REFLECTIONS ON A MILITARY CAREER (COURTESY Medals and Ribbons vol 1 July-Sep 2021)

REFLECTIONS ON A MILITARY CAREER

Medals and Ribbons is perhaps an interesting magazine for both parents and students to sit together and decide whether a career in the Indian military is worth considering, given the galaxy of opportunities available today. Arguably such opportunities were unthinkable in our days. Yet there are so many of you who are attracted to the uniform, the respect it invites from our citizens and the chance to serve the nation. Is the Military the only option to serve the nation? Of course not. But it is the only vocation that asks you to sign a blank cheque to make the supreme sacrifice if and when the Country calls upon you to do so. When Pavandeep Rajan sang,” Teri mitti me miljawan….” at the Indian Idol 2020 show there was not a single dry eye in the audience both in the studio and perhaps in the virtual medium too. That is the emotion that the military profession evokes in people. 

Given the nature of military service, it is only logical that induction, training and many other aspects are unique to the Armed Forces. Let us consider just one entry, to the NDA, popularly called the Cradle of Leadership. Even if you qualify the UPSC entrance examination, you are required to get through a rigorous test at the Services Selection Board (SSB). The specially trained officers of the SSB, put you through a psychology test, followed by a group obstacle test, finally culminating in an interview with the Commandant and his staff. Not many of you would know that every six months, over 5 lakh students write the entrance examination, of which the UPSC shortlists less than 10000. The selection centres spread across India then send about 300- 400 to NDA every six months provided the candidates are medically fit.

To exemplify this process, let me tell you a true story about a young boy who opted for the military way of life from the VIIIth standard. His story may tell you that one does not have to follow the rigidly perceived entry guidelines to the military and that so long as your heart is set on a career in uniform you may exceed your own expectations.

The family under discussion moved from the foothills of Kodaikanal to Coimbatore in 1959. Soon after settling down in a school, the young boy was inducted into the NCC airwing. The PT Master Mr. Siddappaji - given an Airforce rank but in NCC uniform, soon became a mentor. Airforce subjects, parade training and aero modeling were activities twice a week under the able guidance of a serving Squadron Leader and a Flight Sergeant. Soon the young man rose to the rank of cadet Flight sergeant and was a part of the State contingent for the Republic day parade in 1962. The unit was delighted when he was chosen as the best All- India cadet and awarded a trophy by the then PM Pandit Nehru. The news trickled down in a few days both to the family and the school. That photo of receiving the trophy in 1962, is still displayed at the school in Coimbatore.

 

The sudden attention, along with rising expectations from older and younger people around him was a challenge beyond the maturity of the young man. He had to learn to manage the expectations of peers and superiors. I shall list the lessons he learnt at every stage of his career, starting with this episode of his life.

Lesson one-keep your feet firmly on the ground and pursue your passion.

Along with accolades came ready recognition. Loyola College at Chennai was happy to admit him for the pre-university curriculum. He was a natural choice for the NCC Senior division air wing. Additional challenges of balancing activities with academics had to be tackled whilst being away from home. He did win more medals at the state level. Consequently, he was readily accepted by St Joseph at Bengaluru for the under-graduation science degree course in 1964. By 1966, with more awards and a visit to Singapore, then part of Malaysia, for a camp, and a solo badge for piloting a Tiger Moth, he was all set to join the Armed Forces. Fate intervened at two levels. First, he missed the bus for the entrance to NDA as pursuing a degree course and all his extra-curricular activities including cricket left him with little time. There was no one to guide him on a future course of action. 

Second, it was not to be the IAF. Suffice it to say, the Indian Navy (IN) launched a short service scheme for graduates and by end 1966, the young man was in the Navy. Everything that he learnt had to be unlearnt. Uniform, the salute, parade and drill, the vocabulary -all of it.

