The Fauji Way: Radio Niticentral interviews me on why I am writing this book

On Monday, Niticentral Radio interviewed me on my fauji connection and the new book that I intend to write on the ways of the Indian military.

Listen to the podcast here: www.niticentral.com/2014/07/14/nitin-gokhale-on-how-armed-forces-can-be-re-inspired-233275.html

And read about the book project here: 

 CALLING ALL FAUJIS!

The Fauji Way: Military tales from the cantonments

The Indian armed forces, among the top three militaries in the world, are a unique entity.

Forged in the crucible of the two great wars in the 20th century, nurtured by traditions that some time date back 200 years and sustained by a support system that is a combination of regimental loyalty,... personal bonding and sheer survival instinct of the fauji fraternity, the Indian military has a lifestyle of its own.

For outsiders, military life in India's sprawling cantonments looks like a perpetual celebration. But only those who have lived in the closed community of the fauj know it is anything but glamorous.

The wives (more commonly called the Spouse) go through constant shifting of house every two years, the children learn to change schools frequently and make new friends each time the father gets posted to a distant location.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the money was never enough; but the perks of 'Bharat Darshan' on the house more than made up for the shoe string household budget.

Over the years since Independence, much like the Indian society, the fauji life has undergone much change in the past six decades. And yet fundamentally, many things remain constant.

This book will chronicle the wonderful, varied, exasperating triumphs and tragedies of fauji families. Their struggle, their achievements and more importantly the unique life that makes the military stand out in the mosaic that is India.

The book will not be possible without contribution from all the faujis and their spouses; the parents and the children who grow up to be as resilient as anyone possibly can.

So here's calling every fellow fauji brat, fauji spouse and fauji mothers and last but not the least, the fauji father to get in touch with me with your stories, anecdotes, unforgettable experiences--the works.

Please email your stories/contacts/suggestions to thefaujiway@gmail.com and I will take as many on board as possible.

Let's show the world what we are made up of!

Fulfilling a sacred contract with the soldier

 

The  Ministry of Defence will soon invite international bids for constructing a National War Memorial at India Gate following the allocation of Rs 100 crore in the budget for 2014-15 presented to the Parliament on Thursday.

Although a basic design and concept for the proposed memorial is available with the Indian Army, the authorities want to explore more possibilities within that framework. 

The proposed layout for the War Memorial

 

Defence ministry sources said the proposed concept includes a museum and a walkabout. Some of the images from a presentation made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Army last month suggest 

• Landscaping/sloping up of lawns around 'Chhattri' to create retaining walls for writing names of martyrs - post independence
• No disturbance at all to existing structure of India Gate and 'Chhattri'

•  
 
• 

  

  The proposed underground 'shradhanjali kaksh'

  Construction of Shradhanjali Kaksh and auditorium at Princess Park and Armed Forces Museum at Jodhpur Hostel (adjacent but outside the India Gate complex) and connecting these with the war memorial through underground passages


 



The proposed walls that will have martyrs' names

This is a welcome development. Otherwise 64 years after India became a Republic, we are still paying homage at India Gate, built by the British for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Imperial power in World War I! 
 
It is important to honour all the soldiers who have given blood, sweat and life for preserving India's independence and protecting its sovereignty. Otherwise, India will be like Japan or Germany, post-WW II—big economies without adequate military muscle. Let them know we care for them through the year and not just on two or three ritualistic occasions.

 It’s important to recall what Kautilya (not Sun Tzu as many of us are fond of quoting) said ages ago about the duty of the King (in this case the Government) towards the soldier: “A country makes a sacred contract with its soldiers. A country that refuses to respect this contract with its armed forces will eventually end up getting forces that will not respect the nation (government).”

The proposed underground auditorium

  

Kautilya, better known as Chanakya, also reminded King Chandragupta Maurya:

“The day the soldier has to demand his dues, will be a sad day.”
 
Fortunately, after years of stalling a War Memorial, soldiers can look forward to a befitting memorial for their fallen comrades.

 

Announcing a new book project!

 CALLING ALL FAUJIS!

The Fauji Way: Military tales from the cantonments

The Indian armed forces, among the top three militaries in the world, are a unique entity.

Forged in the crucible of the two great wars in the 20th century, nurtured by traditions that some time date back 200 years and sustained by a support system that is a combination of regimental loyalty,... personal bonding and sheer survival instinct of the fauji fraternity, the Indian military has a lifestyle of its own.

For outsiders, military life in India's sprawling cantonments looks like a perpetual celebration. But only those who have lived in the closed community of the fauj know it is anything but glamorous.

