Navy Foundation for Retired Naval Officers – Pune Chapter

Tomorrow – on Sunday – 08 April 2018 – we have a Navy Foundation Pune Chapter (NFPC) Meet at the Army Sub Area Officers Mess in Pune. 

The previous NFPC Meet was held on 21 January 2018 at Peacock Bay – hosted by the Naval Officers of the National Defence Academy (NDA) – in the beautiful environs of the Naval Training Team “Wardroom” on the banks the picturesque Khadakwasla Lake. 

We have NFPC meets once in 3 months – every quarter – and normally – the Winter Meet is held at Peacock Bay (in January) – the post-monsoon meet is held at in the verdant environment of INS Shivaji Lonavala (a “stone frigate” – the premier technical training establishment of the Navy) – and – the other two meets are held at convenient locations in Pune. 

Sadly – there is no Navy Wardroom (Officers Mess) or Navy Institute/Club in Pune – so NFPC has to depend on the benevolence and goodwill of the Army for a venue. 

Probably – Pune is the only Chapter of the Navy Foundation which is “homeless” 

Pune does not have a Navy Wardroom, Naval Officers Mess or Institute in the city – despite a large number of retired Naval Officers settled in Pune after retirement. 

Even landlocked New Delhi, Bangalore, Coimbatore etc have Navy Wardrooms/Messes. 

Let’s hope the “powers-that-be” create a Navy Wardroom/Officers Mess/Institute in Pune. 

Dear Reader: All this prompts me to tell you a bit about the Navy Foundation – so – let me update an article I had written a few years ago – and post it for you to read...

RETIREMENT BLUES 

Re-Building “Bridges” with the Navy

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Before retirement – when I was in the Navy – there was no dearth of friends. 

After retirement – I have zero friends.

I am talking of “offline” friends.

Yes – I do have a large number of online friends – and – even my erstwhile Navy Friends have now become online friends. 

In Pune – all my Navy Friends – after retirement – live in remote Military Veteran “ghettos” (so-called “exlusive” residential projects for retired defence personnel) – and – these elite “ghettos” are located in the suburbs of Pune – on the opposite side of town from where I live – and – in view of the terrible Pune traffic – I don’t have the energy to drive 30 kms across town and back – except on special occasions.

And – one such special occasion is the Navy Foundation Pune Chapter (NFPC) Meet – which is held once in 3 months.

I make sure I attend all NFPC Meets – of course – to meet my Navy Buddies – and also – to enjoy the stimulating PLD – followed by a delicious lunch. 

Now – I look forward to the meet on Sunday at the Sub Area Officers Mess in Pune.

Meanwhile – here is a piece I wrote on the Navy Foundation a few years ago.

NAVY FOUNDATION PUNE 

The “Alumni Association” for Navy Veterans in Pune

By

VIKRAM KARVE

If you are a Naval Officer – after retirement – it is best to settle down in Mumbai – which is the premier Navy Station – or – in a coastal city like Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Kochi, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa etc where there is a Naval presence – or – even in Delhi/NCR – where the mighty “Northern Naval Command” is located.

This is because if you settle down in a landlocked place like Pune after you retire from the Navy – you tend to “burn your bridges” with your erstwhile service.

The only redeeming grace is the Indian Navy Foundation – a purely social organization set up to facilitate fraternal relations between retired Naval Officers.

Luckily – the Navy Foundation has a “chapter” (aka “charter”) at Pune 

Membership is voluntary – and I am glad I became a member, because the quarterly Navy Foundation Pune Chapter (NFPC) meetings are the best occasions for meeting and renewing bonds with my former navy buddies.

Whenever I go for these NFPC get-togethers I feel something like a  “Yossarian”  of  Catch-22 who is one of the most frequent visitors to the officers’ club that he had not help build.

I am sure you have read Catch-22.

Let me “jog” your memory about this hilarious yet insightful episode about Yossarian and the Officers’ Club in Pianosa.

In something akin to “Shramdan” – officers are encouraged to build their own clubs. 

(If you have served in the Military – you would be familiar with “Shramdan”)

However – Yossarian, who is proud of his ability to avoid work, contributes nothing to help build the club – he does not go for even a single day to work on building the officers’ club.

