More than Malegaon
..it is the victory of self-negation over self-realisation in the Indian military.
This is not about the Malegaon blasts or Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit. This is not about the declining secular values in the Indian defence services or the “dented” public image of the Indian army either. This is about the Indian military as an institution itself and some very fundamental questions that the military needs to honestly answer.
When suicides happen, the military floats the figures of the civil society and paramilitary as a justification. When fratricides become a regular occurrence, the military falls back on statistics from the western armies in Iraq and Afghanistan. When corruption cases in military come to light, the official response is to compare them to even bigger cases of political and bureaucratic corruption. So what’s the big deal about an officer “allegedly” [and let us not forget that he has been neither charged nor convicted yet, except by the media] lends a helping hand to a communal group for a few acts of terrorism. This nation has had a long history of state police and paramilitary forces siding with one of the groups during communal violence. The military can still compare themselves with those organisations and condone this incident.
Even earlier, soldiers have been dismissed for stealing weapons and trying to sell them to Mafia dons-turned-politicians in the Hindi heartland. There have been odd incidents of soldiers aiding out various separatist organisations in the North East and Kashmir valley. And the Indian military also trained the LTTE terrorists and then eventually fought against them.
These analogous temptations and rationalisations of dishonest conduct, however, will not make the latest deeds morally right. Questionable moral practices, no matter how widespread they become, can not become part of military practice just because they are widespread. The Indian military has to have an institutional response, that has to be always morally superior to the civilian society. There are linkages between the larger society and its military subsystem. The military is always in a dilemma – how much to converge so as to absorb the social and political values and pathologies of the civil society and how far to diverge to resist the civilian beliefs from corrupting the military way.
As with other cases of malfeasance by military officers, this latest incident has also been dismissed by the Indian military as another one-off freak aberration. The Malegaon misdeed, along with previous other so-called “one-off aberrations”, is symptomatic of the larger malaise afflicting the Indian military — of valuing competence over character and technical proficiency over values, where ends always justify the means. This response of the Indian military is nothing but a manifestation of self-negation overpowering self-realisation.
Self realisation is a function of honest introspection — of welcoming criticism. The willingness to welcome well-meaning criticism and a capacity for self-criticism are the hallmark of a living tradition and healthy institution. No institution of excellence can turn itself into an idol, as though it has arrived for ever. The Indian military draws its strength largely from its past. It acts and delivers on the basis of expectations of its past glories and has fallen into the idolatry trap. An idolised institution remains preoccupied with selling its public image and maintaining the status quo so that its public image is not diminished.
The casualties in this process are: a gradual erosion of the capacity for self-criticism and the will to respond to emerging challenges, which is the secret of vibrant institutional growth. The end-product of this process is a skilled parasite officer who is adept at taking as much as possible from the organisation and society, without giving anything back into it. At the end of the day, military service must contribute to personal fulfilment for the average soldier. For that to happen, soldiering must remain harnessed to personal growth, rather than greed. Greed too generates its own genre of questions, as evident with the debate over SCPC. These questions of greed cannot provide satisfaction because they do not facilitate the evolution of a soldier.
The questions that the average soldier asks reveal best about the character and culture of the military. What are the questions that the military top brass encourages to raise or to suppress? A military leader has to be not only mindful of the need to create an expanse for difficult questions in the organisational space but also remain attentive to the questions the common solider is scared or unwilling to ask.
In the words of General Norman Schwarzkopf, military leadership is about “character and competence.” Competence in knowledge and skills can never make up for a lack of values in a military leader.The culture of exemplary value-based behaviour by top brass, in the end, is inseparable from the organisational culture that the military produces.
In the case of the Indian military, most external observers are misled by the proverbial shining bark that conceals the termite ridden hollow trunk of a tree. It wouldn’t be long before the proverbial tree collapses due to the weight at the top. The idealism and enthusiasm of younger officers and the time-honoured systems and processes in the military are on the decline; they will not be able to resist the downward gravitational pull exerted by the heavier top any longer.
So what is the way ahead? At the top of the reformist agenda should be a move away from this current state of denial to an acknowledgement of institutional decay and hearty introspection. Next in line is redefining the organisational philosophy; starting upwards from the raison d’etre for the existence of the Indian armed forces, to their relevance to the nation and society today and finally on to reinforcing coveted institutional imperatives and practising desired organisational values.
There exists a mistaken belief among the services that the traditional military values and righteous behavioural patterns can be reinvigorated by a mindless emphasis on colonial traditions and inchoate customs of yore. The military top brass rather needs to set the organisational culture right — determine the consistent values they want in their respective services, and then make those intangibles tangible by modelling, recognising, practising and rewarding the desired behaviours.
A lot of talk about military reform in India is restricted only to changes in systems, processes, polices, organisational structures, laws etc. The focus should be, instead, on bringing about cultural change. Then all aspects of the organisation will change automatically. A holistic reform of the military can only take place by reforming the military culture. It is not too late to start the reform process even now.
A very well written article. The army needs to make sure that it upholds dharma. Even in enemy land an army is required to maintain discipline amidst tough challenges. But has the army paid sufficient attention to it? Many times army jawans had been accused of rape and other criminal doings. Whether the crime is committed against supporters of terrorists or supporters of enemy, a disciplined army must ensure that the perpetrators are punished immediately and steps taken to reduce such incidences. Otherwise even if we win militarily we may lose the good will of the people. An army has to build its image as a liberator and not as an aggressor or suppressor. The key lies in discipline and upholding dharma.
An excellent article that raises the right questions! The first and most important issue is to discuss whether there is a problem within the military. There is a majority which is happy to sink its head into sand and deny that there is any problem. This consists of those whose upward mobility is still intact or those who think that they have a fair chance of climbing the greasy pole. There is also the other part which thinks that everything is wrong because they have been sidelined by system and have no further prospects in the organisation. Both the majority and the minority consist of the officer class and usually the ‘PBOR’ do not have a choice in that matter. How this clan will react to a similar attitude by a huge chunk of jawans who can only go home as a Naik (TS) after a ‘distinguished’ service of 20 years? Not very difficult to imagine because it is always easy to demand ideal behaviour from subordinates while accepting compromises within self and adulating the aberrations of the senior lot.
