VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2009
Dear Friends,
Another year has gone. So much has happened. I am now a senior citizen, having completed 65 years in June. A few months back, I finally got the arrears of pension, a princely sum of one lakh rupees. Strangely enough, it did not give the same sense of ‘richness’ as when I got five thousand rupees arrears in 1973 or whereabouts. At that time, it was truly a windfall.
Coming to more serious stuff, the case filed against me by the CBI at the behest of RAW is still on. They filed a charge sheet in April. After that I withdrew my application for anticipatory bail that was still pending and applied for regular bail, which fortunately was granted. The case will now probably be transferred to the Sessions Court. Meanwhile, the case that I had filed a case in the High Court for quashing the FIR and charge sheet is still to be decided. Then there are many cases which I have filed in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate under CrPC 156 (3), asking that the CBI be directed to register FIRs and investigate the complaints I have made to them. One relates to the instances of corruption that I have reported to them and the CVC. There are four other applications, asking for investigation of disclosures in other books written about RAW and several articles, some of which I have used as reference material.
In addition, I have filed RTI applications with several departments, such as the Cabinet Secretariat, NSCS, MHA, Law Ministry, PIB, National Archives, CBI and the CIC itself. Since most of them refuse to give the information requested, these have now reached the CIC. Some have produced interesting results. In a case involving the NSCS, which was asked to give me copy of the GOM Report on National Security, they ‘arranged’ another hearing at short notice, about which I was not informed, and obtained an order which was favourable to them. Using the RTI route, when I asked the CIC for proof of the intimation sent to me, they could not do so. They claimed to have sent it on Fax to a couple of others (Praveen Swami of Frontline and Swati Chaturvedi of Hindustan Times who had published extracts from the Report, which NSCS says is classified). The Fax numbers were tried and found to be wrong. When I confronted the CIC, Mr Wajahat Habibullah with this, he agreed that there had been a slip up in his office. I filed for review in April, but the case has still not been heard. It probably never will, since the CIC’s staff is involved.
In another case involving corruption in RAW, I was not allowed to attend the hearing, on the ground that classified documents were being produced. The case was decided in my absence, based on submissions by a lawyer (I wonder how he was allowed to attend and not I). In response to an RTI application filed by the correspondent from Outlook, who was also not allowed to attend, the CIC informed that as per their records I had attended the hearing. They sent a photo copy of the attendance sheet, in which my name was written. The only problem was that it was not in my handwriting. It just shows that our intelligence agencies have subverted almost every organ of the government, including judicial bodies.
There is another very interesting case concerning the PIB (Press Information Bureau). They issued a press release about the GOM Report on 23 May 2001, the day it was released by LK Advani, the then Home Minister. It gives details from the chapter on intelligence which was deleted. When I asked them to tell me the name of the officer who authorised the release and the ministry or department from where they received it, they said that they have no records! I have filed complaints with the CIC and the hearings are still on.
Of course, the most interesting case relates to the AWHO. After taking over a flat in Sector 56 in Gurgaon in 2002, I measured the size of the rooms and discovered that the area was less than what was claimed by the AWHO. I had filed a complaint in State Consumer Commission in Delhi in 2003. After about four years I noticed that my case is always listed in the end and is thus never heard. A little amateur detective work revealed that the lawyer employed by the AWHO has ‘arranged’ this, through the subordinate staff. I put this in writing and gave it to the Registrar. At the next hearing, I also mentioned this to the Chairman, Justice JD Kapoor, who assured me that he would decide it in the next hearing. Using the RTI route again, I got a copy of the building plan from HUDA, which had approved the construction of the project. According to HUDA, the super area of the flat was 1269 sq ft, whereas the AWHO had been claiming that it was 1412 sq ft. Vide an order passed on 20 Jan 2009, the AWHO was asked to pay me Rs 75,000 within one month. Copies of the order were given on 18/3/2009.
As expected, the AWHO did not pay up. After a month had passed and they did not appeal in the National Commission, I filed an application for execution of the order. Suddenly in October I received a notice for a hearing to be held in January from the National Commission. I discovered that the AWHO had filed an appeal. I wondered how this was possible, since the time limit was one month. When I went through the copy of the order that had been attached to appeal by the AWHO, I discovered that the date was different from what was given in my copy. The date of issue written in hand in my copy was 18/3/2009. In the copy submitted by AWHO, it was 18/8/2009. The figure 3 had been altered to look like 8! I brought this to the notice of the Registrar, who was shocked. He promptly raised a query with the State Commission which confirmed that copies had been given to both parties on 18/3/2009. It was a clear case of forgery. It would be interesting to hear what the judges have to say when they hear the case next week.
