Veekays Newsletter 2010

VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2010

Dear Friends,

The year is coming to an end and it is time for the annual ritual of connecting with friends, acquaintances, comrades and colleagues. I do not recall the last time I sent a New Years card or a hand written letter. Ever since we started using e-mail, letters have become passé. Until a few years ago, very few people had a computer and one had to write a letter. The advent of mobile telephony has put paid to the art of letter writing altogether. What a pity.

I have begun to relish the advantages of being a senior citizen. One can buy rail tickets at a 30% discount. (Women get 50%, but Kumud is still to qualify. Even when she does, I think she would rather pay the full fare than be classified as a senior citizen!). Youngsters, especially girls, sometimes offer you a seat in the Metro. Shopkeepers, parking attendants and handymen address you as uncle, though hardly anyone calls Kumud an auntie, and woe be tide anybody who dares.

Coming to the serious stuff, the case filed against me by the CBI at the behest of RAW is still on. They filed a charge sheet in April 2009. After that I withdrew my application for anticipatory bail that was still pending and applied for regular bail, which fortunately was granted. I then applied to the court for copies of documents listed in the charge sheet as evidence to be given to me (I already have copies of some of them, which pertain to appointment, salary, extension and re-employment etc). The court granted the request, but the CBI has gone in appeal against that order in the High Court. However, after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Brigadier Ujjal Dasgupta earlier this year, the CBI will now have to give the documents. That is, when the case is heard and argued in the High Court. In the last 4-5 hearings, only adjournments have been given.

As most of you know, Ujjal was granted bail after spending more than four years in jail The other two co-accused, SS Paul and Commander Mukesh Saini, had been given bail a few months earlier. This was made possible by the use of the RTI Act. In UD’s case, the Forensic Lab told him that the file containing the slides of Anveshak, a software that he is accused of having passed on to the American diplomat Rosanna Minchew in 2006, was last accessed in 2004. There were several others discrepancies, which conclusively proved that the whole case was fabricated. It was only after this that he was given bail. The day he came home, we celebrated the occasion with champagne. Thankfully, his health has improved. A year or so back, I was really worried about him. Apart from his heart condition, for which had to be admitted in AIIMS, he had problems with his skin and teeth, losing a few during this period. Thankfully, things are looking better. But charges have still to be framed. God knows when the trial will begin, or end.

Reverting to my own case, I had filed a case in the High Court about two years back for quashing the FIR and charge sheet. This is still to be decided. Then there are five cases which I have filed in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate under CrPC 156 (3), asking that the CBI be directed to register FIRs and investigate the complaints I have made to them. One relates to the instances of corruption that I have reported to them and the CVC. The other four concern disclosures in other books written about RAW and several articles, some of which I have used as reference material. Hearings are still being held, without a decision so far.

In addition, I had filed RTI applications with several departments, such as the Cabinet Secretariat, NSCS, MHA, Law Ministry, PIB, National Archives, CBI and the CIC itself. Since most of them refused to give the information requested, appeals were filed with the CIC. Some have produced interesting results. In a case involving the NSCS, which was asked to give me a copy of the GOM Report on National Security, they ‘arranged’ another hearing at short notice, about which I was not informed, and obtained an order which was favourable to them. Using the RTI route, when I asked the CIC for proof of the intimation sent to me, they could not do so. They claimed to have sent it on Fax to a couple of others (Praveen Swami of Frontline and Swati Chaturvedi of Hindustan Times who had published extracts from the Report, which NSCS says is classified). The Fax numbers were tried and found to be wrong. When I confronted the CIC, Mr Wajahat Habibullah, he agreed that there had been a slip up in his office. He advised me to file a review application, which I did the same day, in April 2009. It was finally heard in June 2010. By this time, I had filed a complaint with the Press Council of India. In response, the Editor of the Hindu had confirmed that they have a copy of the full GOM Report. I produced this during the hearing. The CIC telephoned Shri Thyagarajn, the Associate Editor of the Hindu, who confirmed that they have a copy of the original report, including the edited portions. The CIC accepted that there has been an error in his earlier order, but did not review his decision, on the grounds that he did not have the powers to do so!

