Sikh Organizations Coordinating Joint Action
(Washington, DC) October 22, 2010 – Earlier this month, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials told representatives of the Sikh Coalition, UNITED SIKHS, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), that Sikhs should now expect turbans to always be searched at American airports.
While procedures which allow Sikhs to pat down their own turbans and have their hands swabbed by a TSA screener shall remain in place, what has changed is that Sikhs must go through an additional hand wand of the turban as an additional screening procedure 100% of the time. This is true even for Sikh travelers who voluntarily choose to be screened by going through the new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines. The AIT machines (otherwise know as whole body imaging machines) are being placed in airports nationwide over the coming years.
SALDEF, Sikh Coalition and UNITED SIKHS oppose this policy and question its necessity. Targeting turbans for additional scrutiny sends a message to other passengers that Sikhs and their articles of faith are to be viewed with suspicion by fellow travelers. The policy is a serious infringement on our civil rights and liberties.
What to Expect at the Airport
Air travel checkpoints in the United States employ different screening technologies.
While most checkpoints only have metal detectors, many airports are now installing AIT machines. The AIT machines are new whole body imaging devices that will be installed in every airport in the United States over the coming years.
According to the TSA, regardless of whether a Sikh clears the metal detector or the new AIT machines, they will still have to go through an additional procedure in which their turban will be checked for non-metallic items. During this second screening procedure, a Sikh will have a choice of either:
1. a pat-down of their turban by a TSA screener;
2. patting down their own turban and having their hand swabbed for traces of chemical explosives; or
3. requesting a private screening (in a room outside of public view) of their turban.
In addition, after this extra screening of the turban, a third screening procedure (under AIT screening policies) will subject Sikhs to a metal detecting wand that will be scanned over the turban.
Please remember, that under current procedures, a Sikh can always ask that they pat down their own turban rather than have a screener pat it down.
If a Sikh traveler opts out of the AIT screening, they will immediately be subjected to a full body (rigorous) pat-down by a TSA official plus a hand wand screening. If you are asked to undergo a full-body pat down, you have the right to ask for this screening to occur in a private room or other setting away from the rest of the traveling public.
The TSA’s Rationale
The TSA says that because a turban is “non form-fitting,” it is more capable of concealing dangerous items than other forms of clothing. The TSA also says that its new AIT machines cannot see through the folds of a turban to determine if it is concealing a dangerous item.
Our organizations vigorously question these rationales. First, the Department of Homeland Security’s own website states that the AIT machines are capable of screening threat items “concealed under layers of clothing.” Second, on Christmas Day 2009, a person was able to smuggle explosives onto a plane headed to the United States in his undergarments. If explosives can be concealed in undergarments, all garments should be targeted for extra scrutiny, not just turbans.
Going Forward
Each one of our organizations will continue to oppose this unjust policy. We will call upon Sikhs in the coming weeks to communicate directly with the TSA and their members of Congress.
Each one of our organizations are also aware that the Sikh American community is as invested in the national security of the United States as any other community.
Nevertheless, the TSA cannot target turbans for extra scrutiny without cause. We will continue to vigorously question the necessity of this policy given the weak rationales presented for it.
Coordination Amongst Sikh Organizations
Our three organizations would like the community and government to know that it is our intention to work hand-in-hand to combat unlawful profiling of Sikhs by the TSA. We will jointly strategize and communicate with both the government and the Sikh community about our work on this issue.
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Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
"NO MAGIC BULLET FOR THE MILITARY" - MINT
Dear Members,
An article that appeared in the LiveMint newspaper in Mumbai is given below for your info please.
The shenanigans of the military leadership, whether today or in the past, were and are a part of life, well known to those who mattered. We were shielded from the people by the 'responsible' press. We, well know the rivalry of the first course Chiefs, when at the helm. So, the new information and the charges should not surprise us.
There is much that those in the services and us Veterans need to introspect about and try and remedy the situation, though there are also enough grounds to conclude that we, like the rest of the country and institutions are going downhill, in a free fall. In the existing morass it is all but impossible to arrest the decline in the services though we may mouth lofty 'Chetwood' ideals but the fact is that the rot starts at the political top and permeates, through every rung, through the self serving and corrupt bureaucracy at the expense of the nation at large and with no redeeming features in sight. The holier than though, so called 'free press' is equally corrupt, on sale and available for an easy price and yet they lecture every one on morality. That is the bane of the country, every corrupt individual lecturing every one else, with one hand in the till and redemption is not yet in sight.
What needs to worry us more is that a rubicon has been crossed post the 6th Pay Commission at the behest of the bureaucracy and with the inability of the political leadership to meet the aspirations of the defense services, behind closed political and MOD doors, as in the past. The distrust has now spilled out into the open, where the Veterans have all but formed a defiant trade union and the serving community is looking more to the Veterans to fight for their rights than the Chiefs. The orphaning of the military and its recent divorce from its political anchor, combined with pervading distrust of the political masters and the system poses the greater risk to the nation than anything else and we need to be wary of how and when this pressure will release as there is now no safety valve in place.
warm regards and a very happy new year to all our members and their families.
http://www.livemint.com/Articles/PrintArticle.aspx?artid=BE1DFCB4-1297-11E0-87EA-000B5DABF636
No magic bullet for the Military
Amid growing corruption and divisiveness, the forces must choose between the harder right and easier wrong
*
Anit Mukherjee
On 23 April 1961, Lt Gen. P.N. Thapar, then Chief of Army Staff designate, wrote two top secret letters apparently “on the directions of the Prime Minister”, to the outgoing chief, Gen. K.S. Thimayya, and Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen. S.P.P. Thorat. The letters made a series of allegations against both officers, ranging from possible financial impropriety to deliberate undermining of the political leadership. They also asked for a reply for the prime minister’s consideration, “before government decides what further action should be taken”.
