Charting the course of the Indian Armed forces

Photo credit: bharat rakshak
Sajini Sahadevan Monday, March 16, 2009 14:08 IST
Bangalore: Imagine a chronicle of the last 100 years of a country. It could well be the most fitting mark of respect to those who battle it out for the nation, braving not just the rain of bullets, but the forces of nature as well. Commemorating its hundredth year, Sainik Samachar has been released as a special compilation issue in hardback, making it a collector's piece.

The defence journal started by the Ministry of Defence and Indian Armed Forces in 1909, Sainik Samachar (or Fauji Akhbar, as it was known before independence) has found many loyal readers among laymen. An increase in the number of literate men in the Indian Army led to the magazine being brought out in Urdu. The journal was also printed in many regional languages to cater to its readers from every corner of the
country.

In the special compilation, articles have been reproduced from editions dating back to the 30s and 50s. Articles written in Hindi on World War II have been reproduced in Roman Hindi to bring back the zest of the past. Almost 85 years since the first issue, a majority of pictures have been in black and white. Most stories have been sourced from old issues of Sainik Samachar while certain external written material has been included to shed light on subjects from World War I and II to compensate for the absence of photographs -- that were of too poor a quality to be used -- and certain issues that were lost in bulk.

The book is a chronology of milestones, as the yellowing reproductions of articles remind one of the years fraught with struggles and violence. Cartoons featuring characters from various services and advertisements of brands like Brooke Bond tea bring forth realisation of how times have changed.

Copies of important events from 1914 - 1919, originally published in the Hindi edition of Fauji Akhbar, and press releases stating important events of the time have found a place in the book.

An overseas edition was also launched from Cairo in 1959, for the benefit of troops. A single copy of Sainik Samachar cost one anna in 1909. A hundred years later, it is available at Rs 5, well within the reach of one and all.

The black and white photographs include the 3/8 Punjab Patrol in Italy during WW II; King George V and the the Queen of England being received by the governor general; proceedings of the Delhi Durbar when Delhi was declared the new capital in 1911; students attending classes on seamanship and wireless telegraphy; an aerial view of Pakistani tanks running haphazardly during the Battle of Longewala in Rajasthan; and a photograph of Sonepat, the last serving elephant of the Indian Army who was sold out of service in 1932.

Pieces written by author Mulk Raj Anand, ornithologist Dr Salim Ali and journalist Amita Malik, carried in previous editions make an appearance in the commemorative issue.

It also covers many firsts including India's first nuclear test, the launch of the first satellite Aryabhatta, the first woman general in the Indian Army etc.

The book is a comprehensive record of events that made India proud through her Army, Navy and Air Force.
Charting the course of the Indian Armed forces

Ministry of Defence censoring its own Journal

The Ministry of defence’s obsession with secrecy is both well known and understandable. But certainly it seems to have taken the secrecy fixation to a new level by censoring one of its own journals. Certain seasoned observers say, it’s a first that Sainik Samachar, the bi-monthly century old journal of the armed forces, will be vetted before it goes to print.

Apparently, the Army brass is objecting to the classified information— names of Army units, appointments of officers etc— being published in the journal. Interestingly, sources say only the Army seems to have raised these concerns. The other two services seem quite content with the journal. Nevertheless, the upshot is that now Lieutenant General DS Bartwal, Director General of Military Intelligence, will clear all articles submitted for publication.

But some observers are wondering why this has become an issue, especially when the journal’s content is contributed by Army officers themselves, after getting the required clearances from their superiors. But that’s for those who wish to quibble. The defence ministry has already moved to issue the note confirming the decision and clearly babudom rules the roost once again.
Sainik Samachar under Scrutiny

Bureaucrats misuse RTI Act
Nowadays the Central Information Commission (CIC) is busy playing "agony aunt" to a score of babus whining over various promotional and compensation matters. That seems to be the big new bugbear of the CIC. The trend in babudom, insiders share, is that many bureaucrats are now actually using the RTI Act for their own personal vested interest. Ranging from scrutinising file details when superseded, to petty complaints on out-of-turn allotment of houses, these applications make up an alarming 40 per cent of the ones received by the CIC.
Babus misuse RTI Act