In 1969, he was selected to go to the Soviet Union to train for Missile boats. This young officer returns in 1970 and takes part in the 1971 war - on the first attack on Karachi on 04 Dec 1971—now celebrated as Navy Day! Soon, the euphoria of war subsided and the Navy offers him a Permanent Commission. Many of his coursemates declined the offer and went their way.

Now came the real challenge. The Navy had rightly assumed that a massive modernization programme,  underway since the Chinese invasion, could not be managed without corresponding increase of manpower. The lead time to induct personnel and make them ready for sea service needed detailed preparations and it would not meet deadlines of the acquisition programmes of the Navy. Hence the graduate entry- short service scheme of 7 years-was found to be a solution. To sweeten the deal, officers so inducted were offered the rank of Ag Sub Lt from the date of entry. It may be noted it was not until 1974 that cadets of NDA passed out as graduates.

 Implicit in the decision of inducting Short service Commission Officers were three assumptions. That, graduates being older than the cadets of the regular entry, would be mature; they would be technically better placed to absorb new technology as only those from a science background were commissioned; and, that they may not need all the specialist courses that the regular entry counterparts were subjected to. The backbone of the service was the regular entry officers. In theory, it looked good.

The young man with a total training period of 6 months found himself pitted against the regular entry counterpart having done three full years at NDA, 6 months on the Cadet’s training ship, six more as a Midshipman, and a year plus for Sub Lieutenants’ courses (called “Subs courses”), It appeared to be an unfair battle. The experiment was doomed to fail. But did it?

The quality and quantum of training being so diverse, performance levels had no definite pattern to gauge in the short term. In the medium term, the performance appraisal by the Commanding Officers began to narrow the perceived gap in the output of the two entries. Given that no one really under-performs intentionally, what then was driving the under-trained to bridge the gap? The burning desire not to be publicly rebuked for inadequacy and to be treated with dignity may well have been the cause. The positive outcome for the service was that it created a healthy environment of competition and the winner had to be judged by performance-based indicators, solely driven by merit and leadership traits. Consequently, the young man found himself making progress in selection for courses and appointments overseas.

Lesson Two- Do not judge a book by its cover. Judge impartially and reward merit.

By the time the young man transited from time-based promotion to selection-based Promotion Board results, he could not but acknowledge the fact that all his seniors who mentored and groomed him were neither parochial nor biased and had the service interest paramount while grooming future leaders.

Even as he grew in rank and stature, along with those he admired, he did encounter officers who were incompetent, unable to display leadership qualities and those who were lacking integrity. Some bad eggs do slip through despite checks and balances. They exist in every walk of life. But in the military, they are unlikely to lead their men to victory.

 Why he asked himself, is it that the military expects high standards of professionalism, unbiased assessments, high quality of leadership traits and impartial conduct with ethical and moral underpinning? The answers were stark and staring in his face. Is it the fear of swift retribution, and disciplinary action that kept them relatively free of need and greed? Is it possible to practice ethical conduct and moral virtues when the environment outside the military was sullied by quite different values? He learnt that just as he is expected to make the supreme sacrifice when needed, he has to also ensure the safety and welfare of the men he leads. The only values that the men admire are the core values of the military. Why would they want to follow you to the end of the earth, and certain death if they did not see you as professionally competent, trustworthy, patriotic, and a role model? Such a demand for leadership qualities and integrity is not a part of the DNA of any other profession but the military. Victory in war cannot be assured without fighting for a cause or the “ashes of your fathers and the temples of your Gods” as put so eloquently in the ballad Horatius. The stanza in Ronald Hopwood’s famous poem, The Laws of the Navy, “On the strength of one link in the cable, Dependeth the might of the chain, Who knows when thou mayest be tested?  So live that thou barest the strain,” gave him the answers that became his beacons for the rest of his career.

By the time the young man reached fairly senior ranks with all its trials and tribulations he had seen both good and evil.  The Serenity Prayer came to his rescue when in serious doubt and the same navy poem, The Laws of the Navy gave him the course to steer in rough and calm seas. Just one line each picked at random should raise your curiosity to find them on the internet. “GOD, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change…….”  And “Count not on certain promotion, but rather to gain it aspire…….”