While we do not know how the matter was resolved, these letters, only recently made available, indicate two issues of contemporary relevance. The first is the widely acknowledged civil-military discord that preceded that disastrous 1962 war with China. The second, less well known, is the deep division that existed among senior military officers at that time. Then Chief of General Staff Lt Gen. B.M. Kaul, due to his proximity with politicians, allegedly nurtured a band of loyal officers disparagingly called “Kaul’s boys”. This trend divided the officer class. Both these, as well as corruption—a dangerous cocktail for national security—are present in India today.
The dispute over the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations has left a bitter legacy between civilian principals in the defence ministry and the military. There are two vastly differing perspectives on this matter—civilian officials argue that the chiefs of staff demurred on a previously agreed deal on the Pay Commission; later, by making their disagreement public, they forced the government to give in to their fresh demands. This, the officials claim, created a dangerous precedence and undermined civilian control. The narrative commonly accepted within the military, on the other hand, portrayed the episode as one where devious bureaucrats conspired to ensure that the services got a raw deal; the chiefs rightly took a strong stance to prevent this.
Regardless of the truth, which in such cases is usually somewhere in between, this spat has vitiated the working relationship between civilians and the military. There have been tentative attempts to repair some of the damage. But an honest debate on civil-military relations is long overdue.
The Sukhna land scam, followed by the Adarsh society scam, revealed two dangerous trends within the military—a divided officer class and allegations of corruption. To a large extent, this is due to the controversial legacy of Gen. Deepak Kapoor as Chief of Army Staff. Three issues have cast aspersions on his tenure: the unprecedented shifting of Lt Gen. H.S. Panag from Northern to Central Command under questionable circumstances; continued support for his military secretary, Lt Gen. Avdesh Prakash, despite the latter’s implication in an inquiry into the Sukhna scam; and involvement in the Adarsh society scam.
However, focusing only on Kapoor’s tenure would be unfair as these episodes are indicative of larger trends within the military.
First, favouritism based on parochial grounds of regimental or cadre loyalty — what Admiral Arun Prakash has termed “tribalism”— is an increasingly common and worrisome phenomenon. This has been perpetuated by the actions of previous chiefs who have initiated policies favouring their parochial interests.
Second, divisions within senior military officers have led to groupism or targeted vendettas against junior officers seen to be in the ‘other’ camp. Finally, the considerable devolution of financial powers to military commanders has led to increasingly common charges of corruption and misuse of public funds.
Actions of a few senior officers should not tarnish the image of the entire military — which still largely adheres to the ideals of honour, service and patriotism. There are steps that can be taken to uphold the image of the military.
First, all officers above the one star rank in all three services, numbering around 2,000, should in a transparent and public manner declare their assets every two years to their respective vigilance directorates. Similar measures should be implemented by officials in all ministry of defence bureaucracies and in defence public sector units.
Second, senior officers have to enact a code of conduct for themselves, just like the one they impose on soldiers serving in the field. This should focus on ethical, financial and professional issues. For instance, senior officers should resist accepting, at least for a period of two years, post-retirement jobs that are a potential conflict of interest. This includes government-appointed positions like governors, or executive positions in public and private sector units. Instead, they should accept positions related either to education or philanthropy, like welfare for ex-servicemen or war widows.
Finally, policies and norms should be formulated to guard against parochial interests and ad-hoc, personality- driven policy making which divides the officer class.
It is not enough, as the three service chiefs have done, to issue bland statements from the National Defence Academy. Instead they must recall the academy’s prayer that they once recited daily: calling for the strength to “do the harder right than the easier wrong”. In hindsight, despite our non-existent and immature declassification policy, we are now aware about how civil-military tensions and a divided officer class contributed to the disaster of 1962. To prevent another disaster, it is time for the defence minister, his ministry and the services to engage in an honest, critical self-examination.
Anit Mukherjee is a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a research fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com
An article that appeared in the LiveMint newspaper in Mumbai is given below for your info please.
The shenanigans of the military leadership, whether today or in the past, were and are a part of life, well known to those who mattered. We were shielded from the people by the 'responsible' press. We, well know the rivalry of the first course Chiefs, when at the helm. So, the new information and the charges should not surprise us.
There is much that those in the services and us Veterans need to introspect about and try and remedy the situation, though there are also enough grounds to conclude that we, like the rest of the country and institutions are going downhill, in a free fall. In the existing morass it is all but impossible to arrest the decline in the services though we may mouth lofty 'Chetwood' ideals but the fact is that the rot starts at the political top and permeates, through every rung, through the self serving and corrupt bureaucracy at the expense of the nation at large and with no redeeming features in sight. The holier than though, so called 'free press' is equally corrupt, on sale and available for an easy price and yet they lecture every one on morality. That is the bane of the country, every corrupt individual lecturing every one else, with one hand in the till and redemption is not yet in sight.
