Sunday, August 14, 2022
VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER – 11 AUGUST 2022
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2021
VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2021
Dear Friends,
Another year has ended. For some reason, days, weeks and months seem to be passing much faster than they did ten or twenty years ago. As one grows older and the final destination comes nearer, one wonders why the time when the journey will end remains unknown. When you travel in a train, car or aeroplane, you look forward to the end of the trip. In the journey of life, you don’t know when it will end, and thank God for it. I know people who are older than me who play 18 holes of golf, run in marathons and do sky diving. Only last week, my course mate Pramod Tembe took part in a para jump commemorating the para drop at Tangail in 1971.
Like 2020, this year has been severely impacted by COVID-19. And now another monster, Omicron, has appeared on the scene. Our lives will probably never be the same again. Perhaps the ones who are affected the most are the children. Schools and colleges are closed and classes are held online. What about the friendships that one built up and nurtured in school and college? The crushes of adolescent years; the pranks and games played with classmates and neighbours; sharing lunch boxes during breaks; the rendezvous in the college cafeteria; and the thrill of ragging the freshers - these will only be memories now. Times are a changing, and there is little we can do about it.
The year opened with the celebration of our golden wedding anniversary on 19th January. Thanks to the pandemic, we had to make do with a small get together at home, with the children and grandchildren. There was the mandatory cake and the birthday song, followed by some photographs. Kumud and I were wondering where the fifty years have gone. Most of it was spent in packing boxes for move to a new station; long journeys by train and road; admitting the kids to new schools; getting to know the neighbours; making new friends; etc. etc. There were many holidays and trekking trips in the hills; picnics and parties; weddings, births and deaths; and so much else.
Most of my earlier newsletters have been full of the problems associated with my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) published in 2007, which exposed the corruption in that organisation. Irked by the exposure, the spooks convinced the powers that be to slap a case against me under the Official Secrets Act of 1923. The Home and Law Ministries were reluctant to do this, since the book had not been banned.
The NSA, MK Narayanan, (he was an ex spook) was pressurized by Ashok Chaturvedi, the then Chief of RAW, to do this, on grounds of national security. I had filed a case in the High Court in 2008 to quash the proceedings. Arguments in the case were closed and the judgement reserved on 11th August 2017. But the order has still not been issued. This is in spite of an order of the Supreme Court that limits the time for issue of the judgment to six months after it is reserved. With judges in our country being accountable only to themselves, there is little one can do but wait.
Talking about the judiciary, I am sure some of you must have come across the term ‘in the interest of justice’ which is used in orders granting adjournments when one of the lawyers is absent or requests for an adjournment. This is prevalent in all courts of law as well as judicial forums such as the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forums and Commissions. In a case I had filed in the Consumer Forum in Gurgaon against Nissan Motors, their lawyer was absent for the first and second hearings. Finally, he gave a reply after several months. According to the Consumer Protection Act, the time limit is 30 days. This can be extended up to a maximum of 45 days provided sufficient justification is submitted. I pointed this out in written arguments submitted during the final hearing. However, my case was dismissed. In the order there was no mention of my arguments on the point of the time limit being exceeded.
I filed an appeal in the Haryana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Panchkula in 2019. Nobody from Nissan appeared in the first two hearings. In the third hearing my course mate Brig HS Chahal appeared on my behalf. Again, there was no one from Nissan. The President (he is an ex High Court judge) said that the case will be decided ex parte. However, the order reads “In the interest of justice, adjourned for 06.12.2019 for arguments”.
I attended the next hearing. The hearing was held in another court. A lawyer appeared and submitted a power of attorney on behalf of Nissan. I told the Chairman that the time limit for submitting the reply had already been exceeded. But again the order reads “In the interest of justice, adjourned for 08.04.2020 for arguments”.
Due to the pandemic the next hearing kept on getting postponed and took place on 29 Nov 2021. Brig Chahal appeared on my behalf. After the hearing he told me that nobody had appeared for Nissan. However, when I down loaded the order next day, I found that a lawyer was present and had requested for a date. Again, the order read “in the interest of justice, the case is adjourned for 07.04.2022 for arguments”. I was surprised and rang up the Secretary of the Commission. He could not explain how the order showed a lawyer for Nissan being present when actually he was absent. But I know how this happens, since this is not the first time. Lawyers usually grease the palm of the reader or court clerk who types out the order. The judge obviously does not remember what exactly happened and signs the order. The lawyer gets paid for every hearing, so he does not mind sharing a part of it with the court clerk.
Two things are brought out. The first is the angle of corruption mentioned above. The second is the one of accountability. The judges, knowing fully well that the case should not be heard in view of the time limits, still adjourn the case “in the interest of justice”. Should not the order read “in the interest of injustice?” The Consumer Protection Act was enacted to protect the rights of the consumer. Are the judges not violating the letter as well as the spirit of the law?