 But a caveat would be appropriate. You have tons of information at your fingertips but that alone does not give you wisdom. You need to live your life and go grey before you have wisdom.

 So, the young man who is now old with grandchildren in their teens is still to find the right answers to deal with the mysteries of life. But one clear answer to the question ‘what would you do if you had a choice in the next life’- without doubt or hesitation, with a childlike enthusiasm, he is bound to say, “Join the Military”.

 

Consulting (Naval) Editor’s Note: Having reached the end of this fine recounting of lessons learnt, a reader may be wondering who is the author talking about. The author is talking about his own life and career and did not particularly think it was necessary to write in the first person. However, to give the article some life, I think it may be appropriate to mention that the author is Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara, who retired as CINC of the Navy’s Southern Naval Command. He has also been the Commandant of the National Defence Academy. “Bangs” has always been an energetic, feisty officer who encouraged juniors to speak their minds to him and to others. That he was often heard doing the same to HIS superiors made this easier for him to expect from his juniors. I still enjoy an argument with him on phone even as I benefit from his counsel more often than he knows. We were fortunate, as I mention in my own article elsewhere, to benefit from more than a few seniors who lived by the dictum, “Example is the Best Navy Order.”May I say, that Bangs was always bang-on for that.    

IN MEMORIAM-SAMIR BANGARA (1974-2020)

It is now a year since you left us. A very loving family left behind perhaps rudderless, till they find their safety course to steer. I am just behind you as you can see. Awaiting my call in whatever manner that is ordained. When we join the Armed forces, we sign an open cheque to lay down our lives when the need arises. I went through a war 50 years ago. I was unscathed and lucky to be around this wonderful family of children and grandchildren. We have had our challenges; so essential in life for us to learn to be grateful for little mercies. We jointly learnt to look at a glass that was always half full. Never half empty. 

That you exceeded my expectations in putting people before profit and went on to tirelessly exhort and support those in need, has been well documented by the sheer grief-stricken outpouring of sentiments from a vast cross-section of people. But all this will be soon forgotten as that is the reality of life. One is honoured and felicitated because of the chair one occupies and rarely because of who one is. In your case, I am willing to lay a wager that you will be remembered for years to come for what you were and not what you achieved in professional and material terms. That is hardly a consolation for the family and people you left behind as abruptly as you did. But then, as was our inclination, a half-full glass, in this case, assumed that you were spared the mortification of being reduced to a vegetable after a crash, at the speeds that a 1000 CC motorbike propels you. Remember this was not the first crash. On 29 September 2019, you had a horrendous crash on the Budh circuit at NOIDA. It was well recorded by cameras on the track. It would have looked good in a theatre! You survived it with minor injuries and laughed it away.  

To an observer, it would appear stupid to continue a sport that is not the safest. I merely pointed out to you that with each passing year your reflexes inevitably slow down.  I could see your passion for the sport. No one understands it better than us in the Military. We too are exposed to danger even when carrying out routine training exercises. Countless Pilots have had accidents, some lost their lives during routine flying but no one stopped flying, for, it goes beyond the call of duty or just a  profession. 

In this clip you alluded to your passion. I had no answer when you challenged me. So, we did the next best thing, we punched each other in the stomach till someone called a truce and we rolled in laughter! Oh! how I miss those sessions. Your Mother who left us just two years before you and perhaps is now standing next to you never approved of our dispute resolution mechanisms! To alleviate the pain of her loss, you drove me 500 km to a Coffee estate where I was born. When I suggested that we could fly instead, to save your precious time, you promptly called it our bonding time. So it was, only I didn’t know it was our last journey together. But I am grateful for those few precious days. 

To underline what a service brat learns from his parents, I am attaching a 2-minute clip on what you said on my 70th birthday, five years ago. 

