future. One such great instructor was Regimental Sergeant Major Ayling. He was the first one to receive us at Dehra Dun. Monsoons had swept the Aravali Range of mountains and the train, with its steam engine puffing, was negotioating the slope from Hardwar to Dehra Dun. There was anxiety, uncertainty and fear writ on the faces of all. The only silver lining was the pitter-patter of rain and the lush green Dun Valley. Trees were laden with lichees, mangoes, grape fruit and there was abundance of flowers. The train screeched to a halt and number of whistles wer blown, followed by a stern bark of an order: “All future cadets, bring out your luggage and fall-in in front of your compartments”. No coolies were permitted and it was back-breaking to carry huge trunks and beddings in, now outdated, “holdalls”. We all somehow dragged the luggage on to the waiting trucks. The sight was quite close to the modern-day trucks which carry poultry for slaughter.
Half an hour later the trucks reached the Academy. Again a set of whistles and a voice thundered, “Get off, double time, fall in, get a move on!” Totally shaken up, we jumped off the trucks and stood in a line. Dressed in a spotless uniform, a man, 6 feet 3 inches in height, was the one who was shouting the orders. He shouted again, “Stop fidgetting like girls, stop moving and stop talking”. Soon there was a pin-drop silence and the voice thundered once again, “From now onwards you have no fathers, no mothers. I am your father, I am your mother, pick up your boxes and beddings and move to your Squadrons”.
Totally subdued and terrified we moved on. Later we discovered that the voice belonged to Regimental Sergeant Major Ayling of Grenadiers Guards of the British Army. The RSM was on deputation to teach the cadets the rudiments of discipline and drill. This very soldier honed, trained, disciplined and prepared us to become the worthy officers of Army, Navy and Air Force. Many of us won the highest bravery awards while some rose to the highest ranks in the three services.
When the words of command changed to Hindi, in the fifties, we thought that the world would come to an end. Sergeant Major Ayling just took one month to master the Hindi words of command and never faltered-not even once while training us. Though he owned a small Ford Prefact car, he always walked or cycled to the drill square since our Adjutant, Capt ML Whig owned only a cycle. For that matter, those days most officers owned only a bicycle.
His sense of humour was a legend. During a passing-out parade rehearsal, Corporal Kasz Raju (later Vice Admiral) and myself were the Right and Left Markers. For some reason the parade was halted but we the Markers did not hear the order and carried on slow marching towards the Quarter Deck. Sergeant Major shouted, “When you two reach the Quarter Deck, drop us a postcard” and of course all the cadets in the parade had a good laugh at us.
As we celebrate the Golden Jubilee at the National Defence Academy this June, this great soldier of Grenadier Guards will be remembered by the cadets of fifties who always hold him in veneration.
-Brig (Retd) Sudhir Arora
An Ideal Instructor


17 Course NDA Golden Jubilee Celebrations
The 17 Course NDA (1957-1959) celebrated their golden jubilee (50 years) from 7 to 9 December 2009, at NDA Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
See the cadet’s photos here.
It was attended by 88 former cadets of the 17 Course. Most of them had brought their wives. Also present were 4 grandchildren, 2 children, 2 daughters in law, and 4 ladies. Those who could not attend were sadly missed. See the participant’s photos here.

NCC a solution to manpower shortage in forces: Parliamentary panel

Thursday, April 15, 2010, 17:57 IST
New Delhi: With the Army, Navy and Air Force hard-pressed over shortage of officers, a Parliamentary panel today suggested increasing the intake of NCC cadets in the three defence services as a plausible solution to their manpower problem.

While the Army faces a shortage of 11,456 officers, the Navy and the Air Force suffer a gap of 1,439 and 1,343 officers, respectively.

"The Committee finds that there is an urgent need to give more attention to the National Cadet Corps (NCC), whose main objective is to groom the youth into disciplined and patriotic citizens...NCC training would definitely help the three services in solving the problem of shortage of officers," the Parliamentary Committee on Defence said in its latest reported tabled in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The Army has a sanctioned strength of 46,614 in the officer cadre, while the existing strength is 35,158 officers. The Navy's sanctioned strength of officers is 9,293 and existing strength 7,854. In the IAF, the sanctioned officer cadre strength is 12,183 and borne strength is 10,840.

The Defence Ministry had informed the committee that it took steps to address the manpower shortage in the three services which included sustained image projection and publicity campaign, participation in career fairs, advertisements in print and electronic media, counselling and motivational talks in schools, colleges and NCC camps.

The panel felt these steps were in the right direction, but a desired focus on the NCC cadets was not being given.

