Aug19
He was walking briskly along the walkway when I happened to encounter him. Our eyes met and mutual recognition for what we were ( Service personnel ) struck us at the same time . He had already been on the walkway for sometime, evident from the way he was sweating from the rigours from the exertion that he was undergoing. He was looking for company as was I. We introduced ourselves to each other stating our rank and name as was the custom of service personnel wherever they met ...
In any case as I had time on my side I started walking with him. The pace was brisk and and demanding . In fact he walked at a pace which was suitable for a younger person . He was slightly built and radiated good health. In due time I got to know that he had retired in the year 2001. Post retirement , rather than sit at home he took up a job in a company which was employing personnel who were specialists in the field of communication. He told me that he had no guidance and that the pay he received was minimal. This fact came to light when he interacted with other personnel in the company. He said that " it was at that moment that I decided to leave the job. But I did not want to leave the company in a lurch. And so I continued for the next two years. In the meanwhile I managed to find a more lucrative job . After much deliberation I left the job and joined another company. To my query as to how the experience was he launched into a monologue on the pros and cons of the of serving in the civil organization.
He said , "Ravindra when I first left the 'fauj' I was apprehensive of my acceptance in the civil stream." " It was almost like one leaves the protective cocoon of a mother's womb: it was like restarting life allover again. There were many questions in my mind. The foremost among them was not whether I will be accepted by my civil counter parts but whether I would be able to function in the civil world away from 34 years of orderliness in the services . To my surprise the private sector was quite organised . In the beginning it was total chaos but later a pattern started emerging and a method started emerging from the madness. The most heartening part was that they really looked up to me with respect and I also did likewise. I was determined to leave my mark and worked diligently and my work ethic was praised .
I asked him whether he was still working. He said with a sigh " The past ten years have been a roller coaster my son and daughter emigrated to USA and Australia. I never knew how the time passed . I used to enter the office at 0900h and before I knew it it was six in the evening . I enjoyed the challenges and the work . Unfortunately my wife was alone at home and I was loath to leave her all alone . The only solution that presented itself was to take retirement full-time. I did this and am at home now... We got talking about people and places that we were posted to. Turns out that we were never at a common place at a point of time. He asked me whether I was serving. I replied in the affirmative.and told him that I was undergoing a course in the Administrative staff college of India. He was appreciative of the efforts of the service machinery to ease us into the civilian life.
At the same time He was critical of the government's effort at trying to scuttle the One Rank One Pension. We got into discussing as to how it was affecting the retired service personnel . He said that while some officers got jobs outside the service life, there were a number of others who did not. He mentioned cases where the widows of retired personnel were left to fend for their kids on half the pay with no safety net . He had got quite worked up by now. He visibly had to control his anger - but the intensity was there when he said " Ravindra, you and me as officers can manage the retirement to some extent - but what about the jawans? They join the services at a very young age and retire equally young with little or no specificity in any field. They have spent the better part of their productive lives defending the nation at inaccessible areas , more often than not suffering casualties in the process. We are inextricably linked with them -retired or not- we have to fight for our rights and if this means ruffling feathers of the government , then be it so!"
The time was getting late for my class. If I had to reach in time at ASCI then I had to leave now . We parted on amicable terms . The last I saw of him was an erect figure striding away briskly and with a purpose,,,
He was walking briskly along the walkway when I happened to encounter him. Our eyes met and mutual recognition for what we were ( Service personnel ) struck us at the same time . He had already been on the walkway for sometime, evident from the way he was sweating from the rigours from the exertion that he was undergoing. He was looking for company as was I. We introduced ourselves to each other stating our rank and name as was the custom of service personnel wherever they met ...
In any case as I had time on my side I started walking with him. The pace was brisk and and demanding . In fact he walked at a pace which was suitable for a younger person . He was slightly built and radiated good health. In due time I got to know that he had retired in the year 2001. Post retirement , rather than sit at home he took up a job in a company which was employing personnel who were specialists in the field of communication. He told me that he had no guidance and that the pay he received was minimal. This fact came to light when he interacted with other personnel in the company. He said that " it was at that moment that I decided to leave the job. But I did not want to leave the company in a lurch. And so I continued for the next two years. In the meanwhile I managed to find a more lucrative job . After much deliberation I left the job and joined another company. To my query as to how the experience was he launched into a monologue on the pros and cons of the of serving in the civil organization.
He said , "Ravindra when I first left the 'fauj' I was apprehensive of my acceptance in the civil stream." " It was almost like one leaves the protective cocoon of a mother's womb: it was like restarting life allover again. There were many questions in my mind. The foremost among them was not whether I will be accepted by my civil counter parts but whether I would be able to function in the civil world away from 34 years of orderliness in the services . To my surprise the private sector was quite organised . In the beginning it was total chaos but later a pattern started emerging and a method started emerging from the madness. The most heartening part was that they really looked up to me with respect and I also did likewise. I was determined to leave my mark and worked diligently and my work ethic was praised .
I asked him whether he was still working. He said with a sigh " The past ten years have been a roller coaster my son and daughter emigrated to USA and Australia. I never knew how the time passed . I used to enter the office at 0900h and before I knew it it was six in the evening . I enjoyed the challenges and the work . Unfortunately my wife was alone at home and I was loath to leave her all alone . The only solution that presented itself was to take retirement full-time. I did this and am at home now... We got talking about people and places that we were posted to. Turns out that we were never at a common place at a point of time. He asked me whether I was serving. I replied in the affirmative.and told him that I was undergoing a course in the Administrative staff college of India. He was appreciative of the efforts of the service machinery to ease us into the civilian life.
At the same time He was critical of the government's effort at trying to scuttle the One Rank One Pension. We got into discussing as to how it was affecting the retired service personnel . He said that while some officers got jobs outside the service life, there were a number of others who did not. He mentioned cases where the widows of retired personnel were left to fend for their kids on half the pay with no safety net . He had got quite worked up by now. He visibly had to control his anger - but the intensity was there when he said " Ravindra, you and me as officers can manage the retirement to some extent - but what about the jawans? They join the services at a very young age and retire equally young with little or no specificity in any field. They have spent the better part of their productive lives defending the nation at inaccessible areas , more often than not suffering casualties in the process. We are inextricably linked with them -retired or not- we have to fight for our rights and if this means ruffling feathers of the government , then be it so!"
The time was getting late for my class. If I had to reach in time at ASCI then I had to leave now . We parted on amicable terms . The last I saw of him was an erect figure striding away briskly and with a purpose,,,
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