VEEKAY’S
NEWSLETTER -2020
Dear Friends,
The year 2020 has been the
most extraordinary and unpredictable of our lives. The Corona virus has
literally transformed the World, affecting almost everyone and everything. Who
could have ever imagined that there will be a day when we cannot hug and kiss even
our family members and close friends? Throughout our lives, we recognised
colleagues, co-workers and neighbours by seeing their faces, which are now
hidden by the mask. Even their voices are muffled. Children can’t sit next to
their mates in a class room or play with them in the park. Except for those who
perform manual labour in farms and factories, white collar workers now see the
faces of their supervisors and colleagues only on a computer screen or their
smart phones. The housewife can no longer haggle with the vegetable or fish
vendor and everything is now purchased online. The joy of window shopping,
seeing movies on a large screen and hearing live music at a concert is
gone. Senior citizens miss the time they spent walking
and chatting with old friends in the park. With the news of the vaccines being
developed and likely to be available soon, all this may soon end.
But all this is known to everyone. A newsletter must have
something that is not known to one and all. As I had mentioned in my last
newsletter, the case concerning my book about RAW that was published in 2007 is
still going on. After the CBI filed a charge sheet in the court of the CMM, we
filed an application in the Delhi High Court in 2008 to quash the proceedings. Arguments
had been closed and the judgement reserved on 11th August 2017. Surprisingly,
the judgement has still not been issued, even after more than three years. In
the last hearing held on 7th February 2020 my counsel Prashant
Bhushan had requested the judge to issue the order, but the request was denied
and the case adjourned. Due to the
lockdown, there have been no subsequent hearings in the High Court. The proceedings
in the court of the CMM has been stayed, and hearings are held by video conferencing.
Naturally only adjournments are given. The lesser said about our judicial
system the better.
As regards the other cases filed in the Consumer
Commission and RERA, I had given a brief outline in my previous newsletters so
I will not repeat them here. Due to the Pandemic there has been no progress in
any of them and things stand where they were a year ago. But the lockdowns have
also affected several activities that were considered routine until early this
year. Even the monthly visits to the ECHS clinic and the canteen have been
curtailed, due to risk of infection. Visits to malls, shopping centres and
restaurants are all on the banned list. For family events such as birthdays and
anniversaries no outside guests are invited and food is usually cooked at home.
Local travel by cab is also avoided. The only way to move around on essential
visits is your own car. Due to health reasons I usually don’t drive except for
short trips in Palam Vihar itself. For the last several years I have been
hiring a driver on a daily basis, especially for trips to the court or outstation
journeys. Now even that is avoided and I take the help of a family member. With
almost everyone in family including two of the grandchildren now able to drive,
there is no dearth of volunteers for this chore.
The problems related to my health seem to be
multiplying. Fortunately I have not had any major afflictions like many others of
my age. Apart from the problems associated with my back and my eyes, the new
one added in 2019 was BPPV (benign
paroxysmal positional vertigo). The first attack came in the middle of the
night on 22 November 2019. The second one was on 25 March 2020, again at night.
On both occasions I had got up to have a glass of water. As advised by the ENT
specialist as well as the Neurologist I tried to do some exercises such as the
Hall and Pike and Epley manoeuvres but these only seemed to aggravate the
problem. So I gave it up and now take Vertin tablets whenever required. I was
told that this form of vertigo goes away on its own, but one has to be careful while
it lasts. The important thing is to avoid sudden turns of the head. Even if you
have to turn your body, it has to be done very slowly. With the gym in the DSOI
closed since March, I have resumed my morning walks on a deserted stretch of
the road near my house or in the park. But I find that my walking speed is
quite slow, unlike what I could do on the treadmill in the gym.
I thought that the weakness and giddiness that
I felt was entirely due to the BPPV. Then on 30th October something strange
happened. At about 0830 I had just returned from my morning walk and was
sitting on a chair in the sun doing pranayam
when I suddenly felt weak and giddy. My wife and son helped me to the bed
where I lay down. I had got all my tests done about four years back in Medanta,
which revealed that I have a deficiency of salt. Kumud reminded me of this and I spoke to the medical specialist in the ECHS
clinic who has been treating me for the last 10-15 years. He advised me to get
the tests done again. Sure enough, there was a deficiency of sodium chloride
and Vitamin D. For the last couple of years, we had been using rock salt
instead of common salt. After I spoke to the doctor, he advised me to take Tata
salt and Vitamin D supplement - Calcerol sachets once week for three months. I
started these immediately and the results were remarkable. The weakness
gradually reduced and I was able to walk around at my normal pace.
Our NDC course has been having a monthly get
together since 1994. It is in the form of a lunch hosted by members in turn usually
on the first weekend of the month, either at his home or in a mess or club.
This has been going on for 25 years without a break. To celebrate the Silver
Jubilee we had planned a more elaborate affair in the form of an outstation
trip to a holiday resort. It was to be held sometime in November or December
2019 but had to be postponed by a few months. With common consensus it was
decided to visit Jaipur and Samode. Almost all members and their better halves,
including those staying in other cities agreed to attend. Using different modes
of transport, we congregated at the ITC Rajputana in Jaipur on the evening of
19 February. Some of us were meeting after almost 25 years and there was a lot
of hugging and back slapping. After cocktails and a fabulous dinner we broke
off quite late and retired for the night. Almost everyone stayed at the hotel
itself, except those who had close relatives in Jaipur. This included me –
Kumud is from Jaipur. Though she did not accompany me on the trip, I had to
spend the night in her house, like a dutiful son-in-law.
Next morning we went in two buses to Samode,
which is located about 40 Km from Jaipur. We had planned a short visit to Chomu
also but had to drop it since it would have delayed our return to Jaipur in the
evening. Reaching Samode at about 1130 we spent about an hour going around the
fort and palace, which is now a heritage hotel. I had visited Samode several
times earlier with my father-in-law and other members of the family. I might mention here that Kumud is from Chomu
which has close links with Samode, both being fiefs of the Nathawat Rajputs. Here a brief introduction to the Samode and Chomu
would be in order.
Chomu and Samode are kotris (principalities)
of the princely state of Jaipur. Both
are held by the Nathawat branch of
the Kachwaha clan, which claims
descent from Kush, the second son of Lord Rama. The Kachwaha dynasty established its rule in Dhoondar or Amber (later
Jaipur) in early 13th Century after defeating the Meenas. Around 1600 AD, Prithviraj, who then ruled Amber gave each of his 12
surviving sons his own fief (kotri)
to rule. The third son, Nathoo, was assigned Chomu, his descendants being known
as Nathawats. The family has, since
then, had a very illustrious military tradition. Having proved his mettle in
various battles, the ruler of Chomu was appointed to command the vanguard of
the Jaipur army and the first seat on
the right-hand side of the Maharaja was granted to him in Durbar – a privilege
he enjoyed till amalgamation of Jaipur into the Indian republic in 1947.
According to James Tod, the Political Agent to the Western Rajput States and
author of Annals and Antiquities of
Raja’sthan, in early 19th Century Chomu was the largest of the
12 kotris, contributing the maximum
revenue and the largest personal quota of horsemen to the ruler of Jaipur.
Chomu and Samode being held by the same clan, they have
always had very close links, the ruler of one often adopting the son of the
other if he did not have a son of his own. Kumud’s grandfather Th. Devi Singh
also gave his eldest son Sangram Singh in adoption to Samode, while the second
son Raj Singh inherited Chomu. Sangram Singh’s grandsons now run the Samode
Palace hotel and Samode Bagh resort. Kumud’s father Th. Bharat Singh was the
seventh son of Th. Devi Singh (the 5th was Lt Gen K Umrao Singh, the
GOC 33 Corps in 1962 who disagreed with Gen LP Sen when orders were issued to
throw out the Chinese, leading to NEFA being taken out of his command and
placed under the newly created 4 Corps; the 6th was Maj Gen K
Bhagwati Singh, IC-1, whose son Madhvendra Singh became CNS).
In Kumud’s absence, I had to brief the others regarding the
history of Samode and Chomu. After visiting the Fort and Palace, we moved to Samode
Bagh for lunch. It is a beautiful resort with luxurious tented accommodation
for guests. The management had permitted us to bring our own drinks. So after a
couple of beers we had a sumptuous lunch for which the menu had been given by
us earlier. Since some members wanted to do some shopping in Jaipur we started
back at around 1530, reaching Jaipur at 1630.
In the evening we again assembled in the ITC Rajputana for
drinks and dinner. There was a lot of singing interspersed with jokes and
stories to keep us entertained. We finally broke up just before midnight. Since
this was to be our last evening in Jaipur, everyone wanted it to last forever. Next
morning we checked out from the hotel and everyone left for home, some catching
flights and some by road in their cars or cabs. I was in a bus that we had
hired from Delhi. After a short break en route for lunch, we reached Gurgaon at
about 1600, where some of us debussed, the rest going on to Delhi.
As it happened, our Jaipur trip was just in the
nick of time. Less than a month later on 15th March COVID-19 was
declared a National Disaster. Schools, courts, restaurants, clubs etc. were
closed and the series of lockdowns started. Life turned topsy-turvy and the
sense of fear and panic started creeping in. The alarming number of deaths in
India and around the World left us aghast.
Whenever one heard of the passing
away of a family member, close friend or colleague, it naturally caused a lot
of tension. One could not even attend the last rites of those we loved and
cherished and the anguish was only compounded by the uncertainty of a vaccine
being found soon enough. Knowing that the elderly and those with other
afflictions are the most vulnerable, we had to be more vigilant than others. Naturally,
precautions such as social distancing, regular washing of hands and wearing
masks became a part of our lives.
Though there is encouraging news about vaccines
being developed by several countries, it may take a couple of years before
everyone gets it. The other problems facing the country are not abating.
