Can someone help?

Connaught Place, New Delhi.

It was a typical Delhi summer. Hot, dry and the one that makes you perspire like a fat pig in a farm far west of Arizona. You could tell from the crowd in the inner circle of CP that it was perhaps a weekend or a Friday eve. People dressed smartly in those overpriced branded clothes moving around mostly in couples to buy more and more of it. But also among them, were small children, barely covered and desperate to get enough so that they could break a bread with their fraternity that night. Such contrast, and people complain that this world is getting dull by the day.

At one of the cross roads among the blocks, stood a young man, perhaps in his late twenties. Let’s just call him as Mr. A. Fair complexion, somewhat curly hair, a tad above the average height and cleanly shaved. He was dressed in semi-formals and looked serious enough to qualify as a working professional. That’s just a guess I venture as I see him often. Once or twice, he did come by my book-stall. I can tell he is into reading as he just dissolves into my collection of books.

On that day, as he stood just next to my stall, a man probably in his forties approached him. That would be Mr. B in our scheme of things. B claimed that he worked in Housekeeping for a firm based in Gurgaon, had come there for some work, lost his metro card and of course had no cash to go back. Where have we heard such a story before? Duh, perhaps at every station and bus stop. But then I had not seen B around. Perhaps he was new to the con business. Or perhaps he was telling the truth. The faces always change once in a while, the business goes as usual.

Now I thought, Mr. A would dismiss his plea like most of the people outright or perhaps give him something out of pity. But to my surprise, he told B, “I totally trust what you say. You needn’t sell your dilemma any more. I know you need help and I surely would. But perhaps you don’t know, there are some tricksters who fool people presenting themselves in such situations. They are doing a bad thing for people like you who seriously need help. But I am not going that route. Here you go, buy the tickets”. Now B ran towards the ticket counter after thanking A. Perhaps he was not bluffing. Who can tell. But I couldn’t resist even though I had nothing against B. I told A, “You should not believe such people Sir, they feed on other’s morality”. He smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

Three months later.

The winter is perhaps already gone. The heat is slowly taking over. Seasons change, people do, small timers like me stay put. As I sat in my 20 year old book stall once again, I wondered if the reading populace has gone down. Or it’s just the evil God Kindle that is taking away business from people like me.  So lost in the thought was I that didn’t even notice that a customer was sitting across. Trying hard to pick a read. He had this beard like a pathan but perhaps was not one. Wait, have I seen these eyes before? He looked familiar but so does every other person to me. Let’s call him Mr. C. Sitting here among the sea of faces I get that feeling every now and then.

And then came B again. Over all these months I had seen him often. The same story, different audience and different applause every time. I could make out that he was very poor and desperate like million others in this country and this is the way he made his living. He could have a couple of children back home waiting to be fed. I guess he was wrong in what he did but I stopped warning people. Let him earn the bread for his family. Or a little booze for himself. Whatever that it. This is a jungle anyway and all means of survival are perhaps justified.

When he told his narrative again, C smiled. And that wasn’t s normal smile. That had something different about it. As if he knew everything about the man. But it couldn’t be. I had never seen C around here before. C told him, “I totally trust what you say. You needn’t sell your dilemma any more. I know you need help and I surely would. But perhaps you don’t know, there are some tricksters who fool people presenting themselves in such situations. They are doing a bad thing for people like you who seriously need help. Here you go, buy the tickets”. This time B did not run. He felt he has heard these words before, from a different man perhaps. He was shaking. His eyes getting red and all watery. He then remembered something. The same dialogue with the same man. They have had the same conversation before. It was too much for B to take, he ran away, apologetically.

C was still smiling and noticing my involvement moved towards me and said, “You had warned me that day, remember? But I perhaps knew already. And you know what, whatever be the case, one thing we would agree upon is that he needs some help. Perhaps next time we can talk him out of this con job”. And once again, he was lost, in the books. I was too, in what he said.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice * *

Boy o' boy, if Man of Steel wasn't enough Zack, why do you want to destroy all our superheroes and make them False Gods. Why does it feels all of a sudden that the red capes are out to destroy the world when at the first place they are the sentinels to guard the same. But full credit to your talent as surely it takes a lot to make Batman ugly and fat. So much so that it almost feels as if Robin is also inside that Bat suit doing what the world thinks he loves so much.

