The Armament

Dear Jatin,
I am indeed grateful that you remembered me today through the medium of your email. I am fine and hope the same with you. Often the writer straightaway jumps to the meat of the letter and forgets the niceties of normal conversation - even if it is through letter. Like I had mentioned before, I am doing a course at ASCI in anticipation of my retirement . The course will help us in preparing for life out of uniform. It is quite interesting and as part of our curriculum we visit various companies and government installations. You will I am sure be interested in our activities . I am sure that you are keeping abreast of our activities through our blog. Today we went to an installation where they were manufacturing armaments. We were looking forward to this visit for a long time and it finally fructified after an inordinately long time. We were accompanied by scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO). They were about 27 n number. For a change our visit was well coordinated and reception was in place. That was after we were unexpectedly delayed due to a wrong turn here and a misdirection there...

Group Photo Prior to Briefing

The project was in place since 1998 and has gone from strength to strength since that time. The project director was One Mr Manoj Kumar - a dynamic and hard working mechanical Engineer from Jabalpur. When asked where he was from - his reaction was typical- "I am from Jabalpur , but for the past 23 years since the inception of the project I have been in Hyderabad. It has become a second home ."  He continued in the same vein " when we came here , the entire area was a jungle but we were provided complete cooperation by the government and the locals alike. What you see here today is the facility developed painstakingly over a period of time. I am happy to say that we are now totally self sufficient not only with respect to the project but also otherwise. We employ and train people locally for carrying out tasks on the armaments locally. It not only provides us readily available manpower but also helps them make something of their lives. It is a symbiotic relationship".
Before we proceeded on a briefing and tour of the facility we all had a group photograph for posterity. Mr Manoj Kumar then conducted us to the briefing room where he proceeded to brief us about the work that they were carrying out to help India a better place to live in.

Briefing

By the way I hope that you did not feel bad that I did not call you on your birthday. In my defence I can only say that your phone was consistently giving the 'switched off' signal. I hope you got my greetings on the facebook.Any how Mr Manoj Kumar then proceeded to brief us in general and then about the armament and its capabilities. I can tell you with confidence that the ability of the armament is such that it can destroy pinpoint targets at a designated distance.
While the lecture was on we were simultaneously fed and provided bevarages. Considering that there were scientists from the ISRO also attending the lecture, it was but natural that the questions turn technical and searching . They id not let Mr Manoj Kumar off easily and posed searching queries , which I have to admit that Mr Manoj Answered quite satisfactorily . Of course we had a few questions of our own...

Further Briefing

In the morning we had a class on Supply Chain Management. I had mentioned Prof  Sachendra earlier who was the instructor of the day.As usual his teaching methods followed  unexpected and interesting turns . In this way we were to assimilate the lessons on supply chain Management in an effective manner. With the instruction still fresh in our minds, it was but natural that our questions were more to do with logistics mechanisms involved in the transportation of the armament to its place of use, planning for the procurement of innocuous raw material which could be converted into the deadly weapons and capacity and capability of the plant as also procedures in place for maintaining high standards of quality , so that the weapon did not fail in the time of need. Being put through the paces a number of times in his professional life Mr Manoj Kumar came up with the right responses to our queries. We thank him for  his patience
Well, all good things mist come to an end. The major gains from the visit being that we could learn about an armament which we had only seen in the Republic  Day Parade, up close and meeting the scientists from ISRO and getting to know them. Do you know - We have a tremendous respect for these  intrepid ISRO scientists who have done India proud with their accomplishments and put India on the world space Map. I am sure that with their hard work , dedication and superior brains they will continue to do India proud in times to come. We hope to visit SHAR soon in the near future.
I am sorry that I will have to reluctantly take leave from this verbal onslaught and hope that you will continue to keep in touch - now that the ice is broken .....