Today’s military has drifted too far apart from the core values of soldiering. What can these core values be? Physical fitness, mental robustness, integrity, loyalty, Esprit-De-Corps, moral courage, initiative, determination, obedience, compassion, humility and many more. It would be incorrect to claim that it is irrational to expect these qualities from those individuals who have been selected from a national pool that does not promote these qualities. After all, if the selection rate at SSBs boils down to just one or two out of a batch of say 100 or more, these are the qualities that separate the grain from the chaff. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the trainee has these qualities when he starts wearing his ranks.
It is therefore moot as to what happens to him with the passage of time. If we consider just a few issues like hypocrisy, sycophancy, nepotism and corruption – how many can say that they have been immune to these? It seems that the dictum ‘Honesty is inversely proportional to opportunity’ stands proven in each and every case where the opportunity arose to indulge in self promotion. There have been and will be honourable exceptions but they are just that – exceptions.
What in the minds of the military men is the credibility of honours and awards? Do I hear a resounding clap of approval? No! The system of citations and awards does not have the credibility it is supposed to have.
What are the examples that are being set by the commanders- whether in Units or at formations in terms of lifestyle and ethics? Let us be honest, the lifestyle triggers envy and ethics provoke derison. Are the acts of commission and omission unnoticed by the rank and file? Never! Every moment of life of the top brass is under scrutiny in the watchful eyes of their batsmen, guards, drivers, personal assistants, ADCs, Staff officers and of course the troops they command. Do they not notice the difference between rights and wrongs and the difference between what is preached and what is practiced?
What then needs to be done?
Firstly, the leadership should have a no nonsense approach towards ethics. There has to be zero tolerance towards such acts which are patently not soldierly and not officer like. This has to flow from the top and filter down to the last rung in the organisation.
Secondly, the system of selection and rejection should be as transparent as possible. If the best are promoted, the quantum of complaints and misconceptions are likely to reduce to manageable levels. It is when the immoral and incompetent get promoted, a wrong message is sent to the system. It is feasible to introduce a 360 degree assessment but this has never been attempted.
Thirdly, the services should get out of all such organisations which do not contribute to their core competence which include the much reviled MES and other such organisations.
Fourthly, the privileges of rank need to be codified and adhered to. The boss does not become the emperor, rather he is the leader and is expected to set the standards for the entire command.
Fifthly, there needs to be a rethink on the archaic Army Act and their equivalents and we need to evolve a system that is contemporary and relevant. There is also a need to have a system of whistle blowers who will act as checks in the system.
Sixthly, there is a need to review the colonial traditions and see what needs to be kept and what needs to be abandoned. There is also a requirement to confiscate the exorbitant quantum of private funds that are being held by a number of units. What for are those ugly sums required to be kept for posterity? For whose benefit?
Seventhly, there is also a need to see whether something can be done about the Services which have their own problems and issues.
There are many more areas that need urgent attention. What is important now is for the introspection to start. Solutions will follow!
“A holistic reform of the military can only take place by reforming the military culture.”
What comes before the ‘military culture’ is the ‘Army culture.’ Army is still fragmented. There are numerous regiments; each following its own culture and traditions. Fortunately the IAF and IN have a unified culture….every one understands it, right from the word ‘go’. Changes are implemented across the board in one go.
The rumor mill says that CDS was rejected by certain COAS, who expressed the same concern rather than looking into it and sorting it out.
Until and unless the IA gets it’s entire fold under one umbrella, the cultural diversity will remain. The revolt by certain Sikh battalion during Bhinderwala’s era or the present event can be curbed only if there are mixed battalions raised on the moral of Indian National Interest
Its wonderful cannon fodder and I was wondering when we’ll have it showcased and exploited here in all its gory glory. Its here finally and at length!
Can’t we just wait for a final confirmation of the findings rather then jumping to innumerable conclusions and being trigger happy? Does this august blog lack that basic sense of fairness or is the agenda so narrow?
Reminds me of those hundreds of 100% authentic reports about the Aarushi murder case which kept bombarding us before everything fell flat. Its a non event now…. but we are a bunch of voyeurs who excel at exploiting events and I am not surprised in the least.
@Voyager:
On the incident itself, let me quote from the blog –
…let us not forget that he has been neither charged nor convicted yet, except by the media…
I have earlier also done a blogpost where I have clarified this is an aberration. The issue I raise is in the bigger context — indulging in self-denial, whereas it should be self-realisation. Perhaps it’d help if I could know with which portions in this post you disagreed with and find revolting.
@pragmatic
“that has to be always morally superior to the civilian society”
Right if not correct. The usual complaint – why catechisms only to this caste ? Discrimination in saving souls (or envelopes wherein such resident) is immoral and an unfair black (white) mark against these Mutts.
In lieu: Eventually perhaps, Mercenary Dirty Dozens*, Robots, UAVs, Other Tech including embedded rf id hardwired to individual mil_brains to send early warning sms’s to computer central if a soldier thinks amoral will curb uncivil thoughts. The media can then take a rest.
* met one of the actors in the DyDn movie, when he was in India to write book on Nehru (ISBN 0 7181 3175 4). Gave me some of his books. Book by him on the Siege and Relief of Ladysmith and films on Paine, Clive. The Raj cured value systems, offered civil choices. Recall them ? Read Book ‘Return of the Raj’
Am pasting a small piece which I wrote yesterday. I did not know what to do with it but would be happy to get some more views.
Dangerous Liaisons
The arrest of a serving army officer in connection with a terrorist attack targeting the muslim community is a matter of deep concern. Every officer takes an oath to defend the country and its constitution. The officer’s code states that the country must come first, always and every time. Therefore, hindu officers hatching a conspiracy to blow up muslims plays into the hands of those forces which want to see the country divided down the middle on religious and communal lines. This is the kind of stuff that any inimical intelligence agency would dream of achieving. The bombing incident is a one off case in the armed forces even as it is emerging that other serving officers are involved. Investigations will take place and the law will take its course. There is however a dangerous trend which is affecting the officer cadre. This is the hugely negative influence that the hindutva agenda has achieved in the garb of patriotism and nationalism. The extent of penetration is obvious by the kind of mails being circulated amongst several groups in which serving as well as retired officers are participants. Being a retired officer, I am at the receiving end of several such groups. I am waiting for a mail which has condemned the involvement of serving and retired officers in the Malegaon attack or one which has even considered its implications. Muslims and Christians are routinely derided by officers who see them as acting against Hindu interests even though there are thousands of soldiers and many hundreds of officers who belong to these communities in service. The ‘All terrorists are muslims’ syndrome is firmly in place. Never mind the ULFA, LTTE, Naxals or Khalistanis and now Abhinav Bharat, the outfit responsible for the Malegaon blasts.
