Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: November 2013

Friday, November 29, 2013

OLDIE GOLDIES GO ON A DATE - A Cheeky Romance

From my Creative Writing Archives:

A recent story I wrote in February this year, on Valentine’s Day, revised and abridged.

Do tell me if if you like it

OLDIE GOLDIES GO ON A DATE

A Cheeky Romance

VIKRAM KARVE

Pune. 10:30 AM. Friday. 29 November 2013.

A mobile cell phone vibrates on the office table. It is on silent mode.

The smart young woman executive looks at the display of her cell phone.

It is her mother-in-law calling.

At first the young woman is confused, then a bit worried.

She wonders why her mother-in-law is calling at this hour.

So the smart young woman picks up the mobile phone.

“Yes, Ma,” the young woman says.

“Am I speaking to Swati?” a male voice asks.

“Who is this?” the puzzled woman asks.

“Am I speaking to Swati?” the man repeats the question.

“Yes. I am Swati. But this is my mother-in-law’s number.”

“I know. I am speaking from Shanta’s phone. Your mother-in-law’s name is Shanta, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Her name is Shanta. Where is she? Please give her the phone. Is something wrong?”

“Don’t worry. Shanta is absolutely fine. She told me to call you up and tell you that she won’t be picking up your son Aditya from school this afternoon so you will have to pick him up. The school ends at 12:30 so make sure you are there in time.”

“She won’t be able to pick Aditya up? Why? What happened? Where is she?”

“Don’t worry. Shanta is absolutely okay. She is here with me at the ESquare Multiplex. We are going to see a movie – the 11 o’clock show. The movie may finish by 1 or maybe even 1:30. That’s why she won’t be able to make it to the school by 12:30.”

“Esquare? Movie? What’s all this? Who are you? You please give the phone to my mother-in-law right now. I want to talk to her.”

“She has gone to the ladies toilet to freshen up. Anyway, I have passed on her message to you. Bye.”

“No, wait. Who are you?”

“I am Shanta’s boyfriend.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke? I will report …”

“Go ahead and report to whoever you want. I have nothing to fear. I have not kidnapped your mother-in-law. We are just watching a movie together. Can’t a girlfriend and boyfriend have a date?”

“Date? What nonsense are you talking?”

“Nonsense? Are you clueless? You do not know what is dating? Don’t tell me you have never gone on a date. How about that dinner date you have planned with your husband tonight? Amod, that’s his name, isn’t it? So you and Amod will be enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner and your mother-in-law will be looking after your kids at home like a nanny,” the man says.

“Please. Listen.”

“No. You listen. There is one more thing Shanta told me to tell you.”

“What?”

“You better be home when Anjali comes home from school. Her bus reaches at 3:30. And don’t forget to take Anjali for her skating practice at 5. And you will have to take Aditya for his Karate class at 4:30 sharp. I think you better take the day off. Make sure you leave your office at 11:30 so you reach Aditya’s school in time. It’s quite a long drive from Hinjewadi to Aundh and you know how bad the traffic is.”

“Please stop this. I am very busy today. I have got an important meeting with a client at 12. Then there is a project review meeting at 3 and it will continue till late evening. I have to be in office. I just can’t come.”

“Then maybe you can tell your husband …”

“He works in Magarpatta. You know how far that is. And Amod told me that he has a very tight schedule today. We are both very busy at work. By the time we reach home in the evening it is past 7.”

“Ah, I almost forgot.”

“What?”

“You two better cancel that romantic candle light dinner date tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because, after the movie, we are going out for a lunch date, and then I am taking Shanta for a long drive to Lonavala. I want to show her all the spots, a romantic sunset and then we’ll be spending the evening at my farmhouse. I’ll drop her back at night. And don’t panic if she doesn’t come at night – if it gets too late we will sleepover at the farmhouse and I’ll drop her in the morning. Or maybe we will spend the weekend over here and I will drop your mother-in-law at your place on Sunday evening.”

“Are you crazy? How is that possible? Please give the phone to my mother-in-law the moment she comes. I want to talk to her.”

“No. I don’t think that is a good idea. Shanta is scared of you. You may bully her or emotionally blackmail her into cancelling all our plans. I don’t want Shanta to talk to you. So I am passing on her message. You better learn to look after your own kids yourself. Can’t you manage your own domestic affairs for even one day?”

“Listen. You please ask my mother-in-law to call me the moment she comes. I have to speak to her.”

“No. I am switching of the phone. So don’t keep calling. We are going in for the movie now.”

“I have to talk to her. If you don’t let me speak to her I will come to ESquare …”

“Maybe we are not in ESquare. Maybe we are at Inox. Or City Pride. Or PVR. Or maybe we are somewhere else. It is just a red herring, so you don’t go on a wild goose chase trying to search for us. You just look after your children for today – and don’t worry – your mother-in-law is in safe hands with me and I will drop her home safe and sound.”

“Where is she? I want to …”

“Bye. Take Care.”

“Please …” a desperate Swati pleads.

But the man interrupts her and says, “Okay, Swati. Have a Nice Day. And remember to tell your husband that I am taking out his mother on a date.”