Bye

Work Out

Many people that I meet often ask me about various ways to stay fit. When I tell them that any regime in fitness is achieved by hard work some of them change the subject. The others venture a step further and  probe the fitness mantra. I tell them that while they are on the right track, by deciding to stay fit , it is not always about exercise only. At this age it has to be a combination of both exercise and dieting. Some more of the remaining people walk out when it meant controlling their diet. The balance of the people - some had back ache which can be alleviated by doing the simple exercises shown here. These exercises , incidentally , can be done sitting in a chair also . They are so simple that you can do them any time of the day. They will definitely alleviate the back pain. The other exercises shown on top are for improving the musculature and reducing the flab both on anterior and posterior parts of the body.Any one who is looking for a quick fix in the weight department - let me assure you - there is no quick fix. Firstly you have to be sure that you want to reduce. Then you have to work on your diet. Meeting a dietitian for fixing your diet may be a good idea. Remember the dietitian can only tell you what to eat. Putting it into practice is entirely your own doing and one has to be patient . Regular walking will be a good way to help you reduce your weight. 

To kick start your campaign one of the tried and proven methods is adopting the general motors diet. This diet helps one in initially to lose three or four kgs from where one can build up on further reducing weight. To know more about GM diet it is advised to google it . A complete schedule is available on the net. No exercise in isolation will help. A combination of walk and stretching exercises will be very beneficial . It is recommended that surya namaskar is very effective not only in reducing weight, but also in improving the muscle tone and help in reducing various blood related ailments. More information can be got from www.ijcep,org 

A pictorial representation can be seen from the above figure. If you have any chronic ailments it is always better to consult a doctor before starting of on any exercise regime. Don't say I did not warn you !

Certain basic rules to be kept in mind for working out. Do exercise on an empty stomach. Set timing, if you cannot set timing then ensure you work out once a day at a time convenient to you- wit four hour gap between meals and workout. Remember there is always time it is only that one should have the inclination to use the time available in the best possible manner. Do not over stress on work out . if you are not feeling well consult a doctor, Give a day's break in the week. Do not avoid any food . Eat everything in small quantities - this applies to beverages also. New fangled diets do not work over long periods. If possible vary the type of work out you do once in two to three days.

At ASCI

Classes are going on at a much less frenetic pace . There is  reduced activity. It is happening  - but at a normal man's pace. Today's lecture was by Prof Vilas shah. We played an interesting game which at the beginning looked more like speculation then like anything scientific. But as we progressed through the day it was amply proved by Prof Shah that nothing was speculation. It all followed a pattern and it was for us  recognise the pattern so that we could maximise our profits. The lesson was brought home in a very effective manner through the medium of the game. Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day with a field trip planned...

Award of the Day

Goes to GJ Rao for having his suicide prevention project accepted by the Andhra Pradesh Government - You will remember that earlier he had successfully got it implemented by the Telangana Government - Congratulations.

Quallities

Today the professor who was to take the class took ill. So we were at a loose end. But as they say - It is all for the good. Don't get me wrong. we wish the professor a speedy recovery and at the same time we assure her that we missed her sparkling wit , patience in handling a class full of recalcitrant people and her ability to turn the class in to a learning citadel with role plays and other practical methods of teaching employed by her. We hope to see her back on her feet at the earliest.

The free time gave us time to concentrate on the all important brochure which has been hanging fire for some time. As prof Bagchi brought out during our interactions - it is a passport to get interviews and the presentation has to be good and purposeful. My friend Vishwanath in spite of ill health- the virus strikes again - put his top staff to work on the brochure. They did sterling work and produced a good brochure. But sometimes I wonder whether what we have said in the brochure adequately covers everything about us? It is a thing that we will probably solve only when we meet someone who can look at us objectively and tell us our strengths and(?) weaknesses.