"The committee is of the firm view that there is an urgent need to enrol more schools and colleges, both government and private, for NCC," it said, recommending that the Ministry undertake a survey to know the percentage of NCC students who have actually joined the three services.

The training institutions of the three armed forces -- the National Defence Academy, the Indian Military Academy, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy -- have a percentage of seats reserved for NCC 'C' certificate holders and the allotted seats are usually super-subscribed, as NCC cadets join the academies from the general quota also.

Noting that the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations has had a positive impact by making the armed forces as an attractive career option for the youth, the panel also recommended that the Ministry should consider recruiting retired officers for supervisory jobs, an area where the three services were finding it difficult to get the requisite manpower. PTI
NCC a solution to manpower shortage in forces: Par panel

India's war memorial: Historical perspective and present status

Ajai Shukla: India's war memorial - Seal the deal
Rajeev Chandrasekhar's plan for the war memorial is a good idea
Ajai Shukla / New Delhi March 23, 2010, 0:09 IST

Amongst the many issues that scar relations between India’s military and its civilian overseers — pay scales and pensions; the failure to buy adequate weaponry; and the military’s marginalisation in framing security policy, to name a few — the most easily resolved is the military’s longstanding demand for a national war memorial to honour the 20,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen who have sacrificed their lives while defending independent India. A broad section of the urban public echoes this plea.

The demand is for a prominent memorial on New Delhi’s Central Vista, which can be visited freely by the Indian public, and where wreathes can be offered by national leaders on occasions like the Republic Day, and by visiting foreign dignitaries who choose to do so. The current memorial, the Amar Jawan Jyoti, is merely an add-on to the India Gate, an imposing 42-metre high British structure, built in 1921, to honour the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War.

The irony is evident: the British exalted the memory of Indians who died for the empire; but India finds it bothersome to suitably commemorate those who fell in service of the republic.

Anyone who has travelled along India’s borders with China and Pakistan cannot have missed the lonely memorials at the places where Indian troops fought and died. Amongst the most stirring is the stark monument to Major Shaitan Singh and his 111 Kumaoni soldiers who battled to the last, holding up a major Chinese advance on the desolate, windswept plateau of Chushul. This Indian hero, a winner of the Param Vir Chakra, is honoured only in that unvisited war memorial near Chushul. No national memorial is inscribed with the name of Major Shaitan Singh.

The proposal for a “National War Memorial”, as I accidentally discovered in the Assam state archives in Guwahati, predates independent India. A confidential memo, issued on March 3, 1945, from the War Department in New Delhi (in File No. 110-C/45, entitled “Indian National War Memorial”, in the Governor’s Secretariat, Confidential Branch) declares that the Government of India (GoI) has been examining “the question of the form that an Indian National War Memorial should take”. The memo orders that “the establishment of a Military Academy on the lines of the United States Military Academy at West Point for the education and basic training together of future officers of the Royal Indian Navy, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would be the most suitable form for the memorial to take”.

In short, New Delhi proposed that what was to become the famous National Defence Academy (NDA), which is still the bedrock of Indian officer training, would also serve as India’s National War Memorial.

The British government of India further proposed that “funds for the academy would be provided by public subscription and supplemented by the state”. It urged all provincial governments (as state governments were then called) to support the scheme, establish scholarships, encourage the public to contribute, and to not set up any other war memorials so that the support of the public “may be concentrated on the all-India (war memorial)”.

Shortly afterwards, as the Second World War hurtled towards its denouement in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the War Department in New Delhi directed (vide memo No. F.65/45/W.1, dated June 15, 1945) that the construction of the academy be financed from a gift of 100,000 pounds, received from the Government of Sudan in gratitude for the Indian Army’s role in freeing Sudan from Italian occupation.

An Indian National War Memorial Working Committee was quickly constituted, which sent out a questionnaire to the provinces asking for their views on a range of subjects, including the setting up of feeder schools for the proposed academy-cum-war memorial. The questionnaire asked, keeping in mind the “urgent need in India for leaders in all walks of life, including the fighting services”, should “practical steps not be taken to meet the requirement of the immediate future by the establishment of a certain number of residential high schools”.

Today, 65 years later, the military community, especially officers from the NDA, will recognise that these proposals have been implemented in full. The Sudan Block, a magnificent basalt and granite structure, topped with a Jodhpur red sandstone dome, is the central edifice around which the academy stands. Generations of cadets, including this columnist, have dozed restfully through lectures in the Sudan Block’s cool classrooms. Many of those cadets entered the NDA from 19 Sainik Schools across the country, the network of “feeder schools” proposed in 1945.