As you can imagine, these hearings in various courts and commission keep me busy. Just for the record, in 2009 I had to attend 4 hearings in the High Court, 20 in the CMM’s court, 12 in the consumer forum/commission, and 6 in the CIC. Then there are meetings held in lawyers’ chambers. When I get some respite from the court cases I work on the Corps History, which I expect to complete by the end if not the middle of 2010. It has to be released during the Reunion in 2011. A major problem is lack of material. Even the after action reports of 1971 are not available, with the units, CSOs or DG Sigs. I found some in the most unlikely place - the Corps Museum in Jabalpur. The same goes for Liaison Notes. Nobody has anything before 1980 or so. I do not know why we are so meticulous about destroying old records. In the National Archives, I have found military records even 200 years old, including routine correspondence. I think the whole concept of destruction of records is flawed. In times bygone there may have been short of cupboards or storage space. Today, everything can be digitised. Then why destroy anything?
Of course, I have managed to get my passport back, on the condition that I obtain permission of the court if I wish to travel abroad. I am happy, but not as much as Sukesh Jain Hopefully we will be able to resume our trips abroad this year.
This summer we decided to go to a new place in the hills. There were 16 of us (10 adults and six kids) in three cars - an Innova, a Captiva and a Swift. We spent two days in Uttarkashi, four days in Raithal (it is short of Harsil, on the road to Gangotri) and one day in Rishikesh. The major activity was trekking. My youngest grandchildren, just five years old, walked 4-5 km a day without complaining. And they insisted on carrying their own small rucksacks and water bottles! At Rishikesh we did some river rafting. It was a wonderful holiday, which made us feel at least ten years younger.
We are still staying in Gurgaon, in Palam Vihar. My son Abhimanyu and his wife Jasmine stay the first floor, with their two children, Bhuvanyu (7) and Khushi (5). My daughter Mauravi has recently shifted to Ikon Tower opposite the DLF Golf Course, to be closer to the children’s school. Her two daughters, Mriggya (7) and Eshaana (5) go to the American Excelsior School which is located nearby. Her hubby, Vaibhav is in the merchant navy and is presently at sea.
The DSOI is very close to our house and Kumud and I are regulars at the Gym. The Ansal Plaza has also come up, and we go there once in a while to watch movies. Sometimes, there are just the two of us, but they sportingly run it nonetheless. It has a Reliance Fresh outlet so I don’t have to go very far to buy vegetables.
Incidentally, my latest book (it was the result of a USI project) The Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement in India has been published by Knowledge World. You may be surprised to know that the main reason behind the British decision to quit India in 1947 was the realization that they could no longer trust the Indian Army. And you know who was responsible for this – the Signals mutiny in Jabalpur in 1946. If anyone interested, I can send them the relevant chapters on e mail. .
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017
Tele: 0124- 4074077, 9873494521, 9810618599
25thDecember2009
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Veekays Newsletter 2006
G-31, Palam Vihar
Tele: 0124-4074077 Gurgaon – 122017
9873494521
25th December 2006
VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2006
Dear Friends,
The year 2006 is coming to an end, and we will soon be entering 2007. With the advent of the Internet, letter writing is as good as dead – in fact, the first nail in its coffin was the telephone. Not only letters, even New Year cards have become passé, which in a way is a good thing, since it saves the lives of trees! Another advantage that the Internet has is that it is free, and long-winded people don’t have to spend extra money on postage stamps. So, one can blabber and waffle to his hearts content.
We are still staying in ABHIMAUR-VIKUM, in Palam Vihar, where we moved in May 2004. My daughter, Mauravi and her family stay with us on the ground floor, while my son Abhimanyu is on the first floor, with his wife Jasmine, and their two children, Bhuvanyu and Khushi, who are 4 and 2 ½ respectively. Mauravi’s two girls - Mriggya and Eshaana – are 4 and 2 years old respectively. Mauravi gave up her job with Lufthansa about six months ago, as she wanted to spend more time with her children. Bhuvanyu and Mriggya have started going to school, and are in the same class – Nursery – in DPS, Sushant Lok. Abhimanyu is still running his company, Trinity Education Services, but has recently moved from Saket to Kalkaji, a precautionary move necessitated by the sealing drive. We lost one member of the family when Sophia, our Golden Retriever passed way. She was almost 14 years old, and her time had come. But is was a shock to everyone, and many eyes in the house remained wet for some time. Misha, the Dalmatian, is also 11 years old, and has started showing signs of age. We hope she will be with us at least for a couple of years. Red, the Irish setter, is 9 years old, but still quite active.