Till recently, the secular credentials of the Indian army were never been in doubt; therefore it was surprising to see the reaction of several senior officers when the muslim headcount controversy came out in the open a few years ago. A retired general even petitioned the Supreme Court to prevent data being provided to the Sachar Committee which was looking into the conditions of Muslims. Interestingly, the navy and air force had no problems in providing the figures. The army has only 3% of muslims in the rank and file though the muslim population is over 15%. The army reflects the views of society, so the anti-muslim bias which exists across most sections was expressed by saying that the army is secular and not based on caste or religion so there was no need to consider any increase of a particular community. The BJP jumped into the fray stating that this was going to communalise the army. The fact is that the fighting arms of the army except for some new raisings are based on caste and have a fixed class composition. For example, jat sikhs are recruited in the Sikh Regiment whereas lower caste mazhabi and ramdasia sikhs are recruited in the Sikh Light Infantry. Almost every community has an infantry regiment named after it; be it the Jats, Sikhs, Dogras, Gurkhas, Rajputs, Marathas, Biharis, Assamese, Maharis, Punjabis, Madrasis and even the Nagas. The only pure muslim regiment is the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. There are very few fixed vacancies for muslims in other regiments. Muslims always formed a large part of the British Indian Army in pure and mixed regiments but most units went across to Pakistan though a large proportion of the population stayed on in India. The imbalance which crept in should have been corrected much earlier since every community has the right to participate in the defence of the country and also enjoy the privileges which accrue thereof. The government of the day bowed down and the issue was swept under the carpet.
There is now a fairly aggressive ex-servicemen movement which is not averse to organizing processions and hunger strikes to highlight demands relating to pay and pensions. This community is being politicized which may not be a bad thing by itself but such a group being influenced by extreme right wing propaganda in the name of nationalism can be dangerous and could lead to further incidents like the Malegaon blast. The meaning of the word ‘secular’ which has always been the strength of the armed forces is now taken to mean appeasing minority communities specially muslims. As a policy, the BJP has wooed several retired officers. A general is the Chief Minister of a state. Several generals have been given tickets to stand for elections. This is perfectly laudable but indicates a trend. Maybe the Congress should also consider a greater representation for retired officers. The presence and participation of several officers in the agitation in Jammu with regard to the Amarnath Shrine controversy is an indicator of the political leanings of the officer cadre. Incidentally, the governor Lt Gen SK Sinha, a BJP appointee managed to single handedly achieve what militancy could not for two decades. Total alienation of the population of the Valley. The Congress must be cursing itself for allowing him an extension. The army needs to look inwards and correct aberrations before it is too late. The consequences for the republic are frightening. It could cease to exist.
@ Veeru,
“mixed battalions”
Sir, what Sam Manekshaw had specifically to say on this subject:
[ from his Foreword to the Book " Behind the Scene, An Analysis of India's Military Operations 1947- 1971 by Maj Gen Jogindar Singh VSM pub Lancer 1993 , ISBN 1-897829-20-5 ]
” Although this has not been mentioned in this book, I have heard rumours for the proposed reorg of the Indian Army into mixed units on the basis of State population in the garb of recruitment imbalance. Should this happen, God forbid, it would transform the battlefield scenes completely. The old battle slogans and the rallying of units under crisis will have no substitute, more so when there is no national integration and India as yet has not become a ‘Nation State’. “Olive Green” will not be able to keep the ethnic and political virus in isolation, which breeds indiscipline. If this imprudent political decision is accepted by sycophantic generals, I forecast doom and calamity.
Are the past glories of Regiments like the Mahrathas, Sikhs, The Dogras, Rajputs, The Madras, the Gorkhas to be forgotten ? Are their famous rallying slogans to be done away with ? In the name of God, desist from such folly. Neither God nor future generations will forgive the perpetrators of such misplaced nationalism, which will lead to the destabilisation of the famous Indian Army. May perdition fall on the heads of perpetrators of such a crime. – A CRIME it will be – a CRIME to the traditions of these famous Regiments, a CRIME to the NATION. ( caps by Sam )
@Pavan Nair
“The only pure muslim regiment is the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry”
Error Sir.
Recruitment to them – is restricted to personnel from J & K State – one half of the personnel being Muslims, and the remainder Hindus and Sikhs. An exception – one Bn has only Dogras, Sikhs, Buddhists, Gorkhas and others from the State.
The tangled web has no easy answers. But there is no bar on even athiests from joining the Artillery ( there was one 1857 +/-) Engineers. Muslims can also join the Rajputs, Grenadiers etc.
@ Pavan Nair
The army needs to look inwards and correct aberrations before it is too late. The consequences for the republic are frightening. It could cease to exist.
Indeed.
In our country the Govt of the day, can suggest that families of Terrorists should be given pension but haggle and vacillate over giving a better deal to the Armed forces.
The PM spends sleepless nights when a suspected Terrorist is arrested but when an Army officer is ’suspected and arrested’ he is off on a sojourn and snores away.
Many a time one does not move onto a path but is forced to adopt one.
The reason why the Malegaon Major and the blow up of Lt Col/Cols being involved in anti-national activities is just another step in the design of the you-know-who’s.
Like the ban on Politicians transferring Civil officials before an election, there should also be rule which bans changes in any Service rules before and until a Pay Commission is implemented.
The IAS has changed the Civil Service Rules to give them Supremacy over other Civil Services with peeking knowledge of the SCPC recommendations in March 2007. They never expected the mute apolitical Services to object to their malicious designs. Now they are bent on changing the Defence Forces Rules and induct confusing orders so that even if their designs are thwarted by sanity, they still can confuse the implementation of Justice. Why have they defined the Status of Rank pay in 2008 ten years after it was introduced and at the juncture when it is removed.
Is it to:
a) Produce some counter to the Court Verdict in the case of Maj Dhanapalan.
b) Ensure degradation in pay fixation by chicanery.
