It Happens .............only in Pakistan

The belated PB4 and………..doctors’ PR requests

On the face of it the heading may sound a little vague but then I am trying to drive home a point. There has been a lot of heart burns in the delay in the implementation of PB4. But coming to think of it…… is not such a delay quite routine with our system? Let me explain it with this illustrative example.

A fouji doc serving in a peripheral location had put in his premature retirement application in the first week of November for the third time, his earlier two applications having been rejected. Fouji docs are at a disadvantage in that their PR applications need to be approved by the MoD unlike officers from other branches. After having gone through the channels it was “favourably recommended” by the DGMS in the first week of January, recommended by the DGAFMS in February and by the Service Chief in March when it was forwarded to the MoD.At the MoD the papers reached the D(Med) where it was scrutinized and a one page note prepared by a section officer. It is this important note that forms the basis of its rejection or approval by the JS at the MoD. However in our case this Officer’s application was rejected and the same was conveyed in the month of May.

The Service Chief was however a little irked in that an application recommended by him has been so unceremoniously rejected by a junior level Officer at the MoD ! He therefore took up the case with the MoD in the month of July for reconsideration . In September the MoD sends a small one line note which says “ The JS (….) has agreed to give a personal hearing to the Officer at the behest of the Service Chief”.(Please note the subtle arrogance that’s evident.). The Officer went to South Block after taking prior appointment , met the JS and the interview went somewhat like this.

“Doctor I am sorry I had to keep you waiting for an hour and a half. What can I do for you?”
“Sir, I have chosen to seek PR on compassionate grounds”
“Are you sure you will not regret your decision later?”
“Not at all Sir.”
“All right your application is approved.”
The Officer couldn’t believe that he had achieved his objective in just three and a half minutes of that interview !

He was finally granted PR wef 31 December…..full fourteen months after he had put in his papers…....................Now, that’s the delay that I was talking about.

Foujidocs may like to know a few things before putting in their papers.

· For GDMOs, with the present pay and perks it’s worthwhile continuing in service. Life would be rather difficult outside. Therefore be sure to look before you leap. For specialists/super specialists the openings outside are enormous with hefty packages starting from 1.25 – 1.50 pm being offered by corporate hospitals.
· Once you put in your papers be sure to keep track of it especially after it is sent to MoD.
· Be sure to go and meet that pip-squeak of a section officer at D(Med) as he is the most important cog in the wheel…..Ah yes, do not forget to Sir him a couple of times forgetting about your ego !
· A posting to RR Hospital at that stage may be of an added advantage !!!

Vir Sanghvi- Indians and Pakis are no longer the same people....

Here is an interesting write-up by Vir Sanghvi, Hindustan Times ......worth a thought !!!

The same people? Surely not. Few things annoy me as much as the claim often advanced by well-meaning but woolly- headed (and usually Punjabi) liberals to the effect that when it comes to India and Pakistan , "We’re all the same people, yaar." This may have been true once upon a time.

Before 1947, Pakistan was part of undivided India and you could claim that Punjabis from West Punjab (what is now Pakistan ) were as Indian as, say, Tamils from Madras . But time has a way of moving on. And while the gap between our Punjabis(from east Punjab which is now the only Punjab left in India) and our Tamils may actually have narrowed, thanks to improved communications, shared popular culture and greater physical mobility, the gap between Indians and Pakistanis has now widened to the extent that we are no longer the same people in any significant sense. This was brought home to me most clearly by two major events over the last few weeks.

The first of these was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team on the streets of Lahore . In their defence, Pakistanis said that they were powerless to act against the terrorists because religious fanaticism was growing. Each day more misguided youngsters joined jihadi outfits and the law and order situation worsened. Further, they added, things had got so bad that in the tribal areas the government of Pakistan had agreed to suspend the rule of law under pressure from the Taliban and had conceded that sharia law would reign instead.Interestingly, while most civilised liberals should have been appalled by this surrender to the forces of extremism, many Pakistanis defended this concession. Imran Khan (Keble College, Oxford, 1973-76) even declared that sharia law would be better because justice would be dispensed more swiftly! I know thisis politically incorrect but the Lion of the Punjab ’s defence of sharia law reminded me of the famous Private Eye cover when his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith was announced. The Eye carried a picture of Khan speaking toJemima’s father. “Can I have your daughter’s hand?” Imran was supposedly asking James Goldsmith. “Why? Has she been caught shoplifting?” Goldsmith replied. So much for sharia law.

