Miracles Do Happen-From Malignant to Benign

A story of faith and hope

Not being a product of strict religious beliefs and having a family from various parts of India and abroad, my journey in the armed forces of India for four decades was a seamless transition. Gita, my life partner for 46 years too came from a similar mixed family. Consequently we had our own freedom to follow and practice what appealed to each of us-that included the faith that our children followed.

The first time I used the word miracle was when Sam, our African Grey, flew away from our home and was found 18 kms away after a month, that too in the  most crowded part of our city. No one could scientifically or logically explain how we were reunited and hence the word miracle.

Some years down the line, Gita became a diabetic which was discovered in a routine bi annual blood test  that we opted to do. It came as a surprise to all that a perfectly healthy individual was afflicted with blood sugar levels of phenomenally high levels- virtually overnight. The endocrinologist began the medication as a routine measure. About a few months later she developed symptoms which cloned drug reactions to the medication commonly prescribed for diabetes. Aversion to food, bloated sensation, loss of weight and nausea followed in quick succession. These were attended to by various specialists but the pain increased with time till she could not tolerate it. Modern diagnostic tools of ultra sound, endoscopy etc, revealed nothing. Her blood reports were as perfect as ever.

It was at this stage, I sought the intervention of the Naval Hospital INHS Asvini located about 180 kms from my town. First handed over to the navy in 1952, this hospital had grown both in quality and size to become one of the most modern and efficient hospitals of India. I was to consult a very impressive, articulate and  communicative specialist in the medical field. An immediate CT scan was suggested even before I moved my wife to Mumbai.

The moment of realisation followed the CT Scan undertaken by a very reputed private hospital. It revealed the presence of a fairly well developed tumour in the pancreas. Traces were seen in the liver too. Question- how do I communicate this to her when she was already in considerable pain? Trained to assess pros and cons of all possible options before arriving at the best course of action, I decided to move her to Asvini and in small installments to prepare her for the worst case during the journey by road. We now knew what caused the agony but were yet to discover the damage caused within.

Quite unexpectedly, she took it in the chin much like a seasoned boxer. "OK", she said, "I have it, so let us get on with the biopsy". I realised then and there that we had won half the battle. The battery of oncologists and medical experts who received us at INHS Asvini, well after working hours, quickly poured over her case sheet and evaluated all the radio-logical documents. It looked ominous and many were leaning towards the worst conclusion. However, the biopsy was the only way to pronounce a judgement. The  immediate family was informed.

Then followed an even more grueling week of repeated efforts to reach the main source located at a critical junction of the pancreas. Having exhausted all scan aided procedures and after due consultations with other experts in the field, surgery was the only option to tap the requisite material for biopsy. In the mean time, PET scan revealed that there was no damage to the liver as suggested by the first CT scan.

Post surgery, Gita had to be observed at the ICU for at least 24 hrs while the pathologist commenced the lab tests. When it rains, it often pours during monsoons at Mumbai. At about  6AM the next day I was informed that  my wife had severe chest pain and that the cardiologist would need to eliminate any heart condition, since she had lived with a minor one all her life. The CO who is a renowned cardiologist had just arrived the previous night and was on his morning run which took him to the ICU. Within the hour she had been moved to the cardiology ward and an angiography completed. Things that were not possible during my days in the navy. Cleared of all doubts she was wheeled back to the ICU

Back in the ward after three days at ICU, we now had to await the results of biopsy. Ramzan was round the corner and a long week end much needed for the Doctors and staff was a necessity. We decided to move Gita to my son's house for the week end. Just when we were ready to depart, there was a cryptic message that the chief coordinator and the Doctor I had alluded to earlier, would like a word with us. My son, daughter-in-law and the two of us were seated in the room which reminded me of those who await their sentence.

The smart, well turned out and composed Surgeon Captain who had assumed the role of our guardian entered the room and with his characteristic communication skills, began to sum up the case. "The good news is" he said, "the tumour is benign, but the bad news is that it is there and has led to a non functional pancreas with all its attendant ramifications". It had to be medically treated and a close watch kept on the patient.

