Humor in Uniform
Musings of a “Superseded” Officer
by
Vikram Karve
Continued from Part 1 – Supersession Day – url: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/05/supersession-day-musings-of-written-off.html
Part 2
Fulfillment after Supersession
In my previous blog post – I told you that when you
are “passed over” for promotion and “superseded” – you have 3 choices:
1. You can Quit the Service immediately by Resigning
your Commission (even if it means giving up your pension and forgoing/losing
many benefits)
2. You can wait for a few years to complete 20 years
pensionable service – and then seek Premature Retirement (PMR).
3. You can serve till you attain the age of
“superannuation” (Earlier the minimum superannuation age was 54 years – but
I understand that this has now been increased to 57 years – and some officers
continue for a few more years on “re-employment”)
This article is for those “superseded” officers who
decide to choose the 3rd option and continue serving till they
attain the age of superannuation.
YOUR “GIRLFRIEND” HAS
“DUMPED” YOU
Let me explain metaphorically.
Suppose you have a steady girlfriend to whom you
intend getting married and spending the rest of your life.
You have been loyal, sincere and devoted to your girlfriend.
Suppose she suddenly dumps you.
How will you feel…?
Won’t you feel betrayed…?
Similarly – won’t you feel “betrayed” the moment you
are superseded for promotion…?
You have been loyal to the service – but – the service
has not been loyal to you in return.
For no apparent reason – the service has “dumped” you.
You faithfully loved your girlfriend – and she
dumped you.
You were totally devoted to the service – and the
service “dumped” you.
Now – once your girlfriend has dumped you – what are
the options open to you…?
Think about it.
You can become vindictive towards her – you can indulge
in self-pity and sink into depression – you can plead with your girlfriend to
take you back into her life – you can beg and beseech her to reconsider her
decision to dump you – or – you can move on in life – and try to acquire a new
girlfriend.
Similarly – what are your options when you are
superseded…?
1. You can become “bitter” and resentful and start
behaving in an acrimonious and spiteful manner. Such rancorous behavior will spoil
inter-personal relationships and create “bad blood” in the environment – and –
such negative vibes not only affect your own mental and physical health but
will affect your family, friends and colleagues as well.
2. You can “internalize” your sorrow, start brooding
and indulge in self-pity. Excessive self-commiseration will not only will make
you miserable and cause you depression – but it may also push you towards
alcoholism if you have a tendency to “drown” your sorrows in drink. I have seen
many superseded officers becoming alcoholics.
(As an aside – let me tell you what one witty senior
officer said about me when I was superseded.
He opined:
“We don’t have to worry about him (me)
becoming an alcoholic. The bugger is already a bloody drunkard. For all you know
– supersession may have the opposite effect on him – and he may stop drinking…”
By the way – I did quit drinking – albeit a few
years after supersession)
3. You can “plead” with the service to promote you. This
can be done in a number of ways. You can “beg” your seniors for “thumping” ACRs
to enable you to get promoted in the remaining attempts, you can take the “official”
route – put up representations, statutory complaints and indulge in litigation etc.
All this will fill you with anxiety and stress. And – if you get involved in
litigation – besides the expenses involved – your mind will start thinking
negative thoughts – especially as you keep discussing your case ad nauseam with
lawyers and “sea lawyers”. Instead of thinking interesting creative positive thoughts
– your mind will be constantly preoccupied with negative thinking. All this
will affect your family and environment too.
4. Or – like in the “girlfriend dumping” metaphor –
you can choose the option of moving on in life and acquiring a new “girlfriend”.
Now – if you had chosen the option of resigning and quitting the service immediately
after you are superseded – this new “girlfriend” can be a new job in “Civvy
Street”. However – since you have decided to serve till superannuation – you will
have to find this new “girlfriend” within the service. How do you do this…? How
did I do this…? Read below…
INTROSPECTION
Firstly – you must be clear in your mind that the
service has “rejected” you – and now – you are an “unwanted” entity (just
like the example of your girlfriend “dumping” you and not wanting you anymore)
You have been brutally superseded – “passed over”
for promotion – “written off” – “fallen by the wayside” – “deadwood” – discarded,
redundant and unwanted by the environment.
You have been sidelined from the mainstream – you have
been put on a sidetrack – and those on the main track don’t care two hoots
about you.
So – don’t expect any “sympathy” from the system.
You are on your own – “index” – as they say in the
Navy – and – you have to discover the best way to continue your journey in
service as a “superseded” officer till you reach the age of superannuation.