I then filed a petition in the High Court, asking that the order of the CIC be set aside, and a copy of the GOM report be given to me, since it was already held by The Hindu, among others. The case was heard on 8 December 2010. Unfortunately, the judge did not agree with my plea. He felt that the NSCS was the agency best qualified to decide whether the report should be made public or not, and the court or the CIC did not have the required knowledge or expertise in matters concerning national security. I argued that there was nothing in the report that violated national security, and he should at least have a look at it to confirm this. But to no avail. If this is not abdication of judicial responsibility, I don’t know what is. In fact, the lawyer for the NSCS did not have to open his mouth even once. The judge did all the arguing on his behalf. Incidentally, I had downloaded the report, minus the deleted portion, from the web site of the MOD. Only the chapter on intelligence was deleted and some words and sentences from some other chapters. There are no deletions in the chapter on defence, which is presumably more sensitive than intelligence. After all, the punishment for passing on military secrets in the Official Secrets Act is 14 years, while for all others it is only three years. I am still looking for the order or regulation which permits part of a document i.e. a word or sentence to be graded secret while the rest is unclassified!

I have always felt that one of the reasons for false cases being lodged or fake encounters is that the persons concerned get gallantry awards, out of turn promotions and monetary awards. When I asked for information of this point from the Special Cell of Delhi Police for the period 2001-08, they provided the information in respect of gallantry awards and out of turn promotions. The list shows 25 instances (mostly encounters) in which gallantry awards were given. In some cases 4-6 persons got an award for the same encounter. Some have been awarded more than once, like Rajbir Singh (6), Mohan Chand Sharma (6) etc. The gallantry awards carry a monthly gallantry allowance of 1500 for PPMG and 900 for PMG. There were 34 cases in which out of turn promotions were given, many involving 6-7 persons. Most of these cases were the same for which gallantry awards were given. In almost every case, the ‘dreaded terrorist’ was eliminated/neutralised, after the police fired in self defence. There is not a single case of death or injury to the police personnel. This gives rise to suspicion that the encounters were fake. Information regarding monetary awards was not been provided, on the grounds that it will endanger the life or physical safety of those police personnel who have arrested and/or neutralised hard core criminals and terrorists.

A similar query was raised with the CBI. I was impressed with their response, which was prompt and to the point. But it revealed that almost every employee gets a monetary award periodically. The reasons cited are interesting – doing good work during VIP visit, keeping the office clean, driving the car well and so on. Effectively, it amounts to an increase of 10 to 20 percent of the salary. I suppose a similar situation prevails in the IB, para military forces etc. No wonder they do not agitate much about pay commissions etc. They have found an unique method for each man to get the salary of a higher grade than the one which he actually holds. I think the Army should think about something on similar lines.

Of course, the most interesting case relates to the AWHO. As I had indicated in my last newsletter I had filed a complaint in State Consumer Commission in Delhi in 2003 for the shortfall in the area of the flat allotted to me in Devinder Vihar, Sector 56 Gurgaon. According to HUDA, the super area of the flat was 1269 sq ft, whereas the AWHO had been claiming that it was 1412 sq ft. Vide an order passed on 20 Jan 2009, the AWHO was asked to pay me Rs 75,000 within one month. Copies of the order were given on 18/3/2009. As expected, the AWHO did not pay up. In October 2009 the AWHO filed an appeal in the National Consumer Commission. I wondered how this was possible, since the time limit was one month. When I went through the copy of the order that had been attached to appeal by the AWHO, I discovered that the date was different from what was given in my copy. The date of issue written in hand in my copy was 18/3/2009. In the copy submitted by AWHO, it was 18/8/2009. The figure 3 had been altered to look like 8! I brought this to the notice of the Registrar, he 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. The final hearing in the case was held in July 2010. However, no order was passed. When I tried to find out if the order had been issued, I was informed that one of the two members had reserved the order. Finally, I filed an RTI application in November. Soon afterwards, I received a copy of the order. The order of the State Commission awarding me Rs 75,000 had been dismissed. The issue of the delay in filing the appeal by AWHO and the forgery had been glossed over. I have now filed an application for review on 20th December. In the meantime, AWHO has written to all residents in Devinder Vihar, telling them that some money is to be refunded to them. But they must give an undertaking that they will have no further claim on the AWHO. A smart move, but I don’t think many will fall for it.

There are many other interesting cases but I do not want to turn this newsletter into a law journal. As you can imagine, a lot of my time and energy is spent in drafting petitions and attending hearings. For the record, in 2010 I had to attend 7 hearings in the High Court, 21 in the CMM’s court, 8 in the consumer forum/commission, and 14 in the CIC. These add up to 50, which is a little more than the total last year (42). At one time I had misgivings that I would not be able to complete the third Volume of the Corps History, on which I have been working for about three years now. Providentially, it was completed in September. However, publication has still not commenced since it is still awaiting MI clearance. If it received by the end of the year, we might just be able to produce at least some copies, so that it can be formally released during the Reunion.

This summer we had gone to Chakrata, after a gap of three years. As usual, there were 14 of us (eight 10 adults and six kids) in three cars - an Innova, a Captiva and a Swift. We did some trekking, with a bit of golf on the five-hole course that doubles as the training area for the SFF. Chakrata is wonderful little place tucked away in the Hills. I recall going there in the fifties with my parents, while I was in school. There was a Gorkha Training Centre there at that time. After 1962 the area was closed to civilians, once Establishment 22 came up there. In recent years, the ban has been lifted, and tourists have begun to discover the place, though it has very little in the way of entertainment. Of course, we did not suffer on that score – the kids kept us amused and provided more than enough entertainment.

By the time you get this, we will hopefully be in the Hills again. Everyone wanted to see some snow, so we are heading for Joshimath to ring in the New Year. With my son dropping out, due to a mishap, the party is a bit smaller. We are still taking two cars, and I will have to drive one myself. I had driven on the same route more than 25 years ago, when I used to participate in the Himalayan Rally. We then did about 600-700 Km in a day, in 14 to 15 hours. But I always had a co –driver. In 1982 and 1984 it was Sukesh Jain, and in 1983 it was RK Nair. I hope my back does not give me trouble, as it does sometimes. But there are two standby drivers – Kumud and Mauravi.

Last month my grandson had a compound fracture in his elbow which had to be put together with steel wires. He had a fall from his bicycle, which he rides like competitor in the Tour de France. Coincidentally my son also had a narrow escape on the same day. He got a severe electric shock and fell in the bathroom when he touched the outlet pipe of the geyser, to check if it was hot enough. Thankfully, both father and son are well on the way to recovery. Our family priest tells us it is due to the effect of Shani (Saturn) and has advised a Puja. We will get it done soon, when I go to Ayodhya, where he lives.

We are still staying in Gurgaon, in Palam Vihar. My son Abhimanyu, his wife Jasmine and their two children, Bhuvanyu (8) and Khushi (6) live on the first floor. They have shifted from DPS to Sun City School. My daughter Mauravi is still in Ikon Tower opposite the DLF Golf Course. Her two daughters, Mriggya (8) and Eshaana (6) go to the American Excelsior School which is located nearby. Her hubby, Vaibhav is in the merchant navy and has just returned after five months at sea. All of them usually come over to Palam Vihar on Friday evening after the children return from school and go back on Sunday. With four kids in the house for two days, by Monday morning the house looks as if it has been hit by a Tsunami.

There is little change in our routine. I go to the gym in the DSOI, which is a stone’s throw from my house, at 0645, returning at 0745 or so. Kumud goes at 0830 and returns only when the gym closes at 1000. By this time I have gone through my newspapers, had my bath and my breakfast and am ready to leave for Signals Enclave, where the Corps History Cell is located. On the days I have a hearing in Tis Hazari or the High Court, I have to give the gym a miss. The Ansal Plaza is next door and Kumud does not miss a movie. She is usually accompanied by my daughter in law or one of her gym buddies. They go for the morning show, when the children are at school and the tickets are cheaper. Twice a week, I too get a chance to go to the mall – it has a Reliance Fresh outlet and buying vegetables is one of the chores entrusted to me.

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

Vinay and Kumud Singh
G-31, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon – 122017
Tele: 0124- 4074077, 9873494521, 9810618599, 9899110913
25th December 2010

VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2006

G-31, Palam Vihar
Tele: 0124-4074077 Gurgaon – 122017
9873494521
25th December 2006


VEEKAYS NEWSLETTER – 2006

Dear Friends,

The year 2006 is coming to an end, and we will soon be entering 2007. With the advent of the Internet, letter writing is as good as dead – in fact, the first nail in its coffin was the telephone. Not only letters, even New Year cards have become passé, which in a way is a good thing, since it saves the lives of trees! Another advantage that the Internet has is that it is free, and long-winded people don’t have to spend extra money on postage stamps. So, one can blabber and waffle to his hearts content.

We are still staying in ABHIMAUR-VIKUM, in Palam Vihar, where we moved in May 2004. My daughter, Mauravi and her family stay with us on the ground floor, while my son Abhimanyu is on the first floor, with his wife Jasmine, and their two children, Bhuvanyu and Khushi, who are 4 and 2 ½ respectively. Mauravi’s two girls - Mriggya and Eshaana – are 4 and 2 years old respectively. Mauravi gave up her job with Lufthansa about six months ago, as she wanted to spend more time with her children. Bhuvanyu and Mriggya have started going to school, and are in the same class – Nursery – in DPS, Sushant Lok. Abhimanyu is still running his company, Trinity Education Services, but has recently moved from Saket to Kalkaji, a precautionary move necessitated by the sealing drive. We lost one member of the family when Sophia, our Golden Retriever passed way. She was almost 14 years old, and her time had come. But is was a shock to everyone, and many eyes in the house remained wet for some time. Misha, the Dalmatian, is also 11 years old, and has started showing signs of age. We hope she will be with us at least for a couple of years. Red, the Irish setter, is 9 years old, but still quite active.

The second volume of the History of the Corp of Signals, covering the period 1939 to 1947, on which I had been working for the last four years was released in February 2006 during the Signals Reunion at Jabalpur. My earlier book, entitled Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers, which was published 2005, is doing well – it had to be re-printed. I am now working on a USI project – The Contribution of the Armed Forces to the Freedom Movement. I hope to finish it by August 2007. Another book – I will not reveal the title now – is with the publisher and should be out in 3-4 months. Kumud keeps herself busy with the house, the grand children and the garden, especially her beautiful Bonsais and potted plants. Both of us spend a lot of time doing ‘pranayama’ and yoga, courtesy Baba Ramdev’s programmes on TV. It has helped us – my BP and sugar levels have come down, and so has Kumud’s cholesterol. 

A notable event was my trip to China in October. For company I had Sukesh Jain – we have been course-mates, room-mates and co-drivers in the Himalayan Rally. (Kumud declined, and opted to spend her share of the air ticket on shopping). We were able to see Beijing and Shanghai. Due to some problems with the flights, we could not go to Xian, but spent a day visiting Zhu Jia Jao, an old water town near Shanghai. The trip changed our outlook about China.