Over the past few months I have interacted with the course participants and have learnt a lot about them - what are their strengths, weaknesses , what makes them tick and what irritates them how they would behave in an emergency, what are their food preferences, about activity that they were constrained from mentioning in the brochure, their work ethic, family life , children, dress preferences interaction with their colleagues , how they react to seniors , ego, impetuosity, cars they prefer and level of intelligence, adaptability, health, exercises, punctuality , obedience. temper and a whole lot of other features that have not been written in the brochure. All these things I suppose will matter when we turn up for interviews.

I can say with courage of conviction that all the qualities will be in the positive . Moreover I also leave this as a teaser for all all those who have interacted with us and leave a photo to refresh your memories as to the participants....  

Back To The Future V

Moto Gp Riders Schedule

It  was in Indianapolis that I met with Jagpal Sir.He was a changed man. Ten years had elapsed since we did that course at ASCI. I had gone there to meet my son who had settled in Chicago. On my expressing interest in viewing the Moto GP my son took me to Indianapolis. This had been the venue for Moto Gp since 2008. I was still soaking in the atmosphere when there was a shout from behind somewhere. " Oi Siva" shouted someone. It lighted up the memory bulb and even before I turned I knew that it was Jagpal. And what a change! He had grown a mustache and looked a lot younger. The years did not mellow him down. Astoundingly he looked very spry and handsome. My day was made. It was with joy that I returned his greeting. Many questions popped up in my mind and they found expression immediately as soon as we could make ourselves heard over the roar of the motorcycles and the excited hubbub of the crowd which was patiently waiting for the race to begin. " Let us go to the lounge where it is quieter and we can watch the race also uninterrupted " said Jagpal. I was suitably impressed but did not say any thing till we were in the lounge. As I read the programme sheet I saw that the American was at the pole position . As I ran my eyes down I saw a familiar name- Rithwick Sulgay. Suddenly everything became clear - or at least a part of it - the part about our access to the VIP Lounge. The other questions remained however. Jagpal put up his hands laughing. " Let us first finish the race and then I will answer your questions " he Said. The next forty five minutes passed in a blur of speed, daredevilry and skill exhibited by these young riders of the two wheelers. The mobikes were more powerful and difficult to handle. But these boys did it with ease. Rithwick came in at 9th position and his dad was reasonably pleased. Jagpal then told me the whole story since we left ASCI in 2015. Over to him....

Jagpal 2025

" I had no doubt in my mind that I would continue in the services after retirement" he said. After Feb 2016, I was posted to Andaman And Nicobar Islands and subsequently moved back to Hyderabad. You will remember how my son was stuck on acquiring the KTM motorcycle at that time and how I had to give in to him and buy the damn thing. Initially I was worried but other than cautioning him I did not interfere with him , trusting his sound sense of safety. How was I to know that this purchase was to change his life forever and mine in the process? He started racing on the sly , knowing fully well that I would object if I came to know about it. Anyway it was not to remain a secret for long - when one of my course mates posted in Chennai called to congratulate me on my son's performance in the Solavaram races . Naturally I blew my top on reaching home that day. But my wife with irrefutable logic made me see reason. Women have this way of pouring oil over troubled waters you see... Any way by the time he came back from his degree course from Chennai for vacation, things had suitably cooled down for us to have a reasonable dialogue. I saw that it would be better to support him in his endeavour to achieve something in life (motor bike racing) rather than becoming an obstacle for him. Once that was over and done with I was totally into bike racing - reading up literature, meeting people who could advise both me and my son and working on the strategy to propel him to higher things in the sport - namely Moto GP. Soon I knew more about all the aspects of the sport than my son , with out having ever riding a motor bike in competition .
The biggest problem of course was the sponsorship. Here the lessons in business management learnt at ASCI came in very handy. I had to work hard but when people saw that I had a winner on my hands, support started coming in - first in a trickle and soon in a deluge. A reputed tyre company which supported  the icon of cricket joined the band wagon of sponsors for my son. Money started pouring in . I took up the full time job of managing my son - on his insistence of course. South Africa Spain, Istanbul , Italy, UK, Malaysia- I have been every where. Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini Casey stoner, Michael Doohan, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo- I have met them all, and they have nothing but a good word for my kid. If you stay long enough I will introduce you to them" Said Jagpal.
But this was not to be . My grand children were baying for my blood- it was feeding time - for once I felt that it was difficult enough bringing up their father - God why are you doing this to me all over again? But better sense prevailed and promising Jagpal that I would take him up on his offer in the near future I left him haggling with the advertisers on his son's remuneration for the   next Boost commercial in India....