Why are the CPOs/PMFs forwarding objections to another service conditions without heeding to their own. If auxiliary services are to be compared with the Primary Service then why is it that the IAS is not being brought down to the status of the State PCS? Isn’t the State PCS doing a better job with more commitment to the parent cadre?
The Armed Forces are accused of not treating their men properly by none other than their Defence Minister. Something which was shocking from the Defence Minister since it is only the Armed Forces who respect their men. Go to any District and see how these Central Service officers use their office staff to take their children to school, work at home and misuse public places.
Why do you think there is a delay to get data for the GoM to review the Armed Forces Anomalies?
It is just a trick of buying time where the bureaucrats are at work bringing out tricks to put the Armed Forces on a back foot, bring in confusing amendments and ensure their machinations are implemented. What are these tricks?
a) Initiate confusing orders redefining pay components.
b) Amend Service Rules.
c) Leaks to the press to vitiate the Status of the Armed Forces to make them loose public prestige.
d) Use Govt machinery to implicate members of the Armed Forces in anti national activities.
Sardarji is a mute spectator to these machinations of the bureaucracy and the country is being deprived of the morality of one of the finest Armed Forces in the world. If the GoM does not act and thwart these malicious moves then maybe one day in the future if India is once again under foreign Raj they will be denounced in history as the three blind men of Hindustan who conspired its downfall.
@Menon #11:
Your comment trying to blame every ill in the armed forces on the external entities and factors fully exemplifies the point I make in the blogpost : “self-negation over self-realisation” is the bane of the services.
We have been through this before. The defence services are doomed if they continue to brush things under the carpet and claim everything is hunky-dory when they are not. This ostrich in the sand attitude and finger-pointing (while three fingers still point internally) is not the solution. An honest appraisal and corrective action is.
On a lighter vein, you thankfully did not blame the rebels in Congo and their attacks on the Indian military units also as a creation of the civil servants. I was wondering if you’d be able to establish a connection there as well.
@ Pragmatic
On a lighter vein, you thankfully did not blame the rebels in Congo and their attacks on the Indian military units also as a creation of the civil servants. I was wondering if you’d be able to establish a connection there as well.
On an even lighter note, we’ll leave that to the bureaucrazy and to establish a link between Darfur rebels and a Lt Col or a Col who is also involved in the devious plan to subvert the Telecom spectrum to siphon off 51000 crores which will be used to fund terrorist and Naxals who will leave open wells so that kids will fall in and and the population of India will fall below that of the PRC which will finally give them a force superiority over the Indian Ocean.
But, yes – don’t blame them and IN NATIONAL INTEREST, for GODS sake DON’T REFORM them. Only reform the only functional organisation in the Country and make them crazy like the Bureaucrazy.
Remember Boney M – ” I’m crazy like a fool. What about it Daddy Cool?”
Incidentally I have already said that the Armed Forces needs reforms – but only after it is restored to a status worthy of its standing. Otherwise any hi funda reform will be like the numerous commissions.
Pragmatic,
i do not find anything worthwhile in ur post except for fault finding, which we indians a really good at. u have spoken (or written ) about suicides, fratricides, questionable moral practices, corruption and what not. i will come to suicides and fratricides later, but first let me take the questionable moral practices, corruption etc.
I am not defending those who are corrupt in the armed forces, but such generalisation well it needs to be questioned. i do not think the country can vouch for any of its organisations, (even judiciary) which is devoid of corruption. such cases in the military do keep coming up and are dealt with very severly (much more than any other service, i would challenge u over it). most of the cases that u would be aware of have come up purely because of another vested interest being involved (gen kapoor – disproportionate asset case, no more heard of it, CBI has not even filed a case).
why not do a comparision with others. tell me one service in the country which says it is isolated from corruption?? None? so what other system to say the defence services are still the best, well ! comparision! what else?
writing without any basis or substantial basis are morally correct, but a serviceman succumbing to temptations, after seeing the country around him eating into its core while he is sweating or rather bloodying his arse off to protect it, is morally wrong?? i say that is hypocracy. do u have any worthwhile organisations who are keen on learning about the indian military (except for, off course the neighboring intelligence agencies), or even making an attempt to understand it. well ur article itself answers the question.
how do u make the soldier convinced that the country is interested in holding on to J&K, and is with the armed forces in its fight against terrorists, when he sees the civilians taking money for paying land compensation for land occupied during Operation Parakram? i could narrate a few more cases but i am sure u have understood the gist. so if u want to write, please write what the country shud do to keep the armed forces free from the dwindling moral values. if u want to know a few i will tell u some of them.
- if u deploy armed forces anywhere except for operations with another country, make everything subservient to it (it is enshrined in the constitution). NO this is not for any status issue, but just to make sure there is unity of purpose and effort.
- treat the soldier next to god. when he comes to u as the SP police, or the DC/DM please do not ignore him. look into his problems in the fastest way. it is the only way to make him believe he is the best and so has to remain the best.
- keep the army away from the civil bureaucracy. MoD is the biggest source of corruption (Mulayam singh did not sign the promotion board till his man was not on the list). sacking of the naval chief had nothing to do with insubordination, but this interference of bureaucracy.
- if u want them to be better thanur police and paramilitary, pay them better than them.
- do not impose ur culture on them (or accept the corruption, it is there in ur culture also and quite acceptable). so do not look at sahayak from ur eyes. look at it from their point of view ( i am not condoning misuse of the sahayak).
i agree with u that the defence forces have a lot to introspect, but that can start only if they know the results of introspection are implementable.
now i will come to the issue of suicides and fratricides.
there was a time, when an officer investing in the stock market was scoffed upon. why? it was because it was felt he is devoting his precious time on himself, which shud be spent on the troops. today this man cannot buy a house, or even a decent vehicle (stand outside south block and see the number of officers coming on two wheelers, when even class II employees of the Govt of india come in a car). so the time the officer shud be spending for his troops, is spent on himself. free him from that.
as i have written earlier, if u r using the armed forces with any other force (CRPF, BSF), place them under command (it is the rule, u may check). it will make sure they work as efficiently as the armed forces (at least for that time) and give them time to manage their administration. today u have sectors with BSF on the Line of Control, with the army being overall incharge. but, but the BSF is not under administrative control, so if u found a fault, u can do nothing but only suggest them to correct it. it will make sure the leave problems of the army are sorted out (today no officer worth his salt, leaves the BSF post only under their control, he has four five men of his there to react in case of emergency).
i could write a book on the issue, but as an officer who left the army, said on NDTV, i strongly feel this country does not the army it has. it would also please u to know i could never make to a Colonel in the army, but i still have very strong regard for its culture and traditions, and i am proud of it. it is the country which needs reform urgently.
