An Open letter to Mr Chetan Bhagat as a reply to his article on OROP

Article dated 20 Sept 2015 in the Times of India.
For your reference http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The-underage-optimist/its-time-to-analyze-orop-with-our-head-not-our-heart/

Dear Mr Chetan Bhagat,

Before I shoot straight from the hip let me elicit few accolades which you certainly deserve. I love the way you write and the manner in which you involve us with the characters in the book. I have read a few books authored by you like 'Five point someone' and 'Two states' . Two States was fantastic. You seem to have researched the two communities brilliantly. Currently I am reading your book 'Making India awesome'.

I was amazed and shocked at the article you wrote in the Times of India of 19 Sep 2015 on OROP. A person of your caliber I feel should not have written such a distasteful, ill researched piece. Being one of my favorite authors I suddenly realized that you too have clay feet. Let me take you on point by point -

1. You say that 'with the Army's selfless sacrifice, the Army enjoys a lot of support from the civilians' . You are wrong Mr Bhagat. An average Indian civilian citizen has scant knowledge of the Forces unless that particular generation had witnessed a war. Compare our forces with that of the US and UK. Don’t you feel that their civilians feel much more for their  forces and are extremely well  informed? Three or  four patriotic Hindi films do not make a difference to our population.

2. OROP a misnomer according to you. Why do you think the IAS, IFS get the OROP without a fast unto death at the Jantar Mantar. Why is their 'Over the table' component so different from ours. Let me not elaborate about their 'under the table' dealings since it would be quite a mean thing for me to do. Why did the previous pay commissions not have a single member from the armed forces. Is this justified.
3. You speak about the 12 Crores to veterans as OROP. Do you know that out of the 60000 Crore Defence budget, 45% of it goes to the civilians. And what about the crores written off by successive governments to pursue their political agenda. We have an example glaring into our faces right now. Bihar has been given 1,21,000 crores, just before their elections. The deed is indeed very large hearted but the timing is questionable. The Telengana chief minister's maharaja kind of visit in crores, the 'Pravasa Yatra' from Karnataka with families to foreign lands at the cost of our ex-checker to learn how to milk cows, as one foolish 'leader' nonchalantly said on media, indeed is thought provoking. The subsidized Biryanis and Mutton Roghan Josh at the Parliament's canteen is also praise worthy!
4. 'To pay veterans more or new hires more': My take on this is that the veterans too have given the prime of their lives in those ancient days with the same challenges with hardly any facilities for a paltry sum of money. That generation of veterans had also fought wars. One  in 1947-1948 against the marauders, 1962 the Chinese debacle, 1965 the Pakistan War, 1971 - Independence of Bangladesh and 1998 the Kargil War. The pension the earlier veterans are drawing is so miniscule and cannot be even termed as a payback for the services rendered. Do not forget our PoW's, still languishing in prisons unknown, across our borders. What is the state of their families, have you given a thought to this?

5. 'Soldiers retired safe and sound' -Does not mean that at some point or the other these soldiers have not faced life threatening situations and many a narrow miss. It is not you and me, but God's benevolent grace that has brought them back home. I am sure you believe in the life line, don’t you.

6. There is no emotion behind asking for OROP -  It has been the soldier's right since 1973 when pensions of Armed Forces were brought down from 70% to 50%, while the civilian pensions were increased. Thereafter successive pay commissions diluted what was left including our stature in the hierarchy. You will be surprised to know that one of our veterans Maj Dhanapalan had to go to the Kerala High Court for the correct interpretation of the 'Rank Pay'. Despite the verdict in favour of the soldier, the babus made sure that the entire amount was not paid. There are cases in this regard being fought in the Supreme Court even today.
7. 'Politicians Bad and Army Good' - You seem to have used a broad brush technique here. No one will ever say that all politicians are bad and all soldiers good.
8. You don’t have to do much now to disrespect soldiers, you have already done the needful. The rest of it has been taken care by gagging the press. Free press is a democratic right. Your peer, Mr Arnab Goswami, another alumni of the IIM , who I thought was bold and upfront seems to be muffled too. He fights vehemently for every other issue under the sun and the least  for the OROP. I am confused, Mr Bhagat, are we still in a democratic nation or a dictatorial one?
9. You have missed the crux. This is not an agitation to increase pensions. It is to give our veterans their dues, which have been wrongly denied to them by successive governments. Your questions are no more amusing. It challenges your basic intellect. You also seem to be trying to cut wedges amongst the Armed Forces with your do's and do not's. But you did not know that we are more grounded, disciplined and can walk shoulder to shoulder  with our comrades.