During the starting titles, the movie shows the genesis of Batman. His childhood days. But one can't help it when the visuals on the screen are replaced by the better ones from Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. It's so not convincing and sets the stage for the rest of the movie itself.  Talking of the plot of the movie, errr sorry to disappoint but there ain't any such thing. Along with the characters perhaps the plot has also to be assumed fictional. Easy enough folks, Lex Luther successfully creates a misunderstanding between the two Superheroes who readily believe the naive evidences they are provided. Gosh, they look like school going kids, easily believing what the common friend tells them and eager to get into a fist fight.

It's hard to imagine the way the characters have been shaped for this so called epic battle. Twenty years of fighting criminals boils down to nothing for Bruce Wayne as he thinks he needs to accomplish something big before he hangs his cape. And what can be bigger than to bring down the demi-God of Metropolis to dust. His butler, Alfred, who supposedly has been with him since childhood, looks the same age as Affleck and has perhaps also learned technical know-how from Lucius Fox. Let's face it, Micheal Caine had set high standards and perhaps only he can beat them now. His demeanor and wit cannot be overtaken.

Even if try to convince ourselves that they somehow got swayed with the idea of falling apart and doing more harm to the humanity, it is amusing the way the patch up happens. Superman's love interest comes running and tells Batman. "सुपरमैन यह सब कर रहा है सिर्फ और सिर्फ अपनी माँ को बचाने के लिए !" And to top that, her name was Martha too. And of course, Wayne knows the pain of losing one's parents. Wow, too much drama to handle but why couldn't Superman do this at the first place. Was he like waiting for his girl to come so as to have some leverage or brownie points. Anyway, we then see a change of heart like a typical Bollywood masala movie and they stand together against this larger than life Kryptonian monster. Wait wait, something isn't feeling right. Let's put a Super Women to make things more Avenger like. Ahh, wonder woman comes in out of nowhere.

Superhero movies stand for something more than violence and graphics. The Batman trilogy by Nolan has shown us. There have been many Batman reboots but why Nolan? Because he told the story like a story and not like a bloody video game. The audience is more demanding today. I perhaps remember around 50 good lines from that trilogy. I remember none from this one. Mere action scenes make it dull and more like "Yawn of Justice". All this time we waited for this movie, we were wondering who would lose this epic battle? But I am sure we knew it deep down inside that it was going to be the audience.

"बेटा Zack, तुमसे ना हो पाएगा!"

Kapoor & Sons * * *

My Rating : 3/5

Okay, this feels great. Writing a Movie review after ages courtesy the coerced living on a hill. Errr minor correction, Queen of Hills. Kapoor and sons, the title is a bit vague and doesn’t give you much about the film and the trailer gives an impression that it’s just another situational comedy about a screwed up family. This again reaffirms our faith in the idea that don’t go with reviews or trailers. Err….the last line just sent me to an existential crisis that should I continue writing this review?

Anyway since I already started,  the movie is a sweet little surprise. A simple family drama shot in the beautiful locations of Coonoor can be such intense, I had no idea. It’s basically a soothing portrayal of various relationships in a family. Between father and sons, mother and sons, father and mother, grandfather and others and more importantly father and mistress. Looking at the family picture, one would have no idea about how complicated things can be. This is a wonderful attempt to convey this very idea.

Another aspect is that how simple biases and prejudices can blow up the whole family fabric via the butterfly effect. A mother has two sons- the good and the different. The bias for the former can be so so destructive for the later. And in that belief we tend to do things which can change everything.  All this equations have been coupled with extraordinary performances from almost all the actors and especially by Rishi Kapoor and Ratna Pathak.

Rishi Kapoor as the grandfather has been terrific. All the laughter in the film revolves around him. And it’s totally amusing to see that it is because of him that the entire family comes together. In this age of nuclear family, it is perhaps only the grand generation which can pull off this wonder. The movie grows slowly in terms of intensity as more and more secrets unfold and the unspoken is spread out.

No doubt it is one of the best family dramas in recent times. Of course not something worthy of making it to the top brass but certainly a good family outing to explore the intermingling of emotions and relationships packed with wonderful performances. And how can I forget that mandakini cut out, I want one for myself!

IAS Diaries Part 4 - Bharat Darshan || Reflections

Bharat Darshan or formally as it is called, the Winter Study Tour (WST) is perhaps the best part of the entire IAS training. WST essentially translates to two months of intensive travel throughout the length and breadth of the entire country. If you ask those at the apex, they would tell you that the best way to learn and grow is to travel. The journey itself teaches you everything you are supposed to know. Of course living out of a suitcase for that long is no kidding. And it is all the more difficult for the roommate as we hardly can small our own dirt. And there we were, on way to the first stop of learning, somewhere along the Line of Control (LoC), attachment with the Indian Army.

