Does “Groupthink” destroy “Democratic Decision-Making”…?

Collective Decision-Making is the essence of Democracy.

Democratic Decision-Making is “Participative” in nature – not a “One-Man Show” – like in an Autocracy – where all power is concentrated in the hands of one person who takes all the decisions.

That is why – in a democracy – we have many committees/groups – to enable collective decision-making – after proper debate – and every effort is made to build a consensus.

However – dissent is valued in a democracy – and – in case there is no consensus – decisions are taken in a democratic manner by voting.

Sadly – we observe that – in many democracies – decisions are taken in a rather autocratic manner by the leader – despite the facade of democratic decision-making.

This happens because of the phenomenon of “Groupthink”.

“Groupthink” destroys Democratic Decision-Making – and facilitates Autocratic Decision-Making.

We see many examples of this – where Committees/Groups are merely a facade – and all decisions are taken in an autocratic manner by a single individual.

“Groupthink” has become increasingly active on the Social Media too.

We observe that the phenomenon of “Groupthink” is growing rapidly on the Social Media – especially on Twitter – where there is an increasing intolerance to contrarian or individualistic views – and – ideologically – the “Cult Culture” seems to be on the rise – and – anyone expressing a contrarian opinion is likely to be viciously trolled by the opposing “cult”.

The phenomenon of “Groupthink” has infected Politics – in fact – “Groupthink” has proliferated in many Organisations/Entities – especially in the Social Media.

This reminded me on an Article on “Groupthink” that I had written long ago.

Dear Reader: Here is the article…

GROUPTHINK – ARTICLE BY VIKRAM KARVE 

“Groupthink” is understandable in the Military– which has a “Yes Sir – Yes Sir – Three Bags Full Sir” regimented culture – where dissent is not tolerated – and expressing contrarian views is frowned upon.

But – surprisingly – most “Democratic” Political Parties in India seem to be victims of “Groupthink”…

GROUPTHINK 
(Management Musings By Vikram Karve)

I have written plenty of my “Humor in Uniform” Memoirs in my Blog – so – for a change – let me delve into my “academic” writings – or – more precisely – my “management writing” archives – and post for you – once more – an abridged and updated version of an article on GROUPTHINK I had written more than 34 years ago – in the 1980s – for a business supplement of a newspaper – and also in some journals.

I have lectured on this topic too.

After the advent of the internet – my article on GROUPTHINK has been carried by many websites – and once I started blogging around 18 years ago – I have posted this article on my blogs too.

Though I wrote this more than 34 years ago in 1985 – I feel this article is relevant even today.

Do tell me if you feel GROUPTHINK exists even today – especially in government, political, organisational, familial and military decision-making.

I look forward to your views.

GROUPTHINK – Musings on Management by Vikram Karve

Where all think alike – no one thinks very much 

When I was in the Navy – I saw plenty of GROUPTHINK.

During my interactions with the Army – I saw even more Groupthink.

There was a tendency to have “unanimous” decisions.

In many cases – contrarian views were not tolerated by the top brass – and many senior officers wanted to force their decisions by creating a situation of “My Way or the Highway”.

Also – years of regimentation and discouragement of original thinking creates a “groupthink” mindset in most military officers.

I feel that Groupthink is one of the main reasons which hampers optimal decision making – especially in the defence services which have a highly regimented way of thinking.

Here is an abridged version of one of my management articles which tells you all about GROUPTHINK in a nutshell:

GROUPTHINK SYNDROME

Tradition has it that conflict is bad.

Conflict is something to be avoided.

The culture of many organizations implies explicitly or implicitly that conflict should be suppressed and eliminated.

It is common for managers to perceive intra-organizational conflict as being dysfunctional for the achievement of organizational goals.

Most of us still cling to the idea that good managers resolve conflict. 

Current thinking disputes this view.

In the absence of conflicting opinions, harmonious tranquil work groups are prone to becoming static, apathetic and unresponsive to pressures for change and innovation.

Work Groups and Teams, even Top Management,  also risk the danger of becoming so self-satisfied, that dissenting views, which may offer important alternative information, are totally shut out.

In short, they fall victims to a syndrome called “GROUPTHINK”

In a study of public policy decision fiascoes – I.L. Janis identified “GROUPTHINK” as a major cause of poor decision making.

As he describes it:

‘GROUPTHINK’ occurs when decision makers who work closely together develop a high degree of solidarity that clouds their vision, leading them to suppress conflicting views and negative feelings about proposals, consciously or unconsciously.

A manifestation of the groupthink phenomenon is the staggering irrationality which can beset the thinking of the otherwise highly competent, intelligent, conscientious individuals when they begin acting as a group or team and this affects organisational effectiveness.

EFFECT AND SYMPTOMS OF GROUPTHINK

The net effect on the group is that it overestimates its power and morality, it creates pressures for uniformity and conformance, and its members become close-minded, living in ivory towers.

Some manifestations are the illusions of invulnerability and the encouragement to take great risks and to ignore the ethical or moral aspects of their decisions and actions.

This author has witnessed close-mindedness on the part of several managers which then permeated their teams.

One project manager took this to the extreme and in effect defined his environment as consisting of two kinds of people, either “friends” or “enemies”.

This syndrome is akin to the dialogue from the classic Movie Ben Hur – which I call the – “you are either for me or you are against me” syndrome.

Like this Manager I observed – many persons – especially some of my bosses – exhibited this – “you are either for me – or – you are against me” syndrome.

In other words – if you do not agree with me – I will presume that you are against me. 

Don’t we see a similar FOR vs AGAINST situation in the Social Media where people get polarised depending on their views…?

Coming back to my story – this Boss said to his subordinates and peers:

“You are either “FOR ME” – or – You are “AGAINST ME”…” 

All those who completely agreed with his favoured solutions and supported his project were “Friends”.

All others were “Enemies”.

Soon his entire project team was echoing similar sentiments having fallen victim to “GROUPTHINK” – resulting in unbending positions, heated arguments and subsequent lack of respect for anyone who disagreed with them.

The ultimate consequences can easily be guessed.

The symptoms of groupthink include:

(i) An illusion of invulnerability that becomes shared by most members of the group.

(ii) Collective attempts to ignore or rationalize away items of inconvenient information which might otherwise lead the group to reconsider shaky but cherished assumptions.

(iii) An unquestioned belief in the group’s inherent morality, thus causing members to overlook the ethical consequences of their decisions.

(iv) Stereotyping the dissenters as either too evil for negotiation or too stupid and feeble to merit consideration.

(v) A shared illusion of unanimity in a majority viewpoint, augmented by the false assumption that silence means consent.

(vi) Self-appointed “mind-guards” to protect the group from adverse information that might shatter complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decision.

Not very surprisingly – it has been suggested that individuals most susceptible to groupthink will tend to be people who are fearful of disapproval and rejection and who want to “conform”.

Conversely – an outspoken individualist who freely airs his views and opinions, if trapped in a groupthink situation, runs the risk of being ejected by his colleagues if he fails to hold his tongue.

 

GROUPTHINK SITUATIONS

THE DOMINANT LEADER

Firstly – because the CEO (or the “Boss”) dispenses all favours – his biggest problem is to avoid being treated like God.

Secondly – the “Boss” must avoid thinking that he is God.

Indeed – in many organizations – it is not easy to contradict or argue too vigorously with the boss.

Even when managers feel that they know more than a superior – they may suppress doubts because of career considerations.

FEAR – or – RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY – or – ADMIRATION for the boss – may make skeptics hesitate when confronted with a confident CEO or dominating superior.

This is less of a problem if the leader acts in the organization’s interests, possesses requisite soft skills, and has strong ethics and cognitive capabilities to make decisions.

However – if leaders do not force serious questioning – they will sometimes make mistakes and errors of judgement.

Colleagues and subordinates will become “yes-men” – and – “groupthink” will take over decision making.

And the dominant CEO may not discover his or her mistakes because fearful employees withhold information.

What can lower-level managers do about the boss who has lost touch with reality and seems to be driving the organization in the wrong direction…?

You can adopt three different strategies:

1. “Exit” (Leave the organization) 

2. “Voice” (attempt to force changes from within) 

3. “Loyalty” (accept things the way they are)

Each individual can evaluate the risks and benefits of each strategy.

However –if the organization is really on the wrong track – true loyalty requires you to make an attempt to communicate your reservations and concerns to the leader and you must voice your views (option 2)

Will the leader accept your views?

Or – will your career suffer if you are outspoken?

Is it best to “lump” whatever your superiors say and just do as you are told?

Or – does this blind obedience culture cause too much stress in you and is it best for you to quit your job and exit such an organisation afflicted by the disease of groupthink?

How can a confident, independent CEO avoid the pitfalls and temptations of absolute power?

The obvious (but difficult) answer is to make sure that power is never absolute, and surround oneself with other confident, independent people, and encourage dissension and debate on every decision.

In his autobiography ‘A Soldier’s Story’ – General ON Bradley has exemplified this aspect in the decision-making style of General George C Marshall, Chief of Staff of the US Army in World War II, a dominant leader who was instrumental in the Allied Victory owing to his resolute management of the entire war effort.

After one week in office – General Marshall called all his staff officers to his office and admonished them:

“Gentlemen – I am disappointed in you.

You haven’t yet disagreed with a single decision I have made.

When you carry a paper in here – I want you to give me every reason you can think of as to why I should not approve it.

If – in spite of your objections – my decision is still to go ahead – then I’ll know I am right.”

General Marshall did not believe in Groupthink – but – he wanted to hear differing and contrarian views before taking a decision.

Like General Marshall – who did not encourage cronyism and groupthink – and – rather than search for views that might reinforce his own – a CEO should seek contrary opinions to avoid groupthink.

Some suggest using a Devil’s Advocate methodology for all major decisions – by assigning some individuals in all groups and teams – to argue against the dominant view.

In Politics too – a leader must have a “Devil’s Advocate” in his decison-making circle – as this will help the leader in taking balanced decisions after considering contrarian opinions.

PARALLEL POWER

This is a “groupthink” situation in which individuals or groups low in the hierarchy are powerful enough to do what they want, even when contrary to organizational objectives.

Such power may be based on specialized expertise or privileged access to information.

Parallel power can lead to groupthink in two ways.

Firstly, senior managers may accept ideas from lower-level managers that are not necessarily in the organizational interest, either because they have insufficient information to ask the right questions, or because opposition would not seem legitimate.

Secondly, top managers may make decisions without all the necessary information because subordinates do not provide it due to vested interests arising from misplaced loyalties to a limited function, department or team, rather than to the organization as a whole.

Such situations can be mitigated by ensuring that managers rotate between different units and positions.

NATURAL UNANIMITY

When everyone in power instinctively shares the same opinion on an issue, the wise manager should be wary.

Natural unanimity groupthink results in an inward-looking organization detached from its environment.

Escape from this predicament almost certainly requires a fresh perspective that can come only from outside – by hiring new managers or appointing outside consultants.

A CEO may lay overemphasis on staff-line cooperation in the belief that the easiest way to ensure implementation is to recommend only those actions that the line managers agree with.

But this is not necessarily useful to an organization and may lead to mutual admiration and – ultimately – “natural unanimity groupthink”.

The effectiveness of staff – line dichotomy depends on maintaining a certain tension between the staff and the line managers. When the tension disappears – the staff may not be doing its job.

CONCLUSION

The key element in any strategy for avoiding groupthink is to instill checks and balances into the system.

Formally – this can be achieved through cross-functional teams, staff advisers, external consultants – or procedures like “devil’s advocacy”.

Informally – managers must learn to tolerate dissidence, criticism, contrary opinions, discussion, brainstorming and debate and encourage their colleagues to express doubts about proposals.

Propositions from various parts of the organization need to be treated transparently, equitably and consistently – in order to avoid groupthink.

In a nutshell – for effective decision making – and to prevent the dangers of GROUPTHINK – it is best to steer clear of yes-men, ego-massage, sycophancy and cronyism.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
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Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve:  https://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/01/is-groupthink-good-in-democracy.html

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

This is an abridged version of my article on Groupthink written by me 34 years ago in 1985 and posted online a number of times on my blogs including at url: http://creative.sulekha.com/groupthink-a-symptom-of-human-resource-degeneration_487974_blog and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/06/groupthink-bane-in-military-life-where.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/05/groupthink-bane-of-military-officership.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/05/one-reason-for-defence-scams-groupthink.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/is-groupthink-infecting-the-social-media/ and  https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/06/17/social-media-groupthink/  etc

Meditation – Outer Silence Inner Peace

OUTER SILENCE – THE FIRST STEP TO INNER PEACE

WORDS ON A BENCH IN MUSSOORIE – Meditation By Vikram Karve 

I am feeling hassled.