Lost along the way, fortuitously, is the proposal for the NDA to constitute India’s National War Memorial. A training academy is a living organism that shapes the leaders of tomorrow; bursting with life, it is ill-suited to be a sombre memorial.

Today, with the government unwilling to concede the space for a memorial on New Delhi’s Central Vista, Karnataka MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has suggested a Vietnam Wall-style memorial, inscribed with the names of India’s fallen soldiers, on a 50-60 acre site alongside Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat. The design, which Chandrasekhar submitted to the prime minister last week, includes an eternal flame, a 24x7 ceremonial military guard, a memorial wall, a martyrs’ museum, and large, landscaped areas that would allow schoolchildren and other visitors a pleasant day at the memorial. If the army wants the country to know about and to remember its sacrifices, this is the way to do it.
Mr.Rajeev Chandrashekhar is the son of Air Commodore (retd) M.K. Chandrashekhar who served in the Air Examination Board (AEB), among other appointments.
Ajai Shukla: India's war memorial - Seal the deal

Perspective by Veteran
1. 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' is dominantly placed and treated as National War Memorial by the Indian Govt, solemn for all national ceremonies. Can there be more suitable a place? Why decisions of 20s/40s can’t be reinforced or reviewed by the Govt. of Indep India? We need to rationalise this. In any case, most of the States have their War Memorials.
2. 'National War Museum' too is pending. How many Regiments would part with their prime souvenirs to be displayed in the Museum as and when set by the Govt denuding their Centre(s), Officers Messes, Offices, HQ, etc. How would it look w/o the prime souvenirs? I was part of these discussions a few years back. We need to think afresh.

Brig Sukhwindar Singh (Retd)
www.IndianDefenceIndustry.com

Army’s officer intake hits new low

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
By Saurabh Joshi
The number of officers being commissioned by the Indian Army annually has fallen for the second consecutive year.

Figures revealed to StratPost indicate that the army commissioned 1374 officers in 2009. While in earlier years, the army has ordinarily commissioned some 1750 officers every year, which is also below par by 250, the intake fell sharply in 2008 to 1506 and has continued its slide in 2009.

Significantly, 2008 also saw a substantial deficit in the annual net intake of officers, with the number of officers being commissioned falling far lower than the number of officers leaving the service due to superannuation, premature retirement or resignation. While in 2004 and ‘05, the army saw a net gain of some 400 officers each year, this number dropped to a little less than 200 in 2006, to a figure of -22 in ‘07 and more steeply to -294 in ‘08.

This is the result of a steep drop in the number of officers commissioned in 2008 from previous years and a concurrent, gradual and continuing increase in the number of officers leaving the service. The number of officers leaving the service annually increased from a little over 1300 in 2004 to 1800 in 2008.

While 2009 did see a net gain of 83 officers, in actual terms, worryingly, the number of officers being commissioned in comparison to earlier years has continued its fall, in spite of the circumstances of the economic recession as well as the enticements of the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The army has also taken measures in the past to increase recruitment, like easing benchmarks for recruitment and allowing a ten to fifteen per cent over-subscription of the capacity of the military academies in accordance with operational imperatives.

Also, although the number of applications for premature retirement and resignations fell in 2009, largely due to the recession and the recent pay hikes, the army has further tried to stem the flow of officers out of the army by curtailing approvals of such applications. While around 57 per cent of the applications for premature retirement were approved in 2006, the figure fell to around 36 per cent in 2009. Similarly, while almost 50 per cent of resignations were approved in 2006, only 18.6 per cent were permitted in 2009.

Although the second Officers Training Academy (OTA) coming up at Gaya with a likely capacity of around 700, may contribute to beefing up the army’s officer intake, sources in the army say it will take up to 2014 to be established and may be too late for urgent action to be implemented to bolster the strength of the officer intake, especially since existing academies are already running below capacity.

These figures are likely to worsen the shortage of some 11,500 officers in the 1.2 million-strong army that has a sanctioned officer-strength of over 46,000 officers

Army’s officer intake hits new low

Increasing shortage of Officers in the Armed Forces

Where is the officer material found? Well, find the potential officer among citizens of India in average homes in towns and villages and train him to perfection. An officer is not born but made. In the medieval age it was believed that officers come from among the royalty alone or from the ruling classes or the so-called martial classes. However, the two world wars proved that only the aforesaid specified classes cannot provide the large number of officers needed by the armed forces. The common folks rose to the occasion and provided good officer material that was trained to become fine officers and leaders of men who won battles. So far so good. Now in the 21st century, our Indian Army is facing an acute shortage of officers and many units are so deficient of officers that their battle efficiency is adversely affected. It has so happened because over a period of time the officers in the army lost luster and were down- graded in the social set up. It is unbelievable but true.