But once the officers’ club is ready – Yossarian visits the club almost every day – and he makes maximum use of the facilities – which he had not helped build.

Let me quote a paragraph from Catch-22 which encapsulates this sentiment (emphasis mine):

“Actually there were many officers’ clubs that Yossarian had not helped build – but he was proudest of the one on Pianosa. 

It was a sturdy and complex monument to his powers of determination. 

Yossarian never went there to help until it was finished – then he went there often – so pleased was he with the large, fine, rambling shingled building. 

It was a truly splendid building – and – Yossarian throbbed with a mighty sense of accomplishment each time he gazed at it – and reflected that – none of the work that had gone into it was his...”

For me – like Yossarian – it is a similar equation with the NFPC – “effort-wise – I contribute nothing” – but I participate in all get-togethers most enthusiastically.

We had three excellent NFPC get-togethers in Lonavala – wonderful days – like picnics – a nostalgic walk down memory lane for many navy veterans who reminisced about their halcyon training days at this picturesque location. 

We also had many memorable meets at Peacock Bay on the shores of Khadakvasla Lake near the National Defence Academy (NDA) – hosted by Naval Officers of NDA. 

At all these meets – the distinctive Naval efficiency, superlative hospitality and caring courtesy shown to us during the visit demonstrated how much young naval officers and sailors genuinely care for its veterans.

When I was in service – I remember us hosting a get-together of Navy Foundation at IAT Pune at the Naval Jetty (Sailing Club) on the banls of Khadakwasla Lake – sometime in the 1990’s.

In Pune – the favourite venue for NFPC Meets is Atlantis

Sadly – there is no Navy Wardroom (Officers Mess) or Navy Institute/Club in Pune.

And – in the past – officer-bearers of NFPC have had harrowing experiences running from pillar to post trying to negotiate the red tape while dealing with the Army to get other Military Venues for NFPC Meets.

So – thanks to “jointmanship” demonstrated by the “pongos” – the officebearers found it more convenient to organise Navy Foundation Meetings in Pune at ATLANTIS – which is better located – and much more flexible to deal with – with zero red tape – and better off in all respects – especially food-wise and ambience-wise. 

Of course – some officers of the “old-mould” insisted that the meets be held in a Service Mess – so – a meet was held in the Army Sub Area Officers Mess – but – the ambience and food was not as good as Atlantis.

The best thing about these Navy Veteran Meets is the egalitarian atmosphere – with a total absence of the rank consciousness one sees while in service – since – after retirement – all veterans are civilians – equal in status – and now – instead of rank – it is age that is respected.

As I said earlier – after retirement – our only connection with the Navy is the Navy Foundation – and Navy Veterans look forward to NFPC meetings where you can bond, interact and network with your erstwhile navy buddies while regaling each other with delightful anecdotes of the “good old days”.

If you are a Navy Veteran Officer in Pune – I look forward to meeting you at the next Navy Foundation Pune Chapter Lunch Meet on 08 April 2018 at the Sub Area Officers Mess Pune.

If you are an Indian Navy Veteran Officer – in or around Pune – please be there.

NAVY FOUNDATION 

How the Indian Navy Foundation for Veteran Navy Officers was Born

Maybe – for the benefit of Navy Veterans who do not know about the genesis of Navy Foundation – it would be a good idea to share an interesting article by a distinguished erstwhile Navy Chief Admiral JG Nadkarni on the Navy Foundation for Veteran Indian Navy Officers.

I came across this article on the website of the Navy Foundation Mumbai Charter at url: http://www.navyfoundationmumbaicharter.in/birth_of_the_foundation.html 

I am posting it below for your convenience to read.

Birth of The Foundation by Adm JG Nadkarni

The idea was Ram Tahiliani’s. He had just returned from an official trip to the United States. Whilst there, he had been greatly impressed by the Veterans’ organisation in that country. I was his Vice Chief. After returning he asked me if a similar organisation could be started for the Indian Navy in India. I was told to look into it and come up with a proposal.

We examined it from all angles. To be effective it would have to be a Naval Headquarters’ baby. It would have to be fully supported by the Navy in all aspects. At the same time each Unit would have to be totally autonomous. Naval Ex-servicemen are notoriously touchy. Having been subjected to orders all their lives they are averse to be dictated again now that they have retired. Moreover some of the officers were very senior and had to be handled and treated with respect. Anyway, we decided to go ahead and institute an organisation for all Ex-servicemen under the patronage of Naval Headquarters.

We considered many options for a suitable name. It had to be unique and easily acceptable. Such names like “Navy League”, “Navy Association” were considered and rejected for one reason or another. Finally, we hit upon the idea of “Navy Foundation”, which was unanimously accepted.

Various models lay before us. The Indian Air Force has an “Air Force Association” which is open to all Air Force personnel. Somehow we felt that this would not be suitable for us. The class system is still prevalent in India and we had seen what happened in some of the Air Force-Navy housing schemes. We decided that the Navy Foundation should be only for the retired officers of the Indian Navy.

It is one thing to start a body and quite another to make it work. There were already in existence various well established organisations started by retired naval officers. There was the "Navy League" in New Delhi, another body called the "Anchor Hold" in Bombay. In Pune there was the "Retired Naval Officers' Association". These were thriving organisations, who met regularly, had activities, bank accounts, Presidents and Chairmen who were reluctant to give up their positions, dissolve the bodies and join the Navy Foundation.

During the next two months I visited various places, held meetings with their members and tried to convince them that joining the Navy Foundation would be beneficial. Most bodies were reluctant at first. Their biggest worry was that Naval Headquarters would start dictating terms and they would end up being one more directorate of NHQ. I convinced them that each body would be totally autonomous and except for one annual meeting there would not be any interference by the Navy in their day to day functioning. Moreover, NHQ would act as the go between with the Government for various problems faced by Ex-servicemen.

One by one the organisations started seeing reason and decided to merge themselves with the Navy Foundation. Some refused and exist even today as parallel organisations. In Pune Admiral Soman headed the Retired Naval Officers' Association. He readily agreed and was very enthusiastic. In Bombay the association was headed by Commodore Chatterji. He was reluctant at first and took a lot of persuasion but agreed eventually. I am really happy that the original assurance given by us has been meticulously observed by the Navy. There has been no interference, dictating or coercion on these groups.

The next phase was to start "Charters" in various areas where retired naval officers had settled in large numbers. Such Charters were started in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Kochi and Calcutta. Later more Charters were added.

I realized that to really get the Charters going, some assistance from Naval Headquarters would be necessary. Commands were persuaded to make a room available as offices for each Charter. In November 1987, I took over as CNS. I decided that the funds raised in the Navy Ball of 1987 would be distributed to various Charters as seed money for initial financial assistance. We raised nearly Rs. 7 lakhs in that Navy Ball and this money was distributed. Rs 1.5 lakh each to big Charters and Rs. 1 lakh to small Charters.

In 1987, when I was the VCNS we started a magazine called "Quarterdeck" for Ex-servicemen. We roped in then Commander Uday Bhaskar, the Navy PRO and the late Tappi Koppikar to be the first joint editors. Its first issue was a roaring success. It won a prize for the best magazine in its category. On the establishment of the Navy Foundation it became official magazine. Successive editors have improved and embellished it. It is distributed far and wide and veterans look forward to each issue.

During my travels around the country and meetings with naval veterans, I had realized that all servicemen have problems about their welfare, pay, pensions etc. Many of these had landed on my desk when I was COP and a full time body was required to deal with these. When I decided to establish a full time directorate to deal with ex-servicemen's problems and feed them with current happenings in the Navy. Each year we held a get-together of ex-CNSs and other officers and gave them briefings on operations, personnel and other aspects of the Navy. Today the Directorate of Ex-servicemen's Affairs is doing excellent work and acts as a conduit between the veterans and NHQ.

The first annual meeting was held in NHQ under my chairmanship and a constitution was approved. We were able to clear many apprehensions and doubts about the Foundation.

Today, the Navy Foundation is a going body and Charters are well established.

Today, the Navy Foundation is a successful and dynamic organisation. Various Charters are doing excellent work in keeping alive the bonds and camaraderie established during our time in the Navy. There is a total absence of rank consciousness or hierarchy. They have regular get-togethers, illuminating lectures and picnics. Many establish bodies to help widows. The Mumbai Charter has even got a marriage bureau for children of Ex-servicemen!

Ram Tahiliani would be happy that his dream of 1987 has now become a reality...!!! 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Bye for now.

If you are an Indian Navy Veteran Officer – in or around Pune – I look forward to meeting you at the forthcoming Navy Foundation Pune Chapter Lunch Meet on Sunday 08 April 2018 at Sub Area Officers Mess Pune. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
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This post is an abridged updated consolidated extract of my articles earlier posted by me at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/10/navy-foundation-pune-alumni-association.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/08/retirement-blues-burning-bridges-with.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/01/navy-veterans-meets-re-building-bridges.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/03/navy-foundation-pune-alumni-association.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2018/01/re-building-bridges-with-navy-veterans.html etc

BLOGGING – BEST WAY OF CREATIVE WRITING

BLOGGING – THE BEST WAY OF CREATIVE WRITING

Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

WRITING

Why do writers write?

If you are a writer – you will realize that writers write for two reasons:

1. Some write because they want to earn money (commercial writing)

2. Others get the urge to write because they want to say something (creative writing)

In your case, which is the primary reason why you write?

Are you primarily a Creative Writer or a Commercial Writer?

There was a time when writers could earn enough money to make a living.

That is why writers could afford the luxury of full-time writing (and not doing a job).

But it was difficult to establish yourself as a “published author” since you were at the mercy of editors and publishers.

And only if you could establish yourself as a published author could you earn enough money from your writing to make it a full-time vocation.

It was a Catch-22 situation.

If an editor did not print your writing in a magazine or a publisher did not publish your book you were doomed to failure as a writer.

The print medium (Books and Magazines) were the only ways you could make your writing reach the reader.

Either you had to be a celebrity – or have the right “contacts” in the publishing industry – or get that “lucky break” – or keep peddling your writing doggedly despite getting rejection slip after rejection slip.

Publishers evaluated writing purely from the business point of view.

Your writing had to be “sellable”.

That is why “commercial fiction” is most sought after by editors and publishers.

The combination all these factors is the reason why many “wannabe” budding writers who tried their hand at writing, faced rejection, got frustrated, and fell by the wayside.

And since they could not financially sustain themselves – they had to give up “full time creative writing” and take up other professions to support their passion for writing.

To sum up:

1. Commercial Writers write to Earn Money

2. Creative Writers write because they want to Express their Inner Feelings

Suppose you observe something which stirs emotion within you – do you experience an urge to express your inner feelings – and tell others about it?

Well – you can write about it – in any form – as an article – or better still as a short story or novel.

BLOGGING 

Blogging is writing in digital space.

The traditional paradigm of writing changed with the advent of the internet, proliferation of information technology and innovations like blogging in the “digital space”.

Now, “publishing” is no longer the monopoly of a handful of publishers and the stranglehold of editors is over.

Anyone who wishes to write can instantly “publish” their writing on blogs and showcase their literary work to the world.

I feel that blogging is the biggest “blessing” for those who wish to write, especially creative writers.

Yes, apart from social media, blogging is the most significant innovation of information technology.

Now, with widespread proliferation of the internet, every person has the opportunity to write.

All you have to do is to set up your blog (which is simple and free of cost on a number of popular blogging platforms like blogger, wordpress, typepad etc).

Then, you upload and publish your writings on your blog.

And, instantly, your writing is available throughout the world for people to read.

You feel a sense of “instant gratification”.

And you experience a sense of creative freedom since you have full control on what you want to write on your blog (without any external “editorial intervention”).

By removing the opaque barrier of editor/publisher between the writer and reader, blogging has enabled the reader to connect directly with the writer and facilitated mutual interaction between the two.

Blogging has proved to be a big boon to writers (who write because they want to “say something”).

If you are a writer, blogging is the best medium to satisfy your creative urge and demonstrate your literary skills to the world

Blogging is also of great benefit to readers as it has made so much material available for them to read free of cost.

Apart from blogs, there are many websites which contain a deluge of reading material in the digital space.

Many people have stopped reading printed paper and do all their reading from screens.

