Military Short Service Commission (SSC) – A Raw Deal...?

Musings of a Veteran on a Military Career in the Army Navy and Air Force 
Do Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers get a Raw Deal...?


This morning – I read a news report: 

Defence Ministry Denies Medical Facilities to Retired Short Service Commission Officers 

After reading this news report – I remembered an article I had written long ago on the topic of how Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers get a raw deal as compared to Permanent Commission (PC) Officers.

Dear Reader: Here is the article – once more, for your perusal and comments.

SHORT SERVICE COMMISSION (SSC) – A Raw Deal...?

Musings of a Veteran on a Military Career in the Army Navy and Air Force

By
VIKRAM KARVE

“CRUSH-AND-SQUEEZE” HUMAN RESOURCE (HR) MANAGEMENT 

Do you like sugarcane juice...? 

They say sugarcane juice is healthy. 

Sugarcane juice strengthens your organs like your brain, heart, stomach, kidneys, eyes and sex organs.

Sugarcane juice has plenty of protein and iron, prevents sore throat, cold and flu, and is a panacea for many ills.

Besides, sugarcane juice is a most refreshing drink.

I just love a tall cool restorative glass of sugarcane juice on a hot dry afternoon to quench my thirst and beat the heat. 

Have you seen the way in which they extract sugarcane juice?

The sugarcane juice stall owner squeezes stalks of sugarcane through the roller crusher. 

First he pushes through the entire sugarcane stalk, at least twice, to squeeze the juice out. 

Then he folds the sugarcane stalk into halves and crushes it again and squeezes the juice out.

Then he repeats this crush and squeeze technique again and again till there is no juice left till and the crushed remains, the fibrous waste bagasse, is absolutely dry. 

Now the man knows that there is not a drop of juice left in the crushed sugarcane bagasse.

But still he will push the totally crushed sugarcane through the roller crusher once more just to make sure that he has extracted the juice till the very last drop. 

SUGARCANE JUICE STYLE CRUSH-AND-SQUEEZE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OF SHORT SERVICE COMMISSION (SSC) OFFICERS

I narrated this metaphorical example of “crush and squeeze” style of Human Resource (HR) Management at the farewell party of a Navy Short Service Commission (SSC) Officer.

His permanent commission “hard taskmaster” boss wanted to extract the “last drop” from the hapless SSC Officer by “crushing and squeezing” him and making him slog even on the last day of his service till there was no “juice” left in the poor young man.

As I talked to the SSC Officer – I felt sad for him.

He was being released after 7 years service (those days SSC was for 7 years - and the SSC tenure keeps varying from 5, 7, 10 or 14 years from time to time as per requirements of the service)

The SSC Officer was still in his late 20’s – he was married and had a small child.

He was feeling quite insecure about his future.

The 7 years he had slogged in the navy had passed in a jiffy and suddenly he was thrown out on the “civvy” street and left to fend for himself.

You may say that I am generalizing, but I have observed that Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers get a raw deal.

I have seen many Permanent Commission (PC) Officers who consider themselves prima donnas and have a “superiority complex” vis-à-vis Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers.

Many PC Officers feel that SSC Officers are merely in a “supporting role” and their role is to fill up junior vacancies at the bottom of the pyramid, and then leave, thereby improving the promotion prospects of the PC Officers. 

The yeoman’s contribution of SSC Officers is not acknowledged and hence they do not get the recognition and respect they deserve.

In a metaphorical sense, like the “sugarcane”, SSC Officers are “crushed and squeezed” till all the “juice” is extracted from them, and then they are shoved out of the defence services and left to fend for themselves in the civilian world.

The incident I narrated above happened more than 18 years ago when I was in the Naval Dockyard at Mumbai.

I observed that there were a large number of young SSC Technical Officers in the Dockyard and they were performing a stellar role.

All of them were Assistant Managers, who are the mainstay in a Dockyard, and their competence and performance were indeed praiseworthy.

It was ironical that while their Permanent Commission (PC) counterparts were busy undergoing training, doing PG Courses or enjoying cushy shore appointments following their sea tenure, the Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers were slogging it out in the field.

In my opinion, SSC Technical Officers, most of whom were engineering graduates from premier institutions (like IIT, NIT etc) were better suited for technical work on the “production floors” than the  “in-house engineers” being produced by the navy.