Pistol

Sep 22 On a cold winter morning in Jan in the year in 2000 I got a call from a friend. At that time we were residing in Delhi. No mobile was available. However the telephone was conveniently placed at the bedside and I had to make no effort to pick up the receiver from under the quilt. "Wake up" He said; " the other day when we were having a drink you happened to mention your willingness to pick up a pup - well - I have found one for you. Go to Rohini and meet Mr Bhalla. He had a litter and one pup is left". "Is it a male or female?" I asked. " What does it matter? " he said impatiently. "You wanted a pup and he has it.Just go and pick it up. He is waiting for you. I have already told him that you will be coming ". And so I was committed to picking up a pup. It was then that I knew in my mind that she was a female. Even in the canine world prejudices existed . No one wanted a female.I gave it up as a bad dream till the second call roused me. " Why have you not gone yet?" remonstrated my friend. " What will I say to Mr Bhalla"? I had half a mind of telling him to go hop it, but considering that he had undergone the trouble of finding a pup , I did not have the heart to refuse him. A call for a vehicle and a quick trip to Rohini - I had already decided to go see the pup and politely decline the offer of a pup to Mr Bhalla. A hot cup of tea and we got down to business. The pup was produced and handed over. All thoughts of a graceful exit evaporated. The pup fitted neatly into the palm of my hand and it started licking my fingers as if to express its approval of its new master. Having thanked Mr Bhalla for his generosity I headed home, with the pup stuffed in my jacket to protect it against the biting cold. As I was heading home the situation at home struck me with full force.

My wife was mortally scared of dogs regardless of age sex and size. How was I going to convince her? On reaching home I knew that I was in for a tough time. My daughter aged 8 years was immediately thrilled, My son was very happy but my wife was another matter altogether. She refused to listen to reason and was very vocal about her displeasure. When I put down the pup it started moving about finding its feet in an unfamiliar territory. The long ride home had rested it and the first thing it did was urinate in the carpet which was a prized possession of my wife. And so it literally started off on a wrong foot. The whole day was spent on the arguments and at night fall the dog was put in a carton. My troubles were just starting. Having been removed from the warmth of its mother's embrace it started voicing its disapproval in a very vociferous manner, By evening my wife and I were not on talking terms. Not wanting to further ruin the situation and waking up my wife I picked up the pup and put it on the bed. When we woke up in the morning - a rather rude awakening -because during the night the pup was cuddled up at my wife's feet .On waking up my wife was up in arms. No amount of reasoning that the dog had taken to her seemed to pacify her. This now became a daily routine - my wife threatening dire consequences if the pup was found on the bed and the pup invariably curling up at her feet during the night.

Gradually an uneasy truce was signed between them - as if the dog telling her that "you don't interfere with me and I won't with you'. Being away at the office most of the time and the children being away at school my wife had no option but to take up the responsibility of looking after the dog. Pistol- for that was her name soon became inseparable from my wife. Discussions about the home  family and children soon became the order of the day between them - so much so that I started feeling jealous of their relationship. We soon moved to Agra and I had to leave my family behind at Agra , when I moved to Devlali. By now the small pup who used to fit in the palm of my hand had grown into a strapping dog. At Devlali we picked up the strings and we used to go for long walks. 