The second volume of the History of the Corp of Signals, covering the period 1939 to 1947, on which I had been working for the last four years was released in February 2006 during the Signals Reunion at Jabalpur. My earlier book, entitled Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers, which was published 2005, is doing well – it had to be re-printed. I am now working on a USI project – The Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement. I hope to finish it by August 2007. Another book – I will not reveal the title now – is with the publisher and should be out in 3-4 months. Kumud keeps herself busy with the house, the grand children and the garden, especially her beautiful Bonsais and potted plants. Both of us spend a lot of time doing ‘pranayama’ and yoga, courtesy Baba Ramdev’s programmes on TV. It has helped us – my BP and sugar levels have come down, and so has Kumud’s cholesterol.
A notable event was my trip to China in October. For company I had Sukesh Jain – we have been course-mates, room-mates and co-drivers in the Himalayan Rally. (Kumud declined, and opted to spend her share of the air ticket on shopping). We were able to see Beijing and Shanghai. Due to some problems with the flights, we could not go to Xian, but spent a day visiting Zhu Jia Jao, an old water town near Shanghai. The trip changed our outlook about China.
That about sums up the events of 2006. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
Tele: 0124-4074077 Gurgaon – 122017
9873494521
25th December 2006
VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2006
Dear Friends,
The year 2006 is coming to an end, and we will soon be entering 2007. With the advent of the Internet, letter writing is as good as dead – in fact, the first nail in its coffin was the telephone. Not only letters, even New Year cards have become passé, which in a way is a good thing, since it saves the lives of trees! Another advantage that the Internet has is that it is free, and long-winded people don’t have to spend extra money on postage stamps. So, one can blabber and waffle to his hearts content.
We are still staying in ABHIMAUR-VIKUM, in Palam Vihar, where we moved in May 2004. My daughter, Mauravi and her family stay with us on the ground floor, while my son Abhimanyu is on the first floor, with his wife Jasmine, and their two children, Bhuvanyu and Khushi, who are 4 and 2 ½ respectively. Mauravi’s two girls - Mriggya and Eshaana – are 4 and 2 years old respectively. Mauravi gave up her job with Lufthansa about six months ago, as she wanted to spend more time with her children. Bhuvanyu and Mriggya have started going to school, and are in the same class – Nursery – in DPS, Sushant Lok. Abhimanyu is still running his company, Trinity Education Services, but has recently moved from Saket to Kalkaji, a precautionary move necessitated by the sealing drive. We lost one member of the family when Sophia, our Golden Retriever passed way. She was almost 14 years old, and her time had come. But is was a shock to everyone, and many eyes in the house remained wet for some time. Misha, the Dalmatian, is also 11 years old, and has started showing signs of age. We hope she will be with us at least for a couple of years. Red, the Irish setter, is 9 years old, but still quite active.
The second volume of the History of the Corp of Signals, covering the period 1939 to 1947, on which I had been working for the last four years was released in February 2006 during the Signals Reunion at Jabalpur. My earlier book, entitled Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers, which was published 2005, is doing well – it had to be re-printed. I am now working on a USI project – The Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement. I hope to finish it by August 2007. Another book – I will not reveal the title now – is with the publisher and should be out in 3-4 months. Kumud keeps herself busy with the house, the grand children and the garden, especially her beautiful Bonsais and potted plants. Both of us spend a lot of time doing ‘pranayama’ and yoga, courtesy Baba Ramdev’s programmes on TV. It has helped us – my BP and sugar levels have come down, and so has Kumud’s cholesterol.
A notable event was my trip to China in October. For company I had Sukesh Jain – we have been course-mates, room-mates and co-drivers in the Himalayan Rally. (Kumud declined, and opted to spend her share of the air ticket on shopping). We were able to see Beijing and Shanghai. Due to some problems with the flights, we could not go to Xian, but spent a day visiting Zhu Jia Jao, an old water town near Shanghai. The trip changed our outlook about China.
That about sums up the events of 2006. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Newsletter 2011
VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2011
Dear Friends,
It has been an eventful year, full of joy and sorrow. On balance, perhaps the downswings were more numerous than the upswings. But I take heart from the knowledge that in a roller coaster, the start and finish points are at the same level, irrespective of the number of times one goes up or down. This year, the Dam Busters (26the NDA Course) have been added to the list of addressees. Since some of them may not have received my previous newsletters, I will give a bit of past history, as I go along. Of course, all of you can read all the newsletters on my blog http://veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com/.