I close my eyes.

I sit in silence.

I relax.

And – I remember those insightful and profound words of wisdom engraved on a bench in Mussoorie.

I read those words written on a bench in Hindi long back – but those meaningful words have remained etched in my mind forever.

Agar Aap Shanti Chahte Ho To Pehele Shaant Rehena Seekho

अगर आप शांति चाहते हो तो पहेले शांत रहेना सीखो 

Long back – around 25 years ago – in the early 1990’s – I visited Mussoorie.

During one of my long walks – probably on Camel’s Back Road – or maybe near Lal Tibba in Landour – I saw some words inscribed on a bench.

Those words were a truism that has had a profound impact on me ever since.

I will never forget those interesting words written in Hindi on a bench in Mussoorie:

अगर आप शांति चाहते हो तो पहेले शांत रहेना सीखो 

(Agar Aap Shanti Chahte Ho To Pehle Shaant Rehna Seekho)

Roughly translated into English this means:

IF YOU DESIRE PEACE – THEN FIRST LEARN TO REMAIN SILENT 

Of course – the Hindi word  शांत  (shaant)  also means PEACEFUL 

Yes – SILENCE is the sine qua non for PEACEFULNESS.

Once your mind is calm and peaceful – you will experience a sense of inner peace.

If your inner peace is disturbed – you will be stressed out.

The root cause of stress is lack of inner peace.

The first step to stress management is to restore your inner peace – and you must not allow your inner peace to be disturbed.

But – why does your inner peace get disturbed…?

Your inner peace gets disturbed because there is too much “noise” in your life.

There is Physical Noise, Mental Noise, Information Overload Noise, Emotional Noise, Relationship Noise – all sorts of Noise.

There is internal noise – and – there is external noise.

There is noise around you – and – there is noise within you.

There is all sorts of noise and cacophony – noise bombards all your senses.

Noise hassles you.

Noise disturbs your tranquility.

Noise is the biggest impediment to attaining peacefulness.

The first step to inner peace is to get rid of all that noise around you and within you.

Yes – if you want peace you have to shut out all the noise from your life.

Go to a quiet place where there is minimal external noise – switch off your noise-making gadgets like mobile cellphones etc – shut out the cacophony on TV – shut out the toxic people who create “noise” within you – yes – shut out all the emotional noise which hassles your peace of mind.

Sit silently in solitude – close your eyes – and see how your inner silence dissolves the noise within you.

Soon – as you sit in silence – you will experience inner peace – and you will be in harmony with yourself.

That is what I try to do every morning – or – whenever I feel stressed out.

I sit in silence in the spacious airy balcony of my ninth floor flat in Wakad – or in any other silent calm place.

I absorb the tranquil scenic view of the placid waters of the Mula River quietly flowing below, the peaceful verdant hills in the distance, the still atmosphere, the pure fresh air – and I feel a halo of soothing serenity permeate within me.

Then – I close my eyes – and I let my silence dissolve the internal noise in my mind and body.

It is only then that I experience inner peace – and I realize that I am in harmony with myself.

Yes – if you want to be in harmony with yourself – you must have inner peace.

And – outer silence is the first step to inner peace.

अगर आप शांति चाहते हो तो पहेले शांत रहेना सीखो 

If you want peace – then first learn to remain silent 

Yes:

If you want Peace – Learn to remain Silent

Remember this simple piece of wisdom.

Try it.

Experience the power of silence in calming your mind.

It works.

You can take my word for it.

Remember the Stress Management Mantra:

Outer Silence is the First Step to Inner Peace

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved) 

Link to my source blog post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve:  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/11/wisdom-on-bench-in-mussoorie-stress.html

This Self Help Article Written by me 25 years ago in 1994 and First Posted by me Vikram Karve in this blog on 16 Sep 2011 at 9/16/2011 01:36:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/09/words-on-bench-in-mussoorie.html and revised and reposted online many times later at various urls including at urls: https://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/02/wisdom-from-mussoorie.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/10/noise-silence-and-peace-of-mind.html and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/08/stress-management-made-simple.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/09/16/meditation-words-on-a-bench-in-mussoorie/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/how-to-manage-stress/ etc

Military Ethics and Codes of Conduct – Traditional versus “New Age”

MILITARY ETHICS AND CODES OF CONDUCT – THEN AND NOW

Here is an article I had written 9 years ago – in the year 2010.

I am posting it once more.

Dear Reader:

Please tell me – isn’s it relevant even today…?

MILITARY ETHOS AND VALUE SYSTEM – THEN AND NOW

Ramblings of a Veteran By Vikram Karve  

MILITARY CODES OF CONDUCT – OUTDATED versus MODERN

Change in inevitable.

Everything changes with time.

Even Ethics and Moral Values change with time.

Let us have a look at the changes in Military Ethics and Codes of Conduct.

Long back – the Military (Army, Navy, Air Force) had rather Utopian and Idealistic Codes of Conduct – like – for example – a Cadet’s Code of Conduct.

CADET’S CODE OF CONDUCT

OUTDATED CODE OF CONDUCT (Utopian and Idealistic)

A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do 

MODERN CODE OF CONDUCT (Practical and Materialistic) 

A cadet may lie, cheat, steal – but he will not get caught doing so

If a cadet sees others lying, cheating or stealing – he will turn a blind eye since it is none of his business

It is this Modern Cadet’s Code of Conduct that produces “Smart” Officers rather than straighforward simpletons.

 

THE NEW-AGE “SMART” MILITARY OFFICER

In today’s world – a simple person who is sincere, honest and hardworking and obeys rules is dubbed as a “stupid nincompoop”.

On the other hand – a person who achieves “success” – even if he does unethical things – takes short-cuts – or breaks rules/regulations – but – he does not get caught – he is called “SMART”.

The essence of “Modern Ethics” is:

“DO NOT GET CAUGHT…”

Yes – it is the “in thing” to do doing immoral, illegal and unethical things to achieve “success” at any cost – as long as you are “smart” enough not to get caught.

On the other hand – being honest, straightforward and upright is considered foolish and old-fashioned.

Unfortunately – this seems true in the military as well.

These “modern” flexible moral values – and “new age” military ethos – they seem to have been imbibed by many new age “smart” officers – during training as a cadet – as a junior officer – and later as a senior officer – as is evident from the increasing number of scams and scandals in the defence services being reported by the media.

ETHICS IN UNIFORM – TRADITIONAL MILITARY CODES OF CONDUCT 

A few years ago – while clearing my bookcase – I came across a booklet about various aspects of Naval Life – which we were probably given when I joined the Naval Academy way back in the 1970’s.

In this booklet there was a quote by John Paul Jones – CODE OF A NAVAL OFFICER.

These words made a lasting impression on me – and I tried to imbibe and follow the spirit of the code in my career and personal life.

John Paul Jones – often called the Father of the American Navy – helped establish the traditions of courage and professionalism.

He is remembered for his indomitable will – his unwillingness to consider surrender when the slightest hope of victory still burned – and for promoting professional standards and training throughout his naval career.

Let us have a look at his Code of Naval Ethics:

CODE OF A NAVAL OFFICER

Written by John Paul Jones

“It is by no means enough that an officer of the Navy should be a capable mariner.

He must be that, of course, but also a great deal more.

He should be, as well, a gentleman of liberal education, refined manners, punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of personal honor.

He should not only be able to express himself clearly and with force in his own language both with tongue and pen – but he should be versed in French and Spanish as well.

(“Own language” obviously means English, which is relevant even today as English is the universal language of officers and the reference to French and Spanish probably pertains to languages of the crew of those days and in today’s context may refer to the languages or mother tongues of ship crew).

He should be the soul of tact, patience, justice, firmness, and charity.

No meritorious act of a subordinate should escape his attention or be left to pass without its reward – even if the reward is only a word of approval.

Conversely – he should not be blind to a single fault in any subordinate – though at the same time – he should be quick and unfailing to distinguish error from malice, thoughtlessness from incompetence, and well-meant shortcoming from heedless or stupid blunder.

As he should be universal and impartial in his rewards and approval of merit – so he should be judicial and unbending in his punishment or reproof of misconduct.

In one word – every commander should keep constantly before him this great truth – that to be well obeyed – he must be perfectly esteemed…”

 

UNITED STATES MILITARY CODES OF CONDUCT 

Compare the Code of a Naval Officer with the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Honor Code which simply states:

A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do

Both the United States Military Academy and the United States Air Force Academy have adopted this Cadet Honor Code as a formalized statement of the “minimum standard of ethics” expected of cadets.

In contrast – the United States Naval Academy Annapolis has a related standard – known as the Honor Concept.

Unlike the honor codes in other service academies – the “Honor Concept” allows a midshipman to confront someone committing an honor violation without formally reporting it.

At the other military academies – failure to formally report an honor violation is construed as tolerating it – which is itself a violation of the code.

At the US Naval Academy – the penalties for violating the “Honor Concept” can be severe – including expulsion from the Academy.

United States Naval Academy Honor Concept

Midshipmen are persons of integrity: We stand for that which is right.

We tell the truth and ensure that the full truth is known. We do not lie.

We embrace fairness in all actions. We ensure that work submitted as their own is their own, and that assistance received from any source is authorized and properly documented. We do not cheat.

We respect the property of others and ensure that others are able to benefit from the use of their own property. We do not steal.

 

CODES OF CONDUCT IN INDIAN ARMED FORCES

SERVICE BEFORE SELF – or – SELF BEFORE SERVICE…?

In India we have the Motto of the National Defence Academy (NDA) Pune:

Service Before Self 

and the Chetwode Credo of the the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun:

The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes first, always and every time.
The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.
Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.

If you are a “fauji” or a veteran – do tell us whether military officers do indeed follow these codes of conduct in actual practice.

Or – has Military Ethics turned topsy-turvy…?

For “smart” military officers – are these the “New Age” mottos/credos:

“Self Before Service” 

and

“My own ease, comfort and safety come first, always and every time”

 

DO WE NEED AN ETHICAL AND MORAL MILITARY ETHOS AND VALUE SYSTEM…?

I feel that every organisation and institution, civilian and military, needs a “code of ethics” or a “code of conduct”.

The “code of ethics” must be stated briefly in simple language – the code of conduct easily understood, realistic, practical and implementable.

Do you agree…?

Or – do feel that concepts like Ethics, Morals, Values and Codes of Conduct are outdated and irrelevant in today’s liberalised environment – where it is prudent to be “ethical chameleon” – and “moral flexibility” is the key to career success…?

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. These are my personal views based on my observations. The reality may be different. This is just food for thought and should be taken in the right positive spirit with a view to improvement.
2. This post is a spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
3. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/07/military-ethics-then-and-now.html

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Revised Version of Article Written by me Vikram Karve in the year 2010 and First Posted by me Vikram Karve in this blog on 02 Jan 2011 at 1/02/2011 12:53:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/01/code-of-naval-officer.html and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/10/code-of-naval-officer-military-codes-of.html  and  https://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/code-of-conduct-outdated-versus-modern.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/code-of-conduct-and-ethics-an-article-from-academic-and-creative-writing-journal-vikram-karve/ and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/01/what-is-ethics-part-2-codes-of-conduct.html  and https://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/12/military-ethics-and-code-of-conduct.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/07/ethics-in-uniform-new-age-smart.html  and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/military-ethics-and-codes-of-conduct/  and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/military-ethics-and-codes-of-conduct/  etc

Two Old War Veterans – Tête-à-Tête

Two old men – in their 70’s – they sit in the transit area of a famous international airport – waiting for their connecting flights.

The two old men look at each other. 

They notice that they have something in common.

Both of them have artificial limbs – prosthetic legs. 

Dear Reader – Read On – A tête-à-tête between two old War Veterans…

Tête-à-Tête between Two Old War Veterans  

Fiction Short Story By Vikram Karve 

Two old men – in their 70’s – they sit in the transit area of a famous international airport – waiting for their connecting flights.

The two old men look at each other.

They notice that both of them have artificial limbs – prosthetic legs.

“How did you lose your leg…?” one old man asks the other old man.

“In war…” the other old man says.

“Oh – in war – I too lost my leg in war…”

“Really…? So – like me – you too are a “war veteran”…”

“Yes…”

“In which war did you lose your leg…?”

“Long ago – in the “Battle of Two Peaks”…”

“What…? Believe it or not – but – I too lost my leg in the “Battle of Two Peaks”…”

“What a coincidence…!!!”

“Yes…”

“But – how come I don’t know you…? I know almost everyone who was there…”

“Maybe – we were fighting on opposite sides…”

“Oh. Are you from “XXX” Army…?”

