Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: IAF

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Friday, March 27, 2015

“FAUJI” LIFE IN A NUTSHELL - 12 Attributes of a Military Career

“FAUJI” LIFE IN A NUTSHELL
12 UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES OF A MILITARY CAREER IN THE DEFENCE FORCES
Tips from a Military Veteran
By
VIKRAM KARVE

(The generic term “FAUJ” includes all the three Armed Forces – Army, Navy and Air Force)

A career in the Defence Services or Armed Forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force is different from most other civilian careers.

The unique attributes of a military career entail a distinctive “way of life” that makes a career in the armed forces totally different as compared to a career in the civilian world.

Many young persons join the defence services without fully understanding the unique aspects of a military career and then they feel out of place, mismatched, frustrated and regretful.

During my long naval career I have seen so many officers who realised that they were misfits in the navy and wasted many frustrated years of their lives in misery trying to get out of the navy.

Please do not let that happen to you.

Do join the Army, Navy and Air Force – but do so with due diligence – with your eyes open and with full awareness.

It may prove foolhardy to join on a sudden impulse or in a wave of jingoism.

You must be realistic about choosing your career – whether in the Defence Services or elsewhere – because your career is probably the most important part of your life.

If you have the right attitude and compatible mindset – then a military career is very satisfying and fulfilling.

But if your attitude in not in sync with the military way of life – then you may get frustrated and your life may become miserable.

That is why – before you join the defence services – make sure you have the right attitude suitable for a career in the armed forces.

“FAUJI” LIFE IN A NUTSHELL

To put “Fauji” Life in a nutshell – here is a list of 12 Unique Attributes that characterize a Military Career in the Armed Forces (Army Navy or Air Force):

1. HOLISTIC ORIENTATION

2. LIFETIME EMPLOYMENT

3. REGIMENTATION

4. TOUGH DANGEROUS CHALLENGING WORK

5. MODERATE COMPENSATION PACKAGE

6. MODEST CAREER PROSPECTS

7. NON-SPECIALISED CAREER PATH

8. CONFORMIST ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

9. RIGID RANK BASED HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE

10. INFLEXIBLE HR POLICIES

11. UNSTABLE NOMADIC FAMILY LIFE

12. EARLY RETIREMENT AGE

If you planning to join the Armed Forces you must ask yourself whether you have the right attitude and compatible mindset to match all these 12 military attributes.

I am sure you understand each of the 12 points mentioned above which are self-explanatory – but, nevertheless, I shall try and elaborate on each point later in my blog.

Also – it is always a good idea to talk to young officers of your age group to get a first-hand view of life in the respective Defence Service – as serving officers will be more updated and current in this matter.

All the Best.

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

1. These tips are based on my own experience and represent my personal views which may not be universal in nature and may not apply to you. You must make your own career decisions with due diligence.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

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.

This is an abridged extract from a series of career counselling articles written by me Vikram Karve 5 years ago in 2010 as a part of my career guidance lectures and I have Earlier Posted this article in my Academic and Creative Writing Blog 2 years ago in 2013 at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/07/career-guidance-tips-do-you-want-to.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/08/army-life-in-nutshell.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/07/career-guidance-tips-do-you-want-to_9.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/07/career-guidance-tips-do-you-want-to_4735.html

Thursday, November 27, 2014

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK

Musings of a Navy Veteran

VIKRAM KARVE

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK

Every year, the 4^th of December is observed as NAVY DAY by the Indian Navy.

In the Indian Navy, the Navy Day celebrations actually extend across the entire week in which the Navy Day falls, and this week is called the NAVY WEEK.

Earlier, there used to be good media coverage of Navy Day and Navy Week activities.

However, nowadays, it appears that media is more interested in TRP generating political and sensational news – so “prosaic” events like Navy Day and Navy Week are mostly ignored (except for a small column or a supplement in the local print media).

Also, most citizens of India are not aware of Navy Day and its significance.

Yes, very few civilian citizens know why Navy Day is celebrated – and why on the 4^th of December.

NAVY DAY

Navy Day is celebrated on the 4^th of December to commemorate the daring and deadly attack carried out by missile boats of the Indian Navy on Karachi harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, in which Indian Navy used anti-ship missiles for the first time in combat.