Another interesting case relates to the AWHO. I have mentioned something about it in my newsletters of 2009 and 2010. 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. At the next hearing, I mentioned this to the President, Justice JD Kapoor, who assured me that he would decide it in the next hearing, which he did. 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 of the State Commission that had been attached to the 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 of the National Commission, who was shocked. He said that this could not have been done without the involvement of his staff. 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. I subsequently filed an FIR with the Delhi Police, but nothing came out of it.
We got our COVAXIN doses in March and April. The second dose was administered on 10 Apr 2021 but the certificate shows the date as 16 April. How this happened is another story. We got the shots at the PHC in Palam Vihar, very close to my house. After the second dose, we did not receive any message. Col Anil Vaid who lives nearby had also got the second dose along with us. He walked across to the PHC and questioned them. Apparently they had not uploaded our test results. Finally, on 16 Apr we got the message and downloaded the test report. The date shown is 16 Apr, instead of 10 Apr, when it was actually administered. So much for the authenticity of our official records about the COVID vaccines.
Like many others of my age, I have been afflicted with medical problems for the last 20-30 years. I have been suffering from lumbar canal stenosis for many years. It all started with two fractures in my vertebrae in 1965 while doing PT during the YOs course. I was taken to the MI room within 15 minutes of the injury. The MO felt that all YOs are ‘shammers’, and prescribed APC and heat treatment for a week. He did not even bother to lift up my OG jersey and examine my back. Needless to say I was in terrible pain. After a week I went back to him and he repeated the treatment. Next week I went to him again and requested him to send me to the MH, since the pain was unbearable. Very reluctantly he referred me to the surgical specialist in the MH.
If I remember correctly the surgical specialist was Maj Kalra. He promptly asked me to get an X ray done. When he saw the X ray he mounted on me. He asked me why I had come to him two weeks after the injury. There were two fractures, one of which had not joined properly. I told him that that the MO had seen me and prescribed only APC. He picked up the phone and got through to the MO in the School of Signals (I do not recollect his name, but he was a Bengali). Maj Kalra berated him for his negligence and told him that because of him I may suffer later in his life. He did not downgrade my medical category but I was excused all out door work including PT and games till the end of the course. After this I did not have to carry cable drums during outdoor exercises. During the 1965 war, there was a blackout in Mhow and YOs had to do a lot of night patrolling. I was asked to man a field telephone in the Airfield Mess and report any untoward incident if it came to our notice.
After the course, I was posted to 17 Div Sig Regt in Sikkim. It was located at MS 9 on the Gangtok-Nathula road. The CO was Lt Col PK Roy Chowdhury, the 2ic was Maj George Paisley and OC 1 Coy was Maj SK Dovedy. After about a month, my course report reached the unit. It was mentioned that the officer had not done any outdoor exercises or tests such as PPT, BPET. I was told that since I was not medically fit, I could not serve in HAA. I pleaded that now I was OK and should be allowed to remain in the unit. Finally, Maj Dovedy intervened on my behalf and I was allowed to stay. Interestingly, he was from 1st JSW course and I am from 26th NDA. Between him and me, there was no other ex-NDA officer. I think that accounted for his soft corner for me. But he was quite strict. In Dec 1965 there was incident in North Sikkim when an Indian patrol was ambushed by the Chinese and some Indian soldiers were killed. A Flash message was initiated by the unit (17 AR). I was on ADSO duty but after the traffic was cleared I had gone to my tent at about 2 am and was fast asleep when the Sikh LI runner came and woke me and told me that the Superintendent had asked him to inform me about the message. I told him to get the message cleared and went back to sleep. After an hour the Sikh LI orderly came and told me that OC 1 Company wanted me in the Signal Centre. When I reached there, I found the CO, 2ic, OC 1 Coy and DSO all here. Maj Dovedy gave me a mouthful and told me to put on full FSMO and start walking towards Gangtok as soon as my shift ended. When I reported to him after a couple of hours, he told me to forget it. “Don’t do it again,” he said.
