DO WIVES STILL MATTER IN THE NAVY
(AND THE ARMY)
THE NAVY WIFE (Then and Now)
The New Age Military Wife
Do Wives Still Matter in the
Army and the Navy?
Incoherent
Ramblings of a Retired Mind
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Disclaimer:
1. Please read this story only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof, a yarn, just for a laugh, no offence meant to anyone, so please take it with a pinch of salt.
2. This story is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
DO WIVES STILL MATTER IN THE NAVY - Incoherent Ramblings by Vikram Karve
We
were all sitting in the wardroom discussing the flag rank promotion signal.
It
was a big surprise.
There
was a Captain who we all admired.
He
was a true Sea Dog who was universally acknowledged as an outstanding
professional.
We
were shocked to hear that this highly respected officer had been passed over
for promotion to Rear Admiral.
And
what was worse – a non-descript “armchair sailor” who had spent most of his
time pushing files ashore had been promoted.
The
quirk of fate was being hotly debated with emotions being fuelled by the intake
of generous amounts of whisky.
“Never
go to sea if you want to get promoted,” an officer said.
Another
angry officer said loudly in disgust, “What bloody injustice! They ignore a
smart deserving officer and promote that stupid clueless dolt. Have you seen
him?”
“Have
you seen his wife?” a voice was heard, from a dark corner of the wardroom.
I
know what you are thinking.
You
are probably imagining that she was a promiscuous sex bomb sleeping around and
distributing sexual favours to get her husband promoted.
We
thought the same thing too.
But
a few days later, when we met the lady, we were in for a big surprise.
She
was a most elegant, genteel, gracious and charming lady – an epitome of grace
and poise.
She
treated us with utmost courtesy and we were enchanted by her refinement, her
polished manner and her dignified personality.
She
was an embodiment of an ideal naval wife.
We
normally say in naval jargon – ‘this sailor is an “asset” to the ship’.
In
a similar way, this wife was an “asset” to her husband’s career prospects.
She
embodied the saying: “Behind every successful man is a woman”.
We
realized that, sometimes, wives do matter.
Of
course, someone told me that wives matter more in the Army than in the Navy.
That
a lifelong confirmed bachelor could become a Navy Chief (and many single
officers rose to high naval rank) bears testimony to the fact that, at least in
the navy, wives did not matter that much as far as an officer’s career prospects
were concerned.
But
my late father-in-law who was an army officer from the prestigious first course
of the National Defence Academy (NDA) (or 1st JSW – as he liked to call
it) once told me that one of his most distinguished coursemates, who was a true
professional army officer, and who had won medals for valour in war, could not
make it to the top, probably because he was a bachelor.
When
you join the navy as a carefree bachelor, you don’t care, or you don’t even know,
about these intricacies.
At
least, in the 1970’s, when we were young officers on board ships, wives did not
matter much.
Those
days most of us were bachelors and we were so busy sailing that we hardly knew
the wives of married officers.
Yes,
if you were on board a ship, wives did not matter – what mattered most is how
well you did your job.
I
am sure it is the same in field jobs in the army and flying duties in the air
force.
Wives
start gaining importance in “peacetime soldiering” where professionalism takes
a back seat and other aspects start predominating.
As
we grew senior we gradually realised that wives did matter, especially in shore
and tri-service establishments, where there was more social interaction.
Please
don’t misunderstand me.
I
am not saying that your career prospects depended upon your wife’s attributes.
Far
from it.
You
had to be good in your job and deliver the goods.
Let
me put it this way.
Other
things being equal, the officer with a “better” wife did stand a better chance
of getting a good ACR.
Like
beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, the term “better” was highly
subjective too and how you (and your wife) were perceived by your boss (and the
“first lady”).
But
I hope now things have changed now.
Nowadays,
most navy wives pursue their own careers.
These
modern women, the “new age” navy wives, have an identity of their own, distinct
from their husband’s identity.
They
do not require the crutches of their husband’s rank for giving them status.
In
fact, many navy wives earn more money than their husbands and many wives have
better career prospects too.
Long
back, for the traditional homemaker army (or navy) wife, her husband’s career was
the “be all and end all” of her life and all her efforts were towards boosting
her husband’s career prospects.
Now,
for a career woman married to a naval (or army) officer, it is no longer so, as
she has her own career ambitions.
Traditional
equations have changed, and these modern career women may not be willing to kowtow
before the so-called “senior ladies”.
(An old sea dog once said: There is
nothing like “senior lady” in the navy – yes, there are ladies who wives of
senior officers and that’s it!)
As
far the world of army (and navy) wives is concerned, another interesting thing
has happened.
In
the 1990’s the defence forces opened their doors to women.
The
advent of women into the hitherto aggressively male world of the army (and
navy) has changed things drastically.
The
opportunity for workplace intimacy within the cocooned military environment made
it easy for male and female officers to fall in love with each other.
The
result of these “office romances” was that many men and women officers get
married to each other.
Now,
we have a new kind of “fauji” wife –
the “uniformed memsahib”.
Look
how things have changed.
1.
First, we had the “full time” army (or navy) wife who carried her husband’s
rank.
2.
Then, we had the working “career woman” army wife who had her own identity
which had nothing to do with her husband’s army rank.
3.
And now we have the “uniformed memsahib” who has a military rank of her own (and
if she prefers, she can flaunt her husband’s rank too).
As
far as the “uniformed memsahib” is concerned, it is all very confusing.
What
is her relationship with the so-called “senior ladies” – if you go by actual
facts, the official status of a woman officer is higher than that of a “senior
lady” whose only claim to fame is her husband’s military rank.
Does
the “uniformed memsahib” attend AWWA and NWWA meets?
(You
may not believe this, but these wives welfare organisations, AWWA, NWWA and
AFWWA, have a rather “feudal” hierarchy where a wife’s “appointment” depends on
husband’s rank).
What
happens when a young lady army officer (say, a Captain) gets married to her boss, a Lieutenant
Colonel, who is commanding the unit?
Does
she become the “first lady” or does remain an ordinary officer serving in that
unit?
Like
I said, it is all very confusing.
I
do not think it is true, but someone once told me that he had heard that a lady
officer was appointed as an “ADC” to a Senior Officer’s Wife.
I
do not believe this, but if such things are happening it is indeed shocking,
and in such cases the women officers have themselves to blame for not
maintaining the dignity of their rank.
The
moot question remains:
In
the “new age” army (and navy) – do wives
still matter ?
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAILTo order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-81910
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-ka
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie I am sure that you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie I am sure that you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vikramkarve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment