VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2017

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2017

How time flies. It is said that time and tide wait for no man. We know that this is true, but for some reason, the speed at which time passes does not appear to be constant. It seems to slow down when we are in low spirits but rushes past in good times.  If you are lying on a hospital bed, the days never seem to end. When your grand children come to visit you, the days pass in a whirl and before you know it, it is time for them to leave. One reads about the research being done to stop, or at least slow down the process of aging. I hope that never happens. Just imagine what would happen if all of us lived for a thousand years or forever. The Earth would become overpopulated and many of us would have to migrate to other planets.

At one time, the only way to keep all your family members and friends updated was the letter or post card. Very few people had telephones in their homes and trunk calls were frightfully expensive. Mobile telephony changed all that and one could now talk to anyone he   wished to whenever he liked, even while on the move. Smart phones and social media have brought about a sea change in the way we communicate. But it has also affected our lives in more ways than one. Family members rarely spend time together, since everyone is busy on his smart phone or I pad. Greeting cards on occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and the New Year are passé – it is more convenient and cheaper to send a WhatsApp message. But the charm of a handwritten note or card will probably never fade. A grandma or grandpa will treasure a scrawled note from a little one and keep it between the pages of a book or diary. The greetings sent by electronic means will be easily forgotten.

The year 2017 was eventful, like all the previous years.  The case filed against me by the CBI at the behest of RAW in 2007 in connection with my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), has not come to an end, but there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. In 2008, Prashant Bhushan had filed a case on my behalf in the Delhi High Court to quash the proceedings. For 5-6 years he appeared in all the hearings. But in recent years, his involvement in PILs in the Supreme Court left him with little time for cases in the High Court, and we had to seek adjournments. About two years ago, with his concurrence, I sought the help of Captain BK Subbarao, a retired Naval officer who was falsely implicated in a case under the Official Secrets Act in the early nineties. He fought his own case and was honourably acquitted after five years, of which 20 months were spent in jail. He is now a senior advocate and practices in the Supreme Court. He agreed to help me and has been arguing my case in the Delhi High Court. He has put in a prodigious amount of hard work and has put forth arguments in a cogent and forceful manner. Thanks to his efforts, the judgement has been reserved on 11^th August 2017. I am keeping my fingers crossed, since it may go one way or the other. Either way it goes, it may have to finally be decided in the Supreme Court.

In addition to the above case, there are some others in various courts and commissions in which I have to appear. For the record, there were 10 hearings in the High Court, 16 in the CMM’s court in Tis Hazari, three in the Consumer Forum and three in the Information Commission, making it a total of 32. This is somewhat less than in previous years. Hopefully they will reduce in the coming years and may finally come to an end, during my lifetime.

Towards the end of 2016, we were hit by the “demonetisation” bomb. In 2017, there have been several others, of varying intensity. The GST confusion is still to be resolved, with rates being changed several times. As a consumer, I am still not sure whether I am being charged the correct rate or more. In spite of ads that no GST is payable on MRP of a product, everyone is merrily doing so and consumers have no choice but to pay up. The linking of the Aadhaar with almost everything under the sun is another issue that is yet to be resolved. The name written on my Aadhaar card is Vinay Kumar Singh. I have two credit cards from Citibank and one from ICICI bank. The names on all three are different. In one it is VK Singh, while in two it is Maj Gen VK Singh. When I tried to link them to the Aadhaar card I did not succeed, as the names were different. After dozens of phone calls and e mails, I have finally managed to change the name on two of the credit cards. What happens to the others such as PAN, voter card, telephone connections, ECHS card and so on. I wonder when and how this will be resolved.

In recent years, I have noticed a marked change in the standards of social behaviour and probity from what existed when we were young. Sometimes, I wonder why people are becoming more greedy and dishonest. During the recent past I have come across several instances of cheating, fraud and other malpractices by various shops, dealers and tradesmen. In most of these cases, exorbitant amounts have been charged for sale, service or repairs of various appliances. Of course, such things have been happening earlier also, but I find that it is now on the increase. It appears that senior citizens are more vulnerable than others to such malpractices.

A few months back, I noticed that the 1.5 ton split AC in my study had stopped cooling. Since my regular mechanic was sick, I called up another mechanic. As the outdoor unit was on the terrace and I avoid climbing stairs, I did not accompany him. He came down after a few minutes and told me that the relay and contactor had to be changed. I told him to go ahead. He went up again and came down after 10 minutes. The AC was now working. He said he had changed the relay and the contactor. He gave me the parts that he said he has taken out of my AC along with a bill for Rs. 2625. This included Rs. 750 for the relay and Rs. 1875 for the contactor. I paid the amount in cash and he went away.

I felt that the charges were a bit high. I searched on the net and found that there was factory known as RR Enterprises in Udyog Vihar, very close to where I live, that manufactured similar relays. I spoke to the owner, who turned out to be Col RP Dhawan, an Army veteran like me. I sent him a photo of the relay and asked him what it costs. He told me that they sold it in bulk for about Rs.100.  I went across to the factory and he gave me a relay that was similar to the one that the AC mechanic had removed. Then Col Dhawan asked me what I wanted it for. I showed him a photo of the AC. He told me that as far as he knew, there is no relay or a contactor in this model. He called someone from his staff who confirmed this. They told me that the parts that the mechanic had given me were definitely not from my AC.  I got a shock when I heard this.

I went home and rang up my regular AC mechanic, who confirmed that there was no relay or contactor in the AC. Next day, I called up the mechanic and told him that AC had again stopped cooling. He came after a few hours. I went up with him to the terrace and asked him to show me the relay and contactor that he had changed. He said it would take a lot of time and he would have to open up everything. I told him to go ahead and I would wait. He started making some other excuse. I then showed him the relay that I had brought from RR Enterprises and its cost. I also told him what I had been told by various people. I asked him to tell me what exactly he had done. He confessed that a wire was burnt and he had just joined it and put a tape on it.  I told him that I would now report the matter to the police, since this was an instance of fraud punishable under Section 420 of IPC. He broke down and started begging forgiveness. He took out the money that I had paid him and returned it. I asked him why he had done this. He said he needed the money urgently and this was the first time that he had done this. Of course, I did not believe him.

Another similar incident occurred about two months back, when I bought an IPhone SE online, through Amazon. Earlier, I had an IPhone 4S. I went to the Vodafone outlet in Ansal Plaza and got a new sim for the IPhone SE. I then went to Reliance Digital  and requested them to transfer the contact numbers and photos from the IPhone 4S to IPhone SE. They told me that the person who deals with IPhones was on leave and advised me to go to another shop which is located nearby. They worked on the phone for about 30 minutes and then gave it back, assuring me that the contacts had been copied. They also asked me if I wanted a tempered glass shield for the glass and a plastic cover for the back and sides. I agreed to buy both items. I was given a bill of Rs. 1400. This included Rs. 400 for transfer of contacts, Rs 600 for the tempered glass shield and Rs 400 for the plastic cover. After reaching home I began checking if the contacts had been copied. I found that many contacts were missing. Also, I was told by my son that the tempered glass shield and plastic cover were available for about Rs 100 each in Sector 23 market and Vyapar Kendra in Palam Vihar. This was confirmed by a couple of shops which I visited next day. 

After a couple of days, my daughter and two grandchildren (they live in Sector 45) came to visit us for the weekend. I asked my granddaughter Mriggya (she is 15) if she could help me copy the contacts and photos from the old phone to the new phone. She did it, in about ten minutes. And all that it cost me was her favourite ice cream!

I am sure many other tradesmen and shopkeepers do similar things. Because of lack of time and knowledge, most of us readily pay whatever they ask us. As long as the appliance starts working, we are happy. This only encourages dishonesty and should be brought to light, so that others are not fleeced of their hard earned money. I usually sent a mail to all residents of Palam Vihar - there are about 2000 at present- informing them of such instances of cheating and fraud. Sometimes, I also send them photos of these dishonest tradesmen, copied from my CCTV footage.

It is not only small traders and tradesmen who try to cheat us. In 2012, I filed case in Consumer Forum in 2012 against IFB for giving me a faulty washing machine. After almost four years, IFB paid me about Rs. 30,000, which included the cost of the machine, along with compensation, litigation expenses and interest. In 2017, I was taken for a ride by Reliance Jio. Since my DSL modem on the Airtel landline was giving very low speed, I bought a JioFi 3 wireless router. I was told that it can be connected to 10 devices and I can use data up to 1 Gb per day free for the next six months. It can also be used with any 2G/3G smart phone and will give free HD voice and video calls. It can also be used for TV.

Soon after I bought the JioFi 3, I noticed several shortcomings.  One could connect the phone to the device on WiFi and use it for applications such as WhatsApp. For voice calls, one had to download the Jio4GVoice, which I did. However, when I tried to proceed, I got a message asking me to insert the Jio sim card in the phone. We have two IPhones and I took both to the Jio store in Reliance Digital in Ansal Plaza mall from where I had bought it. They told me that JioFi does not work with IPhones and is meant only for Android phones. I was shocked to hear this. This was not told to me when I purchased the phone. This is also not mentioned in the Instructions supplied with the phone.

I then raised the issue with the Customer Care. They replied that “Jio4GVoice is for SIM based iOS devices (iOS 9.1 and above) on App Store. However, Jio4GVoice iOS App will not work through JioFi. Jio4GVoice services on iOS client will not work on WiFi network”. I have had several interactions with Care@jio.com. Their reply is always the same.   If Jio4GVoice does not work with the IPhone, why was this not told to me when I bought the JioFi 3? It is obvious that Jio is taking everyone for ride. They are indulging in unfair trade practices and making false claims. They are liable for prosecution on this account. According to Section 6 (b) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, the consumer has a right to be given all information related to the product. This has not been done by Jio.

Another interesting case relates to the new car - Nissan Terrano 1.6 XL (Petrol) – that I bought last year. Soon after purchasing the car I noticed that the vehicle stalls and the engine switches off at slow speed in heavy traffic, unless the accelerator pedal is kept pressed, even in 1st gear. I took it to the Nissan service centre several times but they were unable to resolve the problem. I was informed that there was no accelerator cable in this model as there was in other petrol driven cars. Hence the RPM could not be changed. Then, one day       my wife took the car to the gym in the DSOI which is just about 500 mtrs from our house. After she had finished,  when she tried to start the car, it just did not start. She gave me a call and I went with my son and had a look. The self starter was working but the car did not start. The dash board showed a warning sign, which I found was for an electronic fault.