That about sums up the events of 2006. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Vinay and Kumud Singh

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2018

VEEKAY’S NEWSLETTER -2018

Dear Friends,

When I e-mailed my first newsletter in 2006 I wondered if anyone would read it. By then, the custom of writing letters had waned and so had the annual ritual of sending greeting cards for occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries as well as festive occasions such as Diwali, Christmas and the New Year. But I was pleasantly surprised when I received several comments from family members, colleagues and friends. As the years passed, the number of addressees in my mailing list increased and so did the comments. With the advent of social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, even the e-mail is under threat. But I think I will continue with the practice. After all, not all books and articles written by authors are published, yet they don’t give up writing them!

While on the subject of publishing, I find that there have been many changes in the attitude and practices adopted by editors of newspapers, journals and publishing houses. On going through my old files, I find that in the 60s and 70s, every article, story or poem submitted was invariably acknowledged, even if it was not accepted. Even well known editors such as BK Karanjia (Filmfare) and Khushwant Singh (Illustrated Weekly of India) always responded, even though I was just a novice at that time. The same was true of magazines such as Eves Weekly, Femina, Readers Digest etc. Along with the decline and demise of these magazines, the standards of etiquette and courtesy towards authors have fallen. Today, you rarely get an acknowledgement for an article, unless you are a regular contributor. The lack of response is more galling than a rejection slip – with the latter, at least you can send the piece to another journal.

The demise of these journals has affected me in another manner. Recently, I decided to put all the articles and short stories that I had written on a blog called http://veekaysarticles.blogspot.com/. I managed to collect about 100 of them written in recent years. But what about the ones in the era before computers came into being? In the 60s, 70s and 80s, when everything was written in hand or on a typewriter, it is difficult to find copies now. Of course, I was able to get hold of all the articles published in the Signalman, but in spite of my best efforts, I have not been able to find those published in other magazines. Some libraries do have old copies, but they have not been of much help.

                             

In my last newsletter I had mentioned that 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) was still on, but there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Alas, the tunnel is growing longer and longer. Arguments had been closed and the judgement reserved on 11^th August 2017 in the case filed by us in the High Court in 2008 to quash the proceedings. It has been almost a year and a half but the judgement has still not been issued. Of course, one can submit an application to the Chief Justice after six months, but this may result in the case being transferred to another judge. It has taken 10 years to reach this stage and I don’t relish the prospect of spending another 10 years going through the same mill. The silver lining is that because of the judgement being reserved, the other cases- one n the High Court and the other in the CMM’s court – are stayed. 

The number of my visits to various courts has also reduced. In 2018 there were only four hearings in the High Court and 14 in the CMM’s court, mostly connected with cases which I had filed against the authors of books and articles containing similar information, some of which I had used in my book. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be moving, because of a provision in Section 13 (3) of the Official Secrets Act 1923, under which courts cannot take cognizance of an offence under the Act unless the complaint comes from the Government. This provision was inserted by the British to protect their officers from frivolous complaints. This archaic provision- in fact the OSA itself is a draconian law that contravenes the Right to Information Act. But it is unlikely to be amended, due to opposition from the intelligence agencies.

Some of you may recall that in 2005 my book LEADERSHIP IN THE INDIAN ARMY – BIOGRAPHIES OF TWELVE SOLDIERS was published by Sage Publications. A number of friends and colleagues had been advising me to get it translated in Hindi. I had asked the Publisher to get it done, or allow me to do it on my own. In 2016, during a visit to the Delhi Book fair, I found a Hindi version of my book in the Sage stall. They had translated it without even informing me! When I accosted the person in charge, he was very apologetic. He gave me a complimentary copy of the book, along with a gift hamper containing a calendar, diary etc.

When I went through the book at home, I was flabbergasted. The translation had obviously been done by using software or by a person from a non military background. As a result, certain portions of the book were not only incomprehensible but downright funny. For example, 7 Cavalry had been translated as 7 अश्वारोही सेना and 17 Horse as 17 घोड़े. Similarly, pistol had become बंदूक and medium guns were मध्यम बंदूकें. But the worse was that several people who were still alive had been shown as killed. This included Air Marshal Nanda Cariappa who was shot down in Pakistan during the 1965 war and Brigadier Rai Singh who was wounded during the operations in Nathula in 1967. In the book, they had been shown among the casualties, which includes both killed and wounded, but the translator assumed that they had been killed. It would have been very embarrassing if any of them were to read what is written about them. Naturally, they would assume that I am responsible for these gaffes.

I wrote a very strongly worded letter to Mr Vivek Mehra, who had replaced Tejeshwar Singh as the MD and CEO of Sage after the latter’s demise in 2007. I pointed out the mistakes in the Hindi translation and requested him to withdraw the book and get the translations done again. I suggested that he should stop sale of additional copies. Once the book has been reprinted after carrying out the corrections, he could ask those who have already purchased the book to return their copies, with an offer to replace them with the corrected version. If he could not do this, I requested him to omit my name as the author in future reprints. I closed the letter with:  “Sage may not be worried about its reputation, but I am certainly concerned about mine.”

Soon afterwards, I received a reply from Mr Mehra, informing me that the entire unsold stock was being pulped, and they would get it translated again. I had suggested the names of a few retired Army officers who could do this. They got another translation done in 2017 and sent it to me for approval. I was surprised to find that this too had similar mistakes. When I contacted them, I learned that they had not been able to get in touch with the person I had recommended and had got it done by one of their regular translators. I then offered to correct it myself and that is what I did. Since I had never written in Hindi, I had to first download the Kruti Dev software. It took me some time but finally I learned how to use it. It took me almost six months to do the job. The Hindi version of the book was finally published this year. It is titled भारतीय सेना में नेतृत्व - बारह सैनिकों की जीवनी. Complimentary copies have been sent to the Colonels of the Regiment and Centre Commandants of the regiments of the twelve leaders covered in the book. Copies have also been sent to all Cat A institutions and prominent libraries.

 In my last newsletter I had mentioned the problems I was facing with the Nissan Terrano 1.6 XL (Petrol) that I bought in 2016. It had several design defects that could not be rectified by the service centre. After exhausting all other remedies, I filed a complaint in the District Consumer Forum in Gurgaon in October 2017. After about 5-6 hearings, there was an interesting development. After the hearing on 26/03/2018, I was told to file the affidavit of evidence on the next date, which I noted as 26/04/2018. When I went to Forum that day, I was informed that the case was “dismissed in default for want of prosecution” on 24/04/2018. Apparently, the next date of hearing was 16/04/2018 and not 26/04/2018. Since I did not appear on that date, another date was given on 24/04/2018. When I did not appear on that date also, the case was dismissed.

I was convinced that there was something fishy. First of all, it is quite possible that the Reader had told me date as 26/04/2018 instead of 16/04/2018 by mistake. Of course, it could be on oversight on my part also. However, I found it strange that when I did not appear, the next hearing was held after just eight days. Before this, hearings were held with a gap of about a month or so. Anyway, after reading up some judgments of the NCDRC and Supreme Court, I offered to file a fresh complaint. However, the President told me that this was not permitted and I would have to file an appeal in the State Commission, in Panchkula.

I then went to Panchkula and filed the appeal on 17/05/2018. During the first hearing on 29/05/2018, the President, Justice Nawab Singh asked me why I had not filed a fresh complaint in Gurgaon itself. When I told him about the Gurgaon Forum not accepting my complaint, he was visibly annoyed. He said that I had the choice of either filing a fresh complaint in Gurgaon, or pursuing the appeal in the State Commission itself. I opted for the first course. He immediately dictated an order, permitting me to file a fresh complaint in the District Forum in Gurgaon.  When I asked when I could get a copy of the order, he said “General, you keep sitting here. You will get a copy within half an hour”. He was as good as his word. He asked the Reader to type out the order, get it signed and stamped and give me a copy. Within 20 minutes I was given a copy of the order, along with a copy of the Supreme Court order.  He also gave me his telephone number. He told me that if the President of the Gurgaon Forum still had some doubts and did not accept the complaint, I should call him on this number.  I was pleasantly surprised by his positive attitude and consideration for veterans. 

I returned to Gurgaon and filed a fresh complaint in the Consumer Forum. After the order of the State Commission, they did not have any problem in admitting the complaint. Meanwhile, I met a few experts in the field, some of whom I knew from the time when I used to drive in the Himalayan Rally in the early 1980s. I also met Tutu Dhawan, who told me that he knew from the day it was launched that the Terrano would not do well as it was under-powered. He advised me to get rid of the car as soon a possible. I then did some research on my own and found an interesting detail about the Terrano. It has an unladen weight of 1261 Kg and gross vehicle weight of 1755 Kg. Hence, the weight of load carried by the car including passengers, luggage, tools, accessories etc should not exceed 494 Kg. According to the Owner’s Manual of the car, the engine output and climbing ability are reduced with altitude. It recommends that the maximum load should be reduced by 10% at an altitude of 1000 metres and an additional 10% for each 1000 metres thereafter. Since most popular hill stations are at altitude of approx 2000 metres, this will result in a weight reduction of 20% and the gross weight will be around 1404 Kg only. Since the unladen weight of the car is 1261 Kg, the load that can be carried including passengers, luggage and tools will be only 143 Kg. Obviously, it will be difficult to use the car in the hills if it is fully loaded, with five passengers and luggage. This is a serious design defect in the car, which is being sold as an SUV. I have mentioned all this in the complaint filed in the Consumer Forum in Gurgaon. I am hopeful that it will be decided in a month or two.

In November I went to Hisar to attend the biennial reunion of the unit that I had raised in 1982. It was then known as 33 Mechanised Divisional Signal Regiment. It is now known as 33 Armoured Divisional Signal Regiment. We had a fairly good gathering, including several DOT ARENERS who were part of the team with me in 1982-85. Apart from me, there were five other ex-COs:   KS Grewal, AK Saini, GS Bisht, BS Sandhu and Gautam Mahajan. In addition to the officers, there were some JCOs and OR also, though I wish their number could be larger. With the present day means of communication, it is easier to remain in touch. I am hopeful that the participation will improve as the years go by.

My second out station trip in November was to Dehradun, to attend the Valley of Words Arts and Literature Festival. It was a three-day event from 23-25 November covering a wide spectrum of subjects, in English as well as Hindi. There were several sessions dealing with military subjects. I was part of a panel along with Maj Gen Ian Cardozo and Maj Gen Randhir Sinh. The subject was India’s Wars since Independence and a tribute to Gen Zorawar Bakshi.   The other two speakers spoke on the first subject while I was asked to speak about Zoru Bakshi. There was a bit or irony in this – both Cardozo and Randhir are from the 5th Gorkha Rifles, which was Gen Bakshi’s parent regiment. But since I had written his biography, I was asked to speak about him. As is well known, Gen Bakshi was the most decorated soldier in the Indian Army. Among his well known achievements are the capture of the Haji Pir pass in 1965 and Chicken’s Neck in 1971. An enigma which we have not been able to resolve is the story of how he was awarded the VrC in May 1948. At that time he was the BM of 163 Infantry Brigade (Brig Harbaksh Singh) which was advancing towards Tithwal, recapturing territory lost to the Pakistani tribesmen. Within five days, the Brigade captured Chowkibal, Nastachun Pass and Tithwal. It was poised to advance to Muzaffarabad when the operations were halted as a result of the UN resolution. Being a BM, Bakshi must have done something extraordinary to be awarded a VrC. I could not find any citation for the award nor was there any mention of his act in war diaries of the Brigade HQ as well as the four infantry battalions that formed part it. I wish I had asked Gen Bakshi himself about it. I had three sessions with him at his home in Defence Colony in 1995-96 when I was writing his biography. I think his innate modesty inhibited him from talking about it on his own, but I am sure he would have clarified the issue if I had asked him.

  In November, there were several events in Delhi connected with commemoration of 100 years of the end of World War I. On 9^th Nov there was an international seminar at the USI on “India and the Great War. This was followed by several events organised jointly by the British High Commission and the USI to commemorate India’s contribution to the Great War. On 10^th Nov there was a concert and a reception at the residence of the British High Commissioner. The highlight was a performance by the band of the Royal Gurkhas in the UK. Digitised copies of the war diaries of all Indian units that took part in WWI were handed over to representatives of the respective regiments by the High Commission.  Next morning, there was a service of remembrance at the War Cemetery. All these events were attended by a large number of serving officers and veterans, some wearing the medals of their fathers and grandfathers on the right side of the chest.

Though I was afflicted by a host of medical problems this year, I am purposely not mentioning any of them. At our age, we all suffer from some ailment or the other. But I would like to mention something that may help others suffering from spinal problems or pain in the back. I suffer from lumbar canal stenosis with prolapsed disc in 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th lumbar vertebrae. Many years ago, I realised that whenever I sat on a hard seat or a low seat, I would have severe pain in my leg. I avoid sofas with soft cushions and prefer to sit on a dining chair. But sometimes, one cannot find a chair or seat that suits you, such as in a taxi, a hospital waiting room or a court room. I think I have finally found an answer. While browsing the net, I came across a company known as GRINHEALTH that makes seats and cushions for those afflicted with such problems. I ordered a coccyx plus seat cushion that is actually meant for people who have pain in the tail bone. I am using it for the last six months and I find it a Godsend. You can use it on any chair, including the car seat when you are driving.  If you don’t like it, they are ready to change it or refund the cost. It is quite light in weight and has a carrying case with a zipper, similar to the ones used to carry coats and suits.

This year, we again missed our annual holiday in the hills. We had plans to visit Kasauli and Shimla towards the end of May but it did not go planned. One reason was the extreme heat and the other was the commitments of the grand children. Finally, only my son-in-law Vaibhav accompanied me to Kasauli. After spending three days there, we were all set to leave for Shimla when there was an unforeseen development. Due to a severe water shortage in Shimla, there was an appeal from the residents to visitors not to come there. We were booked for stay in the A Mess and though the Mess NCO confirmed that they were still getting water, we decided drop the plan and returned to Gurgaon.

We are all planning to leave for Jaipur shortly after Christmas. Kumud’s brother, Col Jitendra Singh Nathawat, has converted their ancestral house, Devi Bhawan into a heritage hotel - Bharat Mahal Palace – and that is where we will be staying. Kumud’s sister lives next door, and so do many of her cousins. Kumud’s brother has recently built a country resort called Chomu Bagh very close to the Chomu Fort and Palace, where Kumud’s ancestors lived. The grand children are naturally more excited than their parents and grandparents. They will get to spend time with their first and second cousins,  

We are still staying at Abhimaur Vikum in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. With two malls – Ansal Plaza and Global Foyer – coming up nearby, the traffic situation has become chaotic. The only consolation is that the DSOI next door has an excellent gym, which Kumud and I visit every morning. My son Abhimanyu lives on the first floor with his wife Jasmine and their two children Bhuvanyu (16) and Khushi (14), who go to the Sun City School. Bhuvanyu was a promising cricketer and played in State level tournaments for under 16 teams until last year. 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 in 2016 from Hextex Commune. Their two daughters, Mriggya (16) and Eshaana (14), study at the Kunskapsskolan School. Vaibhav, a Captain in the Merchant Navy is presently having a break and will be joining only after a month or so. Nowadays, he has to schedule his breaks to coincide with the kids’ holidays or exam schedules (he is also their maths tutor).

I can go on and on but I think it is time to close.  This is my twelfth 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, 9873494521, 9899110913

24^th December 2018

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.