What needs to worry us more is that a rubicon has been crossed post the 6th Pay Commission at the behest of the bureaucracy and with the inability of the political leadership to meet the aspirations of the defense services, behind closed political and MOD doors, as in the past. The distrust has now spilled out into the open, where the Veterans have all but formed a defiant trade union and the serving community is looking more to the Veterans to fight for their rights than the Chiefs. The orphaning of the military and its recent divorce from its political anchor, combined with pervading distrust of the political masters and the system poses the greater risk to the nation than anything else and we need to be wary of how and when this pressure will release as there is now no safety valve in place.
warm regards and a very happy new year to all our members and their families.
http://www.livemint.com/Articles/PrintArticle.aspx?artid=BE1DFCB4-1297-11E0-87EA-000B5DABF636
No magic bullet for the Military
Amid growing corruption and divisiveness, the forces must choose between the harder right and easier wrong
*
Anit Mukherjee
On 23 April 1961, Lt Gen. P.N. Thapar, then Chief of Army Staff designate, wrote two top secret letters apparently “on the directions of the Prime Minister”, to the outgoing chief, Gen. K.S. Thimayya, and Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen. S.P.P. Thorat. The letters made a series of allegations against both officers, ranging from possible financial impropriety to deliberate undermining of the political leadership. They also asked for a reply for the prime minister’s consideration, “before government decides what further action should be taken”.
While we do not know how the matter was resolved, these letters, only recently made available, indicate two issues of contemporary relevance. The first is the widely acknowledged civil-military discord that preceded that disastrous 1962 war with China. The second, less well known, is the deep division that existed among senior military officers at that time. Then Chief of General Staff Lt Gen. B.M. Kaul, due to his proximity with politicians, allegedly nurtured a band of loyal officers disparagingly called “Kaul’s boys”. This trend divided the officer class. Both these, as well as corruption—a dangerous cocktail for national security—are present in India today.
The dispute over the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations has left a bitter legacy between civilian principals in the defence ministry and the military. There are two vastly differing perspectives on this matter—civilian officials argue that the chiefs of staff demurred on a previously agreed deal on the Pay Commission; later, by making their disagreement public, they forced the government to give in to their fresh demands. This, the officials claim, created a dangerous precedence and undermined civilian control. The narrative commonly accepted within the military, on the other hand, portrayed the episode as one where devious bureaucrats conspired to ensure that the services got a raw deal; the chiefs rightly took a strong stance to prevent this.
Regardless of the truth, which in such cases is usually somewhere in between, this spat has vitiated the working relationship between civilians and the military. There have been tentative attempts to repair some of the damage. But an honest debate on civil-military relations is long overdue.
The Sukhna land scam, followed by the Adarsh society scam, revealed two dangerous trends within the military—a divided officer class and allegations of corruption. To a large extent, this is due to the controversial legacy of Gen. Deepak Kapoor as Chief of Army Staff. Three issues have cast aspersions on his tenure: the unprecedented shifting of Lt Gen. H.S. Panag from Northern to Central Command under questionable circumstances; continued support for his military secretary, Lt Gen. Avdesh Prakash, despite the latter’s implication in an inquiry into the Sukhna scam; and involvement in the Adarsh society scam.
However, focusing only on Kapoor’s tenure would be unfair as these episodes are indicative of larger trends within the military.
First, favouritism based on parochial grounds of regimental or cadre loyalty — what Admiral Arun Prakash has termed “tribalism”— is an increasingly common and worrisome phenomenon. This has been perpetuated by the actions of previous chiefs who have initiated policies favouring their parochial interests.
Second, divisions within senior military officers have led to groupism or targeted vendettas against junior officers seen to be in the ‘other’ camp. Finally, the considerable devolution of financial powers to military commanders has led to increasingly common charges of corruption and misuse of public funds.
Actions of a few senior officers should not tarnish the image of the entire military — which still largely adheres to the ideals of honour, service and patriotism. There are steps that can be taken to uphold the image of the military.
First, all officers above the one star rank in all three services, numbering around 2,000, should in a transparent and public manner declare their assets every two years to their respective vigilance directorates. Similar measures should be implemented by officials in all ministry of defence bureaucracies and in defence public sector units.
Second, senior officers have to enact a code of conduct for themselves, just like the one they impose on soldiers serving in the field. This should focus on ethical, financial and professional issues. For instance, senior officers should resist accepting, at least for a period of two years, post-retirement jobs that are a potential conflict of interest. This includes government-appointed positions like governors, or executive positions in public and private sector units. Instead, they should accept positions related either to education or philanthropy, like welfare for ex-servicemen or war widows.
Finally, policies and norms should be formulated to guard against parochial interests and ad-hoc, personality- driven policy making which divides the officer class.
It is not enough, as the three service chiefs have done, to issue bland statements from the National Defence Academy. Instead they must recall the academy’s prayer that they once recited daily: calling for the strength to “do the harder right than the easier wrong”. In hindsight, despite our non-existent and immature declassification policy, we are now aware about how civil-military tensions and a divided officer class contributed to the disaster of 1962. To prevent another disaster, it is time for the defence minister, his ministry and the services to engage in an honest, critical self-examination.