It took a few seconds for all of us to digest his message. My daughter-in-law broke the ice by rushing and hugging Gita. I stood still as I was trained to. My wife had a smile as if to say what else when so many are praying for me. All in all it was a solemn and almost a military occasion when emotions were to be exhibited in private.

The Doctor was inundated with questions about the future. He invited more, till all were answered. My wife asked, "What are the odds when such a result, defying predictions, occurs? Is it a miracle?"

The seasoned Doctor, by now well accepted within the family, smiled and said, " You can say that Ma'am-you can say that!". Hence the story.

Women in combat roles

http://www.firstpost.com/india/indian-army-to-allow-women-in-combat-roles-gender-sensitisation-operational-caveats-must-before-implementation-3520071.html

My views on the above subject posted on Firstpost.com today

CHINA AND AIRCRAFT CARRIER OPERATIONS-INDIA HAS FIVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE

CHINA'S ACHILLES HEEL   (Courtesy Firstpost. 24 May 17)

Much has been written by experts, both within and without, on the perceived isolation of India at the recent Belt and Road conference in China. One set of strategic analysts suggest that we could have effectively voiced our concerns at the conference rather than refusing to attend. As always, multiple view points are held by those who neither have the responsibility to face the repercussions of their suggestion nor the courage to admit that they were wrong in assessing the situation.

Governments are equipped to take decisions based on historic and a long term perspective of the problem . Irrespective of how they arrive at a decision, which is more often by consensus resulting from inputs received from a wide array of competent specialists and from those on the ground; they are accountable for their actions. In the extant case, most experts tend to give China the edge on almost all actions taken by Xi. It is not often that decisions and actions taken by the Indian Government are appreciated and supported .

Having been associated with affairs maritime and forging relations with littoral nations, this article attempts to discuss just one aspect of maritime related activities and initiatives-while being fully aware that there are several others that need elaboration to substantiate my assertion.

While regular exercises with USA, Japan, France, Russia and Australia are known to us, a lesser known fact is that Singapore has had close maritime relations with India for many decades. The latest  joint exercise between the two navies is currently in progress in the South China sea. The Indian naval presence in South China Sea is a regular feature in annual deployments to the East. This is often forgotten when the occasional Chinese ship is deployed in our back yard. The presence of a Chinese submarine in our neighbourhood is projected as a military disaster by those who are unaware that Submarines in peace time are deployed often in areas that become relevant in war. This is a universally accepted and practiced concept, which ipso facto justifies the very induction of these stealth platforms. There are no exceptions to this rule.

The Chinese Aircraft carrier programme has been in the news. That the Indians have been in this business for over five decades is invariably  glossed over. Why is it relevant?

Just preparing pilots for carrier operations demands intense basic training ashore under simulated conditions, followed by a crucial phase of training them to operate at sea with confidence on a moving platform. Consolidation in day operation in varying visibility and weather conditions is followed by dusk operations and night flying. Dark night operations with minimum deck lighting  then leads to 24/7 combat flying with appropriate payload.

Emergency drills on board to handle aircraft engine failures, crash on deck and scores of other incidents are mandatory processes.

Gaining proficiency in carrier flying thus requires time and a generation of pilots need to continuously hone their skills before they can claim full combat readiness.

The ship too needs to attain combat readiness while flight operations of fixed and rotary wing aircraft are progressing apace. She has to train her aircraft controllers, flight deck personnel, sensors and weapons crew, engineering ,electrical and metrological departments and logistics and medical sections.

That our carrier borne teams have performed consistently well, as reflected while operating with other advanced navies, is attributed to decades of experience hard-gained by the integrated crew.

 Now the piece de resistance. The Chinese not having had this background realised early in their carrier induction cycle that training of aviation branch technical sailors and officers by itself was a challenge that needed resolution. In 2005, they made a request to the Indian Government to provide access to a team of Chinese navy aviators lead by an Admiral to visit our aviation training facilities at Kochi.

