Comments on: Promotions, status and tough conditions

By: » BJP’s Prime Minister in Waiting must announce a Shadow Cabinet - Blogger News Network

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:46:03 +0000

[...] strategy to tackle terrorism and Maoist activities is well known to you. Fellow bloggers Nitin and Pragmatic have also been highlighting the distress in the armed forces and the plummeting morale amongst the [...]

By: » Mr. Advani announce a Shadow Cabinet | Offstumped

» Mr. Advani announce a Shadow Cabinet | Offstumped — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:42:42 +0000

By: Angie

Angie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:43:56 +0000

I have a feeling that this was deliberately introduced to generate debate!! Pretty crafty!! The others were kind of petering out with most people agreeing with each other!!

By: EIDELON

EIDELON — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:08:33 +0000

@Pragmatic

Thanks.

By: Pragmatic

Pragmatic — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:22:34 +0000

@Raja:

Instead of relegating ourselves to the ‘Tyranny of the Or’ (ie should reform be top down or at every stage?), we should embrace ‘The Genius of the And’ ( both the things need to go on simultaeneously)
In theory, you are right. Practically, in top-driven hierarchical organisations, it means that the senior is beyond question and the “and” eventually ends up as an exclusive “or” for the junior. It is assumed that when you are holding the senior accountable, you as a junior are doing the right thing yourself. Thanks for your lucidly expressed views.

By: jabs

jabs — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:34:35 +0000

Having decided upon the various ills that plague the Army mainly insensitive senior cadre and lack of inclusivity in the use of available facilities what action can be initiated to ensure that the ideal environment is created. senior officers are well aware of the need on ground but how can they be compelled to address the same.

By: EIDELON

EIDELON — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:42:25 +0000

@Pragmatic

Nice to see the term CTN being used. I hope i have the patent for that. If we bother only about the CTG (which is in terms of money) then the CTN would be immense (Which would not be only in terms of Money.

By: ken

ken — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:07:33 +0000

@PRAGMATIC No harm taking treatment from Dr Dave ,he is a surgeon if repute ,believe me a mad man will never agree if some one tells him that he is mad !

By: Pragmatic

Pragmatic — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:02:02 +0000

Dr Dave’s Spam Karma or Ak***t Ar**a:

I have also traced the antecedents of many and just be aware. ‘Samajhne wale ko Ishara kafi hota hain’

Should I post your service number and location in the UN mission? Are you trying to scare people from commenting on this blog? Must say that its a very amateurish and puerile effort to frighten people.

By: Max

Max — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:37:02 +0000

@ ALL
Gentle Readers,
Let us refrain from sliding into ungentlemanly conduct, Please.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, incl the blogger. Respect all views, Please.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:38:36 +0000

@ Dr Dave’s Spam Karma ??

How about some reverse psychoanalysis ??
–Refer –
At the outset – my compliments to pragmatic for this blog / site where most of the posts are thought provoking. I for one wouldnt be surprised if the int branches of all the three defence services aouls be trying to gag this site ..??

Full thread at
http://pragmatic.nationalinterest.in/2008/04/02/promotions-status-and-tough-conditions/#comment-2997

By: DR DAVE'S SPAM KARMA

DR DAVE'S SPAM KARMA — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:38:45 +0000

This is my first but not the last visit to this blog. I have psychoanalysed the blogmaster(I hope this is the correct term) and many other bloggers and have arrived at a conclusion that most of them are Dukhi Atmas wanting to quit the service. They may claim to be blogging for improving the system but almost all of them are the proverbial ‘Rats desertng a sinking ship’ and claim to be ‘Captains remaining in the crippled ship’. I have also traced the antecedents of many and just be aware. ‘Samajhne wale ko Ishara kafi hota hain’

By: Raja

Raja — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:17:58 +0000

I would throw my hat in the ring with Pragmatic on a few counts.
These are random thouhgts, so please do not attempt a systesis.
Peace time tenures. They are absolutely horrendous, primarily due to the short term outlook of the commanders there. And they do take away from you one of the prime joys that should be due to a fauji – a return to peacetime training for war, after a hard field tenure.
MES houses. The fact that we have poor maintenance of this critical ‘intangible to our notional CTG’ can be blamed again to the bosses on the ground, where resources are moved on whim and fancy for short term gains- depriving the man on the ground fom having a dignified house, and not a rotting one. If someone says funds are a problem, I would like to know the names of stations where the Flagstaff house has given up its umpteenth AC in favour of tiling of a few NCOs bathrooms.
The bottom line, as told by Pragmatic, is that we are a whim-based army, and not a process oriented one. It is very difficult to becomne process oriented, as that would deprive the top from a large number of discretionary ‘perks’. But the sad fact remains that all these so called ‘perks’ are at the expense of dignity and joy of a fauji life for a large majority of people. The relationship is tangential, yet, as you rise in the system, it becomes all the more evident.
I think classes on the ‘Art of Living’ should be a must for all faujis, secially the top brass. The concept that at the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back into the same box, is not well understood.
Comparisons and emulation with the corporate world are our undoing.The concept of a Spartan life lies dead and buried.
The competing viewpoints of refrm from the top/ reform from wherever you are need a middle ground. I paraphrase from Jim Collins’ ‘Built to Last’ : Instead of relegating ourselves to the ‘Tyranny of the Or’ (ie should reform be top down or at every stage?), we should embrace ‘The Genius of the And’ ( both the thingsneed to go on simultaeneously) So, at this ponit, I diverge from Pragmatic.
Cheers!

By: trusty

trusty — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:51:42 +0000

@sk4/veeru
reliable sources have indicated that ‘appropriately worded press releases’ is all that the news is worth. expect very little if at all anything.

By: trusty

trusty — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:50:06 +0000

@pragmatic
“Frankly, I wonder if a Lt. Colonel is going to stay in the kitchen during a mess party, what difference does his equivalence to a DGP or IG or DIG going to make on his status?”

It will make a difference to him when he gets out of the kitchen and goes on the street. it will make a difference when he meets his counterparts outside the service.
He stays in the kitchen, mind you, because the stream of newcomers is slowly drying up.