This courageous attack in the evening of 4 December 1971 was codenamed Operation Trident

ARMY DAY and AIR FORCE DAY

Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander, in 1948

Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October (the precursor to the Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire and the prefix “Royal” was added in 1945 in recognition of its services during World War II)

GENESIS OF NAVY DAY, ARMY DAY and AIR FORCE DAY

Army Day is on 15 January, Navy Day on 4 December and Air Force Day on 8 October.

Not only are the “days” different, but we see that even the reasons for which the three services celebrate their “days” are different.

REASONS FOR CELEBRATING NAVY, ARMY and AIR FORCE DAYS:

Navy Day – to commemorate the first wartime heroic act of the Indian Navy (successful combat action)

Army Day – in recognition of an Indian taking over as Chief of the Indian Army (personality based)

Air Force Day – to celebrate the day the Indian Air Force was born (birthday or foundation day)

(By the way, till a few years ago, the Indian Air Force celebrated Air Force Day on the 1^st of April since its first squadron, No. 1 Squadron, was commissioned on 1 April 1933. Or was it because it was on the 1^st of April 1954 that Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, one of the founding members of the Air Force, took over as the first Indian Chief of the Air Staff?)

The distinct manner in which each uniformed service celebrates its “day” aptly illustrates their contrasting service cultures and it is no wonder that there is not much of so-called “jointmanship” among the three services.

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK 2014

This year, Navy Day (4^th of December 2014) falls on a Thursday.

As I said earlier, the Navy Day celebrations actually extend across the entire week in which the Navy Day falls, so Navy Week will be celebrated from the 1^st of December 2014 to the 7^thof December 2014.

The celebrations are held mainly at Mumbai, and on a smaller scale at Visakhapatnam and Kochi too, and the Navy Week Celebrations culminate with the spectacular Navy Ball at the end of the week on Saturday.

During the Navy Week, the Navy tries to showcase its capabilities to the civilian public by holding a series of combat demonstrations, live displays, parade drills and events like band concerts.

Sometimes, naval families, veterans and prominent citizens are taken out for a day at sea to observe “shop window” exercises which demonstrate salient aspects of the navy at sea.

In a nutshell, the aim of Navy Week is to showcase the Navy to civilian citizens.

Alas, nowadays, there are no Navy Day or Navy Week celebrations in landlocked places like Pune, where a large number of Navy Veterans have settled down after retirement.

Earlier, serving Naval Officers in Pune, borne in NDA (National Defence Academy), IAT (Institute of Armament Technology) and other local units, did invite Navy Veterans of Pune for Navy Day Functions (in coordination with the Navy Foundation Pune Charter).

But now, it seems that Navy Veterans are forgotten, or maybe Navy Officers in these units no longer observe Navy Day.

Anyway, in the next few posts, I will hark back to my glorious navy days, and tell you a few of my reminisces of “Navy Days” and “Navy Weeks”.

And if you happen to be in a “Navy Port” where Navy Day is being celebrated – do have a look at the Navy Week activities and tell us about it.

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:

All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

Abridged and Updated Version of my article posted by me Vikram Karve in my academic and creative writing journal blog at 12/04/2013 01:25:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/12/today-is-navy-day.html

Monday, November 17, 2014

“FAUJI” LIFE – EARLY RETIREMENT – “OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD” OF MILITARY CAREER IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES

“FAUJI” LIFE

EARLY RETIREMENT – “OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD” OF A MILITARY CAREER IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES

Musings on MILITARY LIFE AND BEYOND

VIKRAM KARVE

EARLY RETIREMENT AGE (SUPERANNUATION) IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES

If you are thinking of joining the Armed Forces (Army, Navy or Air Force), you must be clear that one of the “occupational hazards” of military life is EARLY RETIREMENT.

In most jobs you retire at the age of 60.

Sometimes the retirement age is 65 or 70 if you are a Professor or a Judge or if you are a lucky Bureaucrat who has managed to get an “extension” or a cushy post retirement job.

In some vocations, like business and politics, you never retire, and you can keep on working incessantly till your death.

However, if you happen to serve in the defence services, in the army, navy or air force, you retire early.

If you are an officer, it is most likely you will retire on superannuation at the age of 54 – a few lucky ones may pull on to 56.

Only those who attain Flag Rank (and become Generals, Admirals or Air Marshals) can remain in service beyond that age and retire at 58 or 60 like their civilian counterparts.

However, owing to the steep pyramidal hierarchical organisational structure a very small percentage get promoted to flag rank.

In the civil services you have Assured Career Progression or ACP (and Non Functional Upgradation or NFU).