As can be imagined, the activity that takes up much of my time, energy and finances, as it has done for the last four years, are the court cases associated with my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), which was published in June 2007. I wrote the book to highlight the serious lacunae that exist in our premier intelligence agency, such as corruption, indiscipline, malfeasance and lack of leadership. For ‘blowing the whistle’, I was charged with revealing ‘secret’ information in my book, and the CBI promptly slapped a case under the Official Secrets Act against me. Though I was never arrested, officially I am on bail and the case is yet to start. There are a slew of associated cases in the High Court and lower courts, including many filed by me, requesting for similar action against the authors of books and articles that I have used as reference material for my book. Just for the record, during 2011 there were 39 hearings in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, 8 in the High Court and three in the Information Commission. I cannot even hazard a guess when it will all end. Though I have not been found guilty, and God willing, will never be, the punishment has already started. Rajiv Dhawan, a senior supreme court lawyer, summed it up very succinctly in his piece titled Stop the Prosecution of Maj Gen VK Singh in the Mail Today of April 19, 2008, when he wrote:“Major General Singh will find out that the process is the punishment. He will spend the rest of his life and his savings to fight the criminal case. ... Singh will be punished by the process even if he wins his case.” Dhawan was right on both counts - I am not very far from the end of my life and almost near the end my savings.
Incidentally, the instances of corruption pointed out in the book have also been officially reported to the CVC and the CBI. Both have not even held an enquiry or investigation, let alone initiate prosecution. It just shows the clout RAW has in the corridors of power. Can there be a stronger argument for putting the CBI under the Lokpal?
The other major activity that took up a lot of my time was the History of the Corps of Signals, Volume III, covering the period 1947-72. The book was formally released during the centenary celebrations of the Corps in February at Jabalpur. But it has still not been printed because of problems associated with clearance by the military intelligence directorate. I had finished the manuscript in September 2010. Since then, it is going up and down, between three directorates – Signals, MI and MO. Initially, MI cleared the book only as a RESTRICTED publication, on the ground that the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations had still not been declassified. We told them that the History Division of the Ministry of Defence had already written the official histories of the histories of the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars. Though these had not been printed, they were available on the website of Bharat Rakshak. But they were still not convinced and asked us to remove all references to war diaries and official records. We did this, but they were still not happy, and sent it to MO, for their opinion. As was to be expected, MO refused to clear it.
Then there was an unexpected windfall. A book titled The India-Pakistan War of 1965: A History, was published by Natraj Publishers, Dehradun. Except for some cosmetic changes, the book was a verbatim reproduction of the official 1965 history produced by the History Division in 1992. The copyright was in the name of the Ministry of Defence and the first page mentions that the book has been published on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. I went across to the History Division and tried to find out how this had come about. I came to know that Boards of Officers conducted in 2005 had downgraded the war diaries pertaining to the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations, in order to facilitate the publication of the book. Armed with this information, we again took up the matter with MI and MO. They told us that they were not aware of this development, even though the boards had members from MI as well as MO! As on date, the book has still not been cleared. If it is printed as a RESTRICTED document, no veteran can keep a copy and that includes the author. After my brush with RAW, I would not like to add MI to my list of prosecutors.
The other area of concern is the problems connected with my health. In May this year I had to spend 16 days in hospital, where I had gone to get an abscess removed on the side of my chest. It was later found that one my ribs had been eaten away. There were two likely culprits – cancer and tuberculosis. A biopsy revealed that it was the latter, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. I was promptly put on ATT, a nine month course which will end in February. Till then, I will remain a teetotaller.
In September, I suffered a back injury on a roller coaster in Disneyland in Paris, when I tried to emulate my grand children. Fortunately, I was able to find a good orthopaedic belt which sustained me on the return flight to India. Several rounds of physiotherapy – SWD, IFT and ultra sound - did wonders and I was I was back on my feet after about four weeks. But the worst was still to come. Even while I was getting my back treated, I found some loss of vision in my right eye, in which a cataract had been removed about a year back. I went to RR Hospital, where I was told that there had a haemorrhage in my retina. I was given a Lucentis injection, followed by a second one after 4 weeks followed by laser scatter after another 4 weeks. There has not been much improvement, and I have to go back after 4-6 weeks. I had also gone to Centre for Sight and Shroff Clinic for a second opinion, and they endorsed the treatment already given. Dr Darius Shroff was quite candid - he told me that there may be some improvement, but it will not return to normal. I suspect this was also a result of the roller coaster ride.
Another tragedy that occurred was a death in the family. My wife’s nephew, Major Aditya Singh, died in Srinagar on 5th November. (His father, Colonel Jitendra Singh, who retired a few years ago, had to get his leg amputated after an operation in Apollo Hospital a few years ago). His body was brought to Delhi on 7th and the funeral held in Jaipur on 8th. He left behind a young wife and four year old son. Almost at the same time, my brother-in-law, Colonel Abhai Singh (the golfer) was diagnosed with blocks in all the arteries in his heart. He underwent bypass surgery at Escorts even as we were attending the funeral in Jaipur.