A practice we followed in service is not to give full marks to anyone. Of course, the boundaries have to be pushed until each reaches his limits. Excellence has no final boundaries and often it is a moving line. You knew that about me and so I could not get myself to say that your speech was par excellence. I left your best ever for my funeral.  Fate reversed the sequence of departure. So now I have to execute Plan B.... but I am just behind you as you well know. Au Revoir my son.

 

 

A PROFILE IN NOT JUST COURAGE-MY MEMORIES OF SURESH KUNDANMAL

                                 As a young Sub Lt in 1968, I was appointed to INS Beas, then a frontline warship of the Western Fleet at Bombay. The Navigating Officer traditionally ensures that trainees are put through their paces and kept on their feet 24/7. Lt Suresh Kundanmal the Navigator impressed me by his dedication, sense of humour, immaculate turnout, physical fitness, and above all the empathy he so abundantly possessed. Soon we were like buddies and the learning process under his guidance was a model I carried with me till I retired in 2006.

 Let me recall some anecdotes. Duty hours were as they ought to be. Formal and serious. Off duty, Suresh became one of us. In the days when owning a scooter, much less a car, was out of our reach, he would toss his Motor Bike keys to me when he was on duty and I was off, and suggest that I paint the town red. He was intrinsically generous and during the many months that followed, never once asked me where I ventured on his precious bike. That was the time he was courting his soon to be a wife and the bike had to be in top condition before he rode off, almost like Pete Maverick in Top Gun!

On a bright Sunday morning he decided to have a motorbike race on the Marine Drive with a shipmate who owned a more powerful bike. And so, equipped with large Start and Finish flags, off we went to the Marine Drive and started a crazy circuit. Little did we know that the roads were closed for a VIP visit at almost the same time as our race. Did that deter Suresh? No way. I was ordered to wave the Start Flag and off they went. The traffic Cops of those days did not have a vehicle that could intercept a bike. Onlookers on the seafront were treated to a rare sight of speeding bikes, howling Cops, whistles, and chaos during the circuit which brought the riders back again till the completion of the last circuit. We all rode on as if we had not heard the Cops. Having overtaken the VIP entourage, we rode back to the safety of the highly restricted area of the Lion Gate, where no one was allowed entry without passes. For the first time, I saw his bike engine cease due to unintended high speeds.

That Suresh was a musician too and could handle a fair number of instruments were known to some of us. But I have never seen such a talent used to rescue a Captain. Our Capt. was rather allergic to the Admiral springing a surprise visit to the ship.  So, it happened with Suresh at the gangway as the Officer of the Day (OOD) and me the other Suresh as his deputy. The Capt. was informed at the last minute that the Admiral’s car had swung our way. The charging Capt who wanted all the right ceremonials of sounding the Alert (to announce the presence of an Admiral) tripped on his run and ran smack into the bugler. The bugler had dropped the bugle on the deck just when the nervous Capt. yelled, “Sound the alert”. Then came the recovery by my hero. Cool as a cucumber, Suresh stepped ahead, picked up the bugle, and sounded the best Alert I have ever heard. A Lt sounding an alert-never seen ever.

Fast forward, days before INS Khukri was sunk on 08 Dec 1971, I was on my way back in a Missile boat after sinking ships off Karachi. I was saddened when a few days later I heard of his sacrifice.

Suresh Kundanmal was and is my hero and I would not have narrated this story if fate, happenstance or serendipity had not intervened, as a mail from his brother, today 02 Feb 2021.

Au Revoir Suresh-we can have a good laugh when we meet again.

A TRIBUTE TO JASWANT SINGH: THE SOLDIER-SCHOLAR-POLITICIAN

 Not even Samuel Huntington who ventured to write a seminal book on Civil-Military relations in 1957, would have imagined the power of the combination contained in the title above. He did put together a wide range of possibilities while outlining the theory and Politics of CMR. While analyzing the import of the soldier and the state, a task that I periodically undertook in my nearly four decades of colour service, it was almost in the last decade of my service that I came across Shri Jaswant Singh.