In the defence services, owing to the poor career prospects due to the high possibility of supersession and consequent early retirement, you have Assured Career Truncation or ACT.

I do not have the exact figures, but from what I have observed, it seems that hardly 1% of the officers who join finally get promoted to flag rank in the defence services.

Whereas in the civil services, almost everyone becomes a Joint Secretary (equivalent to flag rank) before he or she retires.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen retire much earlier – most retire after 15 years service at the prime of their life, in their mid thirties at around 35 years of age.

It is not feasible to “settle” your children and complete your familial responsibilities at this young age, so they have no choice and have to take up a second career in the “civvy street”.

Officers are caught midway as their superannuation age is in their fifties (mostly 54 or 56).

Whereas soldiers, sailors and airmen who retire in their 30’s have no choice but to take up a second career after superannuation to make both ends meet, military officers who retire in their mid 50’s can avoid having to slog at a second career in civilian life if they plan their lives properly.

RETIREMENT PLANNING FOR “FAUJIS”

If you want to truly “retire” on your superannuation date, then you must ensure that all your domestic commitments and familial obligations are complete well before you are 54 years of age.

You must have your own “retirement home” to live in and you must have enough savings to lead a decent retired life in these days of burgeoning inflation.

And of course, most importantly, your children should have completed their studies and your children must be settled in life, in their careers, and preferably in their married life too.

If you can achieve all this before you retire, then you can indulge in the luxury of “doing nothing” after retirement, and lead a truly blissful retired life.

Now, how can you achieve this?

If you are in the Navy (or Army or Air Force) it is best not to marry.

If you are a bachelor you will be well looked after by the service.

But if you do want to get married, please marry early and have all your children as early as possible.

Calculating backwards, all your children must be settled in life by the time you reach the retirement age of 54.

This means that you must have all your kids before you reach the age of 30 (assuming that your youngest kid will complete his or her education and get a job by the age of 24).

This is the best case optimistic scenario assuming that your children study well and are good at academics.

So you must get married at the stipulated age of 25 (or even earlier if possible).

Yes, Army, Navy and Air Force Officers must get married as early as possible.

And they must have all their children as early as possible too.

Remember that for every child you have after you are 30 you are putting pressure on your retired life and you may not be able to afford the luxury of “doing nothing” after retirement.

Some officers marry late or have children late in life.

I have seen a situation where children were still in school when an officer retired at the age of 54 (this officer got married at 40 and had kids when he was in his 40’s).

The poor guy had no choice but to take up a job and spend many years of his retired life slogging it out in the “civvy street”.

Of course, if you are married to a “career woman” – then it is really great.

You can enjoy your retirement “doing nothing” – while your “breadwinner” wife “brings home the bacon” and “puts bread on the table” – to speak metaphorically.

In this respect, Lady Military Officers are luckier.

At least in the contemporary societal context in India where the concept of a “homemaker husband” is yet to take root, a lady officer is likely to be married to a “career man” and has the luxury of choosing when to “retire” and enjoy the bliss of “doing nothing”.

It makes sense for lady officers of the army, navy and air force to marry civilians who will keep working till 60.

Of course, even for gentlemen military officers who choose to marry a career women, it is better to marry someone outside the military profession, at least from the retirement point of view – your career wife will retire at 60, or later, and be a cushion for your retired life.

The moral of the story is that military officers are at a disadvantage vis-à-vis their civilian counterparts as far as retirement age is concerned.

If you are a civilian officer, you will retire at 60, or later, and by that age all your familial commitments are likely to be over and you can look forward to a blissful retired life with a higher pension too, due to the additional years of service you enjoy vis-à-vis your disadvantaged military counterpart.

There is great advantage for a defence service officer to marry a lady officer from the civil services (IAS, IPS, IRS, IES, IDAS etc) so that he can continue to enjoy benefits and perks of his spouse for a number of years after his own retirement.

Dear Reader, if you are a military officer, or are planning to join the army, navy or air force, remember that you are going to retire early.

It will be good if you can plan your life accordingly so that you can enjoy the indulgence of “doing nothing” after your retirement.

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

An Abridged Excerpt from my Article HOW TO ENJOY RETIREMENT First Posted by me Vikram Karve in my blog at 1/21/2013 02:27:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/01/how-to-enjoy-retirement.html

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

TODAY IS NAVY DAY

TODAY IS NAVY DAY

Musings of a Retired Naval Officer

VIKRAM KARVE

NAVY DAY

Today is the 4^th of December.

