ESM: Choice is unity or spinning money

Dear Mrinal ji
Thanks for your kind words. I have all along tried to bring in unity to live by the Charter we laid for ourselves way back in 1981. All these efforts have been frustrated despite the fact that we always offered to follow rather than want to lead. The minimal requirement of working out a common agenda has also been frustrated.
Today in my mail I only sought honesty in actions and deeds by suggesting a course of action i.e the IESM amending their Bye laws to stop direct enrollment and transferring their membership to an existing Society or registering another one. Whatever that is, it joins the IESM which would only enroll Organizations and not individuals. This new outfit then joins the IESM.
To prove our commitment to the unity I offer my Association to the IESM to transfer their Membership and then join the IESM a true Confederation. This way we will have a huge membership, besides The Cooperative Society for running business enterprises, the Trust to do the Social work, a ready made Web site www.aiewa.org with a running blog spot and a huge Cooperative Bank to back up. More than anything else it would give the name of the Association which has achieved name and fame for its efforts in the last 30 years of its existence.
More than anything else it would give me the opportunity for basking in the glory of achievements of the generation next unitedly.
I have gone through your wonderful article, very clearly bringing out the perennial problems faced by our people in trying to maintain unity. I entirely agree with you. I only hope these people see the logic in what I have tried to say and do the right thing.
Regards
Inderjit Singh

Dear Sir,
I am not at all surprised to read your account of failed efforts to forge unity. Shame on all of us, the so-called selfless and sincere veterans. Please do not get disheartened. Disunity is in our blood and the whole body-system. May like to peruse the article given below. It may spur some to rise above personal interests.
Warm regards,
Mrinal
Disunity is in our blood by Major General Mrinal Suman

Why I Still Serve to Defend the Nation: A Soldier's Lament

The poem below amply, subtly and truly portrays the predicament of ESM battling for Pension Parity and campaigning for One Rank One Pension... equity, honour and justice for the Retired Military Personnel.

Major Gaurav Arya said...
Dear Bandita,
Thank you for your kind words. I wrote this a long, long time back... and got into a lot of trouble with the army top brass for my sins. I read your blog too... you write very well, I must say. Do keep it up.
I have given up writing... actually I pledged my soul to the devil. I would give up what I enjoyed and he would give me money. As with all deals with the devil, this one fell through... too. So, I dont write and the promised gold is nowhere in sight.
Best wishes... and keep writing,
Gaurav Arya
Randomised Rainbow: click here to read the original post

Why Do I still Serve You? ... Please read it and ponder...

How you play with us, did you ever see?
At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;
I would serve you to the end,
All these boundaries I would defend.
Now you make me look like a fool,
When at Seventeen and just out of school;
Went to the place where they made ‘men out of boys’
Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…
In those days, I would see my ‘civilian’ friends,
Living a life with the fashion trends;
Enjoying their so called ‘College Days’
While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…
But I never thought twice about what where or why
All I knew was when the time came, I’d be ready to do or die.
At 21 and with my commission in hand,
Under the glory of the parade and the band,
I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,
And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.
I stood there with a sense of recognition,
But on that day I never had the premonition,
that when the time came to give me my due,
You’d just say,’ What is so great that you do?’
Long back you promised a well to do life;
And when I’m away, take care of my wife.
You came and saw the hardships I live through,
And I saw you make a note or two,
And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;
but now I know you’ll never be able to see,
Because you only see the glorified life of mine,
Did you see the place where death looms all the time?
Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?
The name of his newborn he does not know...
Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?
While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?
You still know I’ll not be the one to raise my voice
I will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thois.
But that’s just me you have in the sun and rain,
For now at Twenty Four, you make me think again;
About the decision I made, Seven years back;
Should I have chosen another life, some other track?
Will I tell my son to follow my lead?
Will I tell my son, you’ll get all that you need?
This is the country you will serve
This country will give you all that you deserve?
I heard you tell the world ‘India is shining’
I told my men, that’s a reason for us to be smiling
This is the India you and I will defend!
But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?
You go on promise all that you may,
But it’s the souls of your own men you betray.
Did you read how some of our eminent citizens
Write about me and ridicule my very existence?
I ask you to please come and see what I do,
Come and have a look at what I go through
Live my life just for a day
Maybe you’ll have something else to say?
I will still risk my life without a sigh
To keep your flag flying high
but today I ask myself a question or two...
Oh India... Why do I still serve you?

DRDO fires `swadeshi missile' at armed forces

27/05/2010
New Delhi: The head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India’s premier defence research organisation, said that responsibility for the low-level of self reliance in defence systems should not be borne by it alone.