As of now, the Indian army is short of as many as 11238 officers and does not know where to get them from. The shortage of officers is increasing year after year. The reason is that more officers leave the army on superannuation or take voluntary retirement to join more lucrative jobs in private or multi-national companies. In the year 2008, there was an intake of 1500 officers but as many as 1800 officers said good bye to the uniformed service. It was hoped that the economic recession and shrinkage of job opportunities elsewhere will reroute talented young men to the officer cadre of the army. Sadly it did not happen. The youth don’t find the army service attractive enough to make a bid for it in preference to becoming an executive in a multinational company or joining the Indian administrative service to become administrators. It is understood that big money lies there and not in the army service. Of course, patriotism attracts the youth to the army to defend the motherland. With a rise in external and internal threats and Islamist terrorism gaining ground, some young men feel that joining the army is a step forward towards patriotism.

The Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations and their implementation provide a silver lining to the dark cloud. The pay and perks are now fairly attractive and it is hoped that the youth will now prefer the army to a non-cushy job in the civil.

The army should keep the media, both print and electronic, on its right side so that the good word is spread to every nook and corner of the country. The good word is: the Indian army looks after its personnel and the future of the new generation is bright. Join the corps of officers of the Indian Army and believe in the dictum.
By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM
Read the full article:
Need to check shortage of officers in Indian army

NDA: How "HOTEL" Squadron became "HUNTER"

Dear Brig Kamboj and Friends,
The immediate impetus for 'shooting out' this mail is a message which has come from brother, Kulbir Suri (of the King Sqn)to inform us that all the three four-star officers in our country will be from Hunter squadron of the NDA. I was in that squadron in my final term. But there is a story to tell. I think it must be placed on record for the benefit of the posterity. Here is what happened.
When the JSW was established in 1949, there were two squadrons: A and B. Then they raised two more in the second Bn, C and D. The next two were E and F. The next three were added on, one each to the three Bns. So we had A, B and G in first Bn C, D and H in second Bn and E, F and I in the third Bn. The phonetic pronunciations at that time were: Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Juliet and King.
At this stage, a tenth squadron was raised. "Juliet" was not acceptable to the academy as the name for a Sqn. So it was skipped. The 10th Sqn, in No. 1 Bn was named King Sqn.
So far so good. Then in 1958 we got a new Commandant, Rear Admiral BA Samson. He decided to "rationalize" the squadrons. And so the names were changed. By that time, the phonetic pronunciations had also undergone a change. The new ones were, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo etc. I was in Easy Sqn. The new name given to us was 'Hotel' The cadet appointed the SCC in our course was an enterprising fellow; and the undisputed topper in academics. (He had stood first in our entrance order of merit and retained his position all through the six terms) The squadron commander was also an Air Force officer. The SCC was able to prevail upon the Academy bosses to designate our Sqn as "HUNTER" Sqn. We got that name, and it has stuck! Thus while the famous "King" Sqn was reduced to "Kilo" we got a martial designation, "Hunter".
Our Squadron produced two successive gold medalists and two successive silver medalists. And now all the three chiefs are from that Sqn. I wonder if that could have happened if the name of the Sqn was "Hotel"! The name of the SCC who made the difference is JOSEPH THOMAS.
Three cheers for the HUNTER Squadron. Long live the Squadron spirit. In all humility, I must hasten to confess that as a cadet, I was never able to do anything worth the mention. But when the likes of KD were running on the field, I was never wanting in cheering them up. I shouted my throat hoarse, on more than one occasion.
God Bless the cadets of the Hunter Squadron.
Surjit
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)
PS
Thomas, Please correct me where I am wrong and join the dots to create the line. You have helped me all these 52 years. And so, please hold my hand as ever before! Raj Kadyan, You are the other one on whom I am banking to put the record straight wherever I am wrong. KD You have crossed seven seas. But in spirit you are with us!

