HUMOUR IN
UNIFORM
SUPERSESSION and PASSOVER
WOES
A
Naval Yarn
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Disclaimer:
This story is a
yarn. It is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely
imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
PROMOTION PROSPECTS
IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES
In
the civilian government services you have Assured Career Progression (ACP).
For
Civilian Officers, Promotion prospects are good, and promotion to a certain
high rank is virtually guaranteed by the time you retire at the age of 60.
However,
in comparative terms, promotion prospects are much less in the Defence Services.
In view of the steep pyramid like hierarchical structure in the army, navy and air force, it is very
difficult to get promoted, especially to high rank.
Worse, in the military, they retire you off at a young age if you don’t get promoted to high rank.
Unlike
the almost 100% promotion in the civil services, the promotion percentages in
the armed forces are much lower.
That
is why I used to jokingly say that whereas the civilians have ACP (Assured Career
Progression) the “faujis” have ACS (Assured Career Supersession).
It
is a sad irony that even supporting elements like Civilian Defence Scientists enjoy
much better career prospects than the uniformed armed forces who are the
mainstay of the nation’s defence.
Another
unique feature of the defence services is the extremely high degree of rank
consciousness (“rankophilia”).
Everything
depends on your rank – your status, your pay, your perks, your retirement age,
just about everything.
This
obsession with rank is extended to your wife and family as well – yes, the
status of an officer’s wife depends on her husband’s rank and you have absurd
“designations” like “Senior Wife” “First Lady” etc who try to flaunt their
husband’s rank despite the fact that we now have Lady Officers whose status is
officially higher than those who are mere Wives of Senior Officers.
This
“pecking order culture” in the defence services makes rank the most important
thing in life.
Since
your rank is the “be-all and end-all” of military life, in the defence services most
officers are desperate to get promoted at any cost.
The
chances of achieving higher rank are quite slim due to low promotion
percentages especially as you go higher up as the vacancies become fewer and
fewer.
There
is a saying that in the navy (or army) – all officers get superseded at some
stage since only one can become the Chief (unlike the civil services and police
where there can be many officers of the rank of Secretary and Director General).
There
is an intriguing aspect of promotion, at least in the navy, which I have
observed.
Hardly anyone is superseded for professional incompetence.
Most of
the superseded officers are highly proficient in their duties and are professionally
competent. It is mainly due to some “personality clash” that they have been superseded. But that is another story which I will discuss sometime later.
PASSOVER WOES
THE PAIN OF
BEING PASSED OVER FOR PROMOTION
Supersession
has two effects:
1.
Loss of self-esteem and end of the road (blocked career growth) for the
individual
2.
Feelings of inadequacy and humiliation at the social and familial level
In
the rank-conscious feudal culture of the defence services, if you are superseded and passed over for
promotion, you have to contend with a situation where you may have to work
under an erstwhile junior which can be a most humiliating experience.
Even at the social level your wife may have to suffer the humiliation of being bossed around at AWWA and NWWA by a much younger wife of an officer who has been promoted leapfrogging over your husband who has been unfortunately passed over and fallen by the wayside.
That
is why one of the greatest fears of an officer (and his family) is the fear of
supersession.
This “supersession fear” is a result of the the potent
combination of “rankophilia” exacerbated by poor promotion prospects.
In
many cases this “fear of supersession” gives rise to ruthless competition
fuelled by overweening ambition.
The
manifestation of this careerism is visible in the increasing contretemps among
officers, the rising number of grievances and ever-increasing litigation on
promotion issues and frequent “succession battles” which make headlines in the
media from time to time.
In
the defence services, promotion is probably the most stressful issue for a careerist
officer and his family.
Let
me tell you a story that happened long back, many years ago before the advent
of mobile phones and internet.
THE STORY OF THE
AMBITIOUS NAVY OFFICER
(Please read this story
only if you have a sense of humour. It is a work of fiction. The
characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, is purely coincidental)
“A”
was a most ambitious naval officer.
His
sole aim was to become an Admiral.
He moved heaven and earth and did everything possible to achieve his
objective.
Those
days the first promotion board was for the rank of Commander.
As
his promotion board approached, the fear of supersession made him highly
anxious and tense.
Soon
the promotion board was over but the results were not yet declared and he
eagerly waited for the promotion signal.
This excruciating wait almost drove him crazy.
He
was hearing conflicting rumours.
This
made him so tense and stressed-out that his shipmates told us: “Hey, you guys are his friends. He
is so bloody tense about his promotion. He is almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I think you chaps better speak to him
and pep him up a bit. The promotion signal is likely to be released tonight. The
bugger is so nervous and frantic that he may even commit suicide if he doesn’t
get promoted. He is all alone – his wife and kids are away for their summer
holidays. I think it is better someone is with him to make sure he doesn’t go
berserk and do something stupid if his name is not on the list.”
In
the evening we reached his house with a bottle of rum.
We
did not have to open our bottle, since “A” was already drinking to soothe his
nerves.
“Why
are you worried? With your outstanding performance, you are sure to get
promoted,” we said.
“What
bloody outstanding performance? Someone told me that the buggers in Delhi are
manipulating the list. That’s why the signal is delayed. I hope it comes
tonight,” he said and downed his glass of rum.
His
voice had a note of desperation.
I
filled up his glass and said, “With your sea service, they cannot ignore you.”
“Sea
service? My foot! All this sea-report crap is bullshit. Look at the number of
guys who get their sea-time waived and all of them get promoted. Someone told
me that my name is being pushed out of the list to accommodate some bloody influential
landlubber pen-pusher sitting in Delhi. I am convinced of one thing now – never
go to sea if you want to get promoted,” he said bitterly.
“Let’s
go out for dinner,” I said, trying to change the subject. Maybe an outing would
do him a bit of good.
“No.
I am not feeling okay. If you want you can go ahead,” he said.
“Okay.
I’ll sit with you and give you company. He’ll go and get us some dinner. What do
you want – Biryani from Olympia or Butter Chicken from Delhi Darbar?”
“I am
in no mood to eat. You get anything you want,” he said.
As
my buddy left to get food, on the way out, I whispered to him to go to the
signal centre and find out about the promotion signal – when was it likely to
come?
We,
“A” and me, kept drinking.
“A”
was quite drunk now.
It
was more than two hours, almost midnight, but my buddy had still not returned.
I
feared the worst.
We
kept drinking in silence, losing all sense of time
Suddenly
my buddy arrived.
He
seemed overjoyed.
The
promotion signal had arrived.
“A”
had been promoted.
On
hearing the good news, “A” asked, “are you sure my name is on the list?”
“Of
course your name is very much there. I knew you would have doubts, so I have
got a copy of the signal for you – see for yourself.”
“A”
kept staring at the signal, at his name.
All
his pent up tension seemed to dissolve and relief was visible on his face.
It
was time to leave him alone to savour his moment of triumph.
But
“A” would not let us go, “No. No. Wait. Don’t go. The good news calls for a
drink. I’ve kept a bottle of Royal Salute for this occasion.”
“Whisky?
After so much Rum?” I asked.
“Come
on guys. It doesn’t matter. Today is a special day. Let’s celebrate.”
It
took just two hours for us to polish off the bottle of Royal Salute.
“It’s
nearly 3 in the morning. Time to leave,” I said.
“A”
looked at me with hazy eyes and said, “Thanks for coming.”
“Do
you know why we actually came?” my buddy asked, lurching drunkenly.
“Shut
up,” I said.
“No.
Tell me. Tell me why you came,” stuttered “A”, his speech blurred with intoxication.
“They
told us you would commit suicide if you didn’t get promoted,” my buddy blurted
out.
“Well,
I don’t know about me. But one thing is sure. My wife would have committed
suicide if I hadn’t got my promotion. She had worked so hard for my promotion.
She would not have been able to bear my supersession…”
After
uttering this truth, “A” passed out on the sofa.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013
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 2013. All Rights Reserved
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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
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Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramwamankarve@gmail.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 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: vikramwamankarve@gmail.com
Twitter: @vikramkarve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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