(If some seniors, course-mates and friends are
helpful – consider it as a bonus – but don’t expect it)
By the time you are superseded – you would have done
many appointments in a variety of jobs.
That’s the beauty of the Armed Forces (especially
the Navy) – they make you work in a variety of jobs so that you become the “Jack
of all Trades”.
Introspect – reflect – of all the jobs you did –
which is the job you enjoyed the most…?
In my case – I had loved serving on ships the best.
But sadly – this job was ruled out – since – those
days – superseded officers are not appointed for sea duties – which were
considered mandatory “criteria” appointments for promotion.
Maybe – it was the view of the “powers-that-be” that
since superseded officers were not eligible for selection for promotion – there
was no point “wasting” a criteria appointment on “passed over” officers.
Also – remember – that the moment you are superseded
for promotion – you are officially declared “incompetent”.
So – overnight – from being a professional “hot shot”
officer – I became professionally “incompetent” – at least in the eyes of the
system.
Hence – I became ineligible for “prestigious”
high-profile appointments ashore.
Having ruled out these “high profile” options – I explored
suitable “low profile” opportunities available to me.
I had done two tenures “instructional duties” – one at
Navy Training “Stone Frigate” INS Valsura (where I had taught Naval Officers
undergoing the Specialization Course) – and – one at the Institute of Armament
Technology (IAT) where I had taught and guided the Advanced Post Graduate
Master’s (ME) Course in Systems Engineering).
I had served in Research and Development (R&D) appointment.
I had served in a Naval Dockyard.
I had a stint as a “Babu in Uniform”.
Of the above options – I liked “instructional” appointments
the best – especially IAT Pune – where the egalitarian “laissez faire” multi-service
environment was conducive to superseded officers – much better than the “regimented”
rank-conscious ethos at INS Valsura.
(Though “Quality Assurance” (QA) appointments were
considered “suitable” for superseded officers – I hadn’t served in a “QA”
billet – and so – I was quite averse to trying out something that was unknown).
As advised my “mentors” – I put up a request for an
appointment in IAT – and – thanks to my well-wishers – six months later – I was
appointed to IAT Pune on “Instructional Duties”.
(Coincidentally – IAT had asked for an Officer with Qualitative
Requirements (QRs) which matched my qualifications/experience – my earlier
tenure at IAT had helped a great deal).
I must say that the Navy shows due consideration to “passed
over” officers and tries to soften the blow of supersession by giving suitable
appointments and long tenures to them.
Not only did Navy give me my choice appointment –
but they gave me a long tenure too – more than 8 years – followed by 6 years at
Mumbai.
(Prior to supersession – my average tenure in a
station was less than 2 years).
Did I do justice to my appointment at IAT Pune…?
I would love to blow my own trumpet – but – I will
just quote two extracts from two souvenirs (coffee table books) published by
IAT during its Golden Jubilee.
Extract from page 63 of History of IAT – 50 Years of
Excellence (1952 - 2002)
From Chapter on R&D Activities in Wings.
“Cdr VW Karve was the main pillar for many years and
made the largest possible contributions to the students, faculty and institute.
Numerous papers published by him in national and international journals earned
a name for the Institute”
Extract from page 41 of IAT Golden Jubilee Souvenir
From the article “A Grateful Student Remembers”.
“Though not widely practiced, Cdr Karve’s Captain
Haddockesque approach to education intrigued me enough to try out the
concurrent methodology in conjunction with the sequential methodology, I was
already into. It was an eventful and illuminating two semesters under the
guidance of Cdr Karve, who was an Institute within the Institute”
CONCLUSION
Once you are “superseded” and “passed over” for
promotion – if you choose to continue in service – it is best to make the most
of it – by trying to identify and select a suitable “job” (within service
parameters) – a job in harmony with your talent – a métier where you can
flourish and contribute your best to the service too.
Self-Pity, Bitterness and Negative Thinking may
prove counterproductive to your mental well-being and health – and – indulging
in litigation may affect your “peace of mind”.
Remember the “dumped by girlfriend” metaphor – move on
– be positive – introspect – discover your “métier” – find a new suitable “girlfriend”
with whom you feel you can achieve your best – and – make the most of it.
To be continued
in Part 3 SUPERSEDED OFFICER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
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.
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:
1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. 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:
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)
Part 1 of this Blog Post posted in my blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/05/supersession-day-musings-of-written-off.html
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