There a few Women SSC Naval Officers too.

I distinctly remember a couple of Lady Naval Architects in the Naval Construction Branch who were giving an excellent account of themselves working shoulder-to-shoulder with their male colleagues on the dock-floor and in workshops. They were highly technically proficient and it was openly acknowledged that they were as good as, if not better than, their male counterparts.

I also remember two accomplished Computer Engineers who were engineering graduates from prestigious Regional Engineering Colleges or RECs (now called NITs – in 2003 – all RECs became NITs or National Institutes of Technology).

Just because they were women, they were being employed as Education Officers though their talents could have been better utilized in the Technical Branches of the Navy.

These technically gifted ladies had joined the Education Branch because, in the Navy, Women could not join the Sea Going Technical Branches (those days, women officers did not serve on ships – I wonder whether this policy has changed and whether women serve on ships now).

It was a sad waste of the finest human resource – a waste for the Navy – and a waste for the officers themselves.

In fact, this is what I feel about Short Service Commission (SSC):

From a long term perspective, isn’t short service commission a waste of expertise for the navy and for the officers themselves?

I do not understand the rationale behind having Short Service Commission (SSC).

Are SSC Officers supposed to be like the Contractual Employees in the Industry?

More than that, I wonder why young people want to join as Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers when the option of directly joining as a Permanent Commission (PC) Officer is available.

DOES SSC PREPARE YOU FOR A SECOND CAREER...?

It is a myth that Short Service Commission prepares you for a second career.

Let me give you two reasons.

1. Firstly, if you are already thinking of a second career even before joining the armed forces, then why join the armed forces?

You might as well join your preferred civilian career directly from campus placement.

2. Secondly, it is a fact that “industry specific experience” is valued more in the civilian world rather than the “jack of all trades” experience you get in the armed forces (army and navy).

So what is the point of dabbling with something which will not add as much value to your CV (career value) as compared to specialized experience in the industry that you wish to finally join...?

I have seen that after leaving the armed forces, most SSC Officers land up in the ubiquitous “HR” appointments rather than in specialized technical front-line appointments in the industry.

I have met many SSC Officers who are doing well in the industry, but all of them agree that they would have done much better had they directly joined the industry after college instead of taking a career detour via a short service commission in the services.

If you interested in a career in the civilian world and ultimately want to join the industry then why waste your best years slogging in the armed forces as a Short Service Commission (SSC) Officer...?

And if you are really interested in a lifelong military career then why not join as a Permanent Commissioned (PC) Officer...?

Short Service Commission (SSC) versus Permanent Commission (PC)

I am not sure – but in the 1970’s – when I joined the Navy – there was no such thing as Short Service Commission (SSC).

I do not recall any SSC Officer undergoing training with us.

Officers joined either via the National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla Pune – or via the Naval Academy (NAVAC) Cochin (Kochi) – and both entries were for Permanent Commission (PC).

An old Sea-Dog once told me that after the 1962 war – Short Service Commission (SSC) had been started in the Navy for some years – but then – it was discontinued in the early 1970’s with the advent of the Naval Academy. 

However – SSC seems to have been restarted once again – since later – in the late 1980’s – I did come across a young Short Service Commission (SSC) Engineer Officer on my ship while serving on a frontline destroyer.

I think Short Service Commission (SSC) proliferated in the 1990’s – and thereafter – especially due to the induction of women officers in the navy.

I have heard of various durations of short service commission – 5 years, 7 years, 10 years and 14 years.

These tenure periods keep changing from time to time.

Someone told me that, at present, the tenure (or engagement period) of short service commission is 10 years.

Like I said earlier, if you are really interested in a lifelong military career then it is best to join as a permanent commissioned officer.

But if you are interested in a civilian career, it just makes no sense of wasting 5, 7 or 10 years of the prime of your life in the army or navy.

You don’t agree with me...?

Let me give you two examples.

Suppose you a male and you take short service commission (say 5, 7 or 10 years).

You will be never able to settle down and enjoy your military life as the “Sword of Damocles” will be constantly hanging over your head as time ticks away.

I have seen many Male SSC Officers postpone their marriage till they settle down in their second innings in the civilian world.