“Yes – I was in “XXX” Army – in that war – we were enemies – our countries were adversaries…”

“But now – our countries have a friendly relationship…”

“Yes – foes became friends – but – we lost our legs…”

“Politicians play jingoistic games – but – it is soldiers who lose their life and limb…”

“Yes – like we lost our limbs…”

“Luckily – we didn’t lose our lives…”

“Yes – it was terrible – the “Battle of Two Peaks” – a bloody battle…”

“We lost more than 100 men – while capturing “Yellow Peak” – from you…”

“We too had heavy casualties – while capturing “Green Peak” – from you…”

“It all went waste…”

“Yes – immediately after we had captured each other’s peaks – there was a sudden ceasefire announcement from both sides – an armistice…”

“And then – hostilities between our countries ended – and – the war was over…”

“Then – politicians and diplomats sat across the negotiating table – and they agreed to return each other’s captured territories…”

“So – we returned “Yellow Peak” back to you…”

“And – we returned “Green Peak” back to you…”

“Everything was back to normal after the war was over – status quo ante – except for one thing – the soldiers who got killed fighting in the war – the dead soldiers – they did not come back to life…”

“Yes – the dead soldiers did not come back to life…”

“And – we lost our legs…”

“Yes – we became “disabled” for life…”

“Maybe – it was you who planted the landmine which blew up my leg to smithereens…”

“And maybe – it was you who fired the shell whose shrapnel shattered my leg…”

“Ha Ha Ha – what an irony – we soldiers destroyed each other. And – those wily politicians who made us destroy each other – they remained safe and sound…”

“Yes. Politicians start wars – but – politicians don’t die in wars. It is soldiers who die in wars – or get wounded and disabled for life – like us…”

“It’s one hour to my flight. I think I will get moving – and – I will hobble along to the boarding gate. It’s a long walk…”

“Where are you going…?”

“San Francisco – my son has settled down there…”

“I am going to Melbourne – my daughter lives there…”

“I still have trouble while walking. What about you…?”

“Yes – I too have lot’s of trouble while walking. After all – how can an artificial leg be as good as a real leg…?”

“Every time I walk – with each painful step – I remember the “Battle of Two Peaks”…”

“Me too. Every step is so painful that it evokes traumatic memories of that terrible battle…”

“In hindsight – it was a futile battle…”

“Yes. We fought bravely on the battlefield – but the unscrupulous politicians claimed all the glory for victory in the war…”

“And then – in an act of “statesmanship” – the crafty politicians returned the captured peaks to each other…”

“The politicians – of both our countries – they usurped the credit for “victory” – and – they became “statesmen”…”

“Yes – the politicians gained from the war…”

“But – we patriotic soldiers lost our legs – and we became disabled forever…”

“For politicians – the war was a “win-win” situation…”

“But – for soldiers – a war is always a “lose-lose” situation…”

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/08/war-veterans-tete-tete.html

revised and reposted at urls: https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/a-tete-a-tete-between-two-war-veterans/

and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/09/06/two-old-soldiers/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/03/20/a-conversation-between-two-old-war-veterans/

To Obey or to Disobey

Essay by Erich Fromm on Disobedience

👇

http://eqi.org/erich_fromm_on_disobedience.htm

👆

To Obey or To Disobey

The Dead Man’s Whisky – a Story

I looked at the dead body – at the dead man’s face.

Even in death – he had the stamp of defeat on his face.

“Yes – it’s him…” I said to the cop. 

Dear Reader – Here is the full story…

THE DEAD MAN’S WHISKY

Fiction Short Story By Vikram Karve 

The Dead Man and a Bottle of Whisky – Story by Vikram Karve

Part 1 – THE DEAD BODY

I looked at the dead body – at the dead man’s face.

Even in death – he had the stamp of defeat on his face.

“Yes – it is him…” I said to the cop.

They covered the dead body.

We walked out of the morgue.

“The doctors will have to do a post mortem. They’ll do it straightaway – at night – and – we will get the body in the morning…” the cop said.

“Okay…” I said.

“If his family comes tomorrow – we can cremate him and complete the last rites tomorrow itself…” the cop said.

“That’s the problem – how do we inform his wife – his family…?”

“Sir – you don’t have their address – phone numbers – anything…?”

“No. His children have settled down abroad – in the US – and – his wife lives with them in America. I don’t have any contact details of his wife or his children. Tell me – did you not find anything on him – his wallet – mobile – some ID…?”

“No, Sir – I told you – the only thing we found was a piece of paper with a mobile number written on it…” the cop said.

“That’s funny…” I said.

“Looks like he has been robbed…” the cop said.

“Oh – so the robbers may have killed him…?” I said.

“I don’t think so, Sir – most probably he was dead before he was robbed – but – we will wait for the post-mortem report to confirm that…” the police inspector said to me.

Part 2 – DEATH REPORT

Well – Dear Reader – this was what had happened exactly one hour ago.

Around midnight – at 2330 Hours  – or 11:30 PM – to be precise – a police patrol saw a man lying unconscious on the street in a sleazy “red light area”.

Actually – the man had fallen into a filthy gutter by the street.

They thought it was a drunkard – it was quite common to see intoxicated men wallowing dead-drunk on the streets in that squalid area.

However – on a closer look – than man appeared to be dead – so the cops called an ambulance.

The man was declared “brought in dead” by the doctors at the hospital.

On searching the dead man – the cops found nothing – except a piece of paper in his trouser pocket with a 10 digits – which the inspector correctly assumed to be a mobile number.

The inspector called that number – and – my mobile cell-phone rang.

I picked up my mobile phone.

“I am Inspector ‘XXX’ speaking from ‘YYY’ Police Station. A man was found dead and we found your mobile number on a chit in his pocket – you will have to come to the police station…” a voice said curtly.

“It is past midnight…” I said.

“So what – it is a police case…” the cop said rudely.

I identified myself.

I told the Police Inspector who I was.

There was a remarkable change in his tone – and – the cop said politely:

“I am sorry, Sir – I didn’t know…”

“That’s okay – where do you want me to come…?” I asked.

“Sir – we are in the civil hospital – I will send my jeep to pick you up…”

“Don’t take the trouble – I will come down myself to the civil hospital – you just give me the directions and tell me where exactly…”

“No, Sir – I will personally come and pick you up – please tell me your address…”

Outside – it was pitch dark – and – it was raining heavily – and – I didn’t quite fancy driving on that harsh night in the torrential rain – so – I accepted the inspector’s offer to pick me up.

I told the police inspector my address.

I changed my clothes – and – I waited for the cop to arrive.

Soon – we – the Police Inspector and I – we were driving in the police jeep towards the hospital to identify the body.

The cop looked at me – and – he said to me:

“Sir – the place where his body was found – Sir – it is a “red light area” – that area is notorious for crime – vagabonds and urchins must have looted everything – there was nothing on him – no wallet, no watch, no mobile phone – nothing – only his clothes – and – this chit with your mobile number written on it…”

I looked at the piece of paper on which I had written my mobile number – and – I said: “I met him in my club – he wanted to have a drink with me – but – I was in a hurry – so – I told him that I would have a drink with him some other time – he told me that he had got a bottle of my favourite single-malt whisky…”

“Single-Malt Whisky…? Imported…?”

“Yes – he told me that he had recently returned from the US after visiting his children and wife there – and – he had got a bottle of my favourite whisky from the duty-free store at the airport…”

“Oh – he must have really liked you…”

“Yes – we were good friends when we were in the Air Force – and – later too – I kept contact with him after he retired long ago – and – after I retired 6 months ago – I met him once at his house – just before he flew down to America…”

“Oh – Sir – what happened at the club…? How did you give him the chit with your mobile number…?”

“Oh, Yes – I told you – I met him in the foyer of the club – near the reception area – he said that he had misplaced the visiting card I had given him a few months ago – and – he asked for my mobile number so – I asked the receptionist for a piece of paper – I wrote my mobile number on it – and – I gave it to him…”

“Sir – you could have given him your visiting card…”

“Actually – I was in a hurry to get home – and – he was totally drunk…”

“He was already drunk – at what time – Sir…?”

“Around 9:30…”

“Sir – you must have seen him drinking in the bar…?”

No – I was attending a private party in the blue room – and – when I was walking towards the foyer of the club on my way out – he suddenly came lurching towards me – he asked for my mobile number – I could have given him my card – but – I was so disgusted seeing him in a drunken condition – that – I just wrote my number on a piece of paper – and – I gave it to him – and then – I walked to my car and drove off…”

“What surprises me is why he went all the way to the filthy “red light area” which is quite far away from your club…”

“Yes – that’s surprising…”

“Or – maybe – the dead body is not your “friend” – oh – I am sorry, Sir…” the cop said.

“It’s okay – I told you – he was a good friend…” I said.

“Sir – I hope the dead body is your friend – the same man who we think it is…” the cop said.

“What do you mean…?”

“Sir – it is possible some other man “mugged” your friend – and – he took the “chit” with your number on it – and – the dead man is that man who mugged your friend and took the chit from him. But – that is a remote possibility – as I said – most likely he died before he was robbed – but – the post-mortem will give us a clue…” the cop said.

It was obvious that the cop hoped that I would identify the dead man – so that – the police could close the case.

Soon – we reached the hospital.

The doctors took us to the morgue.

I identified the body – it was him.

Yes – the “Dead Body” was that of my “Friend”…

They covered the body – and – we walked out of the morgue.

“We will have to do a post mortem. They’ll do the post-mortem straightaway – at night – and we will get the body early in the morning…” the cop said.

“Okay…” I said.

“Sir – I have already put my men on the job to enquire with our informers in the area – so that we can rule out any foul play – and we can give clearance to cremate him once the doctors give their “all okay” report…”

“That’s a good thing you have done…” I complimented the inspector.

“If his family comes tomorrow – we can cremate him and complete the last rites tomorrow itself…” the cop said.

“That’s the problem – how do we inform his wife – his family…?”

“Sir – you don’t have their address – phone numbers – anything…?”

“No. I don’t know the contact details of his wife or children. Tell me – did you not find anything on him – his wallet – mobile – some ID…?”

“No, Sir – I told you – the only thing we found was a piece of paper with a mobile number written on it…” the cop said.

“Okay – let’s go to his house – maybe we will find some clue about the contact details of his family there…” I said.

“You know his house…?” the cop asked me.

“Yes – he had a bungalow in Deccan Gymkhana…”

“A Bungalow…? In Deccan Gymkhana…?”

“Yes – the Bungalow built by his father – and – since he was the only son – he inherited it…”

“Oh – let’s hope he hasn’t sold it off and gone to live somewhere else – he seems to have been an alcoholic – and – alcoholics are always short of money…”

“I don’t think he would have sold the bungalow – he was quite well-off financially – and – he was getting a decent pension…”

“Oh…”

“Well – I had been to his house around 6 months ago – he was living all alone – his wife had gone to live with his children who are settled abroad in America…”

“Sir – you knew him well…?”

“Of course – we joined the Air Force together as cadets – that was 45 years ago – we were ‘course-mates’ at the Academy – he was an ace fighter pilot – he stood first in our course – he won all the flying trophies – we all thought that he would reach high rank…”

“And just see what happened to him, Sir – what a sad end…”

“Yes – a very pitiful end to a good man…”

A doctor gestured to the Police Inspector.

The Inspector excused himself – and – he went across to talk to the doctor.

After some time – the Police Inspector returned – and – he said to me:

“Sir – the doctors say that – prima facie – they don’t suspect any foul play – and – the cause of death seems to be cirrhosis of the liver due to excessive consumption of alcohol – but – they will give a full proper post-mortem report in the morning – then – we can get the death certificate – and – hand over the body for cremation…”

“Shall we go to his house and try to find out contact details of his families…?” I asked.

“Yes – Yes – Sir – let’s go. I will tell them to send some force to break the lock and force the door open…” the cop said, “Sir – can you tell me the address of his bungalow…?”

I told him the location of the bungalow.

The Police Inspector spoke for some time on his mobile – repeating the location that I had told him.

Then – he said to me:

“Sir – let’s go…”

So – we drove to the Dead Man’s House in Deccan Gymkhana.

Part 3 – THE DEAD MAN’S WHISKY

One hour later – we – the police inspector and me – both of us were sitting in the drawing room of the bungalow – while a constable sat in the police jeep parked outside. The rest of the police party had been sent back to the police station.

The door had been forced open – and after a brief search – we found a diary with the addresses and phone numbers of the dead man’s wife and children living in America.

I called the dead man’s wife.

In Pune (India) – it was the unearthly hour of 2 AM.

In America – it must have been afternoon.

The dead man’s wife picked up the phone.

I identified myself.

She recognized me – though it was more than 15 years since we had met – after all – I was her husband’s course-mate and squadron-mate – and – I had kept contact even after her husband had prematurely left the Air Force.