The problem with bitches is that they get into heat. And this is what happened precisely. In an unguarded moment , while at Devlali she ran off in the night. Forget the fact that I spent the entire night looking for her. In the morning she comes back with her friend as if to say " Can we keep him? He seems to be the good sort;" To ensure that she did not give birth to illegitimate children it was back to Agra to get her uterus removed. At that time I felt bad but I was not up to facing the ignominy of unwanted pups. For the next few years pistol was my constant companion on long walks and a good friend to the children. They grew up from lisping tots to children seriously thinking about the future. My wife had now developed a lasting friendship with pistol. Whenever my wife used to colour her nails pistol also got a new coat to her nails . They used to discuss every thing under the sun .

As the time passed by pistol got old .Sandy and Duke joined her at home. But she never let them forget her seniority so much so that they would eat only after she started eating. Along with old age came the problems associated with old age. Her eyesight started failing her and soon came the Day when she was no more.

We buried her under the lemon tree in our compound in Agra, along with all her items of use. It was a heart wrenching moment . We still remember her with a lot of fondness. She died on the same day my Mother passed away albeit in a different year. Wherever she is right now we hope she is happy and contented.....  

3000

Sep 21
There is a feeling of - dare I permit myself ? - satisfaction that I feel today. The blog ( ARMSASCI) has completed 3018 page views as we go to the press. Three months back , on 9th Jun  Profs Bagchi and Mahadik came to the class and told us that we have to maintain a blog. The only term of reference being that we have to make allowance for the daily occurrences in the class, True to their word they did not interfere in the actual blog . Other than the fact that they kept tabs by reading it. The thing that most saddened me was none of the people who read the blog offerred much of a feedback initially.I suppose that it was the wait and watch policy as to where we were going with this narration on a daily basis.


During the posting of the blog a variety of topics were tackled. The distinguished staff, my fellow participants, social issues, festivals, interviews of foriegn participants in the many programmes conducted at ASCI and current affairs . Many of the participants also contributed to the blog - notable among the being Jagpal, Banjo, Himanshu, Sandhya and also in a rarest of rare occassions Prof Mahadik . The endeavour being to include as many viewpoints as possible , so as to make the blog multi dimensional and not uni dimensional,  Initially the response to the blog was quite lukewarm. The number of views did not amount to much. But we persisted. Soon our persistence started to pay off. The blog became a daily read for many at the ASCI. While the reading was restricted to only the participants of ARMSASCI programme in the beginning ,it gained impetus after the first fifteen days with all the staff and others who had come in contact with the course either in the class room or the dining hall or participants of the other courses reading it. In fact many of my coursemates in the training academy who were on the verge of retiring when they asked me about what the course was all abouut I directed them  to read the blog to learn about the course.

Entry	Pageviews
Caveat Emptor! The Surgeon is here 11 Jun 2015, 1 comment	61
Sky Warrior 7 Sep 2015, 7 comments	52
SAYANORA 7 Aug 2015, 4 comments	47
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Some of the more popular blogs and their readership are as listed above. It was with the view of ensuring that the blog did not become stale that we included an interesting series called "Back To The Future". This series speculated on the ARMSASCI participants future employment after hanging up their boots. We also wrote about the various visits in field and these were read  avidly. Many guest lecturers who visited us for informing us about job prospects also found mention in the blog. In the past three and a half months some of us distinguished themselves by getting involved in various activities . Notable among these were the study done by GJ Rao on prevention of suicide. The way to prevent suicides- which we fondly call the 'Jagadish Model' was adopted  by the Telangana government. Sivaram pursuing his passion of bicycling touching new heights by completing 600 kms in 23hours. Himanshu participated in the half Marathon and completed it in good time. The others are still at it and I have no doubt that they will soon provide ammunition for this blog in times to come.