If you are a Female SSC Officer, in the Indian Social Milieu, it will be difficult for you to remain unmarried till you settle down in your second career.

Maybe you will be almost 30 years old by the time you leave the navy and stabilize in your new career.

Now 30 is considered as an “unmarriageable” age for a girl in our traditional Indian society since there will be hardly any boys left to marry.

If you marry a civilian during your service then you will have to be ready for a long distance marriage which is quite painful especially in the first inchoate days of married life.

And if you marry a fellow naval officer – well then all your problems will be solved...!!!

(If you are a woman army officer it is a great advantage to marry a fellow male army officer, and maybe it is the same for the air force too)

It is no wonder so many “sister” officers are marrying their “brother” officers and these “in-service” alliances are marriages of great convenience.

But let’s come to the moot point.

Why have a short service commission...? 

What is the need for SSC...? 

What is the solution...?

But before I propose a solution, here is a small digression. 

WILL NEW NATIONAL PENSION SCHEME (NPS) WILL MAKE PC AND SSC IRRELEVANT?

As you know, around 2004, the government introduced a New Pension System or National Pension Scheme (NPS) for all civilian government employees. 

NPS seems quite an attractive scheme due to its flexibility and its contributory nature (the government gives you a matching contribution).

One wonders why the Armed Forces were excluded from the NPS...?

Maybe, as has happened in many other cases, like the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme and Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) – the civilian bureaucrats did not want to give the benefit of NPS to the defence services.

Or possibly – the Military Top Brass did not want the NPS.

Maybe they feared an exodus of officers.

Because with the advent of the NPS, the “20 Year Syndrome” will disappear.

Also, if the New Pension Scheme (NPS) is introduced in the Armed Forces, concepts like Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC) will become irrelevant.

But that is another story.

The moot question is: 

“Do SSC Officers Get a Raw Deal...?” 

DO SSC OFFICERS GET A RAW DEAL...?

Tell me, especially if you are a Short Service Commission (SSC) Officer, did you like the “sugarcane juice story”, and do you feel that SSC officers get a raw deal...?

If you are a Permanent Commission (PC) Officer – I urge you to introspect: 

Is is fair to apply the “crush and squeeze” style of Human Resource (HR) Management to SSC Officers...?

And – instead of tinkering with tenures – why have Short Service Commission (SSC) at all...?

Why have two classes of Officers in the Defence Services...?

Why not scrap the concept of Short Service Commission (SSC) and have only the Permanent Commission (PC) for all Officers...?

Dear Readers: Comments welcome – especially from ex-SSC Officers... 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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© 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. Views expressed in the blog post above are personal.

3. 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.

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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

  

Revised Version of Article First Posted by me Vikram Karve at 6/23/2013 03:10:00 PM in my blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/06/short-service-commission-ssc-raw-deal.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/06/short-service-commission-ssc-raw-deal.html  and https://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/03/humor-in-uniform-crush-and-squeeze.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/07/humor-in-uniform-making-army-short.html etc and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/08/do-short-service-commission-ssc.html  and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/military-musings-short-service-commission-ssc-officers-do-they-get-a-raw-deal/ etc  

   

News Report Defence Ministry Denies Medical Facilities to Retired Short Service Commission Officers  URL https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/defence-ministry-denies-medical-facilities-to-retired-short-service-commission-officers/articleshow/66858023.cms

Humor in Uniform – OROP and OROQ – A Contrarian View

During one of my rare visits to a CSD Canteen – I saw a notice on the wall specifying the Monthly Liquor Quota for various ranks. 

This reminded me of a Spoof I had written many years ago titled THE MORE YOU DRINK – THE “HIGHER” YOU GO. 

Dear Reader – Here is the Spoof once more for you to read and have a laugh... 

THE MORE YOU DRINK – THE “HIGHER” YOU GO 
(A Fictional Spoof by Vikram Karve)

A few days ago – a Military Veteran was engaged in a hot discussion with a Retired Civil Services Officer – the Military Veteran was complaining about the raw deal given to the Defence Services vis-a-vis Civil Services in pay/allowances/perks by successive Pay Commissions. 

To counter this argument – the Retired Bureaucrat said: 

“But – Defence Personnel get Subsidised Liquor – which is not given to Civil Services...” 

I thought about it. 