The second contrasting event was one that took place in Los Angeles but which was perhaps celebrated more in India than in any other country in the world. Three Indians won Oscars: A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty andGulzar.Their victory set off a frenzy of rejoicing. We were proud of our countrymen. We were pleased that India ’s entertainment industry and its veterans had been recognised at an international platform. And all three men became even bigger heroes than they already were. But here’s the thing: Not one of them is a Hindu. Can you imagine such a thing happening in Pakistan ? Can you even conceive of a situation where the whole country would celebrate the victory of three members of two religious minorities? For that matter, can you even imagine a situation where people from religious minorities would have got to the top of their fields and were,therefore, in the running for international awards? On the one hand, you have Pakistan imposing sharia law, doing deals with theTaliban, teaching hatred in madrasas, declaring jihad on the world and trying to kill innocent Sri Lankan cricketers. On the other, you have the triumph of Indian secularism. The same people? Surely not. We are defined by our nationality. They choose to define themselves by the irreligion. But it gets even more complicated. As you probably know, Rahman was born Dilip Kumar. He converted to Islam when he was 21. His religious preferences made no difference to his prospects. Even now, his music cuts across all religious boundaries. He’s as much at home with Sufi music as he is with bhajans. Nor does he have any problem with saying ‘Vande Mataram’. Now, think of a similar situation in Pakistan . Can you conceive of a Pakistani composer who converted to Hinduism at the age of 21 and still went on to become a national hero? Under sharia law, they’d probably have to execute him. Resul Pookutty’s is an even more interesting case. Until you realise that Malayalis tend to put an ‘e’ where the rest of us would put an ‘a,’ ( Ravi becomes Revi and sometimes the Gulf becomes the Gelf), you cannot work out that his name derives from Rasool, a fairly obviously Islamic name. But here’s the point: even when you point out to people that Pookutty is infact a Muslim, they don’t really care. It makes no difference to them. He’s an authentic Indian hero, his religion is irrelevant. Can you imagine Pakistan being indifferent to a man’s religion? Can you believe that Pakistanis would not know that one of their Oscar winners came from a religious minority? And would any Pakistani have dared bridge the religious divide in the manner Resul did by referring to the primeval powerof Om in his acceptance speech? The same people? Surely not.

Most interesting of all is the case of Gulzar who many Indians believe is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Sikh. And his real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra. So why does he have a Muslim name? It’s a good story and he told it on my TV show some years ago. He was born in West Pakistan and came over the border during the bloody days of Partition. He had seen so much hatred and religious violence on both sides,he said, that he was determined never to lose himself to that kind of blind religious prejudice and fanaticism. Rather than blame Muslims for the violence inflicted on his community —after all, Hindus and Sikhs behaved with equal ferocity — he adopted a Muslim pen name to remind himself that his identity was beyond religion. He still writes in Urdu and considers it irrelevant whether a person is a Sikh,a Muslim or a Hindu. Let’s forget about political correctness and come clean: can you see such athing happening in Pakistan ? Can you actually conceive of a famous Pakistani Muslim who adopts a Hindu or Sikh name out of choice to demonstrate the irrelevance of religion?

My point, exactly. What all those misguided liberals who keep blathering on about us being the same people forget is that in the 60-odd years since Independence, our two nations have traversed very different paths. Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam. It still defines itself in terms of Islam. And over the next decade as it destroys itself, it will be because of Islamic extremism. India was founded on the basis that religion had no role in determining citizenship or nationhood. An Indian can belong to any religion in the world and face no discrimination in his rights as a citizen. It is nobody’s case that India is a perfect society or that Muslims face no discrimination. But only a fool would deny that in the last six decades, we have travelled a long way towards religious equality. In the early days of independent India , a Yusuf Khan had to call himself Dilip Kumar for fear of attracting religious prejudice. In today’s India , a Dilip Kumar can change his name to A.R. Rahman and nobody really gives a damn either way. So think back to the events of the last few weeks. To the murderous attack on innocent Sri Lankan cricketers by jihadi fanatics in a society that is being buried by Islamic extremism. And to the triumphs of Indian secularism.