Anit Mukherjee is a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a research fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com
VETERANS AT THE MERCY OF THE WHIMS OF DECISION MAKERS
Friday, December 31, 2010
OPed in 'The Tribune' : 31 December 2010
VETERANS AT THE MERCY OF THE WHIMS OF DECISION MAKERS
Major Navdeep Singh
“All’s fair in love and war” was the answer I got from a responsible officer of the Ministry of Defence when I pointed out that his Ministry had recently cited an outdated Naval Pension Regulation before the Supreme Court to get a case decided in its favour. Is it a war that we are waging against our veterans? I cringe at the very thought.
The problem runs deep. While officers from the uniformed services and the IAS come and go, no offence meant but those others permanently ensconced in the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces Headquarters, on whom we tend to over-rely, rule the roost. There is a feeling amongst key intermediary appointments that defence personnel with their subsidised liquor and free ration are already a pampered lot and that they do not deserve more, and hence every single welfare related attempt by the defence services is firewalled with notings on file which become difficult to counter. In all welfare related spheres, the rules and regulations are diametrically opposed to annals of logic. Pensionary provisions are the worst with so many cut-off dates, irrational stipulations and categories within categories that a count becomes difficult to keep. An Honorary Naib Subedar who retired after 1st January 2006 would get the pension of a regular Naib Subedar but a similarly placed person who retired prior to the said date would get the pension of a Havildar. A 100% disabled General who retired in 2006 would get Rs 27,000 as disability pension while an officer of the same rank with the same disability who retired in 2005 would get less than Rs 6000. In a socially retrograde move, a widow who re-married prior to 2006 would lose her right to ordinary family pension but not the one who re-married after 2006. It seems the government is regressively opposed to re-marriage of widows who unfortunately lost their husbands prior to 2006.
The list is never-ending. The bare fact that the defence services have the highest rate of pension related litigation in the country should have led to some revolutionary changes, but nothing positive seems to be happening on ground and the Pension department of the Defence Ministry continues to be operationalised by a single officer who runs the show and thrusts his decisions on millions of pensioners in stark contrast to the democratic and well oiled Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare on the civil side. An overhaul is also required of how our medical boards are functioning and the rules related to grant of disability benefits. The system of determining whether disabilities are ‘attributable to, or aggravated by military service’ also requires a re-look since our guidelines in this regard are more mathematical and less medical. For example, for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to be declared as service-related, we are still governed by the otiose requirement that a person needs to be posted in a field area for a particular length of time, or for instance the requirement that the symptoms should manifest themselves within 3 months of being denied leave in case of the death of a parent when the individual happens to be the only son whereas modern medical science has now proved that the manifestation of such symptoms has no relation with length of operational service and can even happen instantly due to one solitary incident which may happen in a single day and can at times occur as a case of delayed onset even five years after a stressful event. And cannot a person be affected if he is not the ‘only’ son and would not the problem be service-connected if the symptoms arise say after three & a half months rather than the mathematical guideline of 3 months? While psychiatric disorders need to be examined on a case by case basis, we are still stuck in the primitive times with numerical yardsticks. Leave aside medical science, it is understood even by a layman that psychiatric disorders are commonly aggravated by issues such as education of children, property disputes, family problems back home etc when the person is deployed on military duty, peace or field. For cardiovascular disorders, the charter of duties of last 14 days prior to the problem is considered and service-connection is only granted if any stress and strain is observed in the said period. However it is common knowledge that such diseases manifest on account of stress and strain experienced over a long period of time and a 14 days window has no medical relevance whatsoever. Too much mathematical emphasis is laid on field service forgetting that there can be high pressure appointments in peace stations too which can result in far greater stress than field stations.
The malaise can only be addressed if the defence services start posting upcoming and brilliant officers in the service directorates dealing with manpower and personnel services who constructively provide their inputs to the process of decision-making and act as a counter-balance on elements who harbour an erroneous feeling that faujis are already getting more than they deserve. The element of sadism also needs to be curbed. If the feeling at the decision making level remains ‘why should he / she get what I am not getting’, then it would be an exercise in futility to expect anything productive, and in that event, the war against veterans, especially against disabled soldiers, war-wounded, widows and pensioners, shall continue unabated.
OPed in 'The Tribune' : 31 December 2010
VETERANS AT THE MERCY OF THE WHIMS OF DECISION MAKERS
Major Navdeep Singh
“All’s fair in love and war” was the answer I got from a responsible officer of the Ministry of Defence when I pointed out that his Ministry had recently cited an outdated Naval Pension Regulation before the Supreme Court to get a case decided in its favour. Is it a war that we are waging against our veterans? I cringe at the very thought.
The problem runs deep. While officers from the uniformed services and the IAS come and go, no offence meant but those others permanently ensconced in the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces Headquarters, on whom we tend to over-rely, rule the roost. There is a feeling amongst key intermediary appointments that defence personnel with their subsidised liquor and free ration are already a pampered lot and that they do not deserve more, and hence every single welfare related attempt by the defence services is firewalled with notings on file which become difficult to counter. In all welfare related spheres, the rules and regulations are diametrically opposed to annals of logic. Pensionary provisions are the worst with so many cut-off dates, irrational stipulations and categories within categories that a count becomes difficult to keep. An Honorary Naib Subedar who retired after 1st January 2006 would get the pension of a regular Naib Subedar but a similarly placed person who retired prior to the said date would get the pension of a Havildar. A 100% disabled General who retired in 2006 would get Rs 27,000 as disability pension while an officer of the same rank with the same disability who retired in 2005 would get less than Rs 6000. In a socially retrograde move, a widow who re-married prior to 2006 would lose her right to ordinary family pension but not the one who re-married after 2006. It seems the government is regressively opposed to re-marriage of widows who unfortunately lost their husbands prior to 2006.