The Civilian Bureaucrat was correct. 

The only exclusive perk that the Military gets is “Liquor Quota” (Liquor at Concessional Rates through CSD Canteens).

There are many various exclusive Civilian Perks like Non Functional Upgradation (NFU), Assured Career Progression (ACP), Higher Allowances, Faster Promotions, Guaranteed Career Progression, Retirement Age 60 years etc – which are not given to Defence Personnel.

On the other hand – amost all erstwhile Defence Perks like Canteen Stores Department (CSD) Canteen Facilities etc – all these Defence Perks have been extended to Civilians from time to time.

Recently – CSD Canteen facilities were given to Retired Defence Civilian Employees on par with Military Veterans. 

So – the only exclusive “Military Perk” that remains is “Liquor Quota”. 

However - only those Military Personnel who drink alcohol are able to derive benefit from the Liquor Quota. 

Those Military Personnel who do not drink alcohol (teetotallers) lose out on this exclusive military perk – since these “Teetotallers in Uniform” are not able to benefit from this Liquor Quota. 

Yes – sadly – all Military Teetotaller Non-Drinkers lose out on this exclusive perk of concessional liquor. 

Also – such teetotaller officers/soldiers who lose out on this Liquor Quota perk are not compensated in any way – and hence – they are totally deprived of this exclusive military perk of Liquor Quota...

Unlike various “in lieu” compensatory allowances like HRA (House Rent Allowance in lieu of Govt Accommodation) MLR (Money in lieu of Ration) etc – sadly – there is no provision for MLL (Money in lieu of Liquor). 

Let’s hope that the “powers-that-be” introduce a new MLL (Money in lieu of Liquor) allowance for non-drinker teetotallers in military uniform to compensate them for the loss of being not able to derive benefit from the exclusive military perk of subsidised liquor. 

While drinkers can be given their existing authorised monthly “Liquor Quota” – non-drinker teetotallers can be given “MLL” (Money in lieu of their monthly Liquor Quota)

“MLL” will be very easy to compute: 

Monthly MLL Allowance = the monetary difference between civil market rate and military concessional rate for the full authorised Monthly “Liquor Quota”.  

Ha Ha – talking of “Liquor Quota” – I remembered this article I had written a few years ago... 

OROQ (One Rank One Quota)

I have a contrarian view about OROP.

I feel that the “One Rank One Pension” (OROP) concept is unfair – since it links Pension to Rank.

Thus – OROP will mainly benefit High Ranking Officers.

I feel that “length of service” should be given more importance than rank while computing pension. 

In fact – pension should be based on years of loyal service rendered to the nation.

Who deserves more pension:– 

A Colonel with 35 years of service – or a Brigadier with 25 years of service…?

After retirement – financial needs are the same for military veterans.

I therefore feel that it is logical, equitable and ethical to give pay and pension based on the years of active service rendered in the armed forces. 

However – I am a “nonentity” – so I have no choice but to accept this skewed concept of OROP.

If you agree with me that OROP is unjust to lower ranks – let me tell you that the concept of OROQ is even worse and more discriminatory.

The issue of OROP (One Rank One Pension) was raised only a few years ago. 

But – the concept of OROQ (One Rank One Quota) is existing since time immemorial.

(In the acronym “OROQ” –  the “Quota” refers to “Liquor” Quota)

Sometime ago – I saw a prominent notice outside the “Liquor Section” of a Military CSD Canteen.

You must be aware that as a “perk” – Defence Services (Armed Forces), Paramilitary, and maybe, some Central/State Police Personnel – all these “faujis” are entitled to liquor at concessional rates – and probably some “part-time faujis” like Reservists, Territorial Army, NCC Officers, Defence Civilians etc also enjoy this privilege of subsidised liquor at concessional rates.

Even teetotallers get a liquor quota – which either lapses and gets wasted – or is illegally siphoned off to non-entitled civilians.

It would be a good idea to give military non-drinkers Subsidized Milk or Fruit Juice in lieu of Liquor – till such time a proper MILL (Money in lieu of Liquor) allowance for non-drinker teetotallers is introduced in the Defence Services.

Coming back to the story – on the notice board – were listed the monthly “Liquor Quotas” for various military ranks, serving and retired. 

You don’t believe me...?