Their request was granted and a team arrived at Kochi to see class room instructions imparted to our sailors. This was followed by discussions on the training methodology. The Admiral was completely and visibly impressed that our sailors were being taught in English and that they were proficient enough to handle their class room instructions on relatively advanced and scientifically designed computer assisted courses.  He found that the Russian method of imparting instructions and indeed the subjects being taught were quite in variance, since Carrier flying was a relatively new subject for the Russians who were still evolving their syllabus.

The Indian navy had stolen a march with knowledge gained through close interaction with leading carrier operating navies such as the Royal British ,the French and the US navies over five decades of combat flying.

The Chinese respect our combat skills at sea more than any other navy. Our regular presence in the disputed South China Sea is a challenge they have had to live with,  in the backdrop of their rejection of the recent judgement of ICJ on Chinese claims in the South China sea .

If China continues to challenge the rights of those who have ratified the United Nations convention of the laws of the seas of which she too is a signatory, how can she be trusted to honour the rights of those who participate in the complex concept of Belt and Road initiatives, which have the potential of violating basic rights of participating nations?

There are chinks in the Chinese armour.

 

Maritime History Society Mumbai- 40th year under Adm MP AWATI

MHS COMMEMORATIVE MARITIME SYMPOSIUM

“PROMOTING INDIAN MARITIME HERITAGE AND HISTORY

MARITIME HISTORY SOCIETY – A REPRISE”

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

BY VICE ADMIRAL SCS BANGARA (RETD) PVSM, AVSM

PATRON – MARITIME HISTORY SOCIETY

I consider it a great privilege to be standing here at the commencement of the 40th  year of Maritime History Society. That the Society has survived for so long is a tribute to the creator of this concept who has inspired so many. To tweak what Churchill said after the second world war, "Never in the history of this navy has one man contributed so much, with so little, to benefit so many."

In the course of my opening remarks, I have chosen to narrate two anecdotes on Admiral Awati so that the younger generation of officers get to know more facets of his overall personality. Therefore, I am going to talk off the cuff, impromptu or extempore, while narrating two true stories. The dramatis personae of these stories are here today – I suspect not by coincidence, but by serendipity or fate as you may call it.  

In 1977, when I was appointed as FTASO now called FASWO of the Western Fleet, I was a Lt Cdr with under a year of service in that rank. In June 1978, the Western Fleet with FOCWF was on a cruise to Seychelles, Mombasa and Dar-e-Salam.

 Having become independent just an year ago, and Seychelles being a strategically important port, the country celebrated  her National Day in the presence of ships from US Navy, the French and Russian Navies, all of whom had a permanent interest in the IOR. We too ensured that we were well represented for the occasion.

Soon after we anchored at Port Victoria, I was informed that I would be officiating as Flag Lt in addition to my duties as the incumbent had been transferred for watch keeping duties to one of the ships in harbour. During my tenure later that year, I was also asked to perform the duties of Secretary to FOCWF. I do not know of anyone else who has performed three-in-one  duties on the Fleet Staff. Suffice it to say that the Admiral thought well of me.

Now then, the dilemma faced by President Francis Rene was, which of the Admirals present in port should coordinate the ceremony. Being conscious of various interests and a vibrant Indian diaspora the wily President who finally handed over power only in 2004, casually asked the Admirals to sort it out among themselves.

The American Admiral was a tired listless officer with some Pollyanna notions about world affairs. He did not make any bid to lead the men of war in harbour.

The French invited us for lunch.  The French Admiral was rather dumb struck with the proficiency of the Indian Admiral in matters maritime, flora and fauna, maritime history and what have you. After a two-hour session he gracefully suggested that Admiral Awati could consider leading the Independence Day ceremony.