This year, we could not go on our annual sojourn to the hills. But this was more than made up by the trip to East Europe in September. There were seven of us – my wife and I, my daughter, son-in-law, their two children and my son-in-law’s mother. The countries we planned to visit were Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The duration was to be two weeks. Subsequently, Poland was dropped and Paris added to the list because the kids wanted to see Disneyland. The final itinerary was Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague and Paris. Naturally, the most important consideration was the cost, which we agreed should not exceed one lakh rupees per person, including all expenses such as air fare, visa fees, cost of train/coach travel, hotel expenses, food, sightseeing and local transport.
We got quotes from almost all well known travel operators in India (Thomas Cook, SOTC, Make My Trip, Carnation) and abroad (Globus, Cosmos, ITBC, WWD and Gate). In our budgeted cost, the maximum we were able to get was 7-8 days. Finally, we decided on a do-it-yourself holiday. Having already done a back packers’ trip to Europe almost 25 years back, I was sure it would work out. Of course, we were younger then, and there were no children. At the end of the trip, when we calculated the cost, we were pleasantly surprised. The expenditure per adult was Rs. 80,000 while for the children, it was around 60,000. If we had excluded Paris, perhaps it would have been even lesser.
How did we manage this? First, we stayed in Youth Hostels, instead of hotels. The International Youth Hostels Association, now known as Hostels International, has hostels in every major city in Europe. For a family, this is the ideal option as one can get a room with 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 beds. The rooms have bunk beds (the children loved it), with some having attached toilets. Breakfast is usually provided. One can become a member of Hostels International by paying just Rs 100 for a year. One can make reservations on the net, by paying just 5% of the cost by credit card, with the balance being paid on arrival. If the reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours in advance, the reservation fee is refunded. This is a boon, when one considers that travel agents rarely refund the booking amounts at short notice.
We were a party of seven, which included two children. If we could not get a room with 6 or 7 beds, we were given two rooms, one with 3 and the other with 4 beds or 2 and 5 bed respectively. The average cost was about Rs. 1000 per person per day. One cannot get a room in a hotel for this price. The other good thing about hostels is the informal atmosphere and facilities. One can use the kitchen to cook his own food or brew tea/coffee, use the washing machine to wash clothes and there is usually a bar and restaurant where the food is not expensive. The persons manning the hostels are usually students who are ever ready to give advice and tips about the city, including free sightseeing tours.
For inter-city travel, we used the rail network, using the East Europe Rail Pass, which offers 5 days of unlimited travel on the national rail networks of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia and is valid for one month from the date of first use. The cost of the pass is Rs. 10,000, with children paying half this amount. Reservation charges have to be paid in addition. However, our experience was that this is not essential, except in the holiday season. In fact, when I went to make a reservation at Budapest, the girl at the counter waved me off, telling me that it is not necessary!
Almost all cities have an excellent transport network, comprising the metro, bus, and tram. The best option is to buy a three or four day travel card, which is valid for all modes of transport. One needs to carry a map, so that one knows where exactly he has to change from one mode to the other. Of course, the HI Hostel sent us detailed instructions on how to reach the hostel from the airport, rail station or bus terminus.
One area where one can save a lot of money is the airfare, which varies from day to day. Sometimes, an open jaw ticket costs less than a return ticket. This is exactly what we did –we flew to Vienna by Royal Jordanian and returned from Paris, using the same airline.
Naturally, sightseeing was the whole purpose of the trip. Almost every city has free walking tours, which last 2-3 hours. These are usually conducted 2 or 3 times a day, starting from the city centre or a prominent landmark. The guides are normally students, who volunteer for the work to earn some extra money. The tours are free, but the guides do not mind a small tip. Another option is the hop on hop off bus. These have a fixed fare, and stop at major tourist spots. One can get on and off anywhere and at any time. We found conducted tours by coach not only expensive, but the buses could not enter the narrow streets of the old town, where the best monuments were located.
Another important event was the Dam Busters’ Golden Jubilee Reunion, at Khadakvasla, from 5 - 7 December. (The 26th NDA course, to which I belong, joined the NDA on 12th July 1961, the day the Khadakvasla dam broke, flooding large parts of Poona. Ever since, our course is known as the dam busters). There were almost 150 of us at the Reunion, including about 60 spouses. Preparations had begun more than a year earlier, and everything went off like clockwork. My job was to make the brochure, which I accepted in a moment of weakness. I later realised that it took up a lot of my time, which I could ill afford, keeping in mind my legal and medical problems. Just before I left for Poona I had another scare- there was a sudden pain in my chest. A visit to the nearest hospital revealed some aberration in my ECG, and I was advised admission. I got another ECG done in the ECHS clinic after a few hours, where the result was the same. We compared them with ECGs done several years earlier and found that the problem was not new. So I decided to go ahead with the trip to Poona. On my return I consulted a cardiologist who did a stress echo test, before clearing me. I still have not been able to find out the reason for the pain, which lasted for 4-5 days.
We are still staying in Gurgaon, in Palam Vihar. My son Abhimanyu, his wife Jasmine and their two children, Bhuvanyu (9) and Khushi (7) live on the first floor. They have shifted from DPS to Sun City School. My daughter Mauravi has shifted from Ikon Tower to Hextex Commune. Her two daughters, Mriggya (9) and Eshaana (7) go to the American Excelsior School which is located nearby. Her hubby, Vaibhav is in the merchant navy and is presently sailing. Mauravi and the kids usually come over to Palam Vihar on Friday evening after the children return from school. With the onset of winter, we have resumed the practice of Sunday family outings. This month, we visited Jantar Mantar, Lotus Temple, the Rose Garden and the Deer Park.
There is little change in our routine. I go to the gym in the DSOI, which is a stone’s throw from my house, at 0645, returning at 0730 or so. Kumud goes at 0830 and returns only when the gym closes at 1000. By this time I have gone through my newspapers, had my bath and my breakfast and am ready to leave for Signals Enclave, where the Corps History Cell is located or to the hospital or on some other errand. On the days I have a court hearing, I have to give the gym a miss. The Ansal Plaza is next door and Kumud religiously watches every movie that is released, irrespective of the star grading. After Mauravi moved out, we had two rooms to spare, and have begun to let them out to working girls as paying guests. It keeps Kumud occupied and gives her some company, especially when I am not at home.
I think I must end this here before all of you doze off. I can almost hear some of you stifling a yawn. I am sorry for the long letter, but there are some things which one must get off one’s chest.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017
Tele: 0124- 4074077, 9873494521, 9810618599, 9899110913
20th December 2011
Dear Friends,
It has been an eventful year, full of joy and sorrow. On balance, perhaps the downswings were more numerous than the upswings. But I take heart from the knowledge that in a roller coaster, the start and finish points are at the same level, irrespective of the number of times one goes up or down. This year, the Dam Busters (26the NDA Course) have been added to the list of addressees. Since some of them may not have received my previous newsletters, I will give a bit of past history, as I go along. Of course, all of you can read all the newsletters on my blog http://veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com/.
As can be imagined, the activity that takes up much of my time, energy and finances, as it has done for the last four years, are the court cases associated with my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), which was published in June 2007. I wrote the book to highlight the serious lacunae that exist in our premier intelligence agency, such as corruption, indiscipline, malfeasance and lack of leadership. For ‘blowing the whistle’, I was charged with revealing ‘secret’ information in my book, and the CBI promptly slapped a case under the Official Secrets Act against me. Though I was never arrested, officially I am on bail and the case is yet to start. There are a slew of associated cases in the High Court and lower courts, including many filed by me, requesting for similar action against the authors of books and articles that I have used as reference material for my book. Just for the record, during 2011 there were 39 hearings in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, 8 in the High Court and three in the Information Commission. I cannot even hazard a guess when it will all end. Though I have not been found guilty, and God willing, will never be, the punishment has already started. Rajiv Dhawan, a senior supreme court lawyer, summed it up very succinctly in his piece titled Stop the Prosecution of Maj Gen VK Singh in the Mail Today of April 19, 2008, when he wrote:“Major General Singh will find out that the process is the punishment. He will spend the rest of his life and his savings to fight the criminal case. ... Singh will be punished by the process even if he wins his case.” Dhawan was right on both counts - I am not very far from the end of my life and almost near the end my savings.
Incidentally, the instances of corruption pointed out in the book have also been officially reported to the CVC and the CBI. Both have not even held an enquiry or investigation, let alone initiate prosecution. It just shows the clout RAW has in the corridors of power. Can there be a stronger argument for putting the CBI under the Lokpal?
The other major activity that took up a lot of my time was the History of the Corps of Signals, Volume III, covering the period 1947-72. The book was formally released during the centenary celebrations of the Corps in February at Jabalpur. But it has still not been printed because of problems associated with clearance by the military intelligence directorate. I had finished the manuscript in September 2010. Since then, it is going up and down, between three directorates – Signals, MI and MO. Initially, MI cleared the book only as a RESTRICTED publication, on the ground that the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations had still not been declassified. We told them that the History Division of the Ministry of Defence had already written the official histories of the histories of the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars. Though these had not been printed, they were available on the website of Bharat Rakshak. But they were still not convinced and asked us to remove all references to war diaries and official records. We did this, but they were still not happy, and sent it to MO, for their opinion. As was to be expected, MO refused to clear it.
Then there was an unexpected windfall. A book titled The India-Pakistan War of 1965: A History, was published by Natraj Publishers, Dehradun. Except for some cosmetic changes, the book was a verbatim reproduction of the official 1965 history produced by the History Division in 1992. The copyright was in the name of the Ministry of Defence and the first page mentions that the book has been published on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. I went across to the History Division and tried to find out how this had come about. I came to know that Boards of Officers conducted in 2005 had downgraded the war diaries pertaining to the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations, in order to facilitate the publication of the book. Armed with this information, we again took up the matter with MI and MO. They told us that they were not aware of this development, even though the boards had members from MI as well as MO! As on date, the book has still not been cleared. If it is printed as a RESTRICTED document, no veteran can keep a copy and that includes the author. After my brush with RAW, I would not like to add MI to my list of prosecutors.
The other area of concern is the problems connected with my health. In May this year I had to spend 16 days in hospital, where I had gone to get an abscess removed on the side of my chest. It was later found that one my ribs had been eaten away. There were two likely culprits – cancer and tuberculosis. A biopsy revealed that it was the latter, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. I was promptly put on ATT, a nine month course which will end in February. Till then, I will remain a teetotaller.
In September, I suffered a back injury on a roller coaster in Disneyland in Paris, when I tried to emulate my grand children. Fortunately, I was able to find a good orthopaedic belt which sustained me on the return flight to India. Several rounds of physiotherapy – SWD, IFT and ultra sound - did wonders and I was I was back on my feet after about four weeks. But the worst was still to come. Even while I was getting my back treated, I found some loss of vision in my right eye, in which a cataract had been removed about a year back. I went to RR Hospital, where I was told that there had a haemorrhage in my retina. I was given a Lucentis injection, followed by a second one after 4 weeks followed by laser scatter after another 4 weeks. There has not been much improvement, and I have to go back after 4-6 weeks. I had also gone to Centre for Sight and Shroff Clinic for a second opinion, and they endorsed the treatment already given. Dr Darius Shroff was quite candid - he told me that there may be some improvement, but it will not return to normal. I suspect this was also a result of the roller coaster ride.
Another tragedy that occurred was a death in the family. My wife’s nephew, Major Aditya Singh, died in Srinagar on 5th November. (His father, Colonel Jitendra Singh, who retired a few years ago, had to get his leg amputated after an operation in Apollo Hospital a few years ago). His body was brought to Delhi on 7th and the funeral held in Jaipur on 8th. He left behind a young wife and four year old son. Almost at the same time, my brother-in-law, Colonel Abhai Singh (the golfer) was diagnosed with blocks in all the arteries in his heart. He underwent bypass surgery at Escorts even as we were attending the funeral in Jaipur.
This year, we could not go on our annual sojourn to the hills. But this was more than made up by the trip to East Europe in September. There were seven of us – my wife and I, my daughter, son-in-law, their two children and my son-in-law’s mother. The countries we planned to visit were Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The duration was to be two weeks. Subsequently, Poland was dropped and Paris added to the list because the kids wanted to see Disneyland. The final itinerary was Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague and Paris. Naturally, the most important consideration was the cost, which we agreed should not exceed one lakh rupees per person, including all expenses such as air fare, visa fees, cost of train/coach travel, hotel expenses, food, sightseeing and local transport.
We got quotes from almost all well known travel operators in India (Thomas Cook, SOTC, Make My Trip, Carnation) and abroad (Globus, Cosmos, ITBC, WWD and Gate). In our budgeted cost, the maximum we were able to get was 7-8 days. Finally, we decided on a do-it-yourself holiday. Having already done a back packers’ trip to Europe almost 25 years back, I was sure it would work out. Of course, we were younger then, and there were no children. At the end of the trip, when we calculated the cost, we were pleasantly surprised. The expenditure per adult was Rs. 80,000 while for the children, it was around 60,000. If we had excluded Paris, perhaps it would have been even lesser.
How did we manage this? First, we stayed in Youth Hostels, instead of hotels. The International Youth Hostels Association, now known as Hostels International, has hostels in every major city in Europe. For a family, this is the ideal option as one can get a room with 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 beds. The rooms have bunk beds (the children loved it), with some having attached toilets. Breakfast is usually provided. One can become a member of Hostels International by paying just Rs 100 for a year. One can make reservations on the net, by paying just 5% of the cost by credit card, with the balance being paid on arrival. If the reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours in advance, the reservation fee is refunded. This is a boon, when one considers that travel agents rarely refund the booking amounts at short notice.