We reached Jammu in the wee hours of dawn and were warmly received by a huge contingent of the Army who came prepared with Trucks and Buses. Right from the first impression, you can see the difference, the discipline and the dedication. And also the fact that we are going to get grilled in the times to come. We were divided into smaller groups and escorted to respective formations. Over a period of nearly 10 days we lived the lives of Army personnel doing all the drills like the Road-opening Patrol (ROP), the Area Domination Patrol (ADP), Night Patrols etc. Many of us got the opportunity to spend some days at the Border Outposts situated at intimidating heights and at overwhelmingly close distances from the enemy posts.

We also got the opportunity to meet many senior officers from various formations of the Indian Army who shared with us great insights on the dynamics of the region and the numerous challenges they face. They also dealt with the quintessential dimension highlighting the coordination of the Army with the local civil administration where we would be playing a role in the times to come. During this time, we got to see the hardships faced by the troops especially those posted at difficult terrains. The sacrifice they make is unparallel and simply cannot be described in words. You have to go there and live with them to actually understand it. If you ask me what message the Army has for all of us, I would tell you this “When you go home, tell them of us. And say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today!”

For detailed post on Army attachment, Click HERE!

After our Army attachment at Poonch sector of Jammu, we waited for our train getting irritated by the dull passage of time. The train was rightly named "Jhelum". We descended down to the plains reaching Chandigarh, the well planned city. And indeed we did learn a lot about city planning not just from the presentations they had for us but by moving around and observing the city limits. Everything had been taken care in the design and architecture of the city and that too in those old days. It is astonishing to see the vision of the planners and Architects who could plan so well and foresee the nuances of the future generations. But in order to do that a lot of encroachments had to be taken off the government land and it was done so systematically that the description of it almost sounds like a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP). We all felt that it must be adopted by all other cities that plan encroachment eviction drives in the times to come.

Apart from that we also had an attachment with CSIR- CSIO in Chandigarh, Central Scientific Instruments Organization. It was so heartening to meet so many Senior and Junior scientists deeply engrossed in coming up with numerous innovations that have the potential to catapult the growth story of India. It is also shocking to an extent that most of us were unaware of the very many technological innovations done by Indian scientists working throughout the country in such CSIR facilities. The entire team at CSIO was very welcoming and they enthusiastically demonstrated their work and laboratories to us. Respect, to all those working for the service of the nation at such scientific institutions, the unsung heroes. Way to go!


From the planned landscapes of Chandigarh, we moved to the wilderness of the deserts, the ever so beautiful and culturally charged Rajasthan, where we stayed in Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur spanning over twelve days. Here we got a glimpse of the challenges in managing huge districts like Jaisalmer, the functioning of Border Security Force (BSF) along the Indo-Pak borders, the fighter planes of the Indian Air Force stationed at Bikaner, the installments of Wind and Solar energy throughout the state, functioning of pivotal NGOs like the Urmul Trust who are doing wonderful works for promoting girl child education, research carried out by institutes like the National Research Centre on Camel, the pivotal role of the Indira Gandhi Canal in transforming the arid land into lush green forest and many more such educative exposures. We also were fortunate to spot a Great Indian Bustard in the Desert National Part near Jaisalmer which signifies the ruining of natural balance by the greedy homo sapiens. That's us, by the way.

Continuing our journey southwards, we reached Dahod, a small locality in Gujarat wherein we have the headquarters of the Satguru Foundation, an NGO which has done wonderful work in the area of check dams. In fact, the outcomes have been so phenomenal that they have totally changed the fate of the erstwhile arid lands of Dahod. There was no source of water for irrigation baring a few small streams. Satguru Foundation started creating small check dams with the help of locals which resulted in the increase in local groundwater levels and the excess water at the damn was lifted to the fields using powerful pumps operated by the local community. This has totally changed the fortunes of the local populace and checked the out-migration of the district and in fact more and more people are coming back now from the nearby urban settlements where they had fled in order to find employment. The Foundation has also taught them horticulture and floriculture so as to diversify their assets.

