Lt Gen KJ Singh exhorts students to join armed forces

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 26

In a bid to inspire students from elite public schools to join the armed forces in view of their declining interest towards this profession, Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC in C), Western Command, today addressed the students of The Lawrence School at Sanawar and motivated them to choose a career in the armed forces.

Delivering a talk on “Leadership – A Way of Life” in the school, he reminisced his days as a trainee at the National Defence Academy where he came across officers from this school and always looked with awe at Sanawar. He inspired the students to opt for a career in the armed forces, which helped in bringing out the cutting edge leadership in an individual.

He said,“It is the leadership packaged into a concept called management, which has evolved as an important tool of running corporate sectors in today’s world.”

Delving into the essence of the Indian Army, he described it as a secular and apolitical entity, which was living and fighting for the name of the battalion (naam), owing allegiance (namak) to the nation while upholding its honour (flag or Nishaan).

He said, “The officers laying down their lives are far more in the Indian Army than other armies, as we are trained to lead from the front.” As future leaders, administrators and business tycoons of the country, he urged the students to employ the soldiers who superannuate at a young age for their sense of loyalty and discipline.

He said, “You cannot fool the world, your character should be strong and only then will you be followed by the people. He advised the students to be proactive and realise their aims. He said they should inculcate various qualities like a strong will-power, physical and moral courage, quick decision making, human-relation skills, tolerance for ambiguity, wisdom and vision, equanimity, team-building and apt management skills.

He compared the Army to a mobile with dual SIMs of one’s family and regiment, where regiment takes precedence over the family owing to a sense of camaraderie. He concluded his address by saying that “if you want to thank a soldier, be the kind of Indian worth fighting for”.

Headmaster Vinay Pandey gave a memento to the GOC in C as a token of appreciation and gratitude.