Admiral Yassakov, leading the Soviet contingent was tall, cocky and boastful. In order to establish his credentials, he invited the Indian Admiral for a discussion on his powerful destroyer at about 1030 hrs. I happened to be familiar with Russian customs and traditions having lived in Russia to acquire the Missile boats before the 1971 war. I briefed Adm Awati on what he could expect in terms of the proceedings at which copious quantities of Vodka would form an integral part. Being a teetotaller, he pondered over it and asked me to invite the former Flag Lt to also be present at this meeting.

Yassakov, as it turned out, went overboard with his hospitality. The table was lined up with bottles of Scotch and Vodka, packets of Dunhill and Rothman cigarettes, caviar, et al. As predicted, Yassakov made a long introductory speech, rather badly translated by a hastily selected interpreter. He then reached out to the bottle of Scotch and poured a very generous quantity of it in two glasses. That was meant to be gulped down by both Admirals at the end of a toast. Having made a politico-military speech, Yassakov stood up and suggested that bottoms up was the next move. All eyes were on Admiral Awati and there was just a fleeting moment of silence! He stood up, looked purposefully at the former Flag Lt who was blissfully unaware of his role, and in a gunnery voice said, "Flags, drink it up". The flamboyant, handsome Flag Lt who was as skilled in elbow bending as his handsome personality, displayed how down-the-hatch is exercised by seamen.

Quite naturally the Russians went into a huddle to decipher what this strange Indian tradition meant. Not to be caught unawares, Yassokov nonchalantly continued his second and third toasts. All three attempts were met with the same response and alacrity by our young Flag Lt. After a quick huddle in which the hosts came to the conclusion that they needed to have a greater understanding of Indian customs and perplexed with "the power of command" on display they wound up the discussions on a meek note.

Thus ended the last "battle" before the Indian ships were formally declared leaders of the ceremony-which of course was faultlessly executed.

2

The second story is when the Western Fleet entered Basra (Iraq) the same year after a very successful visit to Bandar Abbas (Iran). The ship secured at about 2100 hrs in a poorly lit harbour. The Admiral and I were walking on the Quarter deck of the Flag ship when he abruptly turned to me and said, "A white horse at 0600 hrs, Good Night."

We were trained never to argue with an Admiral. A foreign port with aliens and non English speaking interlocutors- a white horse? Serendipity some may say. Out of the darkness appears an Iraqi naval officer. "Sir," he says, "I am .... You were my training officer on INS Kirpan. What can I do for you, Sir?" I hugged him and said, "White horse at 0600 hrs. Good night."

So indeed was a white horse at the gangway at 0545 hrs. What next? At 0600 hrs the forward superstructure door opened and out came this grand person attired in full riding kit of ‘The Master of Fox Hounds'.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Defence Services Staff College at Connoor near Ooty, there exists even today a Hunt club.  Originally meant to hunt foxes which are now extinct, the club goes through the process of the hunt along with the hounds. The Master and the Committee members are normally attired in a special rig consisting of;

HUNT CAP WITH CHIN STRAPS, WHITE OR CREAM STOCK TIE SECURED WITH GOLD PIN, BLACK OR TAN GLOVES, CREAM OR WHITE VEST, CORUSCATING SCARLET LONG HUNTING JACKET WITH BRASS BUTTONS, WHITE OR TAN BREECHES AND BLACK DRESS RIDING BOOTS WITH GARTERS.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Admiral was immaculately turned out in that rig. He mounted the horse and rode into the port city of Basra. Soon curious onlookers started to line up on both sides of the road and either through curiosity or awe started to spread the word that a Prince had arrived on a visit to Basra. Not surprisingly, by the time the official engagements of calling on the local dignitaries commenced later in the day, the streets were full of cheering citizens and school children of Basra. The visit by the Western Fleet ships was termed as an outstanding success by the hosts.

If you are wondering what cemented this relationship between the Admiral and his three-in -one staff officer with an age gap of 20 years and  which continues to blossom, I can attribute it to a quote from Gen Pershing. He said, "In a social order in which one person is officially subordinate to another, the superior if he is a Gentleman never thinks of it and the subordinate if he is a Gentleman never forgets it."