The list is never-ending. The bare fact that the defence services have the highest rate of pension related litigation in the country should have led to some revolutionary changes, but nothing positive seems to be happening on ground and the Pension department of the Defence Ministry continues to be operationalised by a single officer who runs the show and thrusts his decisions on millions of pensioners in stark contrast to the democratic and well oiled Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare on the civil side. An overhaul is also required of how our medical boards are functioning and the rules related to grant of disability benefits. The system of determining whether disabilities are ‘attributable to, or aggravated by military service’ also requires a re-look since our guidelines in this regard are more mathematical and less medical. For example, for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to be declared as service-related, we are still governed by the otiose requirement that a person needs to be posted in a field area for a particular length of time, or for instance the requirement that the symptoms should manifest themselves within 3 months of being denied leave in case of the death of a parent when the individual happens to be the only son whereas modern medical science has now proved that the manifestation of such symptoms has no relation with length of operational service and can even happen instantly due to one solitary incident which may happen in a single day and can at times occur as a case of delayed onset even five years after a stressful event. And cannot a person be affected if he is not the ‘only’ son and would not the problem be service-connected if the symptoms arise say after three & a half months rather than the mathematical guideline of 3 months? While psychiatric disorders need to be examined on a case by case basis, we are still stuck in the primitive times with numerical yardsticks. Leave aside medical science, it is understood even by a layman that psychiatric disorders are commonly aggravated by issues such as education of children, property disputes, family problems back home etc when the person is deployed on military duty, peace or field. For cardiovascular disorders, the charter of duties of last 14 days prior to the problem is considered and service-connection is only granted if any stress and strain is observed in the said period. However it is common knowledge that such diseases manifest on account of stress and strain experienced over a long period of time and a 14 days window has no medical relevance whatsoever. Too much mathematical emphasis is laid on field service forgetting that there can be high pressure appointments in peace stations too which can result in far greater stress than field stations.
The malaise can only be addressed if the defence services start posting upcoming and brilliant officers in the service directorates dealing with manpower and personnel services who constructively provide their inputs to the process of decision-making and act as a counter-balance on elements who harbour an erroneous feeling that faujis are already getting more than they deserve. The element of sadism also needs to be curbed. If the feeling at the decision making level remains ‘why should he / she get what I am not getting’, then it would be an exercise in futility to expect anything productive, and in that event, the war against veterans, especially against disabled soldiers, war-wounded, widows and pensioners, shall continue unabated.
Monday, June 15, 2009
" To Russia and back " by Cdr Tushar Dutt
" To Russia and back "
“Ya tak khachu stobi letho ni kanchalas,
Rejoinder –“No unhas zdecb,bcegda letho”!
…popular Russian song of the late seventies
(“I wish that the summer never ended…
Rejoinder- “But for us here (in India), its always summer”!)
‘When are you off to Russia, Tushar”? –“Am in no “Rush yaar”, was the instant retort.
After a delay of almost two years and numerous farewells including a final one at the Bombay airport, we flew into Moscow, thoroughly exhausted. It was mid January ’79 in the thick of winter. Anxious mothers had clothed the children in multi layers turning them into robots, whilst some adults resembled the stuffed files of the ministry. Post an overnight hotel stay at Moscow, we were flown to Sukhumi, and finally driven to our destination—Poti. Poti is a Black sea port, in the currently troubled state of Georgia, once the stronghold of Stalin. However, the prevalent chorus then was,--“Lenin, Engel, Marx”.
Here we were to train for a powerful warship, first of its class-- the Rajput, being built in the Soviet Union. Rajput was to set the trend for the future ships of the navy, besides proving a lucky ship, turning out a large number of admirals.
The inordinate delay in our departure was due slippage in the shipbuilding program. Both the ruble and the cold war doctrine had begun to thaw, possibly making way for the inevitable perestroika. However, all this was not going to affect us directly.
Accommodation being scarce, single officers and the sailors were housed within the naval base, in the ’paykayze’-- basically an accommodation ship without engines, but tow able. Officers with families were housed all over the town-- in hotels, guesthouses, dorms, etc. Captain and the heads of departments also stayed in the base. Both Captain Hiranandani, (codenamed Hira / diamond) and the Executive officer, Commander Ravi Vohra were seasoned, steely seafarers, perfect gentlemen and future admirals. In the existing somewhat difficult conditions, all the married officers and families took turns to feed us home cooked meals and make our stay comfortable. We had talented cooks amongst the bachelors too, who took care to see we did not sleep hungry, as dinner used to be served rather early, at 6 pm.
As our stay was reduced to just under a year, the training and instructions, all in Russian, began in real earnest the very next day after the customary briefing and introductions. We used to have classes Monday thru’ Friday from morning till sundown, with a two hour lunch break cum siesta in between. Training had indeed begun without warning. We used to be extremely busy through the week getting to know the equipments and systems. Only on the weekends would we visit the town.