 It was serendipity that gave me the opportunity to observe him from a distance at the Rashtrapati Bhavan grounds where he came to ride once a week. As just a staff officer at Naval Headquarters I neither had the desire to introduce myself nor did he appear to be in a mood to be disturbed while enjoying his passion without any disturbance. 

But what was noticeable and somewhat impressive was his impeccable manners and courtesies, not to mention the gait and demeanor while on horseback. A few exchanges of greetings, the famous baritone-response with a calm and measured voice gave him a non-existing halo. 

 In due course of time, I got kicked upstairs in the stiflingly narrow pyramid of promotional avenues available in the navy. I watched him and Strobe Talbot matching wits and exchanging thoughts on history and geopolitics which ultimately opened the doors for meaningful Indo-US relations. 

 These are not traits of one who has either accidentally made a mark or left footprints in the sands of time. His books reveal the depth of knowledge that he possessed. 

Then, three significant events occurred. The first was Kargil and the second was George Fernandes asked to step down temporarily while the reins of Raksha Mantri were handed over to the then Foreign Minister. The third and memorable incident for me was when Musharraf offered to visit Delhi/Agra for a summit. These were significant not only historically but also in the context of my story. During the Kargil episode, the fact that I was the head of joint operations by protocol seniority, brought me into all the briefings by DGMO to the Cabinet Committee on Security. Shri Jaswant Singh had searching questions on our preparedness for a full-scale war should one happen. Fortunately, the then CNS late Adm Sushil Kumar had already mobilized the Eastern Fleet to swing to the West. I had to answer most questions pertaining to joint operations. I had the liberty to state my mind. When the EAM donned the hat of RM in addition, at least on two occasions I was summoned directly to the office of EAM along with CNS. 

The most soothing entry into a Ministers office was to hear Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven or Mozart playing just at the right volume perhaps with surround setting. All the anxieties were drowned trying to guess the symphony, concerto, piano sonata etc. You floated in with a problem and floated out with an answer except on one occasion. 

 I was carried away with my question and went on to state that at the operational level we had no white paper on the type of assistance to be given to Sri Lanka. Most Ministers were chary to answer pointed questions as they preferred to operate in the grey zone. We in the Military need black or white answers. No shilly-shallying or dilly-dallying. Here was a soldier-scholar-Politician who empathized with my situation. In the next 20 minutes, he gave a historic perspective and the sensitive element of the Politics of the Tamils and Tamilnadu. He ended with a baritone “Understood”? I walked out cursing Bach as my mind was diverted while the Minister spoke. But the empathy and that he heard me out in the presence of my CNS, appeared to have answered my question. 

 The EAM/RM introduced a very interesting concept of including a 2 * officer from the Armed forces to accompany him for official tours abroad. It is in this context that I was asked to report to his office for a scheduled Ministerial level meeting in Russia. The Sec East who handles Russia did not have a clue on what my role was. Neither did I. I was merely advised that the Minister would task me after he arrived at Moscow. In the few minutes that I had before the reception protocol descended on him, all he told me was that I was to accompany him for the one-on-one meeting with the Russian Prime Minister. I had the distinction of sitting through the meeting the contents of which I shall not reveal. Had he been alive, I would have sought his permission to do so. Bottom line- what was I doing there. That evening I asked him if I was expected to record the minutes. He asked me why I thought I was there. I replied that it was an experience of how two matured and well-informed Ministers conducted a dialogue on the prevailing Geo-Political environment. He smiled and said,” That was the idea”. An exposure to realpolitik. I shall forever be grateful for this opportunity. 

 

Lastly, as preparation for Musharaf’s visit to the summit in Agra, CCS had asked for a Military input. I was asked to cover a part of it. My superiors gave me a free hand to state some facts. I started with a Sherlock Holmes story which had a message. As I started my narration, I saw red faces in the audience, including a doubtful look on the EAMs face. The Prime Minister as was his wont, never interrupted a speaker but had an expressionless face, but with many thoughts in his head. I was all set for a dressing down from my CNS or the Minister. In the event, the essence of the story appeared to have been hoisted. No backlash, at least not known to me! 