Let me welcome the Admiral who taught me that pusillanimity, pussy footing and gerrymandering do not make a good leader....

Put your hands together to welcome Admiral Awati on stage. 

The Indian Submarine journey of 50 years-A ring side view

(Carried by The Quint on 16 Feb 17-link below)

Golden Jubilee and our Indian Submariners

A ring side view

The year 1969.The destination, a remote island in Vladivostok. The era was of the grand Soviet Union. A large contingent of Indian Naval officers and sailors, of which I was one, was conveyed by boat to our final destination. An unusually long journey- first by an Air India chartered flight from Mumbai to Moscow, followed by a long wait at the airport before embarking a large  turbo prop aircraft for an even longer flight to the far eastern coast of the Soviet Union.

A tired contingent of the would be Killer squadron of missile boats, was received by a cheerful lot of Indian submarine officers and sailors who had spent considerable time on the island. They were happy to embrace their brethren after a long absence from home. Letters from their dear ones which took over a month to reach via the Indian Embassy at Moscow were delivered along with goodies and eats from home. Thus started my association with the Indian Naval Submariners - a special category of pioneers of the newly born, long awaited, third dimension of the navy.

The Golden jubilee of the submarine arm scheduled in December 2017 is exactly an year after my commissioning date of December 1966. Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would, soon after the 1971 war, be sent to specialize in Anti Submarine Warfare.           .

 But then I was to work even closer with the submarine arm as we fed on each other's strengths and weaknesses to hone our respective combat skills. Tactics to encounter stealthy denizens of the deep  had to be evolved through numerous exercises at sea. Conversely, the submarine evolved its combat procedures by analyzing numerous encounters with her hunters from all three dimensions, i.e. surface, air and underwater.

And so it was that we graduated from the F Class submarines  to the Kilo Class from the Soviet Union and from the HDW-SSK bought and built in India  from Germany and finally to the Scorpene Class ex France now being built at the Mazagaon docks at Mumbai.

The journey as expected has been tenuous, rewarding , frustrating and exhilarating all rolled into one. It would be difficult to segregate the indigenous nuclear submarine from this saga. After all the foundation was laid from the experience gained by our intrepid submariners who trained and manned a soviet nuclear submarine on lease, as early as in 1988. The transition from the conventional to nuclear is by no means an easy one, as was the experience of a handful of proud owners of the nuclear submarines. That the Arihant our first nuclear propelled submarine was monitored and operationalised by the submarine arm is as vital as the participation of DRDO, BARC ,indigenous partners in production of the hull and numerous suppliers of various parts of the platform. Most of them would never know how the parts they manufactured fit into the complex platform. The combination of war ship building which commenced in the late 1960's and submarine building which commenced in 1987 and finally the nuclear submarine building has supported and nurtured a whole range of SME/MSME segments of industry in India. Some day this little known statistics will be compiled for us to really appreciate the laborious process.

Were there down sides to the saga? To start with our attempts to build two of the most advanced design of the German HDW submarines under the buy and make concept had to be prematurely abandoned after the two submarines supplied and two built were successfully inducted. This was triggered by the infamous HDW scandal which surfaced at a crucial period of our development. We now know that whenever the country is poised to acquire a state of art platforms or equipment, a scandal surfaces  when the process is completed. It has taken decades for the procurement procedures to be revised to address issues related to black listing and the role of agents.  Transfer of technology and involving indigenous private sector partners to pursue the "Make in India"  concept has just been reformulated; the success of which will be tested in due course of time.

Second, rapid modernization and acquisition has a telling effect on the manpower constraints related to sanctions and recruitment  followed by training which is a long term process that defies instant solutions. Decommissioning old platforms to compensate for the immediate requirement of new induction has its own predicament of force level imperatives.

A new platform demands not just trained manpower for operational needs but a host of administrative, logistics and repair support facilities which are manpower-critical. Short cuts may well result in unintended consequences of accidents and losses.