Post that, we reached Mumbai where we started the stint with the much awaited attachment with the Indian Navy. Over the span of two days, we were shown various vessels and frigates which sail over the Indian waters safeguarding our coastal frontiers. We got the opportunity to go on board INS Kochi and see the amazing architecture of the vessel from close quarters. We were also shown the various equipments they use for day to day operations in their museum. On the second day we even got the rare chance to see one of the Submarines from the inside which was stationed at the docks. And then to our misery someone asked inside the Submarine "यह डूबती तो नहीं है ना?" Personally witnessing such assets reassures the faith in the idea of becoming a Blue water Navy in the times to come. In Mumbai we also had a wonderful attachment with the Urban Local Body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Coorporation (BMC). We went on a field visit to one the newly installed water purification centers in Bhandup which was like a colossal water filter plant. We were also briefed about how Mumbai is administered and what is being done to rectify the congestion on the city roads. It was a wonderful learning experience given the magnanimity of this maximum City.

Then came the serene Coastal attachment where in we first went to Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and then to the picturesque Goa. In Sindhudurg apart from witnessing the natural beauty of the numerous beaches we got a glimpse of the implementation of e-Office for which the district administration has received many accolades. In Goa, we observed an altogether different approach to administer the coastal areas. There we also had an attachment with the National Institute of Oceanography which essentially carries out research on the multi-faceted opportunities the ocean offers in terms of resources. They also do a lot of work on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which was a great learning for all of us. Apart from all this, i was fortunate that my Birthday fell during the Goa stint. No one can forget a birthday spent in Goa. Duh dude, the hyper hangover!

The next task marked out for us was to learn the unique features of Hill administration and for that we reached the beautiful destination Ooty via Coimbatore. There we had an attachment with the Tea Board of India which oversees the entire tea plantations of the country. At tea board, we had an awkward moment though when one of my colleagues asked for Coffee in lieu of the tea served. They familiarized us with the various aspects one has to look into when it comes to tea plantations and the exports of it. We also visited a small factory where they processed the tea leaves to final product. We were, I must say, fortunate that we were invited for a visit to the Defense Services Staff College at Wellington which was nearby. It is a unique place where senior officers from all the armed forced come together for their mid career training. There we got to interact with very senior officers from Armed forces which can be tagged as a once in a lifetime experience.

From there we marched ahead to reach Tirupati where we had an attachment with the Temple administration of the Tirumala hill which a like a little town in itself. We were explained the whole thought-process which went into designing the queue management and food distribution facilities that today can easily handle about one lakh visitors every single day. What’s more impressive is the amount of effort they put into managing and investing the money that comes in the form of huge donations to the temple. And with this huge corpus at hand, there are a number of schools and hospitals that they fund. Lot of learning to take home from this holy place.

And then it was Chennai. The city of posters. Over the time you would see so many of them that you would get a feeling that apart from you there is only one other person in Chennai. The metro city is unfortunately nowhere close to its counterparts across the country. The traffic congestion is painful but perhaps the upcoming metro project would prove to be a big relief. There we had our Private sector attachment with Ford India. It was perhaps a kind of nostalgia for me as I started my career in the private sector. The kind of sophistication in procedure, the clarity of process and the due diligence from all sides, something we desperately want to infuse today in the Public Sector. We also had an attachment with the Chennai Metro corporation and visited one the sites where the tunneling was in progress. It's a breathtaking sight to watch those giant machine dig into our mother Earth. But at the same time they scare us about the dawn of the machine world. Just hope there are more Optimus Prime than the bad bots.

We flew from there to Andaman for our Island attachment which was an altogether different universe.  And the feel of it, being on tiny Islands, the possibility of a Tsunami, proximity to Myanmar, it's just epic. We spent one day in Port Blair itself exploring the capital. The cellular jail is a must which always feels like you are in present day Guantanamo Bay. Even when you feel bad about the torturous visuals which come to you seeing the cells, you can not stop yourself from admiring the beauty of it's  architecture. Then we sailed to the nearby Ross Island which was at one time the administrative capital of the British. The sound and light show there is possibly one of the best in the world and entirely is like a time machine transporting you to those British times. The other day we went to Havelock Island for water sports and scuba diving. Like many I was hoping a ZNMD moment where our Scuba instructor would be a Katrina lookalike but of course that didn't happen. But then Scuba is like Nirvana. Oh, the mother earth is so beautiful under there. We have ruined it outside. 