Prof Mahadik in a moment of candour told us that as faculty they expected the blog to die its own natural death after a few posts - of course -he also was happy that this was not the case. And we are happy that we proved him wrong. I also take this oppurtunity to thank all contributors to the blog either directly or indirectly to make it a grand success

Hierarchy& Discipline

Heirarchy as prevalent in a feudal English household . As described by P G Wodehouse
"If there is I can't think of it. When I was at Oxford I used to go and stay with a friend of mine who had a butler that looked like a Roman emperor in swallowtails. He terrified me. I used to grovel to the man. Please give me all the pointers you can."
"Well, as Mr. Peters' valet, I suppose you will be rather a big man."
"I shan't feel it."
"However large the house party is, Mr. Peters is sure to be the principal guest; so your standing will be correspondingly magnificent. You come after the butler, the housekeeper, the groom of the chambers, Lord Emsworth's valet, Lady Ann Warblington's lady's maid—"
"Who is she?"
"Lady Ann? Lord Emsworth's sister. She has lived with him since his wife died. What was I saying? Oh, yes! After them come the honorable Frederick Threepwood's valet and myself—and then you."
"I'm not so high up then, after all?"
"Yes, you are. There's a whole crowd who come after you. It all depends on how many other guests there are besides Mr. Peters."
"I suppose I charge in at the head of a drove of housemaids and scullery maids?"
"My dear Mr. Marson, if a housemaid or a scullery maid tried to get into the steward's room and have her meals with us, she would be—"
"Rebuked by the butler?"
"Lynched, I should think. Kitchen maids and scullery maids eat in the kitchen. Chauffeurs, footmen, under-butler, pantry boys, hall boy, odd man and steward's-room footman take their meals in the servants' hall, waited on by the hall boy. The stillroom maids have breakfast and tea in the stillroom, and dinner and supper in the hall. The housemaids and nursery maids have breakfast and tea in the housemaid's sitting-room, and dinner and supper in the hall. The head housemaid ranks next to the head stillroom maid. The laundry maids have a place of their own near the laundry, and the head laundry maid ranks above the head housemaid. The chef has his meals in a room of his own near the kitchen.

This one aspect from the British we have thoroughly imbibed in to our culture . After having spent a suitable amount of time in the army I for one am thoroughly convinced that this is a must . One of the things that a leader has to keep in mind is the need to maintain distance with the followers . If this is not done there is always a good chance that any decision whether good or bad popular or unpopular are going to be questioned and what better way to do this than to be at a distance from the madding crowd.  For does not familiarity breed contempt  ?  A leader has to have certain amount of mystique . Anyhow I am digressing.
In the course of interaction with civilians during the past three and a half  months we noticed that rigidity in the ranks was more pronounced outside the armed forces than within . We in the services are flexible accommodating and sensitive to the needs of both our subordinates and our seniors . But along with the flexibility comes certain amount of maturity and discipline  which is necessary in the army . There have been often sighs and " How I wish " with all the people we have interacted with when we talk about discipline. One person said " how I wish people had the same  commitment and work ethic that you have in the services(as in uniform) . But having met lot of people I realise that the methods we employ in the services are as rigorously practiced in the  civil as they are in the services. The bottom line in the services is that the loss of life should be minimized as much as possible and that in the civvy street is profits. Profits drive everything else. The motivation , the discipline the urge to work the attendance at office personal life and everything else are driven by profit.
Nothing else matters. It is therefore I suppose that the hierarchical ladder is so rigid in the corporate world.In any case a little bit of discipline did not kill anybody - of that I am very sure.
In addition to discipline being a by product of hierarchy it is very important that one exercises self discipline. Self discipline is more important than enforced discipline. We all exercise self discipline to some extent. when we prepared for exams we sacrificed other pastimes , when we ate food or got drunk we exercised self restraint - those who did not suffered the consequences and made a fool of themselves much to the  misery of all those around them - whether it be parents , wives , children or friends. But we always tend to veer away from the straight and narrow and follow dark alleys in the hope of early gains. This is where hierarchy and discipline play an important part in our lives. It is for this purpose that for self progress we must be disciplined and if we cannot do it on our own then it is only logical that someone else will do it for us.And that is why we have a saying in the Services:-