[Comment edited]
@Yash:
What is the point you are trying to make in this rant? That everything is hunky-dory with the military and wrong outside. Military is above criticism. Everything wrong in the military is due to external factors.
These points have been discussed thoroughly on this blog many times over. For the rest, I only wish that you had read the blog post carefully. It actually answers all the points that you raise in the rant. Let me quote a few for your benefit.
Questionable moral practices, no matter how widespread they become, can not become part of military practice just because they are widespread.
An idolised institution remains preoccupied with selling its public image and maintaining the status quo so that its public image is not diminished.
The casualties in this process are: a gradual erosion of the capacity for self-criticism and the will to respond to emerging challenges, which is the secret of vibrant institutional growth.
The military top brass rather needs to set the organisational culture right — determine the consistent values they want in their respective services, and then make those intangibles tangible by modelling, recognising, practising and rewarding the desired behaviours.
@ PS # 9
Accepted. The point I was making was that the fighting arms still have a fixed class composition except for some new raisings. Muslims can join the Rajput Regiment and Grenadiers and the Guards as per the quota allotted to them. For instance the vacancies for HMs or hindustani mussalmans in the Bombay Engineer Group is 10%. There is also a OIC category which is Other Indian Castes which has a fixed reservation but since muslims are a specified caste, they cannot enroll against the OIC category. Muslims can also enroll in the services but so can sikhs, jats, dogras and others who already have a large reserved quota so an administrative bias has crept in which needs to be corrected. Any organisation is averse to change so there will be resistance which the government has to overcome. A similar situation exists in the para military forces.
What a beautiful article and comments. Tell me how many sponsored writers are involved in this. So the solution is to disband the army as it is and raise a municipal force which is fully under the control of babus.But they will be controlled by union leaders. Involve more officers in cases. I think you must put the DGMI,The three Chiefs and some more under the SCANNER. Who coined this word? Disband the Army Intelligence. How nice for IB& RAW. Then who will fight Indias Wars. Babus ? Listen gentlemen, there are very few blacksheep in the Army. Let the judicial process contiue. We will see how many are involved. The way you guys are at it the entire Babudom should have been behind bars for each scam that comes out.
@menon #11
“Sardarji is a mute spectator to these machinations of the bureaucracy ”
[1] That is too kind Sir. This hard core bureaucrat_banker_Bushman_loyalist who was detailed to volunteer as PM, is also a follower of PV Narasimha Rao, some of whose well known cynical working principles were (Wiki):
•”When I don’t make a decision, it’s not that I don’t think about it. I think about it and make a decision not to make a decision.”
•”Inaction is also an action.”
•”Time itself is the solution to all problems.”
[2] MMS added to his chill pill mentor’s list when he blandly told General VP Malik that:
•“The institutionalised method of dealing with the military is through the bureaucracy.”
[3] Then there was the newspaper interview he gave when he joined office: Saith MohnaBhai : ‘When I was in my youth, I was inspired by ‘General (ex Capt) Mohan Singh’ Clearly mms is not very clear on the difference between the IA and the INA. This was not a one off blooper – a couple of years ago when he heard that the INA museum at the Red Fort was fraying at the edges he raced off there in rush hour traffic to sternly sort things out for the Army close to his dil.
[4] MJ Akbar who dislikes [ partly for Arabian reasons] the man says that most of the ministers around MMS are massively with their hands into the till. The fact that the surd is personally prim and proper, mja reasons, is no excuse for his institutionalised silence on the miasma he sniffily ignores.
[5] Perhaps PM Pranabda will have a better take on the military despite his having gone on record in Parliament 10 years ago, stating that “WW II was not India’s War.” The Pakistanis have no such ’shak’. As of today they are angrily demanding another unfinished partition agenda ( their share of the 1939 – 1945 war dead ) at the CWGC office in UK.
@ Pragmatic #5
“The issue I raise is in the bigger context — indulging in self-denial, whereas it should be self-realisation.”
I am not a bigot and understand your POV, however, I’d prefer we decide our denials or realisations on proven facts. If its an “aberration” as you agree, then its the wrong starting point for bringing out other truths.
That was nice Prag,
while every one around him does whatever he wants, he shud be a mute spectator, and prove to the country he is worthy of it. either give the military the powers to manage its own affairs, or do not blame them for the ills.
“Questionable moral practices, no matter how widespread they become, can not become part of military practice just because they are widespread.”
i do not think the people in the military were born different, or genetically modified to not fall prey to corruption. i still do not condone corruption, but understand it, and appreciate the defence forces for subduing it to the level it is.
any way, remaining on the point, are u aware of the procurement procedure?
NO. i will tell u some salient aspects of it (only those relevant to u). a file for procurement goes to the CDA or IFA at least three times before being sent to them payment. if the company or the trader is not on their kickback panel, they will find faults, like current holding of equipment is not found attached. well the power to approve the procurement is with the military authorities (what is required is best known to the user), but they have found various loopholes on which a procurement could be held up. defence forces are more concerned about the prices and find the prices in the market are less than the rates quoted, but the tenderer, says he has to cater for the CDA, IFA and others as also cater for the delay in payment and include the cost of money holding into it. this is the reason why major brands are unwilling to deal directly with the defence forces. at least 5-10% of the defence budget is wasted in such kickbacks and the defence forces are very worried about it. only ppl having association with the CDA/IFA dare apply for any tender. same is the case with UN procurement (generators and shoes). ask any trader dealing with the armed forces, and first thing he will ask is the payment mode, and add at least 10% for payment through CDA.
how do u keep the defence forces isolated from the corruption, they do not have a programmable chip in their brains.
over a period of time, the govt when faced shortage of officers, asked the defence forces to lower standards, instead of raising salaries. if u see it is only the defence chiefs who are worried about shortage of officers, the govt is not concerned, otherwise this chaos over pay commission would not have happened.
some body once mentioned, it is only the military which no one is keen on going for deputation. during the fifth pay commission, babus offered to hand over Assam Rifles to the IPS to help army tide over its officer problem, imagine what would have happened to the organisation by now. each Assam Rifles would have had another army unit sitting close to it for its security in the NE. at least now they are included in army’s scheme of things without doubt or apprehensions.
defence forces are not in the mode of self negation or self glorification. otherwise they would have divided J&K into sectors and taken on one sector, to prove their worth. but in the larger interest, because it is a question of entire J&K they agreed to work with the other paramilitary forces and police, who have their own agenda to pursue. why not remove the defence forces from all the trouble spots of the country (inside) and let the paramilitary take over. ur paramilitary forces will be the first one to run away from these areas, because now, if something goes wrong, they get the assistance from army, in a very short time.