"DRDO has long been held responsible for the level of self reliance in defence systems, but it must be understood that the responsibility for self reliance should be shared by all stake-holders of MoD and cannot be placed on DRDO alone, which neither has the power to impose its products on its customer nor the mandate or capacity to produce the developed systems all by themselves," Saraswat said.
DRDO fires `swadeshi missile' at armed forces
Overcome Temptation to buy Arms abroad, says DRDO Chief 5,000 Kms Range Agni-5 to be tested next year
DRDO now Developing Technologies for sub Conventional Warfare

Abolish sahayak system: House panel to Army

Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 4, 2010
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence today asked the Indian Army to abolish the “colonial” practice of employing jawans as sahayaks of officers. It also expressed "strong displeasure" over the Defence Ministry's procedure to assess the exact level of indigenisation achieved by its production agencies to manufacture equipment.

On sahayaks, the committee asked the Army to abolish the "demeaning and humiliating" system. In an action taken report tabled in both the Houses of the Parliament, the committee said it was unable to comprehend why it was necessary to continue with the sahayak system that "lowers the self-esteem of a jawan" when the Navy and Air force have abandoned it.

Several jawans were engaged at the residence of senior officers for domestic work and to serve the family members of officers. In reply, to the committee's suggestion, the Defence Ministry had said a sahayak was "a comrade-in-arms" to officers.

The Army has issued instructions to its units to ensure that combatant soldiers were under no circumstances be employed on a job not in conformity with the dignity and self-respect of a soldier.
Abolish sahayak system: House panel to Army

Positive criticism should evolve from sane human attributes

Nature has three attributes:

Sattwa = pure, chaste and truth

Rajas = Self-indulgence, luxury and gratification

Tamas = Indolence, passivity, indifference, hated, anger and so on...
As human beings we too are part of Nature (Prakriti) and, therefore, possess all these attributes in varying measure. Our behaviour explains which of these attributes rules us at a particular time and for a period. Like in each of us, these traits or a mix of good and evil is also strewn in every group or mass of people.

Criticism is desirable and a healthy activity for improvement if only it retains objectivity- a positive element of Satwa or Satogun. Bitterness comes from Tamas or Tamogun which distorts truth and fills us with anger and hatred.

Although their number is fast diminishing, there are still some good politicians and good bureaucrats even in today's corruption ridden system. But isn't there an unfortunate increase in cases where senior army officers have been found involved in corruption and moral turpitude? The trend is certainly disturbing, ie, Sattwa on downward trend and Tamas on the rise! Fortunately, there is a subtle difference that despite the rising trend of misdemeanour of some senior officers in the Armed Forces, there are fewer evils in the Armed Forces vis-vis Civil Services. Let's be objective in looking at things and magnanimous in our reactions.

But to say that we do not find a bureaucrat who is not “petty, dull, almost witless, crafty or stupid, an oppressor or a thief, a holder of little authority…….” etc hardly shows our magnanimity. On the contrary, it paints us poorly because such a remark is itself petty in the first place. I have met a number of excellent bureaucrats who are excellent human beings, efficient administrators, brilliant thinkers, writers and diligent negotiators. and what's more- corageoous whistle blowers against their own breed too! Agreed, their number is but small. But why not praise and encourage these few instead of burying them alongwith their tainted lot.

Is it courteous or urchin-like behaviour to indulge in abusive language, calling names, shouting and denouncing an entire class of people? Time was when an Army Officer was known by his demeanour as a ‘Gentleman’. His elegance and high value conduct came to be known as ‘Chivalry’, which combines all the finer qualities of great soldiering, eg: gallantry, courtliness, politeness, courtesy, graciousness, loyalty and so on. Can we blame others if we have distanced ourselves from this frame in which our people adored us for centuries?

I request you, Friends, to please exercise restraint when you feel angry. Better behaviour wins us support and goodwill, bitter behaviour creates bad blood and more enemies. Think it over. If you thought I was preaching– please be gracious to pardon me! Wishing you all a very Happy and prosperous New Year 2010,
Col Karan Kharb (Retd)