Have a look at the picture below showing Monthly Liquor Quota for various ranks in units (bottles) of Liquor (this may be outdated) 

Monthly CSD Liquor Quota

When I questioned this bizarre logic of OROQ (One Rank One Quota) – a Military Veteran explained that Senior Officers need to drink more alcohol to alleviate the stress due to work pressures at High Rank. 

The Logic of giving more liquor to Senior Officers was: 

The higher the rank – the higher the stress level – and hence – the more the quantity of alcohol required to alleviate the stress.

Fine. 

Maybe senior officers have to drink more alcohol since they are more stressed out than junior officers and soldiers. 

But why continue this discriminatory liquor quota policy after retirement...? 

Why have different “Rank Based Liquor Quotas” for Military Veterans after Retirement (and for widows/parents)...? 

Crazy logic – isn’t it...? 

And – once you reach the top of the ladder – do you require to drink huge quantities of booze (unlimited liquor quota) – even after retirement...? 

If they say that “military intelligence” is an oxymoron – then “military logic” is an even greater oxymoron...!!! LOL 

In the Defence Services – Rank Has its Privileges (RHIP) 

Yes – in the “military” – everything depends on rank – especially perks and privileges – even after retirement – so even the liquor quota was based on the RHIP Principle.

Yes – your liquor quota increases in direct proportion to your rank – the higher your rank – the more booze you get – even after retirement.

This was known to me – as I was well aware of the rank conscious “feudal” culture still prevalent in the Defence Services.

But as I read down the list – I was taken aback.

Apparently – even widows were entitled a “Liquor Quota”.

(I was not aware that widows were entitled a liquor quota – both my mother and my mother-in-law are widows of defence officers – but I have never seen them drawing liquor from the CSD Canteen)

What surprised me was that even this widow’s liquor quota was as per the deceased husband’s rank – the higher the deceased husband’s rank – the more bottles of liquor his widow was entitled every month.

As per the “Widows’ Liquor Quota” shown in the picture above – widows of Generals were entitled 7 bottles a month – whereas – for widows of other officers it was 5 bottles a month – and – the quota was only 3 bottles of liquor for the rest. 

I was amazed at the absurdity of this liquor quota for widows.

Firstly – was there any logic in motivating widows to drink liquor...?

Secondly – do most widows really drink liquor...?

Thirdly – do widows of senior officers require to drink more liquor than other military widows...? 

I wonder how many widows actually draw their monthly liquor quota – and in the case of widows who regularly take their monthly liquor quota from the CSD Canteen – there are no prizes for guessing where the subsidized liquor is going.

I had seen RHIP “rank discrimination” for perks and privileges for military personnel and veterans – but to extend this RHIP concept to widows – and that too for “Widow’s Liquor Quota” – it seemed quite absurd to me – extending RHIP even after death of the “fauji”.  

All these thoughts reminded me of a spoof I had written more than 6 years ago titled: 

THE MORE YOU DRINK THE HIGHER YOU GO

So let me delve into my HUMOR IN UNIFORM archives – and pull out this spoof – and post it once more under a new title BOOZE LOGIC : “OLQ = ALCOHOL TOLERANCE LEVEL” for you to read, enjoy and mull over.

Disclaimer:
This is a “Humor in Uniform” story – so – before you start reading the blog post – please read the “disclaimer” below. 
The article is a spoof – so read it only if you have a “sense of humor” – which seems to be scarce nowadays – especially among the uniformed fraternity. 

BOOZE LOGIC : 

OLQ = ALCOHOL TOLERANCE LEVEL 

DOES DRINKING ALCOHOL IMPROVE YOUR OLQ (Officer Like Qualities)...?

or conversely 

DO SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE NEED TO DRINK MORE ALCOHOL...? 

MUSINGS ON LIQUOR QUOTA 
A Fictional Spoof
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer: 

1. Please read this blog post only if you have a “Sense of Humor”. This is a Spoof – simple lighthearted humor – just for a laugh. So please take it with a “pinch of salt” and have a hearty laugh.

2. Serious humorless mentally straitjacketed “Service-Minded OG Types” are advised not to read this article.

3. This spoof is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

RHIP (Rank Has Its Privileges) and OROQ (One Rank One Quota)

Here is one of my retirement musings on what I feel is an absurd interpretation and ludicrous implementation of the Rank Has Its Privileges or RHIP Concept. 