To me, Shri Jaswant Singh will remain the most eloquent and scholarly man with great poise, etiquette and deportment. In short, compared to the leaders around the world, both in the West and East he was one of a kind. Au Revoir my Minister!

(First published in Daily O on 09 Oct 2020)

LIFE'S MYSTERIES

LIFE’S MYSTERIES- HOW DO YOU COPE WHEN WIFE AND SON PREDECEASE YOU?

Gita and I were very happily married for 46 years when Pancreatic cancer consumed her in 2018. My Blogs on the subject of “Chemo or no chemo” say it all. Two years later, when I was recovering from my first loss, I had to face the most unexpected and tragic loss of Samir, my 46-year-old son, in a biking accident. He was a reasonably successful and well-loved entrepreneur.

Within hours of his demise, the spontaneous out-pouring of grief underlined the fact that he was much loved and respected; as much for his human qualities of caring, empathizing, giving and bonding-as he was for his ability to lead his team to achieve impossible tasks.

A copy of the Thinking poem that I presented to him in 1996 was on his study table. The poem ends with, “Life’s battles don’t always go, To the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later the man who wins is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN”

The second loss was heavier to bear given that Samir left behind a young family of a devoted and doting wife and a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Given the stringent restrictions of COVID 19, I was not expecting to see a large gathering of people of all walks of life wanting to bid farewell to him. In the event, they did. That he had touched so many lives in a short span, was a revelation to me.

The best way to capture the mood, is to reproduce just a cross-section of Tweets that tell his story. Thereafter, I shall end this post with what I learnt about him after his departure, which made my heart swell with pride.

That his mother preceded him, made the pain a tad lesser. Had the reverse been true, it would have been difficult to alleviate her sense of loss! Small mercies, perhaps during a difficult period in life, but equally one of life’s mysteries best left unresolved.

It was a few years ago when I was invited for a Leadership talk with his team, that I noticed how well his team was bonding and performing. I concluded the session with great pride in the knowledge that human values mattered for QYUKI- his company. He stood up almost instantly and said, “I have waited for over two decades to hear that from my father.”

If I were to meet him today, I would just say that he achieved much more in his short span of life than I could ever have imagined -So much that I would have gladly made him my leader.

 Happy Birthday and Au Revoir my son!   

IF COVID19 IS A WAR-DECISION MAKING MUST BE EXPEDITED

Decision Making and the Bureaucracy -Inspired by Lockdown!

“Given the momentousness of the decision,

It is incumbent that it is guided by extreme circumspection and informed by a clear-

eyed, realistic

cost-benefit analysis arising from our

own and global experience; so that we are not

caught in a proverbial chakravyuh from which

there is no exit.

Most importantly, any decision must be

preceded by the widest possible public consultation.

For, collective knowledge and reason

alone can illumine these dark times”

The above is an extract from an OPED column of a leading newspaper in India. The author, if you have not guessed from the language, is a former civil servant. Even more importantly it was published on 13 Apr20, on the eve of a major policy decision on the extension of the lockdown policy to fight COVID 19.

  

To a Military officer who tenders such advice, it would invite a stern rebuke or if this was written by a mid-level officer being trained at the Defence Services Staff College, or its sister organization anywhere in the world, it would be painted in red colour to indicate that such an equivocation to meet the extant exigencies deserves to be binned. Apart from the author’s focus on linguistic skills and not on the quality of advice to the Govt as a whole, it reminds one of the famous BBC serials “yes Minister “and its sequel, “Yes Prime Minister”. 

Let us analyse the profound advice contained above.

Firstly, it talks about the “momentousness of the decision". Indeed, this occasion is not different from fighting a war, and perhaps it is more difficult than fighting a war merely because the enemy is invisible and ubiquitous in nature. The enemy within makes it worse.