“Is everything okay…?” she asked me.

I gave her the sad news that her husband was dead.

“Oh – it was bound to happen – the way he was drinking himself to death…” she said.

“We will get his body in the morning – I will arrange to keep his body in the morgue till you come…” I said to her.

“Why should I come…?” the dead man’s wife said.

“For his cremation – don’t you – your children – don’t you want to perform the last rites of your husband…?”

“No – you cremate him – I will send you whatever money is required for the expenses…”

“It is not a question of money…” I said to her, “won’t you like to see your husband for one last time…? Or – at least – the children would like to see their father for one last time…?”

“No – No – we are not interested in seeing his dead body – for us – he “died” long back…” the dead man’s wife said.

For a moment – I was dumbstruck.

Before I could recover my wits – the dead man’s wife said on the phone:

“Please cremate him – we really don’t have time to come to India now – but – we will try and come next month during the Christmas Vacations to ‘settle matters’ – please get his death certificate – and – just see that our bungalow is cleaned and locked up properly…”

I smiled to myself at the way the dead man’s wife had said “our bungalow”

She had abandoned her husband – but – she had not abandoned his bungalow.

Yes – it was “his” bungalow – given to him by his father – but his wife called it “our” bungalow.

I did not wish to speak anything further with the dead man’s wife.

Also – it seemed that she too did not want to speak anything to me – so – I said:

“Don’t worry – I am in your bungalow right now – I will do the needful…”

Then – I disconnected the phone.

We looked around the house.

We found empty liquor bottles lying all around – and – there were a few full bottles of Rum – and – some cheap country liquor bottles – but – conspicuous in his drawing room display case – there was a bottle of Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

“This must have been the bottle he bought for you, Sir…” the cop said.

“Yes…” I said – and – I took out the big one litre bottle of Highland Malt Whisky out of the display case.

I noticed that the inspector was looking at the bottle with a look of genuine desire – so – I said to him:

“Come on – let’s “kill” the bottle…”

“Sir…?” he said, confused.

“Well – my friend had got this bottle for me – I was going to drink the whisky with him – but now – he is dead – so why not the both of us have a drink and talk – anyway – we have to kill a few hours till morning – you like “Single Malt” don’t you…?”

“Yes, Sir – I tasted it once – at a party…” he said, “Sir – I will get some glasses from the kitchen…”

We sat on the sofa – sipping the Dead Man’s Whisky.

“Sir, what is the exact story of the “Dead Man”…?” the cop asked me.

“I told you – we were together in the Air Force – and – he was an ace fighter pilot – doing very well in his career – we were sure he would reach high rank – and then – one day – he suddenly resigned and left the Air Force…”

“Resigned…? Why…?”

“Yes – he quit when he was at his best – just when his career was taking off – for the sake of his children’s education…”

“Sir – are you saying that he quit the Air Force for his “children’s education”…?”

“Yes. He had two sons – I think one was in the 9^th and the younger was in the 7^th class – and – he wanted them to be in the best school in Pune so that could prepare well for the IIT Entrance Exam. In those days – airbases were quite desolate – and – did not have good schooling facilities – and – there were no coaching facilities for IIT and other such competitive exams…”

“Sir – he could have sent his wife and kids to Pune – and – he could have lived alone wherever he was posted…”

“He did that – he lived as a “bachelor” in the officers’ mess for some time – but – once you get used to family life – it is difficult to live alone – and – his wife kept nagging him to quit the Air Force and come and stay with them – as she was finding it difficult to manage the two teenage boys alone. Also – his wife wanted him to take their children’s studies – as I told you – his main aim was that both his sons get into IIT – so – he was willing to do anything to achieve this aim…”

“So – he quit the Air Force at the prime of his career…?”

“Yes – in a nutshell – he gave up his career for the sake of his kids…”

“And – his kids…?”

“His kids did well – both got into IIT. His efforts had borne fruit – he had totally dedicated his life for his children – for 5 years – till his younger son finished his 12^thand gave the IIT exam – for all these 5 years – he did not take up a job – but – he focused full-time on his children’s studies…”

“A doting father…?”

“Yes – he was more than a “doting” father – he sacrificed his career for the sake of his children…”

“And his children – they did well – didn’t they…?”

“Yes – both his sons did well at IIT and got excellent grades. Then – like most IIT graduates do – both his kids went abroad to America for higher studies and they settled down permanently in the US…”

“And your friend…? What did he do…?”

“He tried to get a job – but couldn’t get a decent job…”

“You said that he was an “ace” pilot – surely – he could have joined the airlines…”

“Sadly – there was a glut of civil pilots at that time – besides – he was a fighter pilot – and – the civil airlines prefer transport pilots…”

“That’s sad…”

“Yes – that is the time he started regretting leaving the Air Force – he was unemployed – he felt humiliated at being treated as “good for nothing” in the civilian world – whereas he saw all of us doing well in our Air Force careers and reaching high rank…”

“It must have been depressing – you said he was a “flying trophy winner” – the best in his batch – it must have been terrible for him – he must have felt like a man lying in a gutter watching others climbing mountains…”

I smiled at the metaphor “lying in a gutter watching others climbing mountains” – alcohol seemed to be unleashing creativity in the cop.

I wondered whether it was a coincidence that he had used the metaphoric example of a “gutter” – because – my friend – the dead man – he had actually been found lying in a gutter.

I decided to cut the story short.

Why speak ill about a dead man…?

So – I said:

“Well – to put it in a nutshell – things went downhill after that – maybe because of his frustration – he started drinking heavily. Meanwhile his sons got married and had kids – and – his wife kept going to her children in America for long durations abroad for “nanny” duties – and – maybe because of loneliness – he started drinking even more…”

“Sir – he could have gone to America…” the cop said.

“He did – but then – maybe because of his drinking – his children did not want him there for long – so – he would come back – and – his wife would stay on for months…”

“Sad – to be unwanted by the same children for whom he had sacrificed his career…”

“Yes – and then – things got even worse – there were all sorts of sordid rumours that he was seen in unsavoury company…”

“Oh – so that explains why he was found in the “red light area”…”

“His wife must have heard about his sordid affairs – so – she abandoned him here – and – she went to live permanently live with her children in the US…”

“It must have broken him – poor man – it must have been very sad…” the cop said.

“A sad end to a good man…” I said.

I finished off the whisky in my glass.

It looked at my watch – it was almost 5 AM.

So – I said to the inspector:

“Shall we go…? It’s almost morning…”

“Yes, Sir…” the cop said, “I will just check up with the doctors…”

The police inspector made a call – spoke for some time – and then – he said to me:

“Sir – everything is okay – death was due to “cirrhosis of liver” – we can take the body now…”

“That’s good…” I said.

“Sir – “Vaikunth” or “Kailas” – which crematorium do you prefer – I will tell them to make the cremation pass accordingly…” the police inspector asked me.

“Wherever you want – and – I don’t want any rituals – let’s keep it to the bare minimum – I want to get over with his cremation as fast as possible…” I said.

“You are right, Sir – if his own wife and children are not even interested in seeing him for one last time – why should we bother about having rituals and ceremonies…?” the cop said – and – once again – he spoke on his mobile phone.

“Sir – shall we go…?” the cop said.

I got up from the sofa.

The cop picked up the Whisky Bottle – and – he said to me:

“Sir – the “Dead Man’s Whisky” – there is still plenty of whisky left in the bottle…”

“You keep it…” I said.

The cop looked at me and said:

“No, Sir – I think you should keep the “Dead Man’s Whisky” – as a token of remembrance of your friend…” 

EPILOGUE

So – I took the bottle of Whisky with me.

But – I didn’t finish off the bottle.

I kept the bottle of the “Dead Man’s Whisky” on my writing table – as a souvenir – a reminder – and – I promised myself – that I would not touch the bottle the whisky till I wrote this story and posted it on my blog.

And – now that I have done so – I think I deserve to finish off the “Dead Man’s Whisky”.

Dear Reader – Cheers – as I pour myself a drink of the “Dead Man’s Whisky”…

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

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Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/02/the-dead-mans-whisky-fiction-short-story.html

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This is a revised repost of my story DEAD MAN’S WHISKY posted online by me Vikram Karve earlier in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal Blog on 18 August 2016 at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/08/dead-mans-whisky-short-story.html  and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/the-dead-man-and-his-whisky/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/dead-mans-whisky-fiction-short-story/and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/dead-mans-whiskey/  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/11/story-of-doting-father.html

Moral Courage – Extract from a Lecture by Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw

Extract on “Moral Courage” from a Lecture by Field Marshal S.H.F.J. “Sam” Manekshaw delivered in 1998 at DSSC Wellington (suitably abridged for easy reading) 

(In case you are prepared for a longish read – the complete lecture is posted below the extract) 

Moral Courage is the ability to distinguish right from wrong and having done so, say so when asked, irrespective of what your superiors might think or what your colleagues or your subordinates might want. A ‘yes man’ is a dangerous man. He may rise very high, he might even become the Managing Director of a company. He may do anything but he can never make a leader because he will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues and despised by his subordinates. So shallow – the ‘yes man’.

I am going to illustrate from my own life an example of moral courage. In 1971, when Pakistan clamped down on its province, East Pakistan, hundreds and thousands of refugees started pouring into India. The Prime Minister, Mrs. Gandhi had a cabinet meeting at ten o’clock in the morning. The following attended: the Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh, the Defence Minister, Mr. Jagjivan Ram, the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Rao, and I was also ordered to be present.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a very thin line between becoming a Field Marshal and being dismissed.  A very angry Prime Minister read out messages from Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. All of them saying that hundreds of thousands of refugees had poured into their states and they did not know what to do. So the Prime Minister turned round to me and said: “I want you to do something”.

I said, “What do you want me to do?”

She said, “I want you to enter East Pakistan”.

I said, “Do you know that that means War?”

She said, “I do not mind if it is war”.

I, in my usual stupid way said, “Prime Minister, have you read the Bible?”

And the Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh (a Punjabi Sikh), in his Punjabi accent said, “What has Bible got to do with this?”

And – I said, “the first book, the first chapter, the first paragraph, the first sentence, God said, ‘let there be light’’ and there was light. You turn this round and say ‘let there be war’ and there will be war. What do you think? Are you ready for a war? Let me tell you – “it’s 28th April, the Himalayan passes are opening now, and if the Chinese gave us an ultimatum, I will have to fight on two fronts”.

Again Sardar Swaran Singh turned round and in his Punjabi English said, “Will China give ultimatum?”

 I said, “You are the Foreign Minister. You tell me”.

Then I turned to the Prime Minister and said, “Prime Minister, last year you wanted elections in West Bengal and you did not want the communists to win, so you asked me to deploy my soldiers in penny pockets in every village, in every little township in West Bengal. I have two divisions thus deployed in sections and platoons without their heavy weapons. It will take me at least a month to get them back to their units and to their formations. Further, I have a division in the Assam area, another division in Andhra Pradesh and the Armoured Division in the Jhansi-Babina area. It will take me at least a month to get them back and put them in their correct positions. I will require every road, every railway train, every truck, every wagon to move them. We are harvesting in the Punjab, and we are harvesting in Haryana; we are also harvesting in Uttar Pradesh. And you will not be able to move your harvest.

I turned to the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, “If there is a famine in the country afterwards, it will be you to blame, not me.”

Then I said, “My Armoured Division has only got thirteen tanks which are functioning.”

The Finance Minister, Mr. Chavan, a friend of mine, said, “Sam, why only thirteen?”

“Because you are the Finance Minister. I have been asking for money for the last year and a half, and you keep saying there is no money. That is why.”

Then I turned to the Prime Minister and said, “Prime Minister, it is the end of April. By the time I am ready to operate, the monsoon will have broken in that East Pakistan area. When it rains, it does not just rain, it pours. Rivers become like oceans. If you stand on one bank, you cannot see the other and the whole countryside is flooded. My movement will be confined to roads, the Air Force will not be able to support me, and, if you wish me to enter East Pakistan, I guarantee you a hundred percent defeat.”

“You are the Government…” I said turning to the Prime Minister, “Now will you give me your orders?”

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have seldom seen a woman so angry, and I am including my wife in that. She was red in the face and I said, “Let us see what happens”. She turned round and said, “The cabinet will meet four o’clock in the evening”.

Everyone walked out.

I being the junior most man was the last to leave.

As I was leaving, she said, “Chief, please will you stay behind?”

I looked at her.

I said, “Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, would you like me to send in my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?”

“No, sit down, Sam. Was everything you told me the truth?”

“Yes, it is my job to tell you the truth. It is my job to fight and win, not to lose.”

She smiled at me and said, “All right, Sam. You know what I want. When will you be ready?”