And lastly we spent some considerable time in Gadchiroli near Nagpur which was severely hit by naxal cadres. There we went to many residential schools having tribal children, we observed the hugely successful Skill Development initiative and the heavy preparedness of the police anticipating even smallest of breaches of law and order. It was heartening to see that the place is on way to normalcy thanks to the wonderful work done by the local administration. There we possibly had the best learning in terms of managing serious challenges.

For a detailed post on Gadchiroli attachment, Click HERE!

14 States, more than 25 cities, more than 20,000 Kms in almost 2 months. This has been incredible. So much so that I would only be echoing the voice of all that the entire training should rather be in this form and not the passe classroom training. When Mahatma Gandhi came back to India, he decided to intensively travel the country so as to closely understand the dynamics. I believe that holds a lot of water. From my previous solo travels so some of the states, I can assert than I have learnt a lot in the field that by reading. Bharat Darshan is an enlightening journey. But sadly, like everything else, it had to end. 

 And thus it ended, the journey, but only to make way, for another!

Lastly would like to share these wonderful words by St. Augustine "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page!"

Tips on Personal Finance

Today there was this small class taken by a senior on how to manage your personal finance and investments. It becomes all the more crucial when you are in public sector and that too with the already diminishing hopes from 7th Pay commission. Thought would have them on the blog, can benefit some like me! :)

1. We must go for term insurance with a cover of roughly 10 times our annual salary. This is a hardcore insurance tool which does not give you back anything at maturity but the coverage is immense for a small premium.

2. Prefer not to go for the hybrids which give you a mix of insurance and investment. They have low risk but the coverage also is pretty low.

3. Investing in equity- Only invest when you have time to spare to understand the system; or if you have a thing for it; Prefer investing in A Grade stock; Long term and limited indulgence;

4. Mutual Funds - Systematic Investment Plans are the best best; Go for balanced and equity funds for long term; Index funds can be a good option with low risk;

5. Roughly 10% of your portfolio can have Gold ETFs so as to balance your equity investment.

6. Covering all dimensions, it is still advisable to invest in land than in House property. But do take caution with the title and rights of the land.

7. Priority for tax oriented investment: Contributory Pension Fund > Insurance> ELSS mutual fund> PPF> Housing loans.

8. Principle of PAY YOURSELF FIRST - as the salary comes, first send the due part to the investments and then think of spending!

9. Some Books which can help : "Rich Dad Poor Dad" ( 4 book series ) and for funda on equity "Value Investing" &" Beating the streets".

IAS Diaries Part 3 - LWE Attachment/Gadchiroli

Still soaked in the calmness of the pristine waters of Andaman Islands, we were reluctant to go anywhere. It was almost as if we had found Nirvana, if there is such a thing. Floating effortlessly in the clam and blue waters of the Radhanagar beach, i wondered why do people go to Goa. But then as they say, Bharat Darshan must go on. If not for the sake of learning then to avoid a very much plausible break in service. And hence we packed again, we checked out again, we boarded again, this time to an altogether different part of India, the hub of Left Wing extremism, Gadchiroli.

To tell the truth, I was a bit apprehensive of what we were to see. And I know others were too irrespective of how well they were able to hide it. It's human instinct to fear what we do not understand. In my imagination, perhaps I took it too far. I thought all the basic civic amenities would be missing and we would have to survive for four days like a cave man of sorts. But soon all these false assumptions found a place in the bin. We reached Chandrapur by train which is possibly the nearest well connected Railway Station and soon started for our destination by road. I have to say, I was quite surprised by the quality of roads even as we came close quarters with the interiors of Gadchiroli.

It was like just another town. With all facilities one could ask for. It was difficult to imagine that just next to it were the forests wherein certain people had established a parallel order. And they were determined to uproot the present system to establish one of their own. On the first day we had an attachment with the Forest Department where we were briefed by the DFO about the unique conditions of the place. I thought she would be talking about the security related challenges but she enthusiastically talked at length about the immense opportunities this forest has to offer. The millions of herbs and their zillion pharmaceutical benefits. And the Forest department was capitalizing on it big time. They have registered a brand "Gondwana Herbs" under which they were branding the herbs they receive from the local tribal people. A great initiative to provide them some sort of employment.

Then on the other day, we went to a local NGO called as SEARCH. This was basically working in the area of community health. So do many other such organizations but there was something strikingly different and unique about this one. They had a mission of bringing tribal people to their location and to get them on board with the idea of modern medicine which is absolutely impossible as they only trust the local healers who use traditional methods for treatment of the ill. And as we keep hearing about them, such methods rarely work. So what the SEARCH people did is they modeled their campus to look like the local tribal settlements with the Wards looking like little huts made of clay. Moreover, they also laid foundations to a temple of a local Deity Ma Danteshwari and invited all local tribal populace for a Praying session which was a great Confidence Building Measure (CBM). Post that they have seen great results as more and more number of locals started coming to their campus for treatment.

On the third day, we went to two fully residential Tribal Schools set up by the local administration. Now we all understand how important a step this can be to completely eradicate the event of recruitment of the Naxal cadres. Catch them young, before they do. Make sure they blossom before they nip them in the bud. We were welcomed by a wonderful tribal dance where the little girls where wearing their traditional Gond costumes. What a wonderful presentation of talent it was. Then we went to all the classrooms and interacted with the kids. They are all so talented and eager. Eager to spread their wings restricted by the local compulsions. We must give them the platform. We must take them out of the red cage.

Then we had a meeting with all the teaching staff present there and had a wonderful and fruitful discussion on how to best nurture these kids in this special environment. One of the teachers said, "We are so motivated just by your visit here. It means a lot to us. Such visits power us to work tirelessly in such difficult conditions". A simple but powerful statement reflecting the fact that half of the problem is solved when the administration agrees to hear it with patience. They thanked us for our presence as such a big batch of IAS Officer trainees had never visited and that we had taken time out of our busy and important jobs. To which one of my colleagues Neha beautifully replied, " I want to say something to all the teachers present here. Your's is perhaps the most important job. The future of this country is in your hands. Please do the best with it understanding the gravity of the huge responsibility endowed upon you". True that, administration is important, but the real key to the future is how we groom the present generation.

On the penultimate day we called upon the District Collector of Gadchiroli Sh. Ranjit Kumar Sir who inspired us greatly by his work and thought process. He was kind enough to give us ample time to explain the work he had been doing for skill development for the local youths for which he received the Prime Minister's Medal. Under this initiative they are training the local youth in various skills like hotel management, basic engineering and other services which people need now-a-days. The District Administration is outsourcing the skill provision part along with the placements. But to ensure results they have incorporated a wonderful caveat that the payments would only be made when 70 % of the present batch is placed into jobs. There was this video of the success stories of this initiative which was shown to us there. There was this mother of this girl who was interviewed after her daughter got placed in a Hotel of a big reputation in a metro city. She was so proud. She could not control the tears of joy. She said, "One would never understand my joy. The joy of fulfillment of that dream. The dream of a Tribal women that her daughter gets a job and gets out of this vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. No one would never understand. I am that lucky!"

All these wonderful initiatives have greatly reduced the recruitment of local youth into the Naxal cadres. So much so that if sources are to be believed, they have been forced to import people from other affected neighbouring states. The peace has been restored. The casualities on our side have reduced significantly. The Civil Administration is working tirelessly to totally eliminate it and I wish them all the best. At the end I want to share one inspiring moment with Dr. Bang, founder of SEARCH. We asked him what was his motivation to dedicate his life for public service and having to live here at Gadchiroli. He said his father wanted to go abroad to learn Economics and Mahatma Gandhi at that time had told his father that "Go to the villages of India if you want to learn the real Economics". His father did that. And he continued the legacy of his father.

To what Mahatma Gandhi said, a corollary can be, one should go to places like Gadchiroli if one wants to learn the art of administration!

IAS Diaries Part 2 - Army Attachment

Oh, I have missed blogging like anything. It has been more than 2 months since the last post. All this time something was missing from my life. There was travel, good friends, good food and a lot of learning but still it felt hollow. I guess my decision not to take my Laptop on Bharat Darshan was totally a sham. So the professional training of the IAS Officer trainees (Yes yes, we have done away with the amateurish sounding word "Probationer") begins with a two month long Winter Study Tour (WST) as is it called formally where we travel through out the entire country for various kinds of attachments namely with the Army, the Air force, the Navy, Private Sector, NGOs, LWE districts etc. And it begins with the undoubtedly best one- The Army Attachment.

And off we went leaving the Queen of Hills which was getting colder by day to our respective sectors allocated for the Army stint. Our Group 2 was supposed to reach Poonch sector in Jammu  which was often in news some years ago for cross firings and violations. This set the tempo pretty high and we were looking forward to an exhilarating 10 days with the Guardians of Peace and Security. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the Group Leader 1. The former because much of my work would be taken care by the Army personnel themselves and since in the initial days the energy levels are high and hardly anyone thinks of making a detour to their friends and relative. God bless the Group leaders in whose tenure the group reaches Goa! The later because with all the protocol and coordination work, it becomes difficult to enjoy the real feel of the place. But nevertheless it is a good experience one should have. As here the challenge is to coordinate your equals.

So after a few traffic glitches on way to Saharanpur we successfully boarded our train to Jammu. Sounds simple enough right mate, but trust me when a group of 20 moves together, even simple things can run down upon you. Right from the next morning, it was all about the Army and their brilliant ways of going about things. They adopted the strategy which the Britishers heavily relied upon. They divided our huge group of 20 into smaller ones. First they halved us. Then just when we thought 10 is a pretty descent number those half groups were halved and so on. Eventually came a time when some of us were all alone with a Platoon of Army at a Border Outpost situated at intimidating heights with overwhelming snow and the possibilities of being caught in a cross fire as the enemy post were a stone's throw away.

The initial impressions from the valley were of all sorts. To start with, it is difficult to understand the fact that why such a beautiful place has an atmosphere of fear and animosity. And not of peace and tranquility which totally goes with the sublime landscape. Clean waters flow between the snow-clad mountains but you can actually feel the bad blood underneath those deceiving currents. We were taken to various locations of the Battalion and the travel itself tells the story of the hardship faced by the troops. We participated in various activities like the Area Domination Patrol (ADP), the Road opening exercise (ROP) among others. And looking at them, one can feel how sensitive this place actually is that the Army has to conduct all these exercises almost everyday. And you start to appreciate how much the Army does for the civilian populace.

On one night when we were taken to a post near the LOC, we saw a long glittering line of light posts categorically dividing the two nations. One can only imagine, borders that divide, can too be so so beautiful. It has delivered greatly on the objective as well. Post the installation of such a lighted fence which is entirely an Indian contribution, the breaches have been very minimal and that has ensured peace in the region. Till this time we were a group of three and then came the heart breaker, the idea to send all three of us separately to different Border Outpost to spend 2-3 days there with the troops. Initially we thought it would be difficult to pass this time but once we climbed up our posts, we could clearly see the rationale behind it. It is important for us to understand the reality of troops serving at such difficult heights and terrains. Of course we all know the hardships faced by our jawans and we all do have great respect for them. But going there and living with them, has been truly enlightening. What we perceive is just a tiny proportion of their true struggles. And to add to it the bureaucratic apathy that makes it much worse.

It was new year's eve and I was at one of the posts at the LOC very near to an enemy post. Since it was New Years, some firework was expected from the other side as has been the case for the last couple of years. There was a lot of time to kill till the midnight and we thought it would be a good idea to revisit one of the best war epics ever made. So, "Saving Private Ryan" featured at 12000 ft, literally on the fence, so up close to the enemy quarters with the possibility of intermixing of bullet shot sounds from real and reel life. Best new year ever even without a celebration. It was good to listen to the stories of the troops stationed there and how they rarely get to be with their loved ones on such occasions. But they find solace, in the arms of their brothers in uniform. So did I, that evening.

During the course of this attachment, we came across many officers who were totally committed in the service of the nation and the welfare of their troops. It's so heartening to see such patriotism even when serving in the most difficult of conditions. That passion which was resonating in their every word, is so touching. Towards the very end, we visited a temple maintained by the paramilitary which had a poster just next to it which totally sums up the quintessential role that they play.

" सीमाएं हमारी जिम्मेदारी है।  लेकिन हमारी जिम्मेदारी की कोई सीमा नहीं।  "
Boundaries are our responsibility. But there is no boundary of our responsibility.

This perhaps has been the best part of our Bharat Darshan. And it literally became an "attachment" as we stayed with them for nearly 10 days and that too not in the luxury of the guest houses but at those troubling heights and disturbing temperatures. There are various issues that need the attention of the policy makers be it the logistics or the coordination with the civil administration. We must do our bit to help the Army in whichever way we can. It has been a great sensitization and we all would certainly do whatever is expected of us for the welfare of the troops and the forces. We all are proud of all our Jawans and have great respect for them. While you protect us from the dangers coming from beyond, we ensure that we would do whatever we can from the inside.

Lastly I wish to share with you all, a message that the Army had for all of us.

When you go home, tell them of us.
And say, for your tomorrow, 
we gave our today!