Secondly, the author goes on to say,” It is incumbent that it is guided by extreme circumspection…” If it is the intention of the author to imply that such decisions taken with possible adverse consequences to the economy, health care and national security as a whole is less circumspect if not “extreme”, it reflects on the entire decision-making body of our bureaucracy. Is the bureaucracy not the cornerstone of the political decision-making body.? Except that the bureaucracy is not accountable for failures but the Politician is.

Thirdly, the widest possible public consultation could mean many things. The Govt can and has inducted many experts. Video conferencing with many stakeholders has become a new norm. Technology has enabled meaningful interaction without traveling to Delhi. This is a damn sight more than any consultations of the past. Short of a referendum which is neither mandated nor even feasible in a country with 1.3 billion people- a large percentage virtually illiterate-the elected representatives of our democracy are expected to take decisions and make laws too. That as of now is our democracy.

Yes, collective knowledge is helpful but not in the midst of a war. That is akin to a General fighting a war, asking for all suggestions from subordinate formations before he takes a decision. Our bureaucracy is brought up to equivocate, philosophize and delay decisions, hoping for an ideal solution.

Administrative reforms are as important as Judicial reforms. Both have been stonewalled for decades.

Amidst clean air, sighting snow-peaked mountains, flowing clean rivers, wildlife enjoying the liberty to move out of their “prisons”, can Corona show us the way ahead?

LOCK-DOWN A GOD-SENT OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN GEN NEXT

I was compelled this morning to write this blog when I found a senior journalist suggesting that the stress caused by this 21-day lockdown may even need psychiatric intervention.

My first thoughts were, how soon we tend to forget stresses caused by ravages of nature and war. Look at pictures from Afghanistan, where a blast a day is common. Syria, Iraq, and Libya have stressed populations. Here we are with freshwater, uninterrupted power supplies, global connectivity, 24/7 entertainment, yoga instructions, food, and medical supplies... I can go on. This is luxury for that segment which has all these. Yes, daily wage earners and millions of others may not have most of the above. But they do not whine like we do. A suitable package to service such a complex population is on its way.
 My thoughts went back to Mumbai in the 1970s. It was common for water supply to be restricted for just two hours every day. If you were late to store water in a drum-just too bad. There was neither communication nor retribution when there was no water. Yet life went on with an occasional crib. For those of who were trained to live on a mug of water when needed, thought that water stored in a drum was 24/7 availability. The family including children were trained to live with what we had. Wives played a major role in disciplining the family.

When the cyclone Hudhud hit Vizag, I saw the generation we trained rising to the occasion. First, the family stood against the doors which were being blown away in the middle of the night and having survived when every standing tree had been felled to the ground they went through the real lockdown. No water nor power for the next two weeks. Rationed by limited water tankers and most shops destroyed, the city jumped back to normalcy as if nothing had happened. That is leadership. But the generation after that hopefully learnt how not to whine or crib but to think of solutions and innovate.

Let me record here and now that it is common in all parts of the world for the rich and privileged to whine and scream as they are untouched except when nature steps in or there is a war. There is misery all around for the most part of the year, but those affected don't scream or cry like the privileged do.

Parts of our country survive floods and earthquakes as if it is a calendar activity. Yes, they have learned to survive and bounce back. Nature has been kind to many other regions and hence the least inconvenience invites a disproportionate response. When the 1971 war started, the privileged occupants of Marine Drive and Malabar hill were tardy in implementing black-out drills but were the first to run out with their jewelry as soon as the air raid sirens were sounded. Not surprisingly though, decades later, I heard my Pakistani counterpart narrate this exact story about Karachi, soon after we struck them.

.Here is an opportunity for us to train the next generation to cope with adversities. Even if wars are avoided, nature would continue to punish us just to remind us of our misdeeds.

Perhaps making NCC compulsory in all schools and perhaps Military service before graduation may not be such a bad idea.