10. Your motive in writing this article seems suspect or you have fuddled somewhere. Being the son of an Army officer, please ask your dad whether he agrees with what you say. Thank you for speaking against us. A noteworthy writer like you is being used as a pawn in the game to spread misinformation. You could enjoy a blooming romance in the IIM  because there were soldiers without their families standing guard watching over us, as we ate, slept, played, studied and worked. If not for that soldier, leave alone romance, considering our invaders, even looking at a lady would have become a crime. You may take Afghanistan as a good example for this. Don’t get me wrong on this please. I too love romantic novels and movies. This subject has been already analyzed by the heart. While I agree with you that we need to think with our brains, may I also add that the cobwebs that have gathered on it  have to be cleared to allow rational and justified thinking. Let the heart fall in love while the brain starts to work. 

Written by an Army Veteran's Wife.

Mrs Sarah Koshy Johnson 

FINDING ' FENNY ' !

It was our college batch of 1980 reunion, an important milestone in our lives. This laborious task of searching us out, sending invites, booking our hotel, planning our programmes was accomplished only because of the four musketeers, who flew in and out of Goa tirelessly to make it a grand success. No table was left unturned! It was also about blowing the whistle to keep us mad caps sane, because most of us mentally were in college once again !!
It was one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of my life, when we felt unbuckled and celebrated our togetherness.For me it was a good thirty five years which had slipped by, a toast to our great camaraderie. A trip we were looking forward to with bated breath of excitement. Three days of merriment and getting to know each other once again!
I have visited Goa many times before, but for me this time was very unique and special. Movies with a Goan backdrop always fascinated me.like : Bobby, Sagar and Finding Fanny . This time we were lucky enough to see those parts of Goa which had stood still in a time warp.The 18th century Palacio Do Deao , Quepem  where a priest from Portugal set foot few centuries ago and later became a Cardinal. In fact he was the founder of a little town on the bank of the river. He blended the Portugese and Goan culture and taught the people many trades for their upliftment. The palace was known for its tiered gardens and the awesome beauty of its river. A place to stand still, close your eyes and reminiscence the yesteryears.
We looked beyond the lashing monsoons, the gusty winds and the tidal waves.We had so much fun and frolic packed with cruises and sightseeing, all boxed into a treasure trunk for keeps. Around midnight if you were an owl you could see a bunch of a staggering 40,stomachs filled to the brim looking out for antacids and crashing into beds like sacks of potatoes, only to resurrect the next morning!
I love Goa for all its good things, it's chilled out people, music, exotic food and it's therapeutic sea breeze. We were lucky enough to dine and wine at a few gastronomical temples like ' NOSTALGIA ' at RAIA and 'KUDOS' . Bibinca, my favourite, high - calorie dessert is made best by the owner of    NOSTALGIA. 'COCONUT CREEK' was fantastic with superb food. We were also fortunate to dine at Wendell's beautiful bungalow. Jerome and Wendell made the evening very special for each of us.

It was Nirvana sitting under the swaying coconut palms in that balmy weather holding  a bottle of  chilled beer. Our foggy brains were cleared and definitely a few more years were added to our lives !
The reunion we were looking forward to with such gusto, counting every second that passed is now history, but we are already waiting in anticipation for the next get together.
My immense gratitude to Shatbhi, Wahid, Wendell and our ever enthusiastic treasurer Rajiv Malla  who tore the skies to make this happen. Also, a BIG, BIG thank you to our HUSBANDS who stayed back  and allowed us to have such great fun!!! Another word of appreciation to the government of Goa who are doing up the facades of old Portugese buildings thereby trying to preserve their culture.
Some of us have done well in various professions and are celebrities now, we are immensely proud of you Shatbhi, Wendell and Ashrafi. Please pardon if I have missed out on any other eminent personalities (including me ;) )
Those of you who missed out on the reunion for frivolous reasons, the loss is entirely yours. We are
proud of those of you who crossed the barriers of continents and made it to the reunion. Oh! By the
way guys, we did find 'FENNY' , the coconut and the cashew on this trip!!!

My Tryst with the Gorkhas

I was barely 21 when I was married to a strapping Gorkha officer who was also called the 'snake charmer' of Commando Wing. My parents then lived in a small city where the Army had left a palpable imprint. In the 60's and 70's the Gorkha regiment were the only troops popularly known, hence getting married to a Gorkha officer was a matter of great pride. My mother also posessed a beautifully embellished 'Khukri' which was presented to her by the then king of Nepal, for teaching his two sons, at North Point, Darjeeling.

From the time I set foot into the regiment, till my husband retired, it was like living in  a huge joint family. I can well remember the first day in the Battalion, to the last day. It runs like a film reel of great accomplishment. I feel I was really lucky to be with these brawny, robust men, for whom no work was too hard. They were not only ready to lay down their lives for the motherland but were also greatly possessive of the Officer and his family.