Then the man disconnects the mobile phone and switches it off.

He gives the cell phone to Shanta sitting next to him in the car. She puts the phone in her purse.

For some time they sit in silence in the parked car.

Then the man takes out his mobile phone from his pocket and searches for a number.

The man gives the cell phone to Shanta and he says to her: “Now you dial that number and speak to my daughter-in-law and tell her what I told you to say. Then we will plan how to spend the rest of the day. Or let’s spend the weekend together - yes, why not go on a nice long weekend date to Lonavala?”

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.

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.

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.

Did you like this story?

I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

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-gw23f9mr2o

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

ONLINE REPUTATION AND WEB IDENTITY - HOW TO MANAGE THEM

ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

Tips for Building and Managing Your Web Identity

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer: These are my personal views. I am not an IT Professional or SEO Expert, but just a simple Blogger and user of Social Networks

ONLINE REPUTATION

In today’s world you have two reputations:

1. OFFLINE REPUTATION (in the physical real world)

2. ONLINE REPUTATION (in the virtual world or cyberspace)

Unless you are a celebrity, your “offline reputation” is restricted and known to only those persons in your proximity, at work, in your social circles and personal life.

However, your “online reputation” is all pervasive and is available for scrutiny by anyone throughout the world who has access to the internet.

If I want to know about you, all I have to do is to “google” your name or search your details on websites, search engines or social networks.

Potential employers, or prospective spouses, or those desirous of getting into a relationship with you, can easily carry out a basic background check on you by just surfing the internet.

(Earlier, before the advent of the internet, you had to ask some mutual acquaintance or make discreet inquiries or hire a detective to find out information about somebody)

The fact of the matter is that, in today’s connected world, your online reputation is easily accessible and matters more than offline reputation.

In the same way that your personality (real-world offline identity) is important for your offline reputation, your online identity plays an important role in determining your online reputation.

ONLINE IDENTITY

Your online identity consists of two things:

1. What you say about yourself on the internet (your “Owned Identity”)

2. What others say about you on the internet (your “Earned Identity”)

Your OWNED IDENTITY comprises whatever information you upload on the internet.

Your owned identity will comprise so many things like:

1. Whatever you upload on social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter etc including your profiles, pictures, photos, status reports, tweets, comments – anything and everything you upload about yourself.

2. Your Blogs

3. Your Websites (personal, professional and company)

4. All your writings and postings on the web which you post on the internet on various websites, online journals and e-magazines, forums, networks, groups, emails, documents, presentations – anything and everything you put on the internet.

5. Various “profiles” and “avatars” you create on the web – like, for example, your profiles on job search sites and matrimonial sites.

To put it metaphorically, your owned identity is like having a permanent tattoo – it can never be fully erased.

Your EARNED IDENTITY is what others “say” about you on the internet.

Your earned identity includes:

1. Information about you on Social Networking Sites like postings about you on Facebook by your friends (status, tags, pictures, photos, comments), recommendations and endorsements on LinkedIn, Re-tweets and Mentions of your Tweets on Twitter etc

2. Articles, Blog Posts, Wikis, Biographical Writings etc written about you which are available on the internet (these are things written about you by others - what you write about yourself on the internet becomes a part of your owned identity)

3. Various “profiles” created by others about you at various places on the web.

4. Various networks and websites that link to you

5. Miscellaneous information about you available on the internet – for example, your examination results uploaded online by your university, education board, UPSC etc or results of job selection interviews promulgated online.

To use a metaphor, your earned identity is like “branding” where a permanent mark is stamped on you by someone else.

YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION DEPENDS ON BOTH YOUR ONLINE IDENTITIES – OWNED IDENTITY AND EARNED IDENTITY

Your “owned identity” is in your control.

You must be circumspect about what you put on the internet as even a small slip-up like an injudicious writing, indiscreet photo, imprudent relationship status update or careless comment has the potential of harming your reputation in future.

Your “earned identity” is not in your control.

Sometimes, this matters more, since people may be curious to find out what others have to say about you than what you say about yourself.

Even if you avoid the internet altogether, you cannot avoid having an “earned identity” since someone else may upload some writing or material about you on the web, especially if you are a celebrity or remain in the news for something or the other.

That is why famous people, like ancient philosophers and writers, who lived much before the advent of internet, have “earned identities” and consequently they have “online reputations”.

So remember, going offline and avoiding the internet is not the solution.

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

Do a simple experiment.

Just “google” your name and see the results of the search.

What are the top few results?

How many are “owned reputation” and how many are “earned reputation”.

If you want to manage your online reputation you must ensure that links pertaining to “owned reputation” (what you say about yourself) appear as the top search results as compared to “earned reputation” (what others say about you).

As far as your online reputation is concerned, what you “say” about yourself (owned reputation) must have more prominence than what others “say” about you (earned reputation).

Remember that your “owned identity” and “owned reputation” are in your control because you can always control what to “say” about yourself on the internet.

But your “earned identity” and “earned reputation” may not be in your full control since you cannot control what others “say” about you on the internet.

Therefore, in a nutshell, if you want to control your online reputation, you will have to “say” more about yourself on the internet than others “say” about you.

How do you do this?

It is simple.

Get active on the internet – blog regularly, tweet vigorously, and maintain a dynamic presence on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Quora etc and various Forums and groups, and make sure you network effectively.

You must be conscious of your online reputation because with the proliferation of the internet, your “online reputation” will overshadow your “offline reputation”.

Remember, if someone wants to do a background check on you, for whatever reason, to hire you for a job, to check you out as a marriage prospect, or they just want to find out more about you, all they have to do is to “google” your name, ingeniously delve a bit and explore your online identity (web shadow) and discover your online reputation – yes, all that will matter is your online reputation.

It is, therefore, imperative that you establish an effective web presence and be careful to build a good online reputation and make constant efforts to monitor and manage your online reputation.

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.

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:

Did you like this blog post?

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 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-gw23f9mr2o

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 and vikramwamankarve@gmail.com

Twitter: @vikramkarve

Thursday, November 28, 2013

PUNEKARS LOVE PUNE - DO YOU LOVE YOUR HOMETOWN

PUNEKARS LOVE PUNE

DO YOU LOVE YOUR HOMETOWN?

Ramblings of a Retired Mind

VIKRAM KARVE

PUNEKARS LOVE PUNE

Pune is my hometown.

I love Pune.

That is why I settled down in Pune after my retirement from the Navy.

I have seen that Punekars love Pune, their hometown.

Many Punekars serve all over India during the course of their careers.

But one thing is unique for all Punekars – they all love Pune, their hometown.

That is why all Punekars settle down in Pune after their retirement.

I saw this happening in the Navy - all Punekars settled down in Pune after retirement.

I am sure this is true of the Army, Air Force and Civil Services too.

But I also noticed that there were many people who did not want to settle down in their hometown after retirement and chose other places.

Maybe, they did not like their hometown.

They did not want to spend the autumn years of their life in their hometown but preferred some other place.

DO YOU LOVE YOUR HOMETOWN ?

This is the true test of whether you love your hometown or not.

If you settle down in your hometown after retirement then you love your hometown.

Those who love their hometown settle down in their hometown.

If you settle down in some other place after your retirement then you do not love your hometown.

Those who do not love their hometown settle down in some other place.

They do not settle down in their hometown after retirement.

Please note – I am not talking of job relocation during the course of your career.

I am talking about settling down after retirement, after you have finally hung up your boots.

Now, Dear Reader, tell me – DO YOU LOVE YOUR HOMETOWN ?

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.

Did you like reading this post?

I am sure you will like all the 27 stories in my book COCKTAIL an anthology of Short Fiction.
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html
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 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-gw23f9mr2o

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: vikramwamankarve@gmail.com and vikramkarve@hotmail.com

Twitter: @vikramkarve

FAUJI MEMSAHIBS - THE CHANGING FACE OF THE MILITARY WIFE

HUMOR IN UNIFORM

FAUJI MEMSAHIBS

THE CHANGING FACE OF THE MILITARY WIFE (Then and Now)

Do Wives Still Matter in the Army, the Navy and Air Force?

Incoherent Ramblings of a Retired Mind

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.

IS A MILITARY WIFE AN “ASSET” TO HER HUSBAND’S CAREER PROSPECTS?

We were all sitting in the wardroom discussing the recently arrived 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.

“What bloody injustice! They ignore a smart deserving officer and promote that stupid clueless dolt. Have you seen him?” another angry officer said loudly in disgust.

“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 1^st 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.

It appears that, in earlier days, as far as wives were concerned, there was a big difference between the navy and the army.

I really do not know whether things have changed now.

DO WIVES STILL MATTER IN THE MILITARY (ARMY NAVY AIR FORCE)?

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 appointments 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 depended on how you (and your wife) were perceived by your boss (and the “first lady”).

I think things must have changed now.

Nowadays, most navy wives pursue their own careers (it must be the same with most military wives too).

These modern career women, the “new age” military 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 military wives earn more money than their fauji husbands and many wives have better career prospects too.

Long back, for the traditional homemaker military 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 military officer, it may no longer be so, as the wife 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 are wives of senior officers and that’s it!”

As far the world of military 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 military 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 and have intimate relationships.

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”.

THE CHANGING FACE OF THE MILITARY WIFE

Look how things have changed.

1. First, we had the “full time” military wife whose only identity was her husband’s rank.

2. Then, we had the working “career woman” military wife who had her own separate identity which had nothing to do with her husband’s military 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).

ROLE AMBIGUITY OF THE UNIFORMED MEMSAHIB

As far as the “uniformed memsahib” is concerned, is there a confusing role ambiguity?

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, is there a confusing role ambiguity when a female officer gets married to a male officer and becomes a “uniformed memsahib”?

I do not think it is true, but someone once told me long back that he had heard that a lady officer was appointed as an “ADC” to a Senior Officer’s Wife in her capacity as President of the Wives Welfare Association.

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” military (army navy air force) – do wives still matter ?

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.

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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.

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