For the next 25 years or so, I had no problem and even did the commando course in 1966. It was in 1989-90 when I was posted in JC Wing of the College of Combat that I started having pain in my leg when standing or walking. As a result, I was permitted to take classes, including sand models, sitting on a chair. This continued even in my next tenure in Wellington in 1991-92. There was no MRI then but I was able to keep the pain under control by extension exercises. It was only in 2001 that an MRI done during the periodic medical board revealed that my spinal cord was being compressed at three places – L3, L4, and L5. My medical category was downgraded for six months. I raised a hue and cry but the surgeon in BHDC said he was helpless. Before my retirement in June 2002 the release medical board found the same problem and I retired with 30% disability. I was in low spirits till my course mate Man Mohan Singh, who was then in AG’s Branch, told me that I should be celebrating. He sent me a copy of the orders which said that the disability element as well as the service element of the pension was exempt from income tax. So, my disability turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
This year, on 23rd March, my life changed forever. The LPG cylinder had to be changed. Our part time maid had left so I decided to change it myself. I had to bend down for quite a while because the regulator was not fitting properly. When it was done, I realised that I could hardly stand due to the pain in my back. Kumud had told me to sit on a stool while fitting the regulator or call my son who lives upstairs, but I did not listen. That is why they say that you must always listen to your wife! I didn’t and am paying for it now. The next couple of months were spent in visiting various hospitals to consult neurologists and spine surgeons. Finally, I had to undergo surgery of the spine at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre on 22nd June 2021. The procedure is known as surgery Posterior Pedicle Screw Fixation + Decompression + Discectomy + Fusion. This was all Greek to me. When I searched for it on the net, I found a number of videos on YouTube which explained how it is done. I now have ten screws, eight rods and two cages in my back. Though the ISIC has given me an Implant Certificate, I doubt if I can go anywhere by air. The X-Ray machines will start beeping and not stop. It has been six months since the surgery but the pain is still there, especially when I stand or walk. Some parts of the body such as the back are completely numb. There is some numbness in the hands and feet also. They say that it may go away with time.
As if this was not enough, on 16th December Kumud’s brother Col Jitendra Singh (82 Armd Regt) also underwent a major operation, when his right leg had to be amputated in the RR Hospital. It was found that his arteries were completely blocked and attempts to clear them by ballooning failed. Bypass surgery was tried but did not work and the only option was amputation to stop the spread of gangrene. He had already lost his left leg in 2007 in similar circumstances, when an operation to remove blockages in his arteries by inserting a stent performed by Dr Naresh Trehan in Apollo Hospital went wrong and the wound became infected. He was discharged but had to be readmitted twice. Finally, the leg had to be amputated. Shortly after this, in 2011, his son, Maj Aditya Singh died in an accident in Kashmir, leaving behind a young wife and four old son. Needless to say, the whole family is traumatised by the latest tragedy. There have been cases of officers losing both legs but these usually happen at a young age. (Late Lt Gen Pankaj Joshi lost both his legs in Sikkim in 1966, when I was there. He was our Sergeant in my 1st term in C Squadron. Took part in the Himalayan Rally with me in 1982). Jitendra is seventy three years old. But he is a strong willed man who does not lose heart and we are sure will come out of this misfortune also.
What we miss most now is our annual holidays and the weekend picnics with the grandchildren. There is hardly any socialising and even the annual Corps Day party of 15th February is not being held. The same goes for the biennial reunion of my unit in Hisar. It was due in November 2020 but had to be cancelled. Now another year has rolled by. We have regularly held the monthly Meet & Greet of our NDC course from 1984 onwards, without a break. After February 2000, even that is being held through Zoom. The same goes for the course get together. One never knows if it will remain like this forever.
We are staying at Abhimaur Vikum in G-31, Palam Vihar in Gurgaon since 2004. The plots behind our house (East) and the two on the side (South) were vacant and we enjoyed sunlight almost the whole day, especially in winter. About a year back, a new house began to be constructed to the East, next to the vacant plot next to our house. Like most houses in Gurgaon, it has five floors, the ground floor being used for parking and the others for residents. As a result, our quota of sunlight has been drastically curtailed. I now realise that those living flats in condominiums are better off, since they have balconies on 2-3 sides. It cannot replace the luxury of sitting in your lawn but at least you get the sun. When we moved to Palam Vihar, only two floors were permitted. Over the years, builders got the limits changed to three, then four and now five. This is now true of all plotted colonies, including DLF, Sushant Lok etc.
My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (19) and Khushi (17). Bhuvanyu had passed Class 12 last 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, with their two daughters, Mriggya (19) and Eshaana (17). Vaibhav, a Captain in the Merchant Navy is presently on the high seas and will be coming home only in March 2022. Mriggya has already changed several colleges. She had initially joined Sophia in Mumbai last year 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 decided to switch over to another college. She is now in the College of Jesus and Mary. She has lost a year but is not at all perturbed.
I think I have already written more than enough. This is my 15th 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
23rd December 2021
This picture was taken in July 2021 about a month after my spine surgery. Standing from left to right: - Ben, Khushi, Jasmine, Mauravi, Mriggya, Eshaana and Bhuvanyu. The boys are missing. Vaibhav is sailing and Abhimanyu is taking the photographs.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2020
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