“I cannot tell you now, Prime Minister”, I said, “but let me guarantee you this that if you leave me alone, allow me to plan, make my arrangements, and fix a date, I guarantee you a hundred percent victory”.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, as I told you, there is a very thin line between becoming a Field Marshal and being dismissed. Just an example of moral courage.

Now, those of you who remembered what happened in 1962, when the Chinese occupied the Thag-la ridge and Mr. Nehru, the Prime Minister, sent for the Army Chief, in the month of December and said, “I want you to throw the Chinese out”. That Army Chief did not have the Moral Courage to stand up to him and say, “I am not ready, my troops are not acclimatized, I haven’t the ammunition, or indeed anything”. But he accepted the Prime Minister’s instructions, with the result that the Army was beaten and the country humiliated.

Remember, moral courage. You, the future senior staff officers and commanders will be faced with many problems. People will want all sorts of things. You have got to have the moral courage to stand up and tell them the facts. Again, as I told you before, a ‘yes man’ is a despicable man.

————————————–

COMPLETE LECTURE

While browsing through my blog – I found this interesting post featuring a Lecture by Field Marshal S.H.F.J. “Sam” Manekshaw delivered in 1998 at DSSC Wellington.

(I had posted this 7 years ago in 2012).

I read this inspirational lecture once again after so many years – and – I felt that I should post it on my blog once again for the benefit of my readers.

Dear Reader: Here is the lecture by Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008).

I trust you will find it interesting and inspirational.

LEADERSHIP and DISCIPLINE

(A Lecture by Field Marshal S.H.F.J. “Sam” Manekshaw)

A few years ago, I received an email forwarded to all of us on our school alumni group by a schoolmate Navroze Sethna in which he had shared with us a Speech delivered in 1998 at DSSC Wellington by Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw (popularly known as Sam Manekshaw) on the subject of Leadership and Discipline.

As a remembrance on his death anniversary, I thought it would be apt to share this inspiring oration with you.

As I said, this talk has been forwarded to me by email, and I cannot vouch for its authenticity, but nevertheless, I think it is worth a read – so read on and tell us what you think – do you feel some points are relevant even today?

And if someone has been fortunate to actually hear this talk, do let us know.

FIELD MARSHAL SAM MANEKSHAW’S LECTURE AT DEFENCE SERVICES STAFF COLLEGE WELLINGTON ON “LEADERSHIP AND DISCIPLINE” (11 November 1998)

Commandant, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am fully conscious of the privilege, which is mine, to have been invited here to address the college. A while ago, I was invited to a seminar where the subject was youth, and people said that the youth of this country was not pulling its weight, that society generally was not satisfied with how the young were functioning. When I was asked what I thought about it, I said that the youngsters of this country are disappointed, disturbed and confused. They cannot understand why all these untoward things are happening in this country. They want to know who is to blame. Not them. If they want to study at night and there is no power, they want to know who is to blame. Not them. If they want to have a bath, there is no water; they want to know who is to blame. Not them. They want to go to college and university and they are told there are not any vacancies; they want to know who is to blame. Not them. They say – here is a country which was considered the brightest jewel in the British Crown. What has happened to this Bright Jewel?

No longer are there excuses with the old political masters saying that the reason why we are in this state is because we were under colonial rule for 250 years. They turn around and say that the British left us almost fifty years ago. What have you done? They point to Singapore, they point to Malaysia, they point to Indonesia, and they point to Hong Kong. They say that they were also under colonial rule and look at the progress those countries have made.

They point to Germany and to Japan who fought a war for four and a half years – whose youth was decimated and industry was destroyed. They were occupied, and they had to pay reparations; Look at the progress those countries have made. The youngsters want an answer. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thought I should give you the answer.

The problem with us is the lack of leadership.

Commandant, Ladies and Gentlemen, do not misunderstand me, when I say lack of political leadership. I do not mean just political leadership. Of course, there is lack of leadership, but also there is lack of leadership in every walk of life, whether it is political, administrative, in our educational institutions, or whether it is our sports organizations. Wherever you look, there is lack of leadership. I do not know whether leaders are born or made. There is a school of thought that thinks that leaders are born. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a population of 960 million people and we procreate at the rate of 17 million-equaling the total population of Australia each year, and yet there is a dearth of leadership. So, those of you who still contribute to the fact that leaders are born, may I suggest you throw away your family planning, throw away the pill, throw away any inhibiting factor and make it free for all. Then perhaps someday a leader may be born.

So, if leaders are not born, can leaders be made? My answer is yes. Give me a man or a woman with a common sense and decency, and I can make a leader out of him or her. That is the subject which I am going to discuss with you this morning.

What are the attributes of leadership?

The first, the primary, indeed the cardinal attribute of leadership is professional knowledge and professional competence. Now you will agree with me that you cannot be born with professional knowledge and professional competence even if you are a child of Prime Minister, or the son of an industrialist, or the progeny of a Field Marshal. Professional knowledge and professional competence have to be acquired by hard work and by constant study. In this fast- moving technologically developing world, you can never acquire sufficient professional knowledge.

You have to keep at it, and at it, and at it. Can those of our political masters who are responsible for the security and defence of this country cross their hearts and say they have ever read a book on military history, on strategy, on weapons developments. Can they distinguish a mortar from a motor, a gun from a howitzer, a guerrilla from a gorilla, though a vast majority of them resemble the latter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, professional knowledge and professional competence are a sine qua non of leadership. Unless you know what you are talking about, unless you understand your profession, you can never be a leader. Now some of you must be wondering why the Field Marshal is saying this, every time you go round somewhere, you see one of our leaders walking around, roads being blocked, transport being provided for them. Those, ladies and gentlemen, are not leaders. They are just men and women going about disguised as leaders – and they ought to be ashamed of themselves!

What is the next thing you need for leadership? It is the ability to make up your mind to make a decision and accept full responsibility for that decision. Have you ever wondered why people do not make a decision? The answer is quite simple. It is because they lack professional competence, or they are worried that their decision may be wrong and they will have to carry the can. Ladies and Gentlemen, according to the law of averages, if you take ten decisions, five ought to be right. If you have professional knowledge and professional competence, nine will be right, and the one that might not be correct will probably be put right by a subordinate officer or a colleague. But if you do not take a decision, you are doing something wrong. An act of omission is much worse than an act of commission. An act of commission can be put right. An act of omission cannot. Take the example of the time when the Babri Masjid was about to be destroyed. If the Prime Minister, at that stage, had taken a decision to stop it, a whole community – 180 million would not have been harmed. But, because he did not take a decision, you have at least 180 million people in this country alone who do not like us.

When I was the Army Chief, I would go along to a formation, ask the fellow what have you done about this and I normally got an answer, “Sir, I have been thinking… I have not yet made up my mind,” and I coined a Manekshawism. If the girls will excuse my language, it was ‘if you must be a bloody fool – be one quickly’. So remember that you are the ones who are going to be the future senior staff officers, the future commanders. Make a decision and having made it, accept full responsibility for it. Do not pass it on to a colleague or subordinate.

So, what comes next for leadership? Absolute Honesty, Fairness and Justice – we are dealing with people. Those of us who have had the good fortune of commanding hundreds and thousands of men know this. No man likes to be punished, and yet a man will accept punishment stoically if he knows that the punishment meted out to him will be identical to the punishment meted out to another person who has some Godfather somewhere. This is very, very important. No man likes to be superseded, and yet men will accept super cession if they know that they are being superseded, under the rules, by somebody who is better then they are but not just somebody who happens to be related to the Commandant of the staff college or to a Cabinet Minister or by the Field Marshal’s wife’s current boyfriend. This is extremely important, Ladies and Gentlemen.

We in India have tremendous pressures – pressures from the Government, pressures from superior officers, pressures from families, pressures from wives, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and girlfriends, and we lack the courage to withstand those pressures. That takes me to the next attribute of Leadership – Moral and Physical Courage.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do not know which of these is more important. When I am talking to young officers and young soldiers, I should place emphasis on physical courage. But since I am talking to this gathering, I will lay emphasis on Moral Courage. What is moral courage? Moral courage is the ability to distinguish right from wrong and having done so, say so when asked, irrespective of what your superiors might think or what your colleagues or your subordinates might want. A ‘yes man’ is a dangerous man. He may rise very high, he might even become the Managing Director of a company. He may do anything but he can never make a leader because he will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues and despised by his subordinates. So shallow– the ‘yes man’.

I am going to illustrate from my own life an example of moral courage. In 1971, when Pakistan clamped down on its province, East Pakistan, hundreds and thousands of refugees started pouring into India. The Prime Minister, Mrs. Gandhi had a cabinet meeting at ten o’clock in the morning. The following attended: the Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh, the Defence Minister, Mr. Jagjivan Ram, the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Rao, and I was also ordered to be present.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a very thin line between becoming a Field Marshal and being dismissed.  A very angry Prime Minister read out messages from Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. All of them saying that hundreds of thousands of refugees had poured into their states and they did not know what to do. So the Prime Minister turned round to me and said: “I want you to do something”.

I said, “What do you want me to do?”

She said, “I want you to enter East Pakistan”.

I said, “Do you know that that means War?”

She said, “I do not mind if it is war”.

I, in my usual stupid way said, “Prime Minister, have you read the Bible?”

And the Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh (a Punjabi Sikh), in his Punjabi accent said, “What has Bible got to do with this?”, and I said, “the first book, the first chapter, the first paragraph, the first sentence, God said, ‘let there be light’’ and there was light. You turn this round and say ‘let there be war’ and there will be war. What do you think? Are you ready for a war? Let me tell you –“it’s 28th April, the Himalayan passes are opening now, and if the Chinese gave us an ultimatum, I will have to fight on two fronts”.

Again Sardar Swaran Singh turned round and in his Punjabi English said, “Will China give ultimatum?”

 I said, “You are the Foreign Minister. You tell me”.

Then I turned to the Prime Minister and said, “Prime Minister, last year you wanted elections in West Bengal and you did not want the communists to win, so you asked me to deploy my soldiers in penny pockets in every village, in every little township in West Bengal. I have two divisions thus deployed in sections and platoons without their heavy weapons. It will take me at least a month to get them back to their units and to their formations. Further, I have a division in the Assam area, another division in Andhra Pradesh and the Armoured Division in the Jhansi-Babina area. It will take me at least a month to get them back and put them in their correct positions. I will require every road, every railway train, every truck, every wagon to move them. We are harvesting in the Punjab, and we are harvesting in Haryana; we are also harvesting in Uttar Pradesh. And you will not be able to move your harvest.

I turned to the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, “If there is a famine in the country afterwards, it will be you to blame, not me.” Then I said, “My Armoured Division has only got thirteen tanks which are functioning.”

The Finance Minister, Mr. Chavan, a friend of mine, said, “Sam, why only thirteen?”

“Because you are the Finance Minister. I have been asking for money for the last year and a half, and you keep saying there is no money. That is why.”

Then I turned to the Prime Minister and said, “Prime Minister, it is the end of April. By the time I am ready to operate, the monsoon will have broken in that East Pakistan area. When it rains, it does not just rain, it pours. Rivers become like oceans. If you stand on one bank, you cannot see the other and the whole countryside is flooded. My movement will be confined to roads, the Air Force will not be able to support me, and, if you wish me to enter East Pakistan, I guarantee you a hundred percent defeat.”

“You are the Government”, I said turning to the Prime Minister, “Now will you give me your orders?”

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have seldom seen a woman so angry, and I am including my wife in that. She was red in the face and I said, “Let us see what happens”. She turned round and said, “The cabinet will meet four o’clock in the evening”.

Everyone walked out. I being the junior most man was the last to leave. As I was leaving, she said, “Chief, please will you stay behind?” I looked at her. I said, “Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, would you like me to send in my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?”

“No, sit down, Sam. Was everything you told me the truth?”

“Yes, it is my job to tell you the truth. It is my job to fight and win, not to lose.”

She smiled at me and said, “All right, Sam. You know what I want. When will you be ready?”

“I cannot tell you now, Prime Minister”, I said, but let me guarantee you this that if you leave me alone, allow me to plan, make my arrangements, and fix a date, I guarantee you a hundred percent victory”.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, as I told you, there is a very thin line between becoming a Field Marshal and being dismissed. Just an example of moral courage.

Now, those of you who remembered what happened in 1962, when the Chinese occupied the Thag-la ridge and Mr. Nehru, the Prime Minister, sent for the Army Chief, in the month of December and said, “I want you to throw the Chinese out”. That Army Chief did not have the Moral courage to stand up to him and say, “I am not ready, my troops are not acclimatized, I haven’t the ammunition, or indeed anything”. But he accepted the Prime Minister’s instructions, with the result that the Army was beaten and the country humiliated.

Remember, moral courage. You, the future senior staff officers and commanders will be faced with many problems. People will want all sorts of things. You have got to have the moral courage to stand up and tell them the facts. Again, as I told you before, a ‘yes man’ is a despicable man.

This takes me to the next attribute: Physical courage.

Fear, like hunger and sex, is a natural phenomenon. Any man who says he is not frightened is a liar or a Gorkha. It is one thing to be frightened. It is quite another to show fear. If you once show fear in front of your men, you will never be able to command. It is when your teeth are chattering, your knees are knocking and you are about to make your own geography- that is when the true leader comes out!

I am sorry but I am going to illustrate this with another example from my own life. I am not a brave man. In fact, I am a terribly frightened man. My wife and I do not share the same bedroom. “Why?” you will ask. Because she says I snore. Although I have told her, No, I don’t.  No other woman has ever complained”.

I am not a brave man. If I am frightened, I am frightened of wild animals, I am frightened of ghosts and spirits and so on. If my wife tells me a ghost story after dinner, I cannot sleep in my room, and I have to go to her room. I have often wondered why she tells me these ghost stories periodically.

In World War II, my battalion, which is now in Pakistan, was fighting the Japanese. We had a great many casualties. I was commanding Charlie Company, which was a Sikh Company. The Frontier Force Regiment in those days had Pathan companies. I was commanding the Sikh Company, young Major Manekshaw. As we were having too many casualties, we had pulled back to reorganize, re-group, make up our casualties and promotions.

The Commanding Officer had a promotion conference. He turned to me and said, “Sam, we have to make lots of promotions. In your Sikh company, you have had a lot of casualties. Surat Singh is a senior man. Should we promote him to the rank of Naik?” Now, Surat Singh was the biggest Badmaash in my company. He had been promoted twice or three times and each time he had to be marched up in front of the Colonel for his stripes to be taken off. So I said, “No use, Sir, promoting Surat Singh. You promote him today and the day after tomorrow, I will have to march him in front of you to take his stripes off”. So, Surat Singh was passed over. The promotion conference was over, I had lunch in the Mess and I came back to my company lines. Now, those of you who have served with Sikhs will know that they are very cheerful lot – always laughing, joking and doing something. When I arrived at my company lines that day, it was quite different, everybody was quiet. When my second-in-command, Subedar Balwant Singh, met me I asked him, “What has happened, Subedar Sahib?” He said, “Sahib, something terrible has happened. Surat Singh felt slighted and has told everybody that he is going to shoot you today”.

Surat Singh was a light machine gunner, and was armed with a pistol. His pistol had been taken away, and Surat Singh has been put under close arrest. I said, “All right, Sahib. Put up a table, a soap box, march Surat Singh in front of me”. So he was marched up. The charge was read out – ‘threatening to shoot his Commanding officer whilst on active service in the theatre of war’. That carries the death penalty. The witnesses gave their evidence. I asked for Surat Singh’s pistol which was handed to me. I loaded it, rose from my soap box, walked up to Surat Singh, handed the pistol to him then turned round and told him, “You said you will shoot me”. I spoke to him in Punjabi naturally. I told him, “Have you got the guts to shoot me? Here, shoot me”. He looked at me stupidly and said, “Nahin, Sahib, galtee ho gayaa”. I gave him a tight slap and said, “Go out, case dismissed”.

I went around the company lines, the whole company watching what was happening. I walked around, chatted to the people, went to the Mess in the evening to have a drink, and have my dinner, but when I came back again Sardar Balwant Singh said,“Nahin Sahib, you have made a great mistake. Surat Singh will shoot you tonight”.

I said, “Bulao Surat Singh ko”.

He came along. I said, “Surat Singh, aaj raat ko mere tambu par tu pehra dega, or kal subah 6 bajay, mere liye aik mug chai aur aik mug shaving water lana”. Then I walked into my little tent.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I did not sleep the whole night. Next morning, at six o’clock, Surat Singh brought me a mug of tea and a mug of shaving water, thereafter, throughout the war, Surat Singh followed me like a puppy. If I had shown fear in front of my men, I should never have been able to command. I was frightened, terribly frightened, but I dared not show fear in front of them. Those of you, who are going to command soldiers, remember that. You must never show fear. So much for physical courage, but, please believe me, I am still a very frightened man. I am not a brave man.

What comes next?

The next attribute of leadership is loyalty.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you all expect loyalty.

Do we give loyalty? Do we give loyalty to our subordinates, to our colleagues? Loyalty is a three way thing. You expect loyalty, you must therefore, give loyalty to your colleagues and to your subordinates. Men and women in large numbers can be very difficult, they can cause many problems and a leader must deal with them immediately and firmly. Do not allow any non sense, but remember that men and women have many problems. They get easily despondent, they have problems of debt, they have problems of infidelity – wives have run away or somebody has an affair with somebody. They get easily crestfallen, and a leader must have the gift of the gab with a sense of humor to shake them out of their despondence. Our leaders, unfortunately, our “so-called” leaders, definitely have the gift of the gab, but they have no sense of humor. So, remember that.

Finally, for leadership; men and women like their leader to be a man, with all the manly qualities or virtues. The man who says, “I do not smoke, I do not drink, I do not (No, I will not say it)’, does not make a leader. Let me illustrate this from examples from the past. You will agree that Julius Caesar was a great leader- he had his Calphurnia, he had his Antonia, he also had an affair with Cleopatra and, when Caesar used to come to Rome, the Senators locked up their wives. And you will agree that he was a great leader. He was known in Rome as every woman’s husband and he was a great leader. Take Napoleon, he had his Josephine, he had his Marie Walewska, he had his Antoinette and Georgettes and Paulettes. And you will agree he was a great leader. Take the Duke of Wellington – do you know that the night before the battle of Waterloo, there were more Countesses, Marchionesses and other women in his ante-chamber than staff officers and Commanders. And you will agree he was a great leader. Do you know, Ladies and Gentlemen, a thought has just struck me. All these leaders – Caesar, Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington- they had one facial feature in common, all had long noses.

So much, Ladies and Gentlemen, for leadership, but no amount of leadership will do this country much good. Yes, it will improve things, but what this country needs is discipline. We are the most ill-disciplined people in the world. You see what is happening- you go down the road, and you see people relieving themselves by the roadside. You go into town, and people are walking up and down the highway, while vehicles are discharging all sorts of muck. Every time you pick up a newspaper, you read of a scam or you read of some other silly thing. As we are the most ill-disciplined people in the world, we must do something about discipline.

What is discipline?

Please, when I talk of discipline, do not think of military discipline. That is quite different. Discipline can be defined as conduct and behavior for living decently with one another in society. Who lays down the code of conduct for that? Not the Prime Minister, not the Cabinet, nor superior officers. It is enshrined in our holy books; it is in the Bible, the Torah and in the Vedas, it is in the teachings of Nanak and Mohammad. It has come down to us from time immemorial, from father to son, from mother to child. Nowhere is it laid down, except in the Armed Forces, that lack of punctuality is conduct prejudicial to discipline and decent living.

I will again tell you a little story about that. Some years ago, my wife and I were invited to convocation at a university. I was asked to be there at four o’clock. I got into the staff car with my wife, having chased her from about eleven o’clock in the morning.  Don’t forget, darling, you have got to be on time. Get properly dressed; you have to leave at such and such time’. Eventually, I got her into the car. I told the driver, “Thoda aayisthe, thoda jaldi”, but we got to the university and the convocation address place at four o’clock. We were received by the Vice Chancellor and his Lady. We were taken into the convocation hall, and the Vice Chancellor asked me to get on the platform, asking my wife to do so, too. She gracefully declined, and said she much rather sit down below as she seldom had an opportunity of looking up to her husband. Anyway, on the platform, the Vice Chancellor sang my praises. As usual there were 2000 boys and girls who had come for the convocation. There were deans of university, and professors and lecturers. Then he asked me to go to the lectern and address the gathering. I rose to do so and he said (sotto voce), Field Marshal, a fortnight ago we invited a VIP from Delhi for the same function. He was allowed to stand on the same lectern for exactly twenty seconds. I wish you luck. “I said to myself, had the Vice Chancellor mentioned this in his letter of invitation, I wonder, if I should have accepted.

Anyway, I reached the lectern, and I addressed the gathering for my allotted time of forty minutes. I was heard in pin drop silence, and at the end of my talk, was given terrific ovation. The Vice Chancellor and his lady, the Dean, the professors and lecturers, the boys and girls, and even my own wife, standing up and giving me an ovation. After the convocation was over, we walked into the gardens to have refreshments. And I, having an eye for pretty girls, walked up to a pert little thing wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans and a body hugging blouse, and I started a conversation with her. I said, “My dear, why were you so kind to me, I not being an orator nor having the looks of Amitabh Bachhan, when only the other day you treated a VIP from Delhi so shamefully”. This pert little thing had no inhibitions. She turned round and said, and I quote, “Oh, that a dreadful man! We asked him to come at four o’clock. He came much later and that too accompanied with a boy and a girl, probably his grand children. He was received by the Vice Chancellor and his lady and taken to the platform. He was garlanded by the Student Union President, and he demanded garlands for those brats too. So, the Union President diverged with the garland that was meant for the Vice Chancellor and gave it to the brats. Then the Vice Chancellor started singing the worthy’s praises.   Whilst he was doing so, this man hitched up his dhoti, exposing his dirty thighs, and scratched away.  Then the Vice Chancellor said, “This man has done so much for the country, he has even been to jail”. And I nearly shouted out, ‘He should be there now’. Anyway, when the Vice Chancellor asked him to come to the lectern and address the convocation, he got up, walked to the lectern and addressed us thus, ‘Boys and girls, I am a very busy man.  I have not had time to prepare my speech but, I will now read out the speech my secretary has written’. We did not let him stand there.  Without exception, the whole lot of us stood and booed him off the stage.”

Now, you see, Ladies and Gentleman, what I mean by discipline.  Had this man as his position warranted come on time at four o’clock, fully prepared and properly turned out, can you imagine the good it would have done to these 2000 young girls and boys? Instead of that, his act of indiscipline engendered further indiscipline. I thanked my lucky stars, having been in the Army for so many years, that I arrived there on time, that I had come properly dressed, that I didn’t wear a dhoti to show my lovely legs, that I didn’t exacerbate an itch or eczema, to hurt the susceptibilities of my audience, by indulging in the scratching of the unmentionables.

Now, Ladies and Gentleman, you understand what I mean by discipline. We are the most ill-disciplined people in the world. So far, all of you have been very, very disciplined. Will you bear with me for another two minutes? Having talked about leadership, having talked about discipline, I want to mention something about Character. We Indians also lack character. Do not misunderstand me, when I talk of character. I don’t mean just being honest, truthful, and religious, I mean something more – Knowing yourself, knowing your own faults, knowing your own weaknesses and what little character that we have, our friends, our fans, the ‘yes-men’ around us and the sycophants, help us reduce that character as well.

Let me illustrate this by an example:

Some years ago, Hollywood decided to put up the picture of great violinist and composer, Paganini. The part of Paganini was given to a young actor who was conversant, somewhat, with the violin. He was drilled and tutored to such an extent that when the little piece, the Cadenza, was filmed, it was perfect.  When the film was shown, the papers raved about it, and the critics raved about it. And this man’s fans, ‘yes-men’, sycophants, kept on telling him that he was as good a violinist as Heifetz or Menuhin. And do you know that it took eight months in a psychiatric home to rid him of his delusion?

Do you know, Commandant, that the same thing happened to me? After the 1971 conflict with Pakistan, which ended in thirteen days and I took 93000 prisoners, my fans, the ‘yes-men’ around me, the sycophants, kept on comparing me to Rommel, to Field Marshal Alexander, to Field Marshal Auchinleck, and just as I was beginning to believe it, the Prime Minister created me a Field Marshal and sent me packing to the Nilgiris.  A hard-headed, no-nonsense wife deprived a psychiatric home (what we in India call a lunatic asylum) of one more inmate.

I thank you very much indeed. Thank you.

Question and Answer Session

Question: In 1962 war, what was your appointment, were you in a position to do something about the situation?

FM: In the 1962 war, I was in disgrace.  I was a Commandant of this Institution.

Mr. Krishna Menon, the Defence Minister, disliked me intensely.  General Kaul, who was Chief of General Staff at the time, and the budding man for the next higher appointment, disliked me intensely. So, I was in disgrace at the Staff College.  There were charges against me – I will enumerate some of them – all engineered by Mr. Krishna Menon.

I do not know if you remember that in 1961 or 1960, General Thimayya was the Army Chief. He had fallen out with Mr. Krishna Menon and had sent him his resignation. The Prime Minister, Mr. Nehru, persuaded General Thimayya to withdraw his resignation.  The members of Parliament also disliked Mr. Krishna Menon, and they went hammer and tongs for the Prime Minister in Parliament.

The Prime Minister made the following statement, “I cannot understand why General Thimayya is saying that the Defence Ministry interferes with the working of the Army. Take the case of General Manekshaw. The Selection Board has approved his promotion to Lieutenant General, over the heads of 23 other officers. The Government has accepted that.”

I was the Commandant of the Staff College. I had been approved for promotion to Lieutenant General. Instead of making me the Lieutenant General, Mr. Krishna Menon levied charges against me.  There were ten charges, I will enumerate only one or two of them – that I am more loyal to the Queen of England than to the President of India, that I am more British than Indian.  That I have been alleged to have said that I will have no instructor in the Staff College whose wife looks like an ayah. These were the sort of charges against me.

For eighteen months my promotion was held back.  An enquiry was made.  Three Lieutenant Generals, including an Army Commander, sat at the enquiry.  I was exonerated on every charge.  The file went up to the Prime Minister who sent it up to the Cabinet Secretary, who wrote on the file, ‘if anything happens to General Manekshaw, this case will go will down as the Dreyfus case.’  So the file came back to the Prime Minister.  He wrote on it, “Orders may now issue”, meaning I will now become a Lieutenant General.

Instead of that, Ladies and Gentleman, I received a letter from the Adjutant General saying that the Defence Minister, Mr. Krishna Menon, has sent his severe displeasure to General Manekshaw, to be recorded.  I had it in the office where the Commandant now sits.  I sent that letter back to the Adjutant General saying what Mr. Krishna Menon could do with his displeasure, very vulgarly stated.  It is still in my dossier.

Then the Chinese came to my help.  Krishna Menon was sacked, Kaul was sacked and Nehru sent for me. He said, “General, I have a vigorous enemy.  I find out that you are a vigorous General.  Will you go and take over?”

I said, “I have been waiting eighteen months for this opportunity,” and I went and took over.

So, your question was 1962, and what part did I play, none whatsoever, none whatsoever.

I was here for eighteen months, persecuted, inquisitions against me but we survive….I rather like the Chinese.

Question: The Army has changed and progressed. Do you find any difference in the mental makeup of the young officers compared to your time?

FM:  Over the years, things have changed…… there is a lot of difference, dear.  In my time, my father used to support me until I became a Lieutenant Colonel.  I used to get an allowance to be able to live. Today, the young officer has not only to keep himself but has to send money home.

In my time, we did not have all these courses. The only course I ever did, (of course, we had the four rounds of courses that every officer had to do), but we had mules there so I had to do a course in training mountain mules.  Today the young officer hardly stays in his regiment. He is sent from one place to another to do this course and that course, and he does not get a chance of knowing his men. We knew our men. Also there wasn’t so much work in those days. We got up in the mornings, did Physical Training for half an hour, came back, dressed, had breakfast , then went to our company lines and spent all our time avoiding the Commanding Officer.

Those Commanding Officers were nasty chaps. They did not give a damn for anybody. I will give an example of the Commanding Officer. I was made quartermaster of my battalion. The Commanding Officer sent for the Adjutant and myself.  He said, I want to take the battalion out tomorrow morning for an exercise. “We did not have motor cars, we had to indent for mules, so, I as quartermaster intended for a company of mules. He said we were going to leave for the exercise at 6:30, so I ordered the company of mules to arrive at six. At eleven o’clock at night, the commanding officer changed his mind. He said, “I will not go at 6:30, we will go at nine o’clock. “There was nothing I could do. I got on my bicycle, went off to the lines, where the mules had arrived. I told them to unsaddle, and go into the shade, when who should arrive on a horse but the Cavalry Officer with his daughter!

I touched my hat. He said, “What are those animals doing here, young man?” I said that we were going out on an exercise.

“When are you going?”

“Nine o’clock.”

He tore strips off me – “going at nine o’clock and you have the animals waiting here at six o’clock”. He was riding with his daughter on a horse. What could I say to a General officer, I had two pips on my shoulder. Suddenly, who should be coming on a bicycle, but the Commanding Officer! He touched his hat, said, “Morning, General.”

Turning to me, he said, “What is the matter, Sam?”

I said, “Sir, the General is angry with me because we are going out at nine o’clock and the mules are here at six.”

He turned round to face the General, and said, I will thank you General to know who commands this regiment. Me, and not this young man. I will not have you ticking him off in front of your daughter.”

He turned back to me and said, “Have you had your breakfast, Sam?”

“No.”

“Go along. Have your breakfast.”

I was delighted to go off. But when we came back from the exercise, at about eight o’clock in the evening, in my letter rack, was a letter from the General’s wife, inviting me to tea the next day. Now, I did not want to have tea with the General’s wife! But that’s the sort of thing that happens.

When I became the Field Marshal, I was the guest of Her Majesty in England. I had given a reception at India House, where the Commanding Officer with his wife were also invited. He came in, shook hands with my wife, shook hands with me, and walked off. Everybody was drinking. After about half an hour, when everybody had arrived, I walked up to him with a glass of whisky in my hand, and he turned round to me, “May I call you Sam?”

“Please do, Sir. You used to call me ‘bloody fool’ before. I thought that was my Christian name!”

The difference between the officer now and then – my first confidential report written by him. Before you went in to sign your confidential report, you had to go in front of the Adjutant, beautifully turned out. We did not have any medals in those days. We had to have a sword to go into the CO’s office then. I walked in there, saluted the Adjutant, he looked me up and down and said, “You are going to see the Colonel, now? Look at you! Your bloody strap is filthy dirty, look at your belt, it is disgusting. Go on, go and get dressed.” I walked out, waited for five minutes and came back.

He looked me up and down, “Much better.”

Then he said, “You are going in there. Do you have a fountain pen?”

I said, “Yes.”

“The CO will read your report. You will initial on the left hand corner. Is that understood?”

“Yes.”

I walked in there, saluted the Colonel, “Mr. Manekshaw reporting, Sir.”

He looked me up and down, thrust the report on me online – “This officer, I beg his pardon, this man, may someday become an officer.”

I initialled it and walked out.

Khalid Sheikh, another officer from my regiment, who became the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and a Governor there, came out.  “Khaled, what report have you got?” I said. He said “Online – this officer tends to be irresponsible”. I said, “That’s a bad report, Khalid.” He said, Uh! Last year the bugger said I was irresponsible.”

But we did not mind. Today, if the Commanding Officer writes and says this officer is irresponsible, the officer wants to appeal to the President of India saying he is more responsible than the Commanding Officer.

That was the difference, dear. We simply did not give a cuss.

Anything else?

Thank you Gentlemen, thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your patience and your discipline. I am delighted to see you all here.

——————————-

This article is a repost of my blog post which was posted earlier in my blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2012/10/leadership-and-discipline-speech-by.htmland http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2013/06/field-marshal-sam-manekshaw-on.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2019/02/leadership-and-discipline-lecture-by.html    etc 

Are You a “Metrosexual”…?

“METROSEXUAL” IN UNIFORM

Unforgettable Memories of my IAT Girinagar Days

A Fictional Spoof Spoof By Vikram Karve 

Meaning of the word “Metrosexual” : 

A usually urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by fastidious grooming, beauty treatments, and fashionable clothes

Ref: (merriam-webster)

“METROSEXUAL” IN UNIFORM

This happened alomost 35 years ago – in the mid 1980’s – when I was a newly appointed “Directing Staff” (DS) at IAT Pune.

I had barely settled down in my new job – when a paper landed on my table.

I had been appointed “Chairman” of the IAT CSD Canteen.

In actual fact – this was no great appointment.

This was a “bum job” – a sundry duty I had to do in addition to my primary job.

And – the high-sounding “Chairman” meant nothing – it was IAT parlance for what we in the Navy called “Officer-in-Charge”.

But – I was in seventh heaven – because I had never been appointed “Chairman” before.

Power went to my head – and I immediately decided to “take charge” – and “show off” my power of “command”.

I decided to pay an immediate visit to my new “empire”.

I summoned the Canteen Manager – an Army JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer).

I peremptorily ordered him to get the CSD Canteen opened for my visit.

“Sir – why don’t you come in the evening – when the canteen opens…?” he suggested.

“No. I want to take rounds of the canteen right now. And I want to speak to all the canteen staff…” I said firmly.

The Canteen Manager JCO remained silent.

So – I asked the Canteen Manager JCO:

“Do you have any problems…?”

“No Problems, Sir. I will summon the staff. We will be ready to receive you in 15 minutes…” the Canteen Manager said.

15 minutes later – when I reached the CSD Canteen – located in a dilapidated “Nissan Hut” – I found the motley canteen staff assembled there.

The Canteen Manager JCO introduced them to me.

I gave them the usual “motivational” pep talk.

The Canteen Staff must have heard such “pep talks”  ad nauseam from every incoming “Chairman”.

“Is there anything urgent…?” I asked the Canteen Manager.

“Sir – the monthly demand has to go by tomorrow to the CSD depot. I have already prepared the demand list. I will get the demand list to your office for your signature in the afternoon. If you sign it today – I will send someone to the depot first thing in the morning tomorrow…” he said.

“Why bring it to my office…? I will sign the demand right now. That’s how we work in the Navy – we do things “right here and right now”…” I bullshitted the JCO.

The Canteen Manager JCO pulled out a huge list from the cupboard.

I was taken aback on seeing the huge demand list – so I asked the Canteen Manager:

“Why have you made such a huge list…? Is this a bloody military canteen or a departmental store…?”

The Canteen Manager did not say anything.

I started reading the list.

Then – I took out my pen from my pocket – and – I started striking out items from the list with strokes of my pen

“Sir – what are you doing…?” the JCO asked, looking alarmed.

“Why have you ordered so many “cosmetics”…?” I asked him.

“Cosmetics…? Sir…?” he asked, looking clueless.

“Hair Dye, Fairness Cream, Body Lotions, Beauty Soap, Lipstick, Nail Polish, Perfumes…? What the hell is all this…?” I thundered.

“Sir – these “beauty products” are in high demand…” the JCO said.

“Are you telling me that Soldiers are using “Fairness Creams”…? Are Soldiers colouring their hair with “Hair-Dye”…?” I shouted.

“Sir – some Officers…” the JCO mumbled.

I looked at the JCO and said firmly:

“All “FAUJIS” – yes – all “faujis” – officers and soldiers – all “faujis” are supposed to be tough masculine men – we don’t want effeminate “metrosexuals” in the Defence Services – do you understand…? Military Men are not supposed to use makeup or cosmetics. Is that clear…?”

“Yes, Sir…” the JCO said, “but the ladies…”

“Which ladies are you talking about…?” I asked the JCO.

“Sir – the “Memsahibs”…” the JCO said

“Oh – “Memsahibs” – “Faujans”…” I remarked.

“Yes, Sir…” the JCO said

I shouted at the confused Canteen Manager JCO:

“Well – the same principle applies to Military Wives too – okay. 

Both “Faujis” and “Faujans” are supposed to lead simple lives of “Thrift and Frugality”.

Didn’t I tell you before – this is a bloody “Military Canteen” – not a fancy “Beauty Store”…” 

I continued to strike off all the “cosmetic” items from the list – while the Army JCO (Canteen Manager) watched on.

“Sir – Sir – why have you removed “Hair Fixer” from the demand list…?” the Army JCO said, looking alarmed.

“Isn’t “hair fixer” a cosmetic…?” I asked.

“No, Sir – “hair fixer” is like a wax – Sir – to put on your beard – so you can tie it up…” the JCO said.

I stroked my handsome full-set Navy beard – and I said to the Army JCO:

“Look at me – I have a proper full-set flowing beard – I never use “hair fixer” – and – I don’t tie up my beard…”

“Sir – you are in the Navy. In the Army…” the JCO stammered, looking anxious.

He had a point.

Whereas – in the Navy – we kept our excellent beards free-flowing – in the Army and Air Force – servicemen who were allowed to keep beards – they seemed to tie up their beards in some sort of “Net”.

So – in the interest of “jointmanship” and “inter-service camaraderie” – I said to the Canteen JCO:

“Okay, okay – if you feel “hair fixer” is essential – let “hair fixer” be there on the list…”

“Thank you, Sir…” the JCO said, looking relieved.

I observed that the CSD canteen staff was looking at me.

I believe in “participative” management – so – I decided to involve all the canteen staff.

I gave the list to the Canteen Manager.

Then – I said to all my canteen staff:

“Come on – all of you – go through the demand list and strike out all cosmetics and beauty products – and also remove all items which are not essential.

We should have just one type of every item. 

For example – we should order just one brand of soap – which is essential for hygiene – soldiers have no need for beauty soaps – do you understand – just have one type of every item which is essential for “faujis” – preferably the cheapest item which “faujis” can afford – I want no fancy or luxury items in this canteen…”

Everyone used their initiative – and “non-essential” items were struck of the list with a vengeance – till the demand was reduced to just one page.

“Sir – what about the “beauty products” we already have stocked in the canteen…? Should we throw them out and write them off…?” a highly motivated “Fauji Johnnie” asked me.

“No – we cannot throw out items in stock. So you can keep selling these cosmetics and beauty products till stocks last – but – there is to be no further procurement of “cosmetic items”…” I said.

The stocks of “beauty products” did not last long.

The first “beauty product” to be “sold out” was “Hair Dye”.

I came to know that “hair-dye” was “out-of-stock” during our customary mid-morning Tea Break.

A “Cavalry” Colonel with suspiciously black hair approached me.

The Colonel complained to me that there was no “Hair-Dye” in the CSD Canteen.

I had never imagined that this “Cavalry” Colonel who strutted around with a pompous swagger was actually a “Metrosexual” in Uniform.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This blog post is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved) 

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve:  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/06/humor-in-uniform-military-metrosexual.html

This is a Revised Version of my article METROSEXUAL SOLDIER written by me on Feb 20, 2015 and posted online in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal Blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/02/humor-in-uniform-metrosexual-soldier.html  and later on May 17, 2015 at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/05/should-soldiers-use-cosmetics.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/09/metrosexual-in-uniform-military-humor.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/03/humor-in-uniform-new-age-metrosexual.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/05/metrosexuals-in-uniform.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/metrosexual-in-uniform/  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/01/humor-metrosexuals-in-uniform.html

How to Remember the Past : Forget the Grief – Remember the Fun

Ever since I retired from the Navy – many years ago – from my time to time – I hark back and reminisce about my Navy Days – and write stories based on my Navy Days in my Blogs.

Some friends ask me why I mostly write about my happy memories in the Navy.

Here is my answer:

HOW TO REMINISCE

Navy Philosophy

FORGET THE GRIEF – REMEMBER THE FUN

Ramblings of a Retired Navy Veteran By Vikram Karve

NAVY STYLE PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH TO LIFE

Long back – many years ago – I watched an old Black and White Movie called:

ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC

The film – ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC – produced in 1943 – stars the inimitable Humphrey Bogart – and is a story of the war at sea during the World War II.

The thrilling movie depicts the bravery and adventure of Naval Officers and Sailors on a Merchant Navy Ship during World War 2.

The merchant ships – sailing in a convoy – are sailing from Halifax in Canada – to Murmansk in Russia – carrying vital war material.

The convoy of merchant ships is pursued by German Submarines (a Wolf-pack).

There is one dialogue in this movie that attracted my attention – and this quote remained etched in my memory even after the movie was over.

The quote was:

“The difference between you and me – Skipper – is that – You Remember the Grief – but – I Remember the Fun”

After I saw the movie – for a long time that evening – during my evening walk – I let the quote perambulate in my mind.

“You Remember the GRIEF – but – I Remember the FUN…”

The more I thought about it – the more it made sense – and the more meaningful and insightful these simple words seemed to me.

In the movie – there is a scene on a dark and gloomy night – as the warship sails on treacherous seas with the dangerous enemy lurking below.

Humphrey Bogart – who is the Chief Officer of the Merchant Ship – and his Captain – are standing in the Bridge-Wings – reminiscing and discussing their time on an earlier ship which was sunk by enemy torpedoes.

The Captain keeps talking about the tough hazardous times they had when their convoys were attacked – and he keeps recalling various tragedies and misfortunes.

On the other hand – the Chief Officer talks about all the fun, frolic, flirting and enjoyment he has had during his tenure on the same ship – and he describes his delightful amorous peccadilloes and escapades in various ports.

The Captain berates the Chief Officer.

The Captain asks the Chief Officer how he can be so frivolous and merry in a dangerous and grim wartime situation.

The Chief Officer (Humphrey Bogart) replies:

“The difference between you and me, Skipper, is that you remember the grief but I remember the fun.”

Tell me – Dear Reader:

When you recollect your past:

Are the recollections happy and pleasing…?

Or – are your recollections of the past sad and unpleasant…?

FORGET THE GRIEF – REMEMBER THE FUN

Let’s do an experiment.

Close your eyes and think of your childhood – what comes to your mind – what predominates – happy memories – or sad moments?

Reminisce about each phase of your past life – your early years, school, college, career, marriage, your middle age, until now – and examine your recollections – “pleasant” memories – and – “not-so-pleasant” memories.

Yes – you will have Two Types of Memories:

1. Pleasant (happy) Memories
3. Not-so-pleasant (unhappy) Memories
5. (When I hark back to my Childhood, my school and college days, my Navy Days – I too have both types of memories – Happy Memories and Not-so-happy Memories)

Now remember the dialogue from the movie (Action in the North Atlantic) spoken by the Chief Officer (Humphrey Bogart) to his Captain:

“The difference between you and me, Skipper, is that you remember the grief but I remember the fun.”

“You Remember the GRIEF – but – I Remember the FUN…”

Now – you know how to handle your memories.

Like Humphrey Bogart said – REMEMBER THE FUN.

So – just forget and blank out all the sad and unpleasant memories of your past – and remember the joyful pleasant moments.

Hark back to happy memories and joyful reminiscences which evoke a smile on your lips.

Try to erase from your brain all traces of your past grief.

Forget the “bad guys” – who harmed you and caused you misery.

Remember the “good guys” – who added value to your life and gave you joy.

Forget all unpleasant memories.

Remember all happy memories.

Yes – from now on let this be your leitmotif:

FORGET THE GRIEF – and just – REMEMBER THE FUN

Yes – whenever you think about your past and reminisce:

Forget the Grief – Remember the Fun

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/03/how-to-remember-past.html

Updated Version of my Article First Posted by me Vikram Karve in this blog at 6/30/2012 11:59:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/forget-grief-and-remember-fun.html andhttp://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/10/how-to-reminisce-navy-philosophy-forget.html andand https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/how-to-reminisce-forget-the-grief-remember-the-fun/ etc

“Student Pathway” Migration – Beware of “Education Trafficking”

MIGRATION – THE “STUDENT PATHWAY” – “EDUCATION TRAFFICKING”

Are You Taking the “Student Pathway” to Migrate for a “Better Life”…? 

Musings by Vikram Karve

THE “STUDENT PATHWAY” (aka “PATHWAY STUDENT”)

In the 1970’s – my classmates used the “student pathway” to migrate abroad to the US and settle down there permanently to realize their “American Dream”

Those days – USA was the most sought after destination for youngsters who wanted to migrate away from India for a “better life”.

In fact – before “liberalization” (1991) – owing to various “socialist” restrictions – the “student pathway” was the only way to migrate and settle down in a foreign country.

“Liberalization” and “Globalization” created new options for aspiring migrants – like the “foreign job” option and “onsite work” option etc – which facilitated migration to a foreign country – but – even now – most aspiring migrants use the “student pathway” route to migrate and settle down in the country of their choice.

During my recent visit to New Zealand – I interacted with many youngsters from India – who were on the “student pathway” to realize their dream of settling down in New Zealand.

Today – in view of various favorable advantages and promising prospects – many youngsters want to migrate to New Zealand – and – they use the “student pathway” – since – New Zealand’s immigration policies include a post-study work pathway for international students who have completed a New Zealand qualification – which lets you find a job and get work experience in a field related to your studies and makes it easier to apply for residence and finally acquire citizenship.

All the youngsters I met in New Zealand – some students – and some working after completing their studies – all of them were desperate to settle down in New Zealand – and – not even a single youngster wanted to return back to India.

(In fact – New Zealand is such a lovely place that even visitors feel like staying on there forever – and – most visitors feel sad when their stay in New Zealand comes to an end and they have to return home)

The youngsters told me that one good plus-point of studying in New Zealand is that you can “earn while you learn” – since students are allowed to work part-time for a specified number of hours every week – and since the hourly “minimum wage” is quite good – students can earn enough to meet their daily needs.

Once they got accustomed to the “better life” in New Zealand – they did not want to return to India – and they wanted to permanently settle down in New Zealand “at any cost”.

I could see this desperate desire for residency (and finally citizenship) in most of the youngsters I met in New Zealand.

One of my friends who has settled down in New Zealand told me that this desperation (to remain in New Zealand) makes youngsters vulnerable to exploitation – especially after they complete their studies and are looking for a job in order to get a work visa – and later – when they want residency – in order to achieve their long term goal is to permanently settle in New Zealand.

She also told me another shocking fact.

She said that it was “our own people” who exploited young Indian migrants the most.

By the term “our own people” – she was referring to “Kiwi-Indians” (erstwhile Indian Citizens who migrated from India to New Zealand many years ago and had got New Zealand Citizenship). 

It was these “Kiwi-Indians” who were exploiting new Indian Migrants the most.

I was shocked to hear this – that – in most cases – new migrants were being exploited by employers in their own ethnic communities.

I did see many young “Indian” migrants working in stores, malls, hotels, restaurants, cafes etc. – but – I was impressed by their “dignity of labour” which is a sign of egalitarian society – it was good to see that students/youngsters were ready to do any type of work to earn some extra money.

In fact – in the very café where my friend and I were sitting – it was an “Indian” migrant who was managing the counter and also serving us.

She told me a few stories – but – I thought they may be apocryphal.

But then – a few days ago – I read three news reports which shocked me.

Here are the url links to the news reports (click url to open on a new page):

1. NZ dream turns to nightmare for international students

URL: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11760721

2. Student Visa: ‘It’s not about education’

URL: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11759352

3. ‘Sleep with me if you want your visa’ boss tells student worker

URL: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11760729

Let me add a disclaimer that what is described in these news reports may be aberrations – and may not be representative of the broad reality.

In fact – from my experience of the excellent social life I observed in New Zealand – I feel that these reports may be rare isolated exceptions – and – New Zealand certainly has a superior quality of life than most places.

Yes – New Zealand is a great place to visit, to study, to work – and – if you want – to migrate, reside and settle in.

But – if you are thinking of migrating permanently – you must make yourself aware of various aspects of the realities of life there.

The aim of this article is to generate a bit of awareness.

I do not intend to dissuade youngsters from migrating abroad to realize their dreams of a “better life”.

In fact – I would encourage youngsters to migrate to places where they can achieve their fullest potential and thereby contribute more to the world.

However – aspiring migrants must ensure they are aware of the pros and cons – especially if they are using the “student pathway” – so that they don’t fall victim to “education trafficking” and become vulnerable to exploitation.

EDUCATION TRAFFICKING 

A newly coined term “Education Trafficking” refers to the phenomenon of enticing aspiring migrants to take the “student pathway” to get a permanent residency in the country of their choice.

These aspirants pay huge amounts of money to use the “student pathway” to migration since education is expensive in most developed countries.

(It is well known that education has become big business and there are many “stakeholders” who want a share in the pie).

The root cause of the problem of “Education Trafficking” does not lie in the new “host” country to which students want to migrate.

The root cause of the problem lies in the “donor” country “exporting” students – where various “Agents” and “Consultants” mislead and exploit gullible youngsters who are desperate to migrate overseas for a “better life”.

If you want to use the “student pathway” to migrate for a “better life” – please do so by all means – but ensure that you perform “due diligence” and carry out a “reality check” – so that you do not become vulnerable to exploitation once you migrate to the land of your dreams.

—————-

Dear Reader: Have you read my previous posts on my observations during my short stays in New Zealand…?

Here are a few of the URL links:

DO YOU WANT TO MIGRATE TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY FOR A “BETTER LIFE”…?

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/11/do-you-want-to-migrate-abroad-for.html

BOMBAY in New Zealand – Travel Tales

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/11/bombay-in-new-zealand-travel-tales.html

Milford Sound is Awesome

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/02/milford-sound-fiordland-south-new.html

WHY DO PEOPLE MIGRATE…?

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/07/why-do-people-migrate-conversation-with.html

New Zealand Foodie Memories

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/01/food-photos-new-zealand-trip.html

NEW ZEALAND FOOD DIARY OF A PURE VEGETARIAN

URL:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/02/food-diary-of-pure-vegetarian-in-new.html

Also – I intend writing a few more articles on my visits to New Zealand – and – I will post them in my blogs in due course for you to read and comment upon.

VIKRAM KARVE

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Repost of my article BEWARE OF “EDUCATION TRAFFICKING” posted online earlier at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/12/student-pathway-to-migration-beware-of.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/06/do-you-want-to-migrate-to-new-zealand.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/02/migration-student-pathway.html