Turning truncated Military Career into an opportunity

Dear Brig Kamboj and Gangadharan,
Early retirement is a well known irritant of military service. Most of us aspire to prepare ourselves for a second career in industry or a government job. But ever so often I come across a person who has been able to convert this threat into an opportunity. Last week, I saw one such success story. I thought I would share the experience with your readers.
I was invited to visit the chain of schools and a Management Institute established by Col Vinod Kumar and his wife Shubhra ji in Ahmedabad. What I saw there impelled me to record my impressions in the form of the attached paper entitled "Temples of Learning" To get a birds' eye view of the schools, you may visit their website www.stkabir.com
A word about Col Vinod Kumar
Vinod is from the 30th Regular course (Naushehra Coy, later, Staff Sgt Sinhgarh Coy) He had a brilliant career. He passed out as first amongst the GCs commissioned into the EME. After graduating from the Staff College, he was GSO-2 SD in Baramula, and later AQ, IMA during the golden jubilee of the Academy. He then went as CO of the EME Bn in Ahmedabad. And that is when he got a call from within to sign off. That is a story by itself. He and his wife started a nursery school with barely twenty students, and operating form a hired flat. From there they have come a long way.
Sometimes I wonder. Why can't we produce more such success stories. Military service will remain what it is: a truncated career for more than 99% officers and men. There is a limit to how much improvement can be made in our pensions. But there is no limit to how much we can gain through our own effort and enterprise. Can we have a dialogue on this on "Report my signal"?
Regards,
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)

President confers gallantry and distinguished service awards

Friday,20 March 2009
President, Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred six Kirti Chakras and seventeen Shaurya Chakras to serving armed forces personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty at a solemn ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi today.

The President also conferred nine Param Vishisht Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, fifteen Ati Vishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces for distinguished service of an exceptional order. The following is the list of awardees:
GALLANTRY AWARDS

KIRTI CHAKRA
1. IC-31794 Brig Ravi Datt Mehta (Posthumous)
2. IC-52871 Lt Col Saurabh Singh Shekhawat
3. SC-00134 Major Sushil Kumar Singh
4. SC-00137 Major Rajinder Kumar Sharma
5. IC-64615 Capt Sunil Kumar Choudhary (Posthumous)
6. 2791244 Hav Rale Santosh Tanaji

SHAURYA CHAKRA
1. IC-55535 Maj Rajesh Singh
2. IC-57157 Maj Sunder Bisht
3. IC-60439 Maj Chirag Singh Barak
4. IC-61732 Maj Raman Yadav
5. IC-65235 Maj Aditya Kumar Devrani
6. IC-65357 Maj Vijayant Chauhan,
7. IC-65693 Capt Amit Bhardwaj
8. IC-65706 Capt Kuldeep Raj
9. IC-65732 Capt Rahul Singh
10. JC-520181 Sub Dhian Singh (Posthumous)
11. JC-420360 Nb Sub Ramesh Chander
12. 4184821 Hav Tribhuwan Singh
13. 13753884 L/Hav Aziz Mohd (Posthumous)
14. 3189649 Nk Sukhvir
15. 3199037 Sep Sanny Tomar
16. G/5003882 Rfn Sagongdymei Bishong Thangal
17. 15483066 Swr Yadav Arbeshankar Rajdhari (Posthumous)

PARAM VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-23011 Lt Gen Isac John Koshy
2. IC-24178 Lt Gen Prabodh Chandra Bhardwaj
3. IC-24255 Lt Gen Amar Nath Aul
4. IC-24604 Lt Gen Digambar Singh Bartwal
5. IC-24611 Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash
6. MR-02669 Lt Gen Jayakrishnan Jayaram
7. IC-23928 Lt Gen (Retd) Rajender Singh
8. IC-19391 Lt Gen (Retd) Baldev Singh Pawar
9. IC-194 Lt Gen (Retd) Rama Ranjan Goswami (something wrong with IC Number!)

BAR TO ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-24584 Lt Gen Baljit Singh Jaswal

ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL
1. IC-23801 Lt Gen Anil Kumar Lamba
2. IC-24652 Lt Gen Raj Kumar Karwal
3. IC-25562 Lt Gen Partha Mohapatra
4. IC-32844 Lt Gen Ram Pratap
5. IC-19401 Lt Gen (Retd) Yatindra Singh Panwar
6. IC-24749 Maj Gen Praveen Chandra Kharbanda
7. IC-27778 Maj Gen Jagbir Singh Kundu
8. IC-27793 Maj Gen Jatinder Singh
9. IC-27994 Maj Gen Palvinder Singh Bhalla
10. IC-30053 Maj Gen Rajiv Kumar Kalra
11. IC-30708 Maj Gen Ashok Kumar Choudhary
12. IC-30109 Maj Gen Vinod Kumar Tiwari
13. IC-31016 Maj Gen Subrahmanyam Sunder
14. MR-03436 Maj Gen Charanjit Singh
15. IC-30612 (Retd) Maj Gen Sankarapilla Sarachandran Nair

Samir / RC / RAJ
President confers gallantry and distinguished service awards

Report My Signal Team congratulates all the awardees. Lt Gen YS Panwar who has joined veteran fraternity deserves a double handshake.