Technology has also progressed fast by leaps and bounds.

First you had ebook readers, and then you read on screens of PCs, Laptops and Tablets.

Now you have Smartphones.

Nowadays, people spend more time reading books on Smartphones than they do on tablets, ebook readers, PCs and laptops.

New sophisticated “eReader” applications for reading books on electronic screens are being developed in a big way to offer a superior reading experience on handheld electronic devices, especially mobile smartphones and “phablets”.

Handheld digital screens are edging out paper books

With increasing trend of reading on handheld digital screens (especially smartphones), paper books are being edged out of the market.

The shutting down of many bookstores (including the iconic Manney’s in Pune) and downsizing of bookshop chains (which restrict their stock to recent commercial fiction) bears testimony to the increasing ascendancy of the digital literary space vis-à-vis the traditional print medium.

WILL BLOGGING REPLACE CREATIVE WRITING?

What does this all mean for budding creative writers?

If you are a new writer then it is better to forget about “publishing” your writing in the print medium.

You will be better off if you start blogging your writing in the digital space.

A few months ago, I met a columnist who used to write columns on topical issues for print newspapers.

He told me that owing to financial considerations, newspapers were becoming thinner, both smaller in size and with lesser number of pages.

Also more pages had to given to commercial features which financially sustain the newspaper like advertisements and sponsored features (“paid news”).

The result was that there was less space for content of columnists and writers.

So the columnist was repeatedly told to keep reducing the length of his article and make it shorter and shorter, till the word count became so less that it was not possible for him to properly express what he had to say.

Finally, things reached a stage where the e-version of the newspaper (in digital space) would carry his full article and the print version would be abridged to fit into the miniscule space available.

So now, the columnist has started blogging where he can write in an unrestricted and unrestrained manner.

Let me tell you about another friend who is a voracious reader.

He travels extensively all over the world as a part of his work and he spends a lot of his time waiting at airports, in hotels or in commuting to and fro to airports.

Earlier he used to carry a book to pass time during these long waits.

Now he carried his Smartphone – he can multitask, he can network, and also read a wide variety of things via the web since internet connectivity has become so easy and accessible.

He regularly reads my blog wherever he is in the world, and he can access literature and information from websites and also read a variety of blogs and writings of his interest.

WHY YOU MUST BLOG

Suppose you observe something which stirs emotion within you and you experience an urge to express your inner feelings and say something, tell others, so you write about it – say, a short story.

In the “good old” pre-internet days, you would send your piece of creative writing, your story, to a magazine for publication.

And then, the agonizing wait would begin.

Some decent editors would acknowledge your contribution, and then let you know of acceptance or otherwise.

Others would not even have the courtesy of acknowledging receipt of your story.

Sometimes, there would be so much delay by the time your story was published that you yourself would have lost interest or the story would have lost its topicality.

It was similar with a manuscript of your book, if you were a new budding author.

Everything depended on the whims and fancies of the all-powerful editors and publishers.

Most unsolicited manuscripts were consigned to the slush-pile and forgotten.

Hapless authors who wanted their writings to see the light of day had no choice but spend time and effort to make the rounds of editorial offices, swallow their self respect and be ready to be pushed around.

Not anymore.

The advent of blogging has changed everything.

Now – the moment you finish writing your story – you can upload it on your blog – and – hey presto – your story will be instantaneously available worldwide for all to read.

Readers will connect with you – just like my friend can read my writing on his Smartphone – wherever he is in the world – he can instantly read my writing the moment I post my stories on my blog.

Today – More People Read on Digital Screens than Paper

The ascendancy of online Digital Literature is an undeniable reality.

It looks like: BLOGS ARE IN and BOOKS ARE OUT

Yes: DIGITAL LITERATURE IS IN and PRINTED LITERATURE IS OUT

That is why Blogging is the best way to showcase your Creative Writing.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
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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:

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)

The above post is an updated version of my post REVOLUTION IN PUBLISHING  –  THE ASCENDANCY OF DIGITAL SPACE posted by me on this blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal on Saturday, September 28, 2013 Posted by Vikram Karve at 9/28/2013 02:53:00 PMat url: 

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/09/revolution-in-publishing-ascendancy-of.html