            I spoke to the Nissan helpline and they sent a cab for me and a tow truck for the car, which taken to the Service Centre. Next day I rang up and asked him about the progress on my car. I was told that they had still not been able to diagnose the fault but the car was now starting and was in running condition. After a week, the car was returned to me without the fault being diagnosed. After a few days, I was informed that they had decided to change the wiring. The car was again picked up from house and returned next day, after changing the wiring. Of course, they were still not able to tell me what exactly was wrong, other than that it was an ‘electrical fault’. During this period, I had been sending e mails to everyone in the company, including the Managing Director of Nissan Motor India, Mr Arun Malhotra.

            Mean while, I had been consulting various owners and experts round the World on the net. One of them was a site called “JustAnswer.com” that gives expert advice on such problems, on payment.  After depositing the required amount I got a reply from a Nissan mechanic that the problem of stalling or no start condition in Nissan cars is usually due to the crank position sensor. He asked me to check and confirm if this had been done. In spite of several phone calls, e mails and personal visits, the service centre was not been able to give me this information. Finally, on 4/9/2017 I took the car to the service centre and met Mr Anil Dimri, the General Manager. I asked him if the crank position sensor had been checked. He was not able to give a specific answer. He told me that they had carried out detailed checks according to the manual issued by Nissan and were satisfied that now there is no fault with the car. I informed him that the car was not picking up speed immediately after the accelerator pedal is pressed and the problem of stalling in low speed was still there. He told me that since there was no accelerator cable in this model he could not do anything about it.

            I realised that the car sold to me by Nissan had a manufacturing defect which the company was unable to rectify. I again wrote to the Managing Director apprising him that the car has done just about 2700 Km in the 17 months since it has been with me. This is because we are chary of taking it out of town due to the fear that it may stop again. Hence, there is not much point in keeping the car that I cannot use. I again requested him to take it back and refund the amount that I have paid. After waiting for a month, I filed a complaint in the District Consumer Forum in Gurgaon. It is known that Nissan Motors has often been plagued with manufacturing defects resulting in cars being recalled. On 02/10/2017 I read two news reports in the Indian Express and Times of India according to which Nissan Motors has recalled 1.2 million cars in Japan after it discovered that final vehicle inspections were not performed by authorised technicians. I wish I had remembered my own experience with Nissan before deciding to buy this car. In 1982 and 1983, while driving a Nissan Jonga in the Himalayan Rally, our team was ‘timed out’ due to mechanical breakdowns.  

            While on the subject of cars, I had to finally sell my 2008 model Innova, due to the ban on diesel cars older than ten years in NCR. It was in excellent condition and had never let us down, even during the long trips to Manali, Gulmarg, Yamnotri, Uttarkashi and many other similar outings during our vacations. It was a sad parting, but there was no choice. I intend buying another Innova soon. I will probably now go in for a petrol version – one never knows, the NGT may ban all diesel vehicles in the near future.

            This year, we again missed our annual holiday in the hills. With two of our four grandchildren in Class 10, school activities and tuition leave them very little time for other pursuits. Mriggya spent about two weeks in Sweden in the home of her friend Nellie who also studies in Kunskapsskolan school. Nellie had stayed with Mriggya for two weeks in 2016 during a visit arranged by the school.   My daughter Mauravi, her husband Vaibhav and their younger daughter Eshaana went for holiday to Europe for a month. They flew to Germany, hired a car and drove up to Sweden to pick up Mriggya. They drove back to Europe and spent about a month there, before flying back to India. Naturally, the children missed several days of school, and could ill afford to go on another holiday this year.

An interesting event that I attended was the Military Literature Festival at Chandigarh on 8^th and 9^th December. This was organised for the first time, thanks to the initiative of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh and the Governor, VP Singh Badnore. The Chief organiser was Lt Gen TS ‘Mao’ Shergill and considerable assistance was provided by HQ Western Command as well as the Government of Punjab. I was a member of a panel titled ‘General Sagat Singh – The Legend.’ There were about 30 sessions at three different venues, spread over two days, covering a wide range of subjects including experiences of all post Independence operations. The Air Force was well represented but for some reason, there was no one from the Navy, a lacuna that the organisers have promised to correct in future events.  A highlight was the interaction of school children with war veterans and gallantry award winners, which included three PVC awardees – Capt Bana Singh, Sub Yogendra Yadav and Nb Sub Sanjay Kumar.  Having attended the Jaipur Literature Festival several times, I could not help comparing the two. Considering that the Chandigarh festival was the first such event, it was a laudable attempt and I am sure that the initial hiccups will be ironed out in subsequent years.

We are still staying at Abhimaur Vikum in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (15) and Khushi (13), who go to the Sun City School. Bhuvanyu is a budding cricketer and plays in State level tournaments for under 16 teams. This year, due to his school and tuition commitments, he has not been able to play much cricket. Mauravi and Vaibhav are still living in Trinity near the DLF golf course, where they moved last year from Hextex Commune. Their two daughters, Mriggya (15) and Eshaana (13), study at the Kunskapsskolan School. Vaibhav, a Captain in the Merchant Navy is presently sailing. He was expected to return by 18^th December but will now join us on 31^st December, on New Year’s Eve. 