It was still winter and Poti had little to offer, besides the kiosks selling Piva (beer) in mugs, which invariably smelled of garlic. The local folk, the Gruzins seemed to have a distinct Turkish stamp in their looks, behaviour and talk, possibly owing to the proximity across the border. They were openly anti Russian, but loved Indians, our movies and songs. “Mera jootha hai japani” (song from‘50s classic, Shree 420) was their favourite.
The summer months, July until October, were comparatively lively. Poti would be flooded with tourists from the cold north. The restaurants and the ‘plaash’/beach would be full. Besides occasionally calling on the married officers, our main haunt during weekends was the ‘More’ Vagzal’—‘Sea Terminal’, a restaurant scenically located on the jetty. Here we spent many an evening in song and dance sipping wine or champagne eating fried kalbaza (oversized salami slices), luliya kababs (tough, unmarinated roasted lamb/sheep meat) along with radish and cucumber salyonka (pickled in vinegar) -- what a fare! Occasional ‘surprise’ pulled out of the pocket was mildly tanned raw fish, considered to be the ultimate Russian delicacy. Times we had no choice but to join the locals in the customary celebration toasting, which was basically a shot of vodka chased with wine or even champagne-- potential‘ Molotov’ cocktail, if one was not careful. Despite all, we mostly got back to the base in time and keep peace with the duty officer. Times we even heralded our entry into the base with Russian and Georgian songs, to put him at ease. I recall an incident while returning one evening, we were ‘accosted’ by a number of black robed Georgian families who insisted that we join them for a feast .We soon discovered it was a funeral congregation. We were asked to sing our hearts out, as only then the dear departed’s soul would ‘rest in peace’. We were getting late, but looking at the countenance all around, we had little choice but to heed to their request. They kept toasting and topping our glasses, whilst our songs grew louder by the minute. Finally after singing ourselves hoarse, we took leave. They thanked us profusely -“You have indeed feathered his grave, he is smiling in heaven’’! This excuse proved too tough for the duty officer to handle.
Winter once again descended on Poti. We managed to finish all instructions, training and sea sortees by mid December as planned, ready to return back to India. The journey to Moscow was by rail, ‘manned’ by uniformed, belligerent looking lady conductors, reminiscent of the James Bond movie. We stayed a couple of days in Moscow, enjoying the attaché staff and the snow clad city’s warm hospitality, at minus 7 degrees Celsius. New Year’s eve, we flew back to Bombay, somewhat downcast. However the Captain on board the flight, an ex Air force officer uncorked some champagne and spread good cheer. We landed in Bombay on New Year morning, albeit late for the celebrations, but glad to be back—
“Akhir phir bhi dil hai Hindusthani”! (Indian at heart, after all!)
Tushar Dutt,
Commander(Retd),’91
tushar.dutt49@gmail.com
Mob:91-11-9811112030
“Ya tak khachu stobi letho ni kanchalas,
Rejoinder –“No unhas zdecb,bcegda letho”!
…popular Russian song of the late seventies
(“I wish that the summer never ended…
Rejoinder- “But for us here (in India), its always summer”!)
‘When are you off to Russia, Tushar”? –“Am in no “Rush yaar”, was the instant retort.
After a delay of almost two years and numerous farewells including a final one at the Bombay airport, we flew into Moscow, thoroughly exhausted. It was mid January ’79 in the thick of winter. Anxious mothers had clothed the children in multi layers turning them into robots, whilst some adults resembled the stuffed files of the ministry. Post an overnight hotel stay at Moscow, we were flown to Sukhumi, and finally driven to our destination—Poti. Poti is a Black sea port, in the currently troubled state of Georgia, once the stronghold of Stalin. However, the prevalent chorus then was,--“Lenin, Engel, Marx”.
Here we were to train for a powerful warship, first of its class-- the Rajput, being built in the Soviet Union. Rajput was to set the trend for the future ships of the navy, besides proving a lucky ship, turning out a large number of admirals.
The inordinate delay in our departure was due slippage in the shipbuilding program. Both the ruble and the cold war doctrine had begun to thaw, possibly making way for the inevitable perestroika. However, all this was not going to affect us directly.
Accommodation being scarce, single officers and the sailors were housed within the naval base, in the ’paykayze’-- basically an accommodation ship without engines, but tow able. Officers with families were housed all over the town-- in hotels, guesthouses, dorms, etc. Captain and the heads of departments also stayed in the base. Both Captain Hiranandani, (codenamed Hira / diamond) and the Executive officer, Commander Ravi Vohra were seasoned, steely seafarers, perfect gentlemen and future admirals. In the existing somewhat difficult conditions, all the married officers and families took turns to feed us home cooked meals and make our stay comfortable. We had talented cooks amongst the bachelors too, who took care to see we did not sleep hungry, as dinner used to be served rather early, at 6 pm.
As our stay was reduced to just under a year, the training and instructions, all in Russian, began in real earnest the very next day after the customary briefing and introductions. We used to have classes Monday thru’ Friday from morning till sundown, with a two hour lunch break cum siesta in between. Training had indeed begun without warning. We used to be extremely busy through the week getting to know the equipments and systems. Only on the weekends would we visit the town.