DEFENCE FORCES ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO EVERYONE, WITHOUT THE AUTHORITY.
think about it.
“superior to civil society—
…meaningless in so far it relates to Armed Forces.All along it is indicating that military is ‘DIFFERENT’ from others.If so then, pray, why is’nt it treated differently,as is the practice in most other countries!! What is MORALE &how does a man gets motivated to willingly lay down his life for the Nation or his Regiment would never be known to people like you.Go & read “A Matter of Honour” by Philip Mason,you may get a bit enlightened.
What needs to be done urgently is refoming the governance & civil services drastically.Why are over 97% of civil servents (IAS) currupt?Why are the Courts periodically asking state govts for lists of currupt baboos & why does nothing happens to them??Why is Bharat Mahan listed high up in the list of most currupt nations?
hi all., this was a case of a hindu offr involved.. just imagine the sit if a muslim offr had been involved.. imagine the political mileage the BJP would have taken.. i wonder how the media would have reacted.. nevertheless i still would like to believe that this is a one off incident and will not be repeated.
yes, there is a need for cultural change in the forces.. but this is easier said than done..[a good pt on a JC cource ] lets have some concrete suggestions on the changes and not pts just for the heck of it..i sincerely hope that indls do not start suspecting each other and try to gain an addl pt in an already cut throat environment..i can already anticipate a spate off anonymous letters floating in the units…hope this does not happen.. god bless us..both Allah and Ram ..
Oh give me a break. No army can exist as a sterile institution. These people are supposed to risk their lives for the country, and you want them to be a bunch of robots? Any breakdown of discipline in the army reflects a breakdown of patience by wider society. The whole of society is fed up with the terror of the Islamists and the Naxalites, and the army won’t be immune to that.
I’m a non-religious atheist, and frankly even I’m totally fed up with the malevolent antics emanating from these groups. Those who keep bleating lamentfully about our lost tolerance should stop living in a Fool’s Paradise and remember that this is what happens when you pursue the policies that the Congress Party has.
pragmatic
why it is that the smuggling goes unabated through punjab is it bcoz bsf, police ,ias,pcs, governement is efficient. yes you are right they are efficient that is how they can manage all without problem. everybody gets a share and you talk of honesty ………..
at times i feel that govt seems to be blackmailed by the foriegn agenda when it comes to defence forces. if militancy continues everybody is tiger in J&K and all other states. militancy is a tool to get votes or affect votes.
so my dear friend learn from history coz it tends to repeat itself if you forget the history and mind you india has got a very short memory
I’m convinced that the army needs to change its culture. It is no longer a white man’s army raised to keep the brown man subdued. Its culture should reflect the ethics of modern India. A completely free and vibrant society, where people are not afraid to make their own laws, The leaders treat the public money as their own and there is an annual listing of the most corrupt public servants, who continue to serve with the same zeal, after being so felicitated.
In fact the army should immediately abolish this Chatwode Mantra, of Nation before everything, since this motto/ mantra is given by a member of the same inferior imperial culture.
In fact, as brought across a number of times on this blog, since a number of senior army officers have been implicated in pursuit of the national passtime, it stands to reason, that the PBOR and PBCR are imparted the appropriate mantra, and are trained more rigourously so that they do not get caught at all. Also one odd person getting caught will not stand out like a sore thumb.
As elections are approaching, the political parties can be requested to take units and battalions under their wing.
Note- Some units may have a headstart
Does any one know what is the Army culture,to talk about changing it.We as civilians can boost up of our cultural greatness.In tamil culture and kerala culture lungi is the main dress.Our Ministers without bothering about how it looks wearing them in public, put these cloths and come to office and prliament.Similarly Andhras, Bengalis and UP, Bihar people put on Dhoti.punjabis put on pajama kurta,even some middle aged politicians and young politicians also put on pajama kurtas.They will not have hair cut ,they dont shave and look as if they have just woken up from bed and are comming to parliament or asseblies.Should they not have dress code.is the parliament a place to display cultural dress,which should have been confined to their houses.The armed forces dress up always neatly,they shave,boots shining.The defence minister in NDA government looked ,most ill dressed and shabby looking man,amongst armed forces men.They put on chappals.Generally such shabily dressed people wearing chappals are not allowed in the officers messes.Is not the dress culture of armed forces we got from Brtishers?An army officer will have different dresses for different occassions,like For PT,working dress,combat dress ,SD(service dress),blue petrol,white petrol,games dress with a blazer.He will have PT shoes, working shoes battle shoes(Die moulded rubber shoes)and jungle shoes and in addition different types of head gears. what the government gives outfit allowance once in 7 years is not adequate.so the offcers have to spend from their pocket.Is not this tradition of dress code we got it from Brtish.There are lot of officers mess parties which are essential to keep traditions,like Regimental dinner nights,Dining out parties,Regimental parties conducted during the visits of dignitaries,etc.these tradition are must to up keep pride and moral of army.The army officers are proud to be part of regiments which faught battles and won battle honours.And so as the soldiers have their own way to celberate religious and other functions which again become part of their regimental traditions.As far as changes in other aspects are concerned,the army which when we joined was different in some aspects.Changes do take place in every individual and organisations,which can not be avoided.However any change specially when some one wants to bring in just because he wants to do so has to be deliberated with all concerned and see how it is going to work .weigh all pros and cons,and not disturbing the sensetiveness of the troops and officers and then only should be introduced slowly.At prsent the army’s woo’s are not due to lack of any change that some one is expecting.the main problem areas are,continuous deployment of armed forces in dealing with terrorists,internal security,not able to send men on leave when he wants it.(about 25% of jawans are alwayas on leave,over and above this about 5to10% will be away on casual leave)Thus the depleted strength will add to extra burden on the troops present.Fromtime immomorial, desertions,disobediance,miss use of weapons and ammunition,do happen here and there AS ISOLATED CASES.But after ordering proper enquiry the culprits will be braught to book and are punished severely.When complained about deserted sepoy,the polce should always supposed catch him and hand over to nearest Military station,which never happen now adays.Every deserter now knows how to manage a police man.The present turmoil is not the creation of Armed forces.It is an attempt to deliberately degrade officers and jawans of armed forces,both in terms of staus and emoluments.Definitely this not the way to subject the armed forces,by bureaocracy to their submission.The chiefs can not be threatened with dismissal or desciplinary action by Babus.The real change is required in the bureauocrats functioning(Administrative Reforms)and Poilticians attitude towards armed forces.The old people when retired,this much of pensions or salaries are not there.The economic development is not existing.Only public sector undertakings used give jobs to jawans as security men.officers are notinducted laterally.So after their retirement these officers and men used get the education of their children completed,and get them married off with the meager amount as terminal beniffits and paltry sum of spensions.They were almost financially broke.one can imagine they will not have job after 52 years.Any one who comments adversly on the armed forces is a big know not of the armed forces.Dear pragmatic think pragmatically do alittle bit of research on armed forces and if u find still somrthing is drastically wrong with armed forces recommend,all the three wings of armed forces should be merged with CRPF or any Paramilitary force
Hello,
Shame for writing poorly without realizing the greatness of the values, morals and traditions holding together the fine fabric of Indian Armed Forces. I do not serve, but my father did. I grew up moving with him to the different postings he had within 2-3 years. The harmonious culture that I grew up in with friends from all relegions/caste and socializing with my Dad’s friends from various relegions/caste, is not duplicated in any other institutions campus.