The wives (more commonly called the Spouse) go through constant shifting of house every two years, the children learn to change schools frequently and make new friends each time the father gets posted to a distant location.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the money was never enough; but the perks of 'Bharat Darshan' on the house more than made up for the shoe string household budget.

Over the years since Independence, much like the Indian society, the fauji life has undergone much change in the past six decades. And yet fundamentally, many things remain constant.

This book will chronicle the wonderful, varied, exasperating triumphs and tragedies of fauji families. Their struggle, their achievements and more importantly the unique life that makes the military stand out in the mosaic that is India.

The book will not be possible without contribution from all the faujis and their spouses; the parents and the children who grow up to be as resilient as anyone possibly can.

So here's calling every fellow fauji brat, fauji spouse and fauji mothers and last but not the least, the fauji father to get in touch with me with your stories, anecdotes, unforgettable experiences--the works.

Please email your stories/contacts/suggestions to thefaujiway@gmail.com and I will take as many on board as possible.

Let's show the world what we are made up of!

Getting to know the PLA better: aim of military CBMs

Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh leaves for China late tonight as part of the new emphasis on increased military to military contacts between the armed forces of India and China. An Indian Army Chief is visiting China after a long gap of nine years. 

Gen Singh is scheduled to meet the Vice President but more importantly, the Indian Army Chief will have one-on-one meetings with the Vice Chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission and the Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.

 

The Indian Army Chief will also address China's National Defence University. But the three-day visit of the Army Chief is just part of the 2014 plan to enhance defence exchanges between the two countries that treat each other warily not the least because of the 1962 border war but also because of their long-standing border dispute. According to the plan drawn up at the beginning of this year, 10 Chinese and 9 Indian military delegations are to visit each other throughout this year. 

While a Chinese PLA delegation led by one of its top most military leaders, the deputy chief of general staff (operations)  Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, visited India in April, a team from Indian Army's Eastern Command is scheduled to visit the Lanzhou Military Area Command. 

This week for the first time, a Chinese military-media delegation will be in India to hold talks with the Indian Defence Ministry's media's and publicity wing. Led by a Senior Col (equivalent to a Brigadier of the Indian Army), in charge of Information Affairs Bureau under the ministry of National Defence, this team will be briefed in details about media policies and media interaction model of the Indian armed forces by officers of the Indian Army's media and perception management wing. The Chinese delegation will also visit the Indian troops that have participated in the UN Peacekeeping missions and the Delhi-based National Defence College.  

As reported earlier, during the April visit of the high level Chinese delegation, India and China earmarked four locations along their contested border for holding emergency meetings to quickly resolve possible standoffs.  

These locations, all in Ladakh, are Track Junction, Pangang Tso Lake, Demchock and Chumar. The locations were finalized late last month when held day-long talks with an Indian Army team led by the vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh.  All the four locations have been witness to standoffs and intrusions in recent times, leading to tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as the unsettled border between the two countries is known. 

In addition to the four flag meeting points, the two countries have also decided to open two more locations for holding scheduled annual meetings between senior field officers. So far these annual conferences known as Border Personnel Meetings take place at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh, Nathula in Siukkim and Chushul in Ladakh. From now on, troops across the nearly 4,000-km long LAC will have two more places--Kibithoo in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh and Mana Pass in Uttarakhand--to meet at least four times a year, on the occasion of each others' national days. 

The two sides also decided to establish a hotline between the Indian Army's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and an equivalent officer in the PLA HQ in Beijing. 

All these decisions are part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that New Delhi and Beijing have decided to pursue after the signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries in October 2013. 

The plan to increase the frequency of military-to-military contacts will get a further boost when a two year plan to post Indian Naval and an Air Force Attaches is implemented by end-2014. So far only an Indian Army Colonel and a Lt Col were posted in the Indian Embassy in Beijing.
Indian security establishment is however not letting the CBMs come in the way of building and strengthening India's defences in Ladakh. Over the past one year, India has moved an additional infantry brigade (3,000) troops into Ladakh to primarily look after the security of Sub-Sector North (SSN) under which the Depsang plains fall.

Last year the Chinese troops had intruded in this area and created a standoff. India's presence was limited in the area till then. In addition to additional troops, India has also for the first time, moved a regiment of tanks in Ladakh to support the existing deployment. The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force has also speeded up the infrastructure development in Ladakh. For instance, many strategically important roads  have been taken up for faster completion and two important adavanced landing grounds at Nyoma and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) have been upgraded to allow more landings by the bigger transport aircraft of the IAF including the C-130J Super Hercules.