It was still winter and Poti had little to offer, besides the kiosks selling Piva (beer) in mugs, which invariably smelled of garlic. The local folk, the Gruzins seemed to have a distinct Turkish stamp in their looks, behaviour and talk, possibly owing to the proximity across the border. They were openly anti Russian, but loved Indians, our movies and songs. “Mera jootha hai japani” (song from‘50s classic, Shree 420) was their favourite.
The summer months, July until October, were comparatively lively. Poti would be flooded with tourists from the cold north. The restaurants and the ‘plaash’/beach would be full. Besides occasionally calling on the married officers, our main haunt during weekends was the ‘More’ Vagzal’—‘Sea Terminal’, a restaurant scenically located on the jetty. Here we spent many an evening in song and dance sipping wine or champagne eating fried kalbaza (oversized salami slices), luliya kababs (tough, unmarinated roasted lamb/sheep meat) along with radish and cucumber salyonka (pickled in vinegar) -- what a fare! Occasional ‘surprise’ pulled out of the pocket was mildly tanned raw fish, considered to be the ultimate Russian delicacy. Times we had no choice but to join the locals in the customary celebration toasting, which was basically a shot of vodka chased with wine or even champagne-- potential‘ Molotov’ cocktail, if one was not careful. Despite all, we mostly got back to the base in time and keep peace with the duty officer. Times we even heralded our entry into the base with Russian and Georgian songs, to put him at ease. I recall an incident while returning one evening, we were ‘accosted’ by a number of black robed Georgian families who insisted that we join them for a feast .We soon discovered it was a funeral congregation. We were asked to sing our hearts out, as only then the dear departed’s soul would ‘rest in peace’. We were getting late, but looking at the countenance all around, we had little choice but to heed to their request. They kept toasting and topping our glasses, whilst our songs grew louder by the minute. Finally after singing ourselves hoarse, we took leave. They thanked us profusely -“You have indeed feathered his grave, he is smiling in heaven’’! This excuse proved too tough for the duty officer to handle.
Winter once again descended on Poti. We managed to finish all instructions, training and sea sortees by mid December as planned, ready to return back to India. The journey to Moscow was by rail, ‘manned’ by uniformed, belligerent looking lady conductors, reminiscent of the James Bond movie. We stayed a couple of days in Moscow, enjoying the attaché staff and the snow clad city’s warm hospitality, at minus 7 degrees Celsius. New Year’s eve, we flew back to Bombay, somewhat downcast. However the Captain on board the flight, an ex Air force officer uncorked some champagne and spread good cheer. We landed in Bombay on New Year morning, albeit late for the celebrations, but glad to be back—
“Akhir phir bhi dil hai Hindusthani”! (Indian at heart, after all!)
Tushar Dutt,
Commander(Retd),’91
tushar.dutt49@gmail.com
Mob:91-11-9811112030
"Acting Sub Lieut" by Cdr Tushar Dutt
"Acting’ Sub Lieutenant"
“I am the rider of the tide,
sails full and anchor free,
waiting for the right wind,
kiss the deep blue sea”!
It was the summer of ‘70s ,we were graduating out of IIT Madras. Some opted for the US to do post graduation, some for management studies and rest, went into industry. I had decided it was either the US or Navy for me.
Navy offered access to modern technology in all three dimensions-surface, air and underwater, besides a full life.
A six month delay getting to the US, made the decision simpler. I embraced my destiny and my tryst with the Navy began in Dec’70.I was so to say, ‘ready’ for sea.
After a couple of months of basic training at Cochin and Sea acquaintance on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant , we,a batch of around twenty from various universities along with four cadet entry officers from NDA ,entered the electrical training base, INS Valsura at Jamnagar.We were warmly ‘welcomed’ in the wardroom the same evening by some of our instructors to be--Lcdrs Ravi Jaitly, S Majumdar, Lts KB Suri, Alan Quadros, Basu Bose and Madhavan.
After a couple of months of basic training at Cochin and Sea acquaintance on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant , we,a batch of around twenty from various universities along with four cadet entry officers from NDA ,entered the electrical training base, INS Valsura at Jamnagar.We were warmly ‘welcomed’ in the wardroom the same evening by some of our instructors to be--Lcdrs Ravi Jaitly, S Majumdar, Lts KB Suri, Alan Quadros, Basu Bose and Madhavan.
Shortly, two foreign navy officers, Dada from Nigeria and Odei from Ghana, joined us.We had difficulty understanding them initially, but thanks to their gifted, delightful ‘intonations’, we learnt fast. We were indeed a good mix , and an eventful, enjoyable eleven months was to follow.
As accommodation was short, we had to stay in tents temporarily. Owing the ‘hardlying’ conditions we were ‘excused’ morning Physical Training(PT), which was indeed a blessing! Barring a few incidents , like reptilian visitors after rain
and dogs occasionally taking off with our shoes, we had got quite used to the outdoor living and enjoying it. However after a few months once the cabins fell vacant, we had to shift . Now we would have to do PT and cross country. All along we remained busy, both in and out of the class. On a long weekend we made a nice, hectic trip to Gir forest, Dwarka and Veraval, by the sea. We thoroughly enjoyed life in the base, never a dull moment--it was a good blend of seriousness and humour, in uniform.
Recalling an incident—once on parade, some of us could not help laughing at our Parade Commander, Lcdr Majumdar carrying out the cutlass salute, whereby instead of bringing the cutlass up to the lips, his lips would reach for it down midway.