The Indian Armed Forces are the shining example of a successful and secular PSU. There are no two ways about it. I am not denying anything. Checks and balances are present in the system to counter the anamolies that have surfaced recently and will surface as in any organization. The checks and balances work beautifully and the ordinary citizen can take full assurance in this process and know sincerely that justice will be served. The credibility of this court-martial process is itself a testament to the strengths of this system. Where else do we have an example of such credibility in our public service system?
The author’s efforts are better served to highlight and fix the rampant corruption in other areas of our public service. The Armed Forces are a class apart and doing just fine,
-Bharat.
@Voyager#19:
This aberration is in the sense of the Indian armed forces not being a communal entity. However, from suicides to corruption cases, there are too many aberrations in too many fields. The malaise is about the culture which doesn’t value character but competence.
The larger point that I make is about negation and denial, instead of introspection and realisation. The first reaction is — It didn’t happen, we are being blamed. If that doesn’t work, others have framed us. After that, it is about the society the soldier comes from. And finally when all excuses fail, compare it to others in the civil society to justify the wrong act. This pattern is disturbing and damaging in the long run.
@Saakshi/ Yash/ Ask/ Bharat/ Anjali/ Rohit/ murty:
Thanks. You exactly prove the point that I make in the blogpost — of self-denial over self-realisation.
@Pavan Nair:
Thanks for writing in. However the issue runs much deeper and corrective action is not even in the offing. That is the sad part.
The military is derived from the society and not the other way around!
Though I agree with you that military culture needs to be overhauled but which Indian organisation’s model should we use for that change?
The Parliament?
The Political Parties?
The Religious Organisations?
The Corporate World?
The Civil Services?
The Police?
To bring change for the better in the military – which is morally (well a majority of it) aons ahead of the civil society at present – we need to change the civil society that fosters it.
Considering the smallish sum of money that this country spends on the military – it has a better military than what it deserves or pays for.
The problem is not with the military – the problem is with the polity. Why does not the parliament have better oversight over what the military does?
Why is it that no civilian or politician takes interest in affairs of national security and hands it over to the military to take care of in a vacuum.
The military is a tool to be used by skillful and consummate statesmen in defence of values that a nation holds dear. Got the drift….
@Jo:
We are talking about a culture change in the defence services, overcoming the institutional inertia of maintaining and perpetuating more of the status quo, of an idolatry beahviour. If one wants to change the culture, it takes two things; it takes recognition of a crisis, and I think that is not happening now, despite many clear indicators of an impending crisis. Secondly, it takes leadership. That’s where the military top brass comes in. They are the key players who have to say that we have a problem, we have to address it honestly, we can’t keep fooling ourselves, and here is the new vision of where we want to go and here is a strategy for getting there.
This is different from the politicians kicking the military top brass into accepting a reformist agenda, which you allude to. That is the second worst option for initiating military reform, the worst being a national security disaster. The best course still is military doing this on its own.
Yes, we can do with better politicians, judges, policemen, bureaucrats and so on. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that we can do with a better military. And hiding behind the excuse of others’ miserable state is exactly the kind of “self-denial” I refer to in the post. Self-realisation is the starting point for the reform. Are the services willing to accept that things are broken and need to be fixed?
i think we shud send the army to mars for a year let them change and then come back
when the leadership takes action u say it is rebellion, when the action being taken is not known to u, u say it is self negations or what ever.
u can’t have leaders who switch on in a particular situation, and switch off in some
@ Pragmatic
You expect too much from a ‘tool’…
No tool can fix itself…
It can not even make out if it is broken unless it fails to do its job.
That is the job of the consummate user of the tool … the politicians, the government and the people who elect that government.
If you want the military to reform… make it an electoral issue, influence the people who will influence the elections and influence the government that gets elected.
For this to happen it will require you to stop asking the military to reform ‘itself’ and hit the countryside campaigning… or lobbying
The military has, in this country delivered when asked to except in 1962…
That is quiet a feat for any organisation in a developing country like India. I would like to count it alongside the green revolution, rise of infosys, Reliance and the Amul revolution.
The military has, in this country delivered when asked to except in 1962… Even in ‘62 the Army did not let down the Nation despite my namesake trying to ‘bullshit’ around. The remains of our boys were given a decent resting place in ‘85. They did not move back but held on at those heights wearing cotton OG cellulars shirts and with rut-phut carbines. As usual our Babus must have screwed up the purchase of clothing and equipment since they are supposed to know all and don’t have to get on ground.