Same people? Don’t make me laugh.........

Austere Lifestyle of a President‏ - Ahemedinejad !!!

I received this write up through e mail from a friend. I thought it was definitely educative ! Here it is !

The FoxNewsTV (USA) asked the Iranian President Ahmedinejad,'When you look into the mirror in the morning what do you say to yourself'? He answered: I see the person in the mirror and tell him 'Remember' you are no more than a small servant, ahead of you today is the heavy responsibility, and that is to serve the Iranian nation'. Ahmedinejad, the Iranian President who astonished many when he first reached to the office of the Presidency by donating all the high valued Iranian carpets to one of the mosques in Tehran by replacing them with the low cost ordinary carpets. He observed that there was a huge extravagant lounge for receiving and welcoming the VIPs and he ordered it to be closed and asked the protocol office to arrange for an ordinary room only with wooden chairs. On many instances he joins the cleaning staff of the municipality for cleaning the streets in the area where his home and the Presidency are located.Under his authority whenever he appoints any minister to his post he gets a signed document from him with many points particularly highlighting that he shall remain poor and that his personal and his relatives accounts will be watched and the day he leaves the ministry shall be with dignity, and therefore it is not lawful for him or his relatives to take any advantage of his office. First of all he declared himself for all the 'Big' wealth and the property he owned was a Peugeot 504 car, model 1977, an old small house inherited from his father 40-years ago in one of the poorest zones in Tehran . His accounts with a zero balance and the only money comes in to his a/c was from his salary from the university as a lecturer with an amount of US$ 250 only. For your info rmation the President still lives in that same house.. This is all what he owns; the president of one of the world's important countries; strategically, economically, politically and with regard to its oil and defense. He even doesn't take his personal salary with the argument that all the wealth belongs to the nation and he is the safeguard over it. One of the things that impressed the staff at the presidency is the bag the President brings with him every day, which contains his breakfast; some sandwiches or bread with olive oil and cheese prepared by his wife and eats and enjoys it with all happiness. One of the other things he changed was his personal carrier 'the President's Aircraft' to a cargo aircraft in order to save the spending from the public treasury and he ordered that he will be flying with the ordinary airline in the economy class.. He organizes meetings every now and then with all the ministers to know their activities and efficiency and he closed down the office of the Manager of the president and any minister can enter to his office without any permission. He also stopped the welcome ceremonies like the red carpet, the photo session or any personal advertisement or respect of any kind while visiting any place in the country. Whenever he has to stay in any of the hotels he asks them to make sure not to give him a room with any big bed because he doesn't like to sleep on beds but rather likes to sleep on the floor on a simple mattress with a blanket.. Refer to some of the photographs which also confirm the above. The Iranian president is sleeping in the guest room of his house after getting away from his special guards who follow him wherever he goes and photo is taken by his small brother according to the Wifaq Newspaper which published this photo and the next day the photo was published in most of the world's newspapers and magazines and particularly the Americans. During the prayer you can see that he is not sitting in the first row. And the final photo is of his dining room where the president is busy eating his simple meal.
Try comparing this with the emoluments and privileges our ministers get ..... plus the amount they loot How many of our Presidents, PMs, Ministers & politicians enjoy(?) such a life!!!

Our honourable MPs _ what is the burden we share

Politics is not a SERVICE anymore but a PROFESSION!!!
An Important Issue!
Salary & Govt. Concessions for a Member of Parliament (MP)

Monthly Salary : Rs. 12,000/-

Expense for Constitution per month : Rs. 10,000/-

Office expenditure per month : Rs. 14,000/-

Traveling concession (Rs. 8 per km) : Rs. 48,000/-
(eg. For a visit from South India to Delhi & return : 6000 km)

Daily DA TA during parliament meets : Rs. 500/day

Charge for 1 class (A/C) in train : Free (For any number of times) (All over India )

Charge for Business Class in flights : Free for 40 trips / year (With wife or P.A.)

Rent for MP hostel at Delhi : Free.

Electricity costs at home : Free up to 50,000 units.

Local phone call charge : Free up to 1, 70,000 calls..

TOTAL expense for a MP [having no qualification] per year : Rs.32, 00,000/-
[i.e. 2.66 lakh/month]

TOTAL expense for 5 years : Rs. 1, 60, 00,000/-
For 534 MPs, the expense for 5 years : Rs. 8,54,40,00,000/-
(Nearly 855 crores) ..... This is how all our tax money is been swallowed and price hike on our regular commodities......... And the photographs that you see ...that is the present condition of our country : 855 crores could make their lives livable!! Think of the great democracy we have…...Jai Ho !!!

Vote………Vote…….Vote…but who is the RIGHT CANDIDATE ?

These days foujies are quite agitated….and rightly so…the way they have been let down by every one…..the politicians, the baboos besides others. They have suddenly woken up about the power that they have – the power to exercise their franchise. The result is fervent appeals in every blog and other forums to vote and vote and vote. Some one says vote for BJP because they have promised to look after foujies – OROP, income tax waivers and…..what not. The congress party president had promised OROP if they came in power five years ago…but they clean forgot about it once they formed the govt. George Fernandes – apparently a very upright man did some thing which no one else had done before. He dismissed the Naval Chief !! He did nothing for the Fouj….nothing at all.

The BJP which claims to be the service – friendly party did nothing at all when they were in power for five years….and George F was their very own Raksha Mantri !! There are several politicians who are /were ex- service officers. Look at people like Jaswant Singh, B C Khanduri, Late Rajesh Pilot and others who have done nothing for us. There are Members of Parliament like Gen Shankar Roy Choudhary whose voice gets drowned in the cacophony that prevails.

The bottom line is, every political party is the same …they are going to run the govt with the same set of baboos. Do not have much of expectations. But yes, we must vote….after all it’s a right guaranteed by the constitution !! We must exercise our franchise !!

Of Advertisements............and ? Marketting

Of late it is rather amusing to see ads both in the visual as well as print media making efforts to lure young men and women in to the Services. One liners like “Do you have it in you”……attempting to rekindle the hidden traits of chivalry among the youngsters prodding them to choose the Military career option. Another one shows a senior military commander speaking of the “luxurious lifestyles “ lead in the services, the best medical facilities (which I certainly do not doubt), the best schooling facilities for the children…………..hold it ….now , I may not agree with that one…….
And thereby hangs a tale!
Several years ago, I was posted to a small place called Bakshi ka Talaab – 30 odd kms from Lucknow – a peace location. There was a small Kendriya Vidhyalaya at BKT having classes upto class X. I had never in my life seen a more disinterested bunch of teachers. Of all the children who had appeared for the class X board, only 6 could pass the exam and the topper had scored 48 % marks !! Some of the children who failed had scored 12 % marks in English! I wonder what happened to those children .After all they were the wards of Military personnel who had put their children in that school not by choice but out of compulsion!! ……….so much to speak of the “best “ schooling facilities…One can well imagine the situation in other God forsaken places. Yes, there are Army/ Air Force schools at every base where teachers are invariably the spouses or wards of the local service personnel who are taken not solely on their merit.
There are of course good schools….for example The Air Force School at Subroto Park (TAFS)………..perhaps one of the best schools at Delhi. But how many of us are fortunate to get at least one posting to Delhi ? I for one could never make it to Delhi ….no cribs though….

Quite naturally , all this brings us to ask a few questions to ourselves.

How is this ad different from………let’s say about the personality who says “Boost is the secret of my energy”……..for all you know he may never have tasted Boost all his life !! Therefore are these ads misleading the potential entrant to the Organization ?
Traditionally a job in the Forces was perhaps the most coveted one . It was indeed the royalty which had the privilege to send their sons to the Armed Forces. But today we have reached a state where we have to advertise to get the youth to join the NDA/ Army. Have we reduced ourselves to ordinary merchandise that needs to be marketed ?
Why don’t we see similar ads luring people in to the IAS, IPS, Forest Service etc?
Why don’t we see children of politicians joining the Defense Services ? There are several of them whose kids are Bureaucrats…

Where have things gone wrong ?..............Food for thought folks…….. Naren