We were ‘doled’ out ‘extra’ rifle drill that afternoon with Lcdr Majumdar himself taking charge! Being just four of us in the huge parade ground, to try do some justice, we got down to yelling out the drill timings at the top of our voices. The message must have got around the base fairly quick, the drill duration was cut short. We subsequently nursed our throats that evening, at the bar.
Then came the Anniversary day celebrations. Our Commanding Officer, Commodore Lele & his wife were keen theatre and music enthusiasts. Preparations were on in full swing. We under trainees were to put up a play, and eyes naturally zoomed in on the junior batch-the’murgas’/lambs. A play had to be ‘manufactured’ in no time. I was asked whether I know acting, to which
I replied that the only acting I know is that ‘I am Acting sub lieutenant’--that did it . Our director appointed on the spot, was the talented Ava (JV Avadhanulu, a batch senior), and we got together right away setting up the script which was mostly impromptu and ever changing.We were running out of time and soon the day of reckoning came .Our play scheduled for earlier part of the evening was delayed owing power problems. So some of us decided to take time off and visit the wardroom to take ‘courage’. We had to however assure our anxious director who finally relented- “liberty expires in half hour”! We got back in good time, kept the dialogues in place, or at least thought so, and the play was a great success! We were congratulated by all including Commodore Lele and his good lady- “You Acting sub lieutenants have lived up to your rank, you can certainly act, we should have plays more often”!
Subsequently, we were to see a change in Command—Commodore Schunker, an executive officer came in. He was a keen, outdoors man, and along with the new Executive officer, Commander RC Bhalla, kept us busy with cross countries and
wardroom activities. Then came the Pak war, Dec’71 operations. Classes were called off in advance and we were deployed in Operations room and Patrolling duties, which we thoroughly enjoyed .We were however missing out on classes and lagging on the course syllabi. Within a fortnight or so, around end Dec’71,‘ceasefire’was declared ,only to be broken by one of our colleagues who took a potshot at an errant cow, and thankfully missed! We immediately proceeded on a few days ‘hard earned’ leave, returned to complete the course in good time and join the fleet, as scheduled. The war did not seem to affect us at all, thanks to Valsura and the Navy.
“Life is indeed but one big multi role act, ‘Acting’ Sub Lieutenant is a splendid start” Cheers!
and dogs occasionally taking off with our shoes, we had got quite used to the outdoor living and enjoying it. However after a few months once the cabins fell vacant, we had to shift . Now we would have to do PT and cross country. All along we remained busy, both in and out of the class. On a long weekend we made a nice, hectic trip to Gir forest, Dwarka and Veraval, by the sea. We thoroughly enjoyed life in the base, never a dull moment--it was a good blend of seriousness and humour, in uniform.
Recalling an incident—once on parade, some of us could not help laughing at our Parade Commander, Lcdr Majumdar carrying out the cutlass salute, whereby instead of bringing the cutlass up to the lips, his lips would reach for it down midway.
We were ‘doled’ out ‘extra’ rifle drill that afternoon with Lcdr Majumdar himself taking charge! Being just four of us in the huge parade ground, to try do some justice, we got down to yelling out the drill timings at the top of our voices. The message must have got around the base fairly quick, the drill duration was cut short. We subsequently nursed our throats that evening, at the bar.
Then came the Anniversary day celebrations. Our Commanding Officer, Commodore Lele & his wife were keen theatre and music enthusiasts. Preparations were on in full swing. We under trainees were to put up a play, and eyes naturally zoomed in on the junior batch-the’murgas’/lambs. A play had to be ‘manufactured’ in no time. I was asked whether I know acting, to which
I replied that the only acting I know is that ‘I am Acting sub lieutenant’--that did it . Our director appointed on the spot, was the talented Ava (JV Avadhanulu, a batch senior), and we got together right away setting up the script which was mostly impromptu and ever changing.We were running out of time and soon the day of reckoning came .Our play scheduled for earlier part of the evening was delayed owing power problems. So some of us decided to take time off and visit the wardroom to take ‘courage’. We had to however assure our anxious director who finally relented- “liberty expires in half hour”! We got back in good time, kept the dialogues in place, or at least thought so, and the play was a great success! We were congratulated by all including Commodore Lele and his good lady- “You Acting sub lieutenants have lived up to your rank, you can certainly act, we should have plays more often”!
Subsequently, we were to see a change in Command—Commodore Schunker, an executive officer came in. He was a keen, outdoors man, and along with the new Executive officer, Commander RC Bhalla, kept us busy with cross countries and
wardroom activities. Then came the Pak war, Dec’71 operations. Classes were called off in advance and we were deployed in Operations room and Patrolling duties, which we thoroughly enjoyed .We were however missing out on classes and lagging on the course syllabi. Within a fortnight or so, around end Dec’71,‘ceasefire’was declared ,only to be broken by one of our colleagues who took a potshot at an errant cow, and thankfully missed! We immediately proceeded on a few days ‘hard earned’ leave, returned to complete the course in good time and join the fleet, as scheduled. The war did not seem to affect us at all, thanks to Valsura and the Navy.
“Life is indeed but one big multi role act, ‘Acting’ Sub Lieutenant is a splendid start” Cheers!
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