The price of a soldier...........

A few day's ago I received a call from a gent at Bangalore, regarding a common piece of property that we own in the suburbs. He was interested in making contact with other owners of this fairly large tract of land, in order to finalize a plan for its up keep and maintenance. I was interested and asked him if he had zeroed in on a potential candidate to get the job done.

What he said next amazed me. He went on that there were quite a few retired armed forces officer's floating around and we could easily employ on for about Rs 25000 to Rs 30000. I was dismayed, shocked and ashamed, not because of the money offered or the work itself but the the flippancy with which the statement was made.

The lack of respect that many armed forces personnel are shown in India, amazes me, because we do it from the comfort of our drawing room's and then when there is war or a national crisis we suddenly realize that there is a requirement for these folk, to protect us, and after the event eulogies are written for a short while, like the following:

Monday, July 27, 2009
Kargil hilltops lit up as India salutes war heroes
Drass (Jammu and Kashmir): The hills of Kargil came alive Sunday night in a glow of yellow lights as India marked the 10th anniversary of its military victory against Pakistan by paying homage to the over 500 soldiers killed while recapturing the treacherous peaks.
In an unprecedented military ceremony of its kind, army officers and soldiers, family members of those killed in the May-July 1999 fighting as well as people of this Shia-dominated region along the border of Jammu and Kashmir paid moving tributes to the martyrs of Kargil. The finale of the two-day ceremony was a musical show by military bands drawn from all over the country followed by a spectacular lighting of Tiger Hill and Tololing, two of the strategic peaks Pakistani Islamist insurgents and camouflaged troops quietly took over before being beaten back in two months of bloody and at times hand to hand fighting. An army officer said the military had never before organized such a function, which brought together families of soldiers from all over India to see for themselves from close range the imposing mountains where their loved ones died. A candle light ceremony was also held at the War Memorial in Drass, now a throbbing town of 2,000 people that came under intense artillery fire from the Pakistanis in 1999 before the Indians hit back. "It is an experience no soldier can ever forget," said Lt. Gen. (Retd) Amar Nath Aul, who was a brigadier in 1999 and headed the Mountain Brigade that pushed back the intruders in the Drass sector. "I salute the untiring commitment of my boys who fought against all odds and did not deter in laying down their lives when it came to protecting the country," he added. As officers and soldiers as well as families of many of the martyrs placed wreaths at the War Memorial early in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saluted those killed in the conflict. "I join the entire nation in paying homage to the martyrs of the Kargil war. They sacrificed their lives in defence of Indian unity and integrity," the prime minister said at the India Gate War Memorial in the national capital. Like in the better known Tiger Hill and Tololing, heavy fighting took place in 1999 for the hills off Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world located about 60 km from Kargil town. The entire region falls in Kargil district, giving the 1999 military showdown the name of "Kargil war". The detection of Pakistan-backed Islamist insurgents and regular soldiers on the hills by nomads led to full-fledged fighting between Indian forces and the heavily armed infiltrators, almost triggering the fourth full-scale India-Pakistan war. The battle for Drass was immortalised by the death of the young Captain Vikram Batra of 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles who took part in the capture of two peaks and then died fighting for Point 4,875. He came under attack while trying to rescue an injured officer. His final words, according to his colleagues, were "Jai Mata Di"! July 26 is annually celebrated as 'Kargil Diwas' or Kargil Day. Some 200,000 Indian soldiers took part in the Kargil war, about 30,000 of them in the Kargil-Drass sector. More than 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the two-month fighting. The intruders, who had come for a long haul, came as close as 300 metres to a key highway connecting Srinagar with Leh and the border town of Kargil. Said another officer: "Many families are sure to leave the place with a heavy heart but they will have the satisfaction of knowing that the army has not forgotten their sons, brothers and husbands."
Source: IANS

The armed forces in India deserve our respect on many fronts:

1. They are not political.

2. They seem to be the only large institution in this country worth emulating.

3. Their selection & training standards are worth following.

4.They risk their lives so that we can park ourselves in front of the TV and watch our favourite soap operas.

A story to tell.....................

The other day I bumped into a distant relative, who was waddling along, with his wife and kid in tow. I use the word 'waddle' because the gent is rather well endowed and his wife and kid are fairly portly as well.

While the chap is quite inconsequential, having pushed paper, for most part of his life & to the best of my knowledge spent his time visiting the various eating places that dot Bangalore, he generally has a smug look on his moon like face and over conversations few & far in between I have been able to gather that he owes this to being left a residence in a fairly up market area of Bangalore, by his late father. The rising real estate prices in Bangalore has contributed to his sense of well being.

While why a person feels happy is a matter of conjecture and I reserve an opinion on the same for the present, my mind harks back to the movie 'Australia', where the pretty Nicole Kidman, playing Mrs.Boss offers the 'Drover' played by a charismatic Hugh Jackman, a job on her ranch, he refuses saying he wants to have a story to tell, when he dies and so would like to continue with his rather unconventional style of lifestyle of droving cattle across hundreds of miles through trying terrain. He wants to have a story that is interesting!

The scene got me to pause & wonder, as to how many of us would have a story to tell, when we meet our maker. I guess it's a just cause for reflection. Have we done anything out of the ordinary? Can you tell a story that would hold the attention of another person? Well, that is for you folk to decide?

As for my distant relative, he toddled off, into the nearest 'Chat' joint, to what I assume would be a meal of 'Papri Chaat' and 'Pani Puri'.

As to the movie in question, watch it, it provides you a breathtaking view of the land down under.

Wither Life?

The following article, appeared in the Bangalore edition of the Deccan Hearld.
Sunday, July 19, 2009

It is sad to read these stories, considering that 'International Oil Pollution Prevention certification is mandatory for all ships and ship owners are expected to get quickly off the blocks in the event of such an occurence where a ship goes down in coastal waters, with oil on board. Fortunately this cargo carrier was not an oil tanker and has a limited amount of fuel on board.

What can be the outcome of this marine incident?

1. The Mangalore coast could be innundated with an oil slick for years to come.


2. Coastal flora & fauna could be destroyed.


3. The livelihood of fishermen is in danger.


4. Coastal Tourism is in jeapordy.

It is also interesting to see what steps are being taken to check the spill. Indian marine autorities are notoriously slack in dealing with such emergencies.

Unscrupolous ship owners, float sea going ships, which are not seaworthy and should not have left a port in the first place.

I can see only two points that bring some cheer in this rather sorry tale:

1. There were no casualities amongst the crew.


2. The Captain in true naval tradition was last off the ship.

However, as far as I can see, it is yet another nail in our fragile eco systems battered coffin.
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The Chinese cargo vessel MV Asian Forest, which was listing on Friday, sank off the Mangalore coast on Saturday, sparking fears of an oil spill.
The ship was carrying 366 tonnes of fuel oil and 45 tonnes of diesel in its fuel containers. Coast Guard Karnataka Commandant Padam Shekhar Jha told Deccan Herald that contact had been established with representatives of P & G Marine Company, Busan in South Korea, who own the vessel, agents Golf Alpha Charley Shipping and ABCO Trading Company, Kottara Chowki, Mangalore. The company has been asked to make necessary arrangements for salvage operations and to remove the oil and wreckage, he said. A salvage team of Singapore- based Smith and Company is expected to reach the ill-fated ship’s site on Sunday. Jha said there were no signs of oil spill as yet but all precautions would be taken to check spill.The ship carrying iron ore fines, which set sail from the New Mangalore Port for Zhavgjiagang in China at around 9:30 am on Friday encountered rough seas and later started listing. All the 18 crew members of the ship, who were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Sankalp, are safe in a hotel in the city.

The Italian Experience!

Most of us are aware that Italian's are very excitable and verbose folk ! They are all over you in when it comes to communication and you could consider yourself lucky, if you can get a word in edge wise.

I had a rather strange experience with an Italian gent a few years ago. I was in Delhi, and in the Hotel Imperial ( A wonderful hotel, with an old world charm), waiting for an acquaintance in the lobby, when in strode a rather elderly man, puffing and red faced. He sat next to me, caught his breath and said something to me, in Italian. My Italian, being rather limited, I smiled and nodded, my head and continued reading the days news paper.

It did not occur to me that, the gentleman was getting rather edgy, till he broke out in a fusillade directed at me. I was nonplussed and shocked, to put it mildly.What was the cause of this man's ire? Why was he annoyed by me? We were attracting a bit of attention, so I tried to edge away, but the chap clutched my hand.

I was pretty alarmed and strange thoughts wafted through my mind. Was, this man, an escaped inmate from a lunatic asylum or worse was he gay and had taken a fancy for me. I was at a loss as to how I should deal with this rather strange situation that had overtaken me.

Amidst the confusion, I suddenly, noticed that there was a fellow, in a driver's uniform, close by, with a placard that said 'Mr.Pannatta'. Apparently, the Italian gent, had also seen the board and his demeanour changed perceptibly and he, headed towards this driver, after of course disengaging my arm, without a backward glance.

What do you make of this story?

My only explanation, would be that Mr.Pannatta, was waiting for a driver and probably rushing for an appointment. In his excitement he probably concluded that I was the driver, meant to ferry him to his destination and had grown excited when I made no effort to get him to his vehicle.

I've steered clear of Italians hence.

Live & Fish!

Forgive me, if you have heard or read this story earlier. I have put it here because it is pertinent to our times and a great story for a mind buffeted by peer pressure and unmitigated materialism. Many if not all Eastern philosophers have taught that happiness is indirectly proportional to needs and though rather simplistic, the story tells us the same...
Also, it should be of interest to all my fellow MBA's!
MBA and the fisherman!
American businessman was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied only a little while, The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked the Mexican how he spent the rest of his time.
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.
"You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then, senor?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed, and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public. You'll become very rich, you would make millions!"
"Millions, senor?" replied the Mexican. "Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
Then the Mexican Fisherman says: THEN WHAT AM I DOING NOW?