Dear Surjit,
Thanks for the small historical note. And I'm delighted and honoured that all three chiefs will soon be from Hunter squadron. A few small clarifications and corrections:
Maybe Juliet was not acceptable to the academy as the name for a Sqn in the early days. However, I remember visiting NDA to see the 28th Course brother of my dear friend and course mate. At that time he was in Juliet sqn. But I'm glad to say that when we visited the academy in 2007, it was called Jaguar squadron. As far as I know, the squadron names were "rationalized" at the instigation of Wg Cdr MD "Macy" Khanna, then a Battalion Commander. He convinced the Commandant that "squadron spirit" should be replaced by "battalion spirit". Renaming the squadrons was part of this exercise. We also started having more inter battalion competitions.
It was bad enough being called 'Easy' squadron or 'Echo' squadron. But I couldn't imagine a squadron being called 'Hotel' squadron. ur squadron commander was from the air force only in the first term. After that the incumbents were Major Kothavalla and Major Khader Ahmed. And no, I did not ask anybody for permission to change the name to Hunter. I just used it while commanding the squadron on parade. Nobody objected.
At that time Hunter aircraft were new in India and there were two squadrons in Pune. They used to fly past at our POP and also break the sound barrier. I had the good fortune to fly the Hunter aircraft 11 years later. Three cheers for HUNTER squadron.
J Thomas

Dear General Surjit and Veteral Thomas,
Thank you for your fill-up on historicity. I join you in saying ;cheers' for the Hunter Squadron. Frankly, we inherited the word Hunter when we reached final term. I was not aware that Thomas had done it. He richly deserves the credit for this very inspiring change of name.
I agree with Thomas on the names of the Sqn Commanders. Throughout my six terms we had an Army Major head the Sqn. In my Division (14 with 'E' and 23 when name changed to 'H') we stared with a Naval DO but had an Air Force officer from our III term on. Flt Lts Mehta, Sandhu and Jog were there.
In our final term Brig Hoshiar Singh took over as Deputy Commandant. In camp Torna he tried a new experiment. In five days (the duration got reduced by a day due to visit of PM Nehru on 14 Mar 1961) we had to cover 125 miles with exercises and many competitions thrown in. It was so tiring that on return on Saturday we had a heavy lunch and slept through to Monday morning. The 'Hunters' proudly picked up the Torna championship banner.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

NDA: Cadets Prayer

Dear Chander,
Given below is the Cadets Prayer which we had to read aloud every day when we joined the JSW in Jan 1949 as cadets. I wonder if this is still the practice!! The Prayer was printed on a small card which could be kept in the breast pocket.

The contents of the prayer are so worthy of practice by everyone but in particular by the officer corps of the three services. So I am sending it as a reminder for everyone.

Best wishes.
Harbhajan Singh
(Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, Former SO-in-C, 1st JSW Course)

CADETS PRAYER
O God, our father, Thou searcher of men’s heart, help us to draw nearer to Thee in sincerity and truth. May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural.

Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish. Encourage us to endeavour to live above the common level of life. Wake us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be one.

Endow us with courage that is born out of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns compromise with vice and injustice, and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy. Guard us against flippancy and irreverence in sacred things of life. Grant us new ties of friendship and new opportunities of service. Kindle our hearts with fellowship with those of cheerful countenance and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer.

May we find genuine pleasure in clean and wholesome mirth and feel inherent disgust for all coarse minded humour. Help us in our work and in our play to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight, that we may better maintain the honour of the service, untarnished and unsullied, and acquit ourselves like men in our effort to realize the ideals of our Armed Forces, in doing our duty to Thee and our country. All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of men.

Recommendations
This Prayer needs to be religiously revived to be recited by all Officers in all Military Training Establishments including the Staff College (as some Officers are found carrying crates of liquor bottles to trade services and goods).

In the memory of 3023 Cadet Nipinder Singh

click photo for enlarged viewingDear Friends,
This message is for those of our friends who may have known the late Capt Nipinder Singh, IN who passed away in Mumbai recently.
Nippy was in the XIX course, Fox Squadron. He had many sterling qualities, and just one weakness. He could never say any thing that hurt any one!
The likes of him come, but only once in a very long while.
The picture with the mail was taken when we had been in the Academy for just a few days.
Regards,
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)

Dear Coursemates,
Just heard that 'Nippy' has chosen to proceed on the long journey to nowhere.
I did not meet this noble person after the Academy, until I briefly saw him at the get togehter two years ago.
The face that is stuck in my mind of the lad who joined the academy 52 years ago as 2023 Cadet Nipinder. I fished out a picture from my files. In the bargain, many other faces appeared, and I kept poring at it for several minutes. And then, there was a lump in the throat. After I send this mail, maybe, I will feel better. Internet permits what poets call catharsis! Later or sooner, we will all join Nippy. And then we will be together again. I am going to Easy Squadron. Others may book their seats.
Happy Diwali
Surjit

My heartfelt condolences to the 19-28 Course family on this sad news.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM