Changing face of a tradition
Fauji beat
By Pritam Bhullar

IN no other service or society are the ladies respected so much as in the armed forces. Some of the niceties extended towards them are that when they arrive at a function, be it social or official, all gentlemen, no matter how senior they are, greet them by standing up from their seats. The custom of service also has it that ladies are not discussed in the officers’ mess because of the dignity attached to them.

On their part, the officers’ wives play an important role in the welfare of families and children of their units and formations. Apart from this, they add glamour and give a delicate touch to the social functions which make these functions more lively and interesting. As a tradition, they have never interfered in the official or service matters of their husbands.

Alas! this age-old tradition has been thrown to the winds now. The bizarre drama enacted publicly by the Air Force wives in December 1997 by coming out on the streets, to plead the cause of their husbands for better pay scales, dealt a shattering blow to the decorum and sanctity of the women in the armed forces.

Whatever was left, has been demolished by the Niloufer — Meena Harinder Singh battle in Championing the causes of their husbands. When the Senior Officers’ wives start fighting the career battles for their husbands, the wives of junior officers, jawans, sailors and airmen will also follow suit. Imagine what will happen to our armed forces then. God help us!.

Junior leaders’ academy

Time was when the ambition of every young officer was to command the infantry battalion into which he was commissioned; and if his ambition was fulfilled, he felt fully satisfied. With the Partition of the country, the British Indian Army was divided into the Indian and Pakistan armies. This created a vacuum in the senior ranks, resulting in the catapulting of junior officers of six to seven years service to the rank of Lieut Col.

Then came a time when every cadet on being commissioned thought that he should not be stopped below the rank of a Lieut-Gen. This phobia ushered in careerism, which started the rate race for promotions in which the "cut-throat game" became the norm. This made commanders at all levels so cautious that they did not tolerate any mistake from their juniors.

To over ensure that no mistakes were made, the task that was given to an NCO in the 50s, was given to an officer in the 70s. A stage came when the JCOs and NCOs got into the habit of not taking any responsibility. The delegation of responsibility having become a casualty, even officers have lost the initiative and expect orders from their seniors for everything.

The "zero mistake syndrome" has made the junior leadership so in-effective that they have to be trained at a junior leaders academy which is being set up at Bareilly. While announcing this decision, the Chief of the Army Staff, General V.P. Malik, said the other day that "leadership quality among the ranks was a must as situations some time demanded a quick decision".

Free healthcare

"Sarve Santu Niramaya", meaning let all the free from disease, is the motto of the Army Medical Corps (AMC) which celebrated its 235th anniversary on January 1.

The lofty motto raises a pertinent question: Does the AMC has resources to free all from disease? The answer is no. This is because the treatment of ex-servicemen and their families at military hospitals is done on an ad hoc basis. For, no extra staff or equipment is authorised to these hospitals for their treatment.

To quote only one examp, the Command Hospital (Western Command) Chandimandir has the sanctioned staff and equipment only for about 45,000 serving soldiers. But the hospital has to cater to the medicare of about 300,000 ex-servicemen and their families. In no other country is the treatment of ex-soldiers done on an ad hoc basis.

Granted that this Command Hospital, which had only one super-speciality (plastic surgery) until September 1994, has several super-specialities and some of the most modern equipment today. But then, how far can the working capacity of the doctors, despite their best efforts, be stretched?

It is time the government shed its "resource crunch" inhibition which seems to apply only to the armed forces and sanctioned extra staff and equipment to military hospitals for the treatment of ex-servicemen and their families. Incidentally, the Supreme Court had ruled in 1997 that "the government is under a constitutional obligation to provide free health care to its employees, including retired personnel."

Birthplace is its home

What is unique about 1 Gorkha Rifles is that, unlike most infantry regiments, it is located where it was born at Subathu in Shimla Hills.

In the 18th century when the Gorkhas from Nepal started extending their empire into Kumaon, Garhwal and Kangra Hills, they came into conflict with the East India Company resulting in the Gorkha War of 1815. The defensive battle fought by the Gorkhas under General Amar Singh Thapa, convinced the British General Ochterlony about their prowess.

This resulted in the East India Company making an offer to raise a Gorkha Light Infantry. Thus came into being the First Nusseree (meaning loyal) battalion at Subathu on April 24, 1815; the present home and birthplace of the 1 Gorkha Rifles Training Centre.

Many titles of the regiment were changed over the years until after Independence when it was rechristened as the 1 Gorkha Rifles (1GR) with two battalions. The Third, Fourth and Fifth battalions of the regiment were raised in 1959, 1963 and 1965 respectively.

Known for its bravery, the regiment which celebrated its reunion recently, had won two Victoria Crosses (VCs) during the British regime. Among other gallantry awards, it has won one Param Vir Chakra (PVC), seven Maha Vir Chakras (MVCs) and 16 Vir Chakras (VrCs) after Independence. It also has 31 battle honours and five theatre honours to its credit.

The highest gallantry award — the PVC — was won (posthumously) by Capt Gurbachan Singh Salaria of 3/1 Gorkha Rifles in his daring action at Elizabethville in Katanga (Africa) on December 5, 1961.