That about sums it up for the year 2017.  This is my twelfth newsletter (the first one was sent in 2006). Those who wish to read the previous newsletters can do so by logging on to my blog veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com. My other blog that contains chapters from my books and articles on military history is veekay-militaryhistory.blogspot.com.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Vinay and Kumud Singh

G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017

Tele: 0124-4074077, 9873494521, 9899110913

25^thDecember 2017

Post Script:

Kumud and I photographed each other with Salman on 19^th December 2017 at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New Delhi.

         

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2016

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2016

Dear Friends,

As the year draws to a close, it is time - once again- to connect with friends, acquaintances and loved ones. Kumud tells me that my memory is failing, but I think this should be my 11^th – or is the 10^th – Newsletter. Towards the end of her life, my mother, who passed way recently at the ripe old age of 95, had been stricken by Alzheimer’s, so I will not be surprised if I follow suit, after 20-25 years. But I take heart from the fact that there were many who had excellent memories, even when they were touching 100. A few that I can recall were stalwarts like Tery Barreto, Sam Manekshaw, SK Sinha and several others.

The most notable event of the year was the demonetisation of notes of Rs 500 and 1000 announced by the Prime Minster on 8^th November. I saw it on TV but was not very perturbed, since it was announced that one could exchange old notes or withdraw new notes from the ATM from 10^th November onwards, right up to 30^th December. I was busy on the 10^th so it was only on the 11^th that I thought of going to the ATM. But the long queue that I saw was something of a shock. In the event, it was only on the 13^th that I was able to withdraw Rs. 2000 from the ATM in DSOI. After this, the ATM was never loaded with cash and I had to make several visits to the bank during the next few days to get some of my own money. Obviously, the Government had not foreseen the magnitude of the problem or the hardships that common people have been facing since then.

Even serving soldiers and pensioners, especially the widows, are finding it difficult to get their dues. I wonder why nobody has thought the system of Field Cashiers that is unique to the military. In field areas, the Field Cashiers are responsible for paying the soldier his salary and other allowances, if he so desires. Even if he has a bank account, he can draw his salary as well as an advance from the Field Cashier. Old timers will recall the thrill that we felt when the Field Cashier visited the unit or formation HQ to disburse money. Can we not use the Field Cashiers to alleviate the problems being faced by our pensioners? If we can have mobile canteens visiting small stations to cater for the needs of ex-servicemen, what is the problem in having a similar system for Field Cashiers? Even if they visit every town once or twice a month, it will be a boon for ex-servicemen. The Army is called out to assist the civil administration in almost everything. Why not for disbursing pensions? This will be nothing but another facet of Aid to Civil Power, which is part of our duties.

The court cases concerning my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) are still on, as well as some that I had filed against authors and publishers of similar books written by others. In one case concerning two books – “Inside RAW: The Story of India’s Secret Service” by Asoka Raina and “The Kaoboys of R&AW – Down Memory Lane” by B. Raman – the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate passed an order summoning them, expressing an opinion that the material contained in these two books is far more explicit that the one contained in my book. As expected, they went in appeal to the High Court, which set aside the order, on the grounds that Section 13(3) of the Official Secrets Act stipulates that no court can take cognizance of any offence under the Act unless the complaint comes from the Government. The same happened with my complaint regarding corruption in RAW. After several years, the CBI Special Judge opined that he was helpless, since previous sanction of the Government was not taken! Mercifully, my visits to the courts this year have reduced, from 40 to 50 in yesteryears to just 20 this year.

With the publication of the History of the Corps of Signals, Volume III last year, I thought that I would now get some time to devote to another book that I have been working on for about three years now. It is being written in fits and starts – for the last three months or so, I have not had time to turn to it. Hopefully, I will during the next couple of months. Of course, my involvement with the Corps History has not ended. I still visit the Corps History Cell in Signals Enclave about once week or so. After all, I spent almost 15 years in that room, working on Volume II and then Volume III. Maj Gen PK Mullick who now wears the mantle of the Corps Historian, is working on Volume IV that will cover the period after 1972. I am sure he will do a fabulous job, as always.

This year, I had a wonderful holiday in Kerala, which I had not visited earlier. Sukesh Jain offered to take me along with his brother-in-law Sharad  – his sister was going abroad at that time – and Sharad’s son, daughter-in-law and grandchild. It was a nine day trip during which we visited Kochi, Allepey and Kumarakom. Sharad had a Club Mahindra membership so we stayed at Hotel Ramada in Allepey and the Mahindra resort in Kumarakom. We had a wonderful time, taking in all the sights and doing a lot of boating in the backwaters. We also tried the traditional oil massage. The last two days were spent in the Engineers Mess at Kochi, from where we made a trip to the Athirapalli falls. Of course, RK Nair was the friend, philosopher and guide for the tour. He had planned the whole trip, booked the cab for us, and received us when we arrived. As some of you may recall, Sukesh, RK and I share another bond – we had been driving together as part of the Signals team in the Himalayan Rally in the early eighties.

The second holiday of the year was in June, along with Kumud, Mauravi and her two daughters, Mriggya and Eshaana.  Also accompanying us was my son’s daughter, Khushi, and Bhumika, who is the daughter of Kumud’s nephew Ajay. So there were three adults and four girls, aged between 14 and 11. Mriggya had gone to Camp Himalayan in Himachal on a school trip last year and so we decided to go there. Unlike our previous holidays when we went in our own car, this time we went by bus. After an overnight journey from Delhi, the Volvo dropped us on the highway short of Manali, from where we were picked by a SUV sent from the Camp, which is run by Mr Naveen Bahri and his wife, along with a veteran, Air Marshal PK Bhangu. We stayed in a cottage with bunk beds and the kids had a rollicking time, indulging in activities such as river crossing, rappelling and trekking.

We had planned to stay for four days but on the last day, we attended a session of Psycho-Neorobics, of which a three-day workshop was being conducted by Dr BK Chandrasekhar. He is an Air Force veteran who now specialises in this new discipline. He is an MSc in psycho-neorobics and a PhD in alternative medicine. He has founded an organisation known as SIGFA and conducts workshops all over the country. Neorobics is a little known science that is related to the power of the mind to control the body, awakening the seven chakras. By common consent of the adults, we decided to extend our stay by two days, and attend the workshop. It was an interesting experience and we came away feeling we had learnt something new. We were given a lot of literature and CDs with videos of the various exercises. Unfortunately, after a few days, almost all of us gave it up – it consumed too much time and the benefits were not as visible as what had been claimed. But the children enjoyed the extended stay, and that is all that mattered.

This year has been fruitful on the financial front, as it has been for most veterans. As I had mentioned last year, about five years ago 53 major generals including SPS Vains had filed a case in the AFT at Chandigarh to remove the anomalies in their pay with those who retired after 2006. The AFT ruled in their favour but the Govt., as usual, went in appeal to the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeal. Everyone got a large sum of money as arrears, except me – my name was there but the IC Number, Rank and address was missing from the letter issued by the MOD, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW). After a lot of running around, a corrigendum was issued and I got the arrears this year. Another bonanza came after my plea for broad banding of disability pension was accepted by the AFT. Finally, the arrears of OROP also came through as well those from the 7^th CPC. Of course, I have spent some of this windfall on the purchase of a new car. We zeroed in on the Nissan Terrano and decided to go in for a petrol version, since diesel vehicles are going to be banned soon. I was surprised to learn that the petrol version of the car is not in the CSD list, so I had to buy it from the market. Because of the problems associated with my back – lumbar canal stenosis with three prolapsed discs - the only vehicle that suits me is the Toyota Innova. My present Innova is now almost nine years old, but I have to get rid of it soon and go in for a car that runs on petrol. Thankfully, a petrol version is now available. Perhaps I will buy it next year, again from the market.  

Last year, the whole family had assembled in our village in Sultanpur in UP to celebrate the 94^th birthday of my mother. Less than a year later, all of us were there to mourn her passing away, on 2^nd September. Fortunately, I was there when she breathed her last in the hospital as Lucknow. Thankfully, she had no ailments and passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones.

Two controversial events took place earlier this month. The first was the arrest of a former Air Chief by the CBI. Needless to say, it was a shock. I am only praying that the real culprits are brought to book and ACM Tyagi comes out without a taint on his otherwise spotless career. But what about the incalculable damage to his reputation and the morale of the Services? Would this have happened in the time of Cariappa, Thimayya or Manekshaw?

The second event was the appointment of the next Army Chief, overlooking two who were senior to him. Here is a historical perspective. I wonder if many people know that the job of the first C-in-C of the Indian Army was offered by Sardar Baldev Singh, the Defence Mister in the Interim Government to Brig Nathu Singh in 1946, but he did not accept, since Cariappa was senior to him. In 1948 it was offered by Sardar Patel to Lt Gen Rajendra Sinhji – he had a better war record, having won the DSO in WW II - but he too refused, for the same reason. Has this breed become extinct? Anyone who is interested can read the full story in the biographies of Cariappa and Nathu Singh that are part of my book Leadership in The Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers. They are available on my blog:veekay-militaryhistory.blogspot.com.

               After Independence, there have been several supersessions in the appointment of the Army Chief. When Gen Shrinagesh retired in 1957, there were several contenders for the post. Sant Singh and Kalwant Singh were from the same Sandhurst batch, having passed out on 29^th Jan 1925. The other two were Thimayya and Thapar, who had also passed out from Sandhurst together, on 4^th Feb 1926. Thimayya had been placed 15th in order of merit, while Thapar was 18th. Hence, he was technically senior to Thapar. What tilted the scales in favour of Thimayya was his war record - he had won the DSO, and was the only Indian to have commanded a brigade in battle. The others did not have any notable achievement to their credit. As expected, Thimayya was selected for the top job in the Army, and took over as COAS on 8 May 1957. He superseded Sant Singh, who resigned, as well as Kalwant Singh, who decided to continue.

  The second incident occurred in 1974, when Prem Bhagat was sidelined. Because of his immense popularity, even Indira Gandhi hesitated to supersede him. The Army Chief, Gen Bewoor, was due to retire on 11^th Apr 1974. Prem Bhagat, who was then GOC-in-C Northern Command was the senior most Lt Gen in the Army.  At that time, the retirement age for the Chief was 58, and 56 for Lt Gens. Since Bhagat was to reach the age of 56 only on 13^th Oct 1974, he was almost certain to become the next Chief.  But the bureaucrats in the Defence Ministry had other ideas. Having dealt with an intractable Chief like Sam Manekshaw for four years, they did not want another strong Chief on their hands. A routine letter is sent to officers who are due to retire, about six months in advance. This was done in case of Bhagat also. In order to bring pressure on him, and force him to resign, this fact was leaked to the Press, which speculated that he would now seek premature retirement. Bhagat was furious, and made it clear that he had no such intentions.

       The Government now realised that the only way to deny Bhagat the post of COAS was to supersede him. However, by now he had become immensely popular, and his supersession would have had wide ranging repercussions. So another ploy was thought of. Due the extension granted to Manekshaw,  Bewoor's tenure had been reduced, and he had been Chief just for a year and half. To compensate him, it was decided that he should be given a year's extension. This would ensure that Bhagat would retire as a Lt Gen without technically being superseded. So this is exactly what happened.  In July 1974, Bhagat accepted the appointment of Chairman, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and moved to Calcutta as a serving Lt Gen. Sadly, he breathed his last just ten months later.

The most well known case of supersession occurred in 1983, when Arun Vaidya was made COAS, superseding SK Sinha, who was the VCOAS and senior most. Sinha promptly put in his papers, but refused to comment on the issue. The story made front page news and though Parliament was not in session, there was a joint statement in the Press, by six prominent MPs, which included Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram, L.K. Advani, H.N. Bahuguna, George Fernandez and Dharam Vir Sinha. They  severely criticised the Government for its interference in the professionalism of the Army for short term political gains, and praised the dignified reaction of Sinha, at his supersession. They demanded a debate in Parliament, on the subject, in the forthcoming session. When the House met, the members tried to raise the issue. However, in the Lok Sabha, the Speaker did not permit a discussion on grounds of security. In the Rajya Sabha also, the Chairman disallowed a debate, leading to angry exchanges between the treasury benches and the Opposition, some of whom quoted the instance of Thimayya's resignation, and the debate in Parliament that followed.

               On 29^th Dec, I am scheduled to address officers undergoing the Higher Command course at the Army war College, Mhow on ‘Leadership in the Indian Army – Our Historical Legacy’. I have decided to concentrate on one important quality that our predecessors had which the present generation of officers seem to have forgotten -  a stiff backbone.

     

We are still staying at Abhimaur Vikum in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (13) and Khushi (11), who go to the Sun City School. Bhuvanyu is budding cricketer and plays in State level tournaments for under 16 teams. My daughter Mauravi and her husband Vaibhav have recently moved from Hextex Commune to Trinity near the DLF golf course. Their two daughters, Mriggya (13) and Eshaana (11), study at the Kunskapsskolan School. Vaibhav, a Captain in the Merchant Navy is presently sailing. Mriggya had hosted a girl from Sweden for two weeks in her home this year, and will be going on a reciprocal visit next year in July. The rest of the family is planning a trip to Europe, after picking up Mriggya from Sweden. 

That about sums it up for the year 2016.  Those who wish to read the previous newsletters can do so by logging on to my blog veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Vinay and Kumud Singh

G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017

Tele: 0124-4074077, 9873494521, 9899110913

25^thDecember 2016

  

The photo was taken in July 2016 in Devi Bhawan, which has now been converted into a heritage hotel - Bharat Mahal Palace – by Kumud’s brother, Col Jitendra Singh Nathawat. Kumud was born in this house.

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2015

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2015

Dear Friends,

The year 2015 is almost done and the time has come to talk of ‘shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings’. With the advent of novel means of communications such as e-mails, Skype and WhatsApp, one would have thought that the British custom of annual newsletters would become passé. Fortunately, this did not happen. Lazy people like me find it much easier to write one long letter at the end of the year to let friends, acquaintances and loved ones know that they are still alive and kicking, instead of sending them regular updates every week or month. It also does away with the need of sending Christmas and New Year cards, thus saving paper and trees, and keeping our planet green

Like the previous years, 2015 has been full of ups and downs. Thankfully, the highs were more that the lows.  The case filed against me by the CBI at the behest of RAW in 2007 in connection with my book India’s External Intelligence – Secrets of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), is still going on, with no end in sight. But the number of court hearings was less than in previous years. For the record, there were seven in the High Court, 25 in the CMM’s court (sometimes, two or three on the same date), one before the CIC and five in the Consumer Forum. The main case in the CMM’s court has been stayed by the High Court, until the issue of the prosecution giving me the documents that I need for my defence is decided (the CMM allowed it, but the CBI has filed an appeal in the High Court). The case filed by Prashant Bhushan on my behalf in the High Court in 2008 to quash the FIR and charge sheet is also hanging fire – the last hearing was held on 1/5/2014, more than a year and a half ago! Two of the five cases filed by me – one concerning corruption in RAW and the other four against authors whose material I used in my book – have been dismissed, as previous sanction had not been obtained. As everyone knows, it is almost impossible for a private citizen to obtain Government sanction in advance for prosecution of a public servant. I now intend doing what Subramanium Swamy did – he wrote to the PM for sanction to prosecute Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and when he did not get a reply, appealed to the Supreme Court. (On 23^rd December, when I was on way back from Jaipur, a constable from the CBI came to deliver a summons to my house in Gurgaon. When I told him on telephone that I was out of town, he said he will come again next Monday i.e. on 28^th. Who knows, this may be the beginning of another case!)

A major event was the release of the History of the Corps of Signals, Volume III, covering the period 1947-72, by the COAS on 15^th February during the Corps Day party. With this ended the seven odd years of struggle – three to write it and four to get it published – with the project. This was the second time the book was released, the first being during the centenary celebrations of the Corps at Jabalpur in February 2011, when a ‘dummy copy’ was released. After four years of shuttling between MI, MO and Signals Directorates, clearance was finally accorded in 2015 and the book saw the light of day. Unfortunately, the entire chapter on the 1962 war had to be deleted, along with some portions of the 1971 war and the skirmish at Nathula in 1967. As I expected, the veterans who took part in the 1962 war and the other operations that were omitted, many of whom are still living and had contributed to the respective chapters, were severely disappointed. Hopefully, these maybe added once the records of the operations after 1961 are de-classified by the MOD. Those who are interested can read these chapters on my blog: veekay-militaryhistory.blogspot.com.

Just a few days ago, I received the welcome news that Maj Gen PK Mullick has accepted the assignment of writing the next volume of the Corps History. As most of you know, he is one of our most distinguished and erudite veterans, who has been writing on professional issues for several years. I am sure he will do an excellent job and Volume IV will be even better than the previous ones. Of course, he will need the support and cooperation of all of us. I wish him God Speed and all the very -best in this venture.

One of the high points of the year was the Golden Jubilee of our passing out from IMA, which we celebrated in Dehradun in June. Though it concerned only the Army officers, we invited our NDA course mates from the Navy and Air Force (the dam busters) after getting concurrence of the Commandant IMA. As usual, I was shanghaied into agreeing to produce the souvenir for the event. I thought it would be similar to the NDA souvenir that I had produced in 2011 for the Golden Jubilee of our joining the NDA. But as it turned out, this was a much more demanding assignment. The souvenir was to include the profile of each one of the 301 officers who were commissioned on 27^th June 1965, with details such as date of birth, IMA Company, appointment held, regiment, rank achieved, date of retirement, date of marriage, names of spouse and children, postal address, e-mail and telephone numbers etc. The officers who passed out from IMA belonged to several streams – NDA, direct entry, OTU, TA and technical graduates. Except the ex-NDA types, most of the others had almost gone underground after passing out and it was a herculean task to locate them.  With the help of several others who joined the hunt, we managed to get details of almost everyone, including the 45 who had passed away.

 It was a fantastic event that went off without a hitch, thanks to the meticulous planning by the staff of the IMA as well as Gurmeet Grover, the course coordinator and those among us who had been assigned various responsibilities. Most of us were thrilled to be back in Dehradun after 50 years, in familiar surroundings where we had sweated and fretted before getting that lone star on the shoulder. Thankfully, the gentleman cadets (GCs) live like gentlemen in two room suites with attached toilets, unlike the hutments that we stayed in during our time.  For the wives who accompanied their husbands, it was an unique experience. It speaks volumes for the spirit of the ladies, especially the widows who joined us for the event, some escorted by a son or a daughter.  

Thankfully, my visits to the hospital this year were not as frequent as in the past. My back does not give much trouble as long as I remember to do my daily session of extension exercises. The problem of swelling in the retina (BRVO) is still there, but does not cause much worry. I have already had 12 injections during the last three years – Avastin, Lucentis and Macugen – and there is very little improvement. Dr. Darius Shroff, who is taking care of it, has stopped the injections, but I go to him for a check-up once every two or three months. Of course, I have to take regular eye drops to keep the eye pressure under control and medication for blood pressure and sugar but I suppose these are universal for everyone at our age.

The respite from visits to courts and hospitals has been offset with another activity that I mentioned in my last newsletter –construction of additional rooms in the backyard of our house and extension of the lobby and drawing room. This was followed by the construction of rooms for servants on the terrace that had been demolished when the second floor was constructed a couple of years back. We realised that unless they had a place to stay, no servant was ready to work for us on a permanent basis. We do manage to get some part time help to do the cooking, washing and cleaning, but one is never sure whether or not they will turn up to cook the next meal.  Kumud and I manage to do most of our own work ourselves but with advancing years, a helping hand is needed to shift heavy articles, move furniture and do sundry jobs around the house. Hopefully, in another month or two the project will be completed and we might be able to get a servant on a full time basis.

I am still trying to come to terms with the loss of all the data in my PC that crashed last year. Slowly, I have been able to build up some of it from back up disks made a few years back, e-mails that I had sent or received, CDs and various other sources. However, most of the files made during the period 2010-14 have been irretrievably lost. A similar problem occurred this year with Kumud’s Galaxy 2 mobile phone. Apparently, there was a virus that had made it slow. We took it to a mobile repair shop. The technician said he would remove the virus and asked us to leave the phone with him for about 30 minutes. When we collected it, the phone was working but all the data – phone numbers, photos, songs etc. – had been lost. He had formatted it without making a backup. We realised it only after reaching home. Next day his shop was closed and then we had to go out of station for a week. Kumud returned before I did and gave him a piece of her mind. Once I came back, I did the same. After I threatened him with a court case, he returned the money that he had charged us, but that was small consolation for the loss of data, especially the phone numbers. We could get the numbers of family members and close friends from others, but those of maids, cooks, tradesmen, shopkeepers etc. were lost forever. Kumud was inconsolable and blamed me for the fiasco. For once, I accepted my fault. I wish I had stayed on in the shop and made sure that a backup copy is made before formatting the phone.

This is not the only instance of bad luck visiting us this year. There were several others, some major and others minor. About five years ago 53 major generals including SPS Vains had filed a case in the AFT at Chandigarh to remove the anomalies in their pay with those who retired after 2006. This was based on a case that Maj Gen Vains and several others had won earlier, regarding the anomalies after the 1996 CPC. The AFT ruled in their favour but the Govt., as usual, went in appeal to the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeal. About a month ago, a couple of my friends told me that they had received a large sum of money as arrears in their bank accounts. I had received a letter from the MOD, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) a few months ago, directing the CGDA to pay the arrears, but there was no list attached. Since I was one of the signatories to this petition, I went across the DESW and got a copy. Lo and behold, the list attached to the letter did have my IC Number, Rank and address at serial 23, but my name was missing. I then spoke to the Joint secretary, who asked me to submit various documents, including a copy of the list of petitioners in the original petition, proof that I am indeed the same person as given in the petition i.e. IC 16318F Maj Gen VK Singh and that my address is the same. I have done all this earlier this month. Hopefully, they will issue an amendment soon and then I can pester the CGDA in Allahabad to pay me my dues. I am sure all this happened due a lapse by careless clerk, who was probably chatting while typing out the letter. Of course, none of the people who approved the letter or signed it had the time to read it. But why do such things happen only to me?

One thing that I have not been able to fathom is why a judgment of the Supreme Court, High Court or AFT in matters of pay and pension of Armed Forces personnel does not apply automatically to everyone who is similarly affected. As it stands, each affected individual has to file a petition in the concerned court for his dues, which he gets only after a favourable ruling. It results in a colossal waste of time and effort, and increases the workload of the courts that are already overburdened. Exactly the same thing has happened in the case of broad banding of disability pension. After the judgment of the Supreme Court in December 2014, the disability pension of all veterans who have less than 50% disability should have automatically been revised to 50%. But this has not happened. Each veteran has to file a separate petition in the AFT, which gives a half page order accepting his plea and the CGDA then issues a corrigendum PPO. The lawyer charges around 50,000 to 75,000 from each person to file his case in the AFT. I know several officers who have already done this and got their pensions revised. It appears to be a senseless waste of time and money. Of course, for the lawyers it is a bonanza. Due to various other commitments, I have still been able to file my own petition, but I intend doing this shortly, without engaging a lawyer.

This year we again missed our annual sojourn in the hills. But there were several other family outings that more than made up for this. In November, the whole family congregated at our farm near Sultanpur, where my mother lives with my brother and his family. To celebrate her 94^th birthday, her grandchildren – there are 18 of them – had organised a two-day family get-together. It was after several years that the whole family gathered at on place. The great grandchildren – there were more than 30 at last count - had a whale of a time, many of them seeing village life for the first time in their lives.

In December, we had a similar gathering at my brother-in-law’s place in Jaipur, which included a trip to his farm in Chomu, about 40 Km from Jaipur. As I had mentioned in one of my previous newsletters, my brother-in-law, Col Jitendra Singh, had to get his leg amputated after a surgical operation to remove a blockage in his leg  done in Apollo Hospital by Dr Trehan went wrong. In spite of his disability, his morale never waned. After retiring from service, he converted his ancestral bungalow in Jaipur into a hotel, which is now known as the Bharat Mahal Heritage Hotel. He late bought some farm land near Chomu where he has recently made a resort, mostly for family outings and picnics. He is always on the go and every time we visit, we find something new. Again, the children enjoyed themselves thoroughly and were it not for missing school, would not have come back so soon. Of course, we intend going back to Jaipur again, to ring in the New Year at Bharat Mahal Palace.  

We are still staying at Abhimaur Vikum in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (12) and Khushi (10), who go to the Sun City School. My daughter Mauravi and her husband Vaibhav live in Hextex Commune near the DLF golf course. Their two daughters Mriggya (12) and Eshaana (10) shifted last year from the Excelsior American School to the Kunskapsskolan School, which has recently been voted as the best school in Gurgaon. It is a Swedish school whose name is quite a mouthful -I still find it difficult to pronounce it correctly. Vaibhav is a captain in the Merchant Navy and is presently enjoying a break, having finished his last assignment in November. He is busy doing all his courses gain. Due to some strange reason, the DG Shipping has recently decided to de-recognise all certificates, so all sailors, including masters and mates, have to get new certificates again. These are given after short courses at various institutes that are run by retired merchant navy officers. Like the lawyers, they are smiling, if not laughing, all the way to the bank.

A matter of concern is the likelihood of all diesel vehicles being banned in the near future. Due to the problem of my back, the only vehicle that I find comfortable is the Innova, which does not have a petrol variant. I am now in a quandary. Should I change the vehicle, or modify it to run on CNG?  Or shift to my home state, UP, where these rules will probably never be enforced.  

  

This about sums it up for the year 2015. This is my tenth newsletter (the first one was sent in 2006).  Those who wish to read the previous ones can do so by logging on to my blog veekaysnewsletter.blogspot.com.

Let me close by wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Vinay and Kumud Singh

G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017

Tele: 0124-4074077, 9873494521, 9899110913

24^th December 2014

At Palam Vihar, on 7^th December 2015