Today is Navy Day.

However, it appears that in the midst of all the political and sensational news, the media has forgotten Navy Day and, also, most citizens of India are not aware of Navy Day and its significance.

Navy Day is celebrated on 4 December to commemorate the daring and deadly attack carried out by missile boats of the Indian Navy on Karachi harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak War

ARMY DAY and AIR FORCE DAY

By the way, Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander, in 1948

Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October (the precursor to the Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire and the prefix “Royal” was added in 1945 in recognition of its services during World War II)

GENESIS OF NAVY DAY ARMY DAY and AIR FORCE DAY

Army Day is on 15 January, Navy Day on 4 December and Air Force Day on 8 October.

Not only are the “days” different, but we see that even the reasons for which the three services celebrate their “days” are different:

Navy Day – to commemorate the first wartime heroic act of the Indian Navy (successful combat action)

Army Day – in recognition of an Indian taking over as Chief of the Indian Army (personality based)

Air Force Day – to celebrate the day the Indian Air Force was born (birthday or foundation day)

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK

In the Navy, the Navy Day celebrations actually extend across the entire week in which the Navy Day falls, and this is called the Navy Week.

You can have a glimpse at the Navy Week 2013 Celebrations by here (click the link below to open in a new window, but remember to return back to this post):

http://newindianexpress.com/photos/nation/Naval-Day-celebrations-in-Mumbai/2013/12/03/article1925481.ece

The celebrations are held mainly at Mumbai, and on a smaller scale at Visakhaptnam and Kochi too, and the Navy Week Celebrations culminate with the spectacular Navy Ball at the end of the week on Saturday.

During the Navy Week the Navy tries to showcase its capabilities to the civilian public by holding a series of combat demonstrations, live displays, parade drills and events like band concerts.

Sometimes, naval families, veterans and prominent citizens are taken out for a day at sea to observe “shop window” exercises which demonstrate salient aspects of the navy at sea.

In a nutshell, the aim of Navy Week is to showcase the Navy to civilian citizens.

Let me end on a lighter note.

This happened many years ago.

The sailors on our ship were practicing very hard and rehearsing day and night for the “continuity drill” display to be held at the Gateway of India during Navy Week.

A continuity drill is a most precise and difficult parade drill since the entire parade drill sequence and movements are to be performed without any words of command.

That is why it requires rigorous practice and repeated rehearsals before it can be perfected.

The sailors were practicing without break for over a month, in working hours and off-working hours, including on Sundays and holidays, in order to perfect the continuity drill.

The long hours of painstaking efforts paid off and the event was a great success.

After the event, I came across one of my newly recruited sailors who had taken part in the continuity drill.

I congratulated the young sailor on his performance and asked him, “Do you know why Navy Week is celebrated?”

“To impress the civilians,” he said.

At first I was taken aback by his answer – then I saw that there was wisdom in what the raw young sailor had said.

The entire Navy, all of us, were slogging away for weeks, to put up a show for civilians – yes we were desperately trying to impress the civilians who frankly didn’t give a tinker’s damn about us, although they seemed to be enjoying the spectacle we were putting up for them.

I remember a friend of mine, who was in-charge of organizing Navy Week activities, heave a sigh of relief once it was all over.

Sometimes I wonder whether it is worth it putting in so much effort to try and impress civilians who do not seem to care two hoots about the Navy and Navymen.

I wonder whether civilians understand the sanctity of such occasions, parades, demonstrations and displays or whether they treat them as spectacles for entertainment and enjoyment.

Be that as it may, do spare a thought for our Navy today on the occasion of Navy Day and think of all the sailors slogging it out on ships and submarines guarding the seas so that you can sleep in peace

Wish you a Happy Navy Day and Happy Navy Week.

Click the link below to watch a video on Training at the Indian Naval Academy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsTEVp5MKzI

And if you know someone in the Navy, serving sailor or retired veteran, why don’t you wish them a Happy Navy Day.

Jai Hind शं नो वरुणः May the Lord of the Oceans be auspicious unto us

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.

Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve

Friday, March 27, 2015

“FAUJI” LIFE IN A NUTSHELL - 12 Attributes of a Military Career

Thursday, November 27, 2014

NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK

Monday, November 17, 2014

“FAUJI” LIFE – EARLY RETIREMENT – “OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD” OF MILITARY CAREER IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

TODAY IS NAVY DAY

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