We were a party of seven, which included two children. If we could not get a room with 6 or 7 beds, we were given two rooms, one with 3 and the other with 4 beds or 2 and 5 bed respectively. The average cost was about Rs. 1000 per person per day. One cannot get a room in a hotel for this price. The other good thing about hostels is the informal atmosphere and facilities. One can use the kitchen to cook his own food or brew tea/coffee, use the washing machine to wash clothes and there is usually a bar and restaurant where the food is not expensive. The persons manning the hostels are usually students who are ever ready to give advice and tips about the city, including free sightseeing tours.
For inter-city travel, we used the rail network, using the East Europe Rail Pass, which offers 5 days of unlimited travel on the national rail networks of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia and is valid for one month from the date of first use. The cost of the pass is Rs. 10,000, with children paying half this amount. Reservation charges have to be paid in addition. However, our experience was that this is not essential, except in the holiday season. In fact, when I went to make a reservation at Budapest, the girl at the counter waved me off, telling me that it is not necessary!
Almost all cities have an excellent transport network, comprising the metro, bus, and tram. The best option is to buy a three or four day travel card, which is valid for all modes of transport. One needs to carry a map, so that one knows where exactly he has to change from one mode to the other. Of course, the HI Hostel sent us detailed instructions on how to reach the hostel from the airport, rail station or bus terminus.
One area where one can save a lot of money is the airfare, which varies from day to day. Sometimes, an open jaw ticket costs less than a return ticket. This is exactly what we did –we flew to Vienna by Royal Jordanian and returned from Paris, using the same airline.
Naturally, sightseeing was the whole purpose of the trip. Almost every city has free walking tours, which last 2-3 hours. These are usually conducted 2 or 3 times a day, starting from the city centre or a prominent landmark. The guides are normally students, who volunteer for the work to earn some extra money. The tours are free, but the guides do not mind a small tip. Another option is the hop on hop off bus. These have a fixed fare, and stop at major tourist spots. One can get on and off anywhere and at any time. We found conducted tours by coach not only expensive, but the buses could not enter the narrow streets of the old town, where the best monuments were located.
Another important event was the Dam Busters’ Golden Jubilee Reunion, at Khadakvasla, from 5 - 7 December. (The 26th NDA course, to which I belong, joined the NDA on 12th July 1961, the day the Khadakvasla dam broke, flooding large parts of Poona. Ever since, our course is known as the dam busters). There were almost 150 of us at the Reunion, including about 60 spouses. Preparations had begun more than a year earlier, and everything went off like clockwork. My job was to make the brochure, which I accepted in a moment of weakness. I later realised that it took up a lot of my time, which I could ill afford, keeping in mind my legal and medical problems. Just before I left for Poona I had another scare- there was a sudden pain in my chest. A visit to the nearest hospital revealed some aberration in my ECG, and I was advised admission. I got another ECG done in the ECHS clinic after a few hours, where the result was the same. We compared them with ECGs done several years earlier and found that the problem was not new. So I decided to go ahead with the trip to Poona. On my return I consulted a cardiologist who did a stress echo test, before clearing me. I still have not been able to find out the reason for the pain, which lasted for 4-5 days.
We are still staying in Gurgaon, in Palam Vihar. My son Abhimanyu, his wife Jasmine and their two children, Bhuvanyu (9) and Khushi (7) live on the first floor. They have shifted from DPS to Sun City School. My daughter Mauravi has shifted from Ikon Tower to Hextex Commune. Her two daughters, Mriggya (9) and Eshaana (7) go to the American Excelsior School which is located nearby. Her hubby, Vaibhav is in the merchant navy and is presently sailing. Mauravi and the kids usually come over to Palam Vihar on Friday evening after the children return from school. With the onset of winter, we have resumed the practice of Sunday family outings. This month, we visited Jantar Mantar, Lotus Temple, the Rose Garden and the Deer Park.
There is little change in our routine. I go to the gym in the DSOI, which is a stone’s throw from my house, at 0645, returning at 0730 or so. Kumud goes at 0830 and returns only when the gym closes at 1000. By this time I have gone through my newspapers, had my bath and my breakfast and am ready to leave for Signals Enclave, where the Corps History Cell is located or to the hospital or on some other errand. On the days I have a court hearing, I have to give the gym a miss. The Ansal Plaza is next door and Kumud religiously watches every movie that is released, irrespective of the star grading. After Mauravi moved out, we had two rooms to spare, and have begun to let them out to working girls as paying guests. It keeps Kumud occupied and gives her some company, especially when I am not at home.
I think I must end this here before all of you doze off. I can almost hear some of you stifling a yawn. I am sorry for the long letter, but there are some things which one must get off one’s chest.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017
Tele: 0124- 4074077, 9873494521, 9810618599, 9899110913
20th December 2011
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