I am posting it once more for you to read, enjoy and ponder over. 

As I said, this is a spoof, for fun, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh

Cheers ... !!! 

DOES DRINKING ALCOHOL IMPROVE YOUR “OFFICER LIKE QUALITIES” (OLQ)...?

Conventional wisdom says that as you grow older – you should reduce your consumption of alcohol. 

Yes – doctors say that you should drink less alcohol as you grow senior. 

However – the Military Canteen Stores Department (CSD) seems to think otherwise.

The more senior you become – the more booze you are supposed to drink.

Yes – your Liquor Quota increases according to your rank.

I am not aware of the exact liquor quota nowadays – but in our time – junior officers got about 12 bottles of booze a month – the mid-level officers got 14 bottles a month – and senior officers got 16 bottles a month – and flag officers (Admirals) got unlimited liquor. 

I understand that even after retirement – Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals enjoy unlimited liquor entitlement. 

Well – the number of booze bottles in the rank based liquor quotas may have changed – but the logic remains the same:

Your Liquor Quota increases in direct proportion to your Rank

Going by this Topsy-Turvy Logic one may draw the inference that: 

The more senior you become – the more liquor you are supposed to drink.

Conversely – as a corollary – one may surmise that: 

Promotion is directly proportional to your drinking capacity or alcohol tolerance level. 

The inference that can be drawn is that: 

Drinking Alcohol Enhances OLQ (Officer Like Qualities). 

In a nutshell – this liquor quota conundrum seems to be like a vicious cycle:

1. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE NEED TO DRINK MORE ALCOHOL 

(on the premise that – high rank increases the appetite for alcohol)

2. TO BE SUCCESSFUL YOU MUST DRINK MORE ALCOHOL 

(on the premise that – Drinking Enhances OLQ or “Officer Like Qualities”)

Yes – the more the booze you can put down the hatch – and the more alcohol you can imbibe – the greater are your chances of promotion to higher ranks. 

Ostensibly – in the Army and Navy – Career Prospects are linked to Drinking Capacity. 

Your promotion depends on your drinking prowess.

It is simple: 

The more you drink – the higher you go 

THE MORE YOU DRINK – THE “HIGHER” YOU GO

DOES AN EXCEPTION PROVE THE RULE...?

Let me now digress a bit. 

There is a saying:

AN EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE 

By the way – at least in my case – this “promotion is directly proportional to drinking capacity” theory did not hold true. 

For had this premise been foolproof – then “yours truly” would surely have become an Admiral – because in my heyday – I could comfortably polish off more than half a bottle of Rum in a drinking session. 

Yes – I had enormous capacity to hold my drinks – and I could easily drink most of the guys under the table.

Sadly – now – I am a teetotaller – but during my early Navy Days – I loved to drink – and I was a passionate drinker with great drinking capacity. 

If career prospects indeed depended on drinking capacity – I should have certainly gone high up the promotion ladder.

But – maybe – I was an exception to the rule. 

And – of course – there is a saying: “an exception proves the rule”

ALCOHOL TOLERANCE and PROMOTION POTENTIAL

Jokes apart – I feel that this absurd logic of a “pecking order” for liquor quotas is a rather bizarre interpretation of the RANK HAS ITS PRIVILEGES (RHIP) concept. 

In fact – it is a rather feudal approach. 

It extends the evil of “rank based discrimination” to absurd limits.

Can you please tell me:

By what logic does an elderly senior officer require to drink more alcohol than his much more younger and youthful junior...?

In fact – if you ask me – it may be more prudent to give more liquor quota to young carefree bachelor officers – and keep them in “high spirits” – rather than facilitate senior married officers to drown their sorrows in alcohol and damage their health – besides ruining their family life. 

This “RHIP discrimination” continues after retirement too.

This “RHIP discrimination” happens – despite the fact that – once you retire from military service – you become a civilian – and you are considered equal in status with all others – irrespective of your service rank.

Of course – going by the logic of Rank Based Liquor Quotas – while you are in service – your Promotion Potential is directly linked to your Drinking Capacity (also called Alcohol Tolerance Level in medical parlance). 

If you are a