STORY OF TWO OFFICERS

This is a true story, adapted from Colonel Rajan's public lament, a tale typical of every officer and jawan. S.S. Rajan, the son of an army officer, joined the army with an engineering degree and was commissioned in the corps of engineers in June 1963, with his pay at Rs 460 per month. He served in NEFA and later fought in the Indo-Pak war of 1971. In that war, his vehicle was blown up, maiming and killing his comrades, but he was lucky to escape with major injuries. He was recommended for the Vishisht Sewa Medal on four occasions. After over 19 years of service, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, whereas IAS and IPS officers automatically become joint secretaries and equivalent on completion of 18 years of service or less. Rajan was promoted to colonel in August 1985 and retired after over 33 years of meritorious service, when he had a daughter aged 15 and a son aged 8 to take care of. He received a pension of Rs 9125 per month and got a lump sum of about Rs 10 lakh for commutation of pension, gratuity, provident fund, army group insurance and leave encashment — not enough to buy even a small two-bedroom flat in Bangalore. To add insult to injury, his pay was fixed at the 'starting pay' for a colonel plus one increment, whereas it should have been fixed at the maximum pay eligible for a colonel. Rajan's contemporary, one Mr. R. Swaminathan, joined the Armed Forces Head Quarters (AFHQ) Cadre as a lower division clerk. Being in the AFHQ Cadre, he was posted in Delhi throughout his career. He worked hard and steadily rose up the ladder, with promotions at regular intervals and finally retired as Deputy DG (Personnel) in June 2003. His children studied in one school throughout. Before his retirement, his son graduated as an engineer from IIT, Delhi and his daughter graduated as a doctor from AIIMS, Delhi. Not being subjected to transfers he could afford to save more. On retirement, Swaminathan was granted pension on par with a senior deputy secretary (IAS) and got Rs 45 lakh in cash, by way of gratuity, provident fund, leave encashment and commutation. This is not an isolated instance. It happens to all military personnel. The telling effect of this true story on the morale of soldiers and their children is obvious. Rumblings have increased and should be heard by the discerning, before a catastrophe occurs. The writer is a retired lieutenant general Moral of the Story ....BE A CLERK ...WHY SHOW PATRIOTISM and screw ur life !!!!!!!!! ...will fetch u nothing !!!!!

Why this Blog

I was just reading today, Ms Shobha De's column in Times of India on how famous actors of Bollywood are using their personal blogs for mud slinging. I have been thinking of a permanent place under the sun to store my random thoughts without the fear of losing or misplacing them. Many a times while on the net, i use notepad to copy stuff that i would like to store for later reading. And before i have had the time to read it i have lost it either by accidental deletion or hard disk crash or change of PC........ Mind you, I have no intentions of using this blog for mud slinging.
So here i start with my Blog.
By the way i am a serving Army Officer of the Indian Army with 21 yrs of service. I applied for premature retirement from service, last year but the Army is refusing to let me quit. Makes me feel like labor. i thought we were living in a free country. Its not much use living in a free country where one does not even have the freedom to choose where one wants to work.

A Poem

JUST A COMMON SOLDIER

(A Soldier Died Today)

by A. Lawrence Vaincourt

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.

And tho’ sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,

All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.

But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,

And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,

For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.

Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,

And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,

But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land

A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives

Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.

While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.

It’s so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,

That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know

It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,

Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?

Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend

His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier’s part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,

Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.