Today they are out of the picture blaming it all on the Netas and Faujis.
Prags may not like this because for him here I go again but if you want reforms lets do it to the organisation that is doing most harm to the Nation viz the IAS. If you are threatened by two dangers which one would you like to sort out right away – the bigger threat obviously. So, in National Interest let us reform the Colonial Babus of Fascist India.
& then get down to the Fauj (which is also due).
What ho – Uncle?
@prag at 4.07pm
Yes we have an impending crises due to massive demoralisation of Armed Forces, apparently engineered by the ISI with active connivence of Baboos
thru the 6CPCR.The problem,which has the potential of causing complete disintegration & a National Security Disaster,has been correctly appreciated & identified by the Chiefs.And they have tried to address it “Honestly”.But the concerned baboos/babuines, on behest of thier controllers, are repeatedly adding fuel to raging fire of near revolt & are doing everything possible to prevent the Chiefs from getting the situation under control.They have even gone to the extent of disregarding/disobeying GOI/Cabinate orders & instructions,manipulating issues & documents at will .Why has’nt the NSA taken note of & given his assessment of this alarming situation to the GoM/GOI ?Forget the mil reforms for the time being & concentrate on handleing this serious crise first.
I agree.The NSA must come into play & give his assessment of the situation
to the PM/GOM & the Indian public at large must be apprised of the facts & likely consequences of this crises created by the baboozs.Who is behind all this?Must be found & concerned babooz punished for sedition.
Hi there,
I have been reading this blog for some time now; it gives me an excellent alternative opinion to the national view of the ANA(Army, Navy and Air Force) as the proverbial Vestal Virgin. IMO, some parts are bulls eye while others are bull****.
1. The issue of a colonial hangover, the ANA drawing its inspiration from the past et al.
2. A complete and deafening silence on how to change the concept(in your mind) of “a proverbial shining bark that conceals the termite ridden hollow trunk of a tree”. To wit, two very, very short but pithy examples from a voluminous repertoire:
To raise morale on a long route march, am i living in the past if i tell my men that thrice this distance was marched by their erstwhile mates with double the man load in ‘71? No, ’cause it arouses their professional pride and so i use it to spur them on.
To reinforce the teachings of siting of a mine field fence, am i taking glory from yesteryears if i tell my men that a similar fence, but by a cowherd, had held up a division in ‘65? No, ’cause it teaches them about the efficacy of just a cowherd’s fence’s and drives home lessons of the ominous effects of their incompetence.
Yes, there IS a lot that requires change in the ANA, I am the first to acknowledge that and advocate it too. I have suggestions, but since i still wear the uniform, they would have to wait for a few years to be propagated on a forum like this. The OFA is draconian, even absurd, but it still does affect me…
This instant case of Purohit. Come on, man, every single goddamn Army worth its gunpowder has its share of bad hats. One swallow does not the summer make (have i got that right?) 99.99% officers don’t care a gnat’s arse in hell about the religion of the troops they command WHERE LOYALTY, DEDICATION AND HONESTY TO THEIR UNIT IS CONCERNED. It is taken for granted and it matters a whit as to which god the chap prays to. Singh, Pandey, Khan, Minwala, D’Souza – how does it matter? It is a part of unit life. We swear under one unit, one flag. And the worst nightmare for a soldier is fall in the eyes of his mates, his platoon, his company and his battalion and his officers due to his actions or inactions. There is no religion involved here. It simply does not matter. Ask Muslim troops in a RAJPUT unit about halaal and jhatka and the answer will be a revelation to you. No officer in his senses thinks like Purohit. i hope you will allow the Army an odd exception?
I hope you will notice that nowhere in this comment have i made any comparisons to the bureaucrats or politicians simply because i do not consider them worthy enough to share the same air as i breathe. Their very mention makes the bile rise in my throat and i do not consider it correct to voice myself in that state.
You are doing truly yeoman service to the ANA by tweaking its collective tail. Matters are screwed up in the ANA, Prags, but not to the nadir you depict on these pages, definitely not. There still is more good in them than bad and that is saying much more than for the rest of this pathetic, disintegrating apology of a nation state.
Change will come. It has to, that is its very definition. I do hope that it will not be as violent, ruthless and bloody as i foresee it to be. More later. Again, good work, please just don’t let your prose run away from you. Ciao
@Maneesh:
While I will not respond to any personal motives that you may ascribe to me and my blog, let me just say that you and I have different POVs (whether right or wrong, only time can tell). If you’d have read this post carefully, you’d have realised that it doesn’t label Indian army as communal. It asks for a change in culture — from denial to introspection and improvement.
First and foremost, serving officers should learn about and begin to appreciate the culture of candour that should drive any progressive organisation. Speaking generally, unlike many other institutions of excellence (especially abroad) are based on a candour-based culture, whereas officers of the Indian defence services are driven by an honour-based culture. In the military, “straight talk” should be a supreme virtue.
It seems that most defence officers believe that communication is a vehicle by which you assure everyone that things are okay – especially when they’re not. The notion of admitting problems is as nutty as the idea of seeing a therapist — it would be tantamount to admitting that you are a failure who cannot be trusted. That is self-denial at its worst.
“Getting to the truth” isn’t an obsession of the Indian military officers or the Indian defence services as an institution. That would drive the process of self-realisation. The services should accept criticism as a necessary path for improvement and not as an indictment of any individual.
Finally, there is enough material on this blog and a search engine on top to search for whatever you are looking for. For eg., try a search on Colonial Customs to know as to why they won’t help the services now. Or try Exit Policy or Military Law to know where this blog stands on the subject.
[...] a serving officer would have to undergo for raising similar questions. This blogger had earlier spoken about this approach of the service – What are the questions that the military top brass [...]
[...] passenger [the larger public]. The services can achieve little to undo this damage by indulging in self-negation, when the need of the hour is self-realisation. 24 Nov 2008 | Concerning Army, Human Resources, India, Media, Military, [...]
praveen @ 16.
the reservation that has been made for them ( sikhs, etc) has a valid reason. if u sit back and think rationally, u will find the reason. it is partially based on history and partially on strength of leanings. this does not mean others are betrayers (i would be one if that is the connotation), but it is simple military psychology. we better not try to emulate the reservation based on civil parameters (which the army was wise enough to fight).