The Gorkha soldier was not just physically strong, but the antithesis was his childlike nature and simplicity. I have seen them through thick and thin during good weather and bad. His values and priorities always stood steadfast. I have seen him with wounds, blood oozing out, but not bothering about it. The onus of responsibility to push him to the MI room(Medical Inspection/First aid room) rested on our shoulders. Yet he would say that he had to complete his Saab's uniform, and go later. That was the kind of sincerity these men had. We could leave our children with them, without a second thought. He was fondly called 'Daai' (elder brother) by the kids which extended to the ladies of the Paltan (Battalion) too.As ladies we were supposed to address them as 'Bhai' (younger brother). All the children's secrets were shared with the Daai and he kept a stiff upper lip! I would always compare the activities of the children and the Daai to that of the eminent writer Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five'. This strong connect lives on to this day, with calls coming to and fro even after they have retired.

The wheels of life rolled on. Every new day was like a thriller or comedy film. Their general knowledge was very minuscule. Once when I asked the Daai, "Who was Mahatma Gandhi's wife?" , without a blink, he shot out "Indira Gandhi! ". As I reminiscence fondly, it brings to memory the lovely Dussehra celebrations which almost ran into a month of hectic activity, the vociferous football matches which the Gorkhas always won, and the boxing bouts. However much my friends asked me how I could enjoy a gory boxing bout, I had no answer. Every single one of us were there, cheering and screaming our lungs out, and finally we were left with no voice. Too much strain on the vocal chords!

Most of them lived in the hills and when I got talking to them, they would tell us of their home, old tales of battle valour and how they had to tread atleast two days from the foothills to reach their homes. The yesteryear Gorkha never haggled for leave even when there was a calamity of sorts at his home. He seemed to leave everything to destiny and continued as though nothing had happened. Fun times were endless. One of my husband's sahayaks didn't even know how to cycle. Yet when we gave him one, he did not divulge this information to us. Soon we saw him trying it out when we were on a walk. We saw a very familiar face coming down a slope at break neck speed and could not apply brakes. All he did was to wave his hands into the air to tell us to move out of the way. When we turned around , we saw a peculiar sight - a hanger on his collar! When we asked him what this fitment was, he told us, he had put my husband's shirt on it and had taken it to be ironed. Now all that was left after this spurt of adventure was the hanger on the collar. He had lost the shirt en route!

But don't be carried away by this soft hearted , sure footed Gorkha. He is quite an example of Oliver Goldsmith's 'Man in Black'. He has an extremely tough side too. All his heroism is on display when he is pitched against a foe. Then all he knows is the pride of his country, Batallion and officers. When he jerks out his Khukri, he can create havoc. This is when his patriotism and pride come into play. One such example was Sri Lanka - 1987.  There was immense enemy fire and this particular Gorkha jawan realised that his Saab was hurt and needed to be pulled out of the trench. So he ran back through the fire and carried the officer on his back running again through the same fire. In this audacious act of bravery, he sustained 6 bullet injuries. Not only he, but the officer survived as well.
After my 32 year marriage in the Gorkha Regiment, I do not agree when people call them a 'mercenary force'. For them it is always India first. I do not want to elaborate on Gorkha valour anymore, since I could write volumes on it.

What prompted me to write this article is this huge depredation of life and property in Nepal. The villages we know like the back of our hands, seemed to have crumbled like a pack of cards, taking away with it gargantuan proportions of these simple folks. Majestic parts of old Nepal have also been annihilated. We have about 1.25 lakh ex-servicemen there.  Somewhere in my heart, there is a huge fear lurking whether they are all safe. Long ago, I had seen a movie 'Himalay ke godh mein' . This little kingdom was indeed in the lap of the Himalayas. What also shocked me, is the Times of India Bangalore Edition, of 28 Apr 2015, which has shown pictures of people taking 'selfies' under the crumbled historic Dharahara tower. Just because some were fortunate to survive this catastrophe, does it mean that we have become so insensitive to the mutilation of nearly a whole country?

I end this article with a silent prayer on my lips and thanking our Prime Minister Mr Modi for forging ahead without losing time, to send enormous aid and setting the wheels of evacuation rolling. I also am thankful to Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, our Army Chief and the Honorary Chief of the Nepalese Army, who happens to be from our Batallion for spearheading relief efforts in Nepal. The Indian Army is indeed doing a yo-man's service.

I would urge each one of you to provide help to these afflicted people in whichever way possible. There are many channels through which you can contribute. Let not the human being within us be a mute spectator.