Millions lost their jobs and thousands their lives due to the lockdown,
triggering a migration that lasted for several months. The security scenario is
another cause for worry, with relations with China, Pakistan and now even Nepal
worsening by the day. The massive protest by farmers against the new laws does
not seem to be losing steam and only God can help us if it turns violent.
On a personal level, I find that lives of
veterans is becoming difficult with each passing day. The peace and tranquillity
that one looked forward to after retirement is missing. Almost every day, one
gets a shock when a new card is introduced or a new form is to be filled. The
retired officers’ identity card is not enough- now you need additional ones from
the DIAV and the Zila Sainik Board. The ECHS card has already caused a lot of
worry. For some reason the original card was replaced by a 32 KB card. Now this
is to be replaced by a 64 KB card because it had a validity of 10 years. Why
does it have to have a validity at all? If it had to be renewed why can it not
be done in the clinic itself like the Canteen Cards? And why should you have to pay for it? The
worst is that all these cards are to be collected in person, even if you are 90
years old or disabled. If credit cards, Aadhaar cards, Voter ID cards and
passports can be delivered by post, what is the problem with our Veterans
Cards, ECHS cards and ZSB cards? My veterans’ card is lying in the Station HQ
for several months. My new ECHS card has not been made even though almost a
year has expired since I applied for it. I still have not applied for a ZSB
card. As is well known, ZSBs are manned by civilians and function under the
civil government, unlike the Station HQ which are manned by uniformed personnel
and come under Area HQ. Then why change the system? The latest is the high
security number plate and colour coded fuel sticker for the car. I had got the
number plate and the fast tag sticker when I bought the car early this year,
but at that time there was no colour coded fuel sticker. Now the traffic police in Delhi is issuing challans if you don’t have the sticker.
Again, you have to pay for it.
I think
these are all examples of the brother-in-law syndrome, which I prefer to call
the Vadra syndrome. This has been happening since long in various government departments
and PSUs. When a person in authority wants to oblige a relative or close friend
he will place orders for unnecessary purchases which are not needed. Even if a
tender is floated, the specifications are tailored in a manner that only the
favoured vendor can fulfil them. I saw several instances of this in RAW, where
equipment purchased years ago was lying in unopened crates and had to be
written off. I have given several examples of this in my book.
The
Pandemic has had another effect – it has added several words to our vocabulary.
New professions and callings such as Instagrammer and You Tuber are now part of
our lingo, especially on some TV channels. The new system of working from home
has added another word to our lexicon - Workcation. Many office workers now combine
work with a vacation and move to a place in the hills or near the sea where
they can work and also have a family vacation. This way, you avoid the
pollution and other problems in big cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon or Hyderabad.
The locals have been quick to cash in on the new opportunity and small cottages
have come up all over the hills as well as near beach resorts. All that you
need is a place to stay, eat and 24/7 internet connectivity. In the years to
come the Workcation may become a way of life for most white collar workers.
On
a personal level, what pains me most of all is the distortion of military
history. A book titled “Watershed 1967 -
India’s Forgotten Victory over China” has
recently been published. The author is Probal Das Gupta, a former Army officer.
When I read the book, I was flabbergasted. The author has taken a lot of
material from some books and articles that I have written, without my
permission. What is worse, he has twisted facts and distorted events, high lighting
the role of his own battalion and totally ignoring that of others that were
involved in the battle. Surprisingly, this book was selected for a book
discussion during the Military Literature Festival held in Chandigarh from
18-20 December 2020. I have written a review article on the book which is
likely to be published soon in the USI Journal. I have already posted my
comments on my blog which can be read by clicking on the link http://veekay-militaryhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/.
We are still staying at Abhimaur
Vikum in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. Though two malls – Ansal Plaza and Global
Foyer – are located nearby, they have hardly any footfalls, thanks to the
Pandemic. The gym in the DSOI next door is closed, and my girth has increased
by at least two inches. My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife
Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (18) and Khushi (16), who go to the Sun
City School. Bhuvanyu had passed Class 12 this year and joined the College of
Vocational Studies in Delhi University. My daughter Mauravi and her hubby Vaibhav
are still living in Trinity near the DLF golf course. Their two daughters,
Mriggya (18) and Eshaana (16), study at the Kunskapsskolan School. Vaibhav, a
Captain in the Merchant Navy is presently on the high seas and will be coming
home only in January. Mriggya also
finished her schooling and has already changed several colleges. She had
initially joined Sophia in Mumbai about two months back, and started her online
classes. Once admissions were opened in Delhi she was admitted to Miranda
House. But she had to take Bengali as an additional language and was not too
happy with it. So she is exploring options like switching over to another
college. That process is still on.
There is lot that one can talk about but I think
I have already written more than I should have.
This is my fourteenth newsletter. Those
who wish to read the previous newsletters can do so by logging on to my blog veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com.
My second blog that contains chapters from my
books and articles on military history is veekay-militaryhistory.blogspot.com.
The third blog that has most of my articles is http://veekaysarticles.blogspot.com.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy
and Prosperous New Year.
Vinay and Kumud Singh
Tele: 0124-4074077
Mob: 9873494521, 9899110913
22nd December 2020