Wishing away mid- term implications to overcome mandatory sanctions from a not too responsive sanctioning authority, has attendant ramifications of a grave nature. Balancing the short and long term implications on man power may well turn out to be the biggest challenge for the navy.

https://www.thequint.com/opinion/2017/02/16/50-years-of-indian-submarines-the-journey-from-foxtrot-to-arihant

FLAWED POLICIES THAT LED TO CREATION OF ISIS

Session on Flawed policies that led to creation of ISIS    With Ambassador Hardeep Puri, Former Indian Permanent Representative to the UN  


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WboXIDv6TqU

Flawed Policies that gave rise to ISIS

Hardeep Singh Puri retired in 2003 as our Permanent Rep at the UN. His book released in June this year has invited rave reviews ."Perilous Interventions-The Security Council and the Politics of Chaos" is claimed to be one of the best books on the decision making process of the security council. 

FICCI-FLO at their LITFEST event at Pune,on 14 Jan, invited him to talk about " Flawed Decisions which gave rise to ISIS". My introduction of Hardeep as the moderator of this session, is placed below. Link to the one hour session is still awaited.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for this session which discusses "Flawed policies that gave rise to ISIS" we have amidst us a diplomat, who after 39 years in the foreign service of India, to which you can add three more with the International Peace Institute, has in Jun 2016,authored a book titled "PERILOUS INTERVENTIONS-THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE POLITICS OF CHAOS" Why did this book become an instant success? Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri's last assignment was the permanent representative of India at the United nations in New York  from 2009 to 2013. This quintessential  second generation diplomat(son of an Indian Diplomat) had served as a young officer in Japan and Sri lanka,  as DCM at London,  in Geneva as a permanent rep of India and in  Brazil as our Ambassador.  Educated in Delhi, he taught at St Stephans before joining the foreign service.

I first heard of this dynamic young Puri,when he was at Colombo at a crucial period of the Indo-Sri Lankan  peace accord of 1987, when Mr  Mani Dixit was the High Commissioner and I was the Naval Advisor to  Mr SK Singh at Islamabad in 1985-88. There was much discussions on the LTTE and their possible linkages with the ISI of Pakistan. We exchanged some interesting  information without having met anywhere. No social media ,no Google, no pictures. We were faceless diplomats.

Fast forward and in 1995, Hardeep lands up as Joint sec at MOD when I was steering the naval plans and budget. We hit it off from day one. Being a quintessential diplomat he had mastered the art of occasionally  telling me to go to hell, so convincingly, that I had begun to look forward to that trip. But as a seasoned  sailor, I too had a few tricks up my sleeve, albeit shorn of all diplomacy, but filled with nautical gems. This then solidified our friendship.

More than a decade later, in 2011, we both met at Geneva at the annual conference of the International Institute for strategic studies He was by then our permanent rep at New York and I had superannuated .  He spoke at a plenary session on the future of UN and I, on Rising military powers in Asia. This  Indian pair had done it again. There were rumblings among the predominantly western experts in the audience. But, we celebrated the rumblings with a quick drink at a popular bar which was perhaps a wee bit cheaper that the Manhattan bars that is frequented by senior UN functionaries at New York. 

On a serious note, Hardeep's tenure at the UN, 2009-2013,  was eventful, as India returned to the famous horse shoe table of the security council as a non permanent member after a lapse of 17 years. That was a significant election. 187 of the 190 member countries voted in favour of India. Even Pakistan voted in our favour. That was Hardeep's moment to savour, for, India had lost the elections badly 17 years ago. 

 He then held the post of the President of the council twice and chairman of its counter terrorism committee for two years. That is when he saw the ugly under belly of  the decision making process of the Security council consisting of 5 permanent members, USA, UK,France,China and Russia and ten elected members . 

As Robert Bolono once said, "People see what they want to see and what people want to see never has anything to do with the truth."

To enlighten us this evening, Ladies and gentlemen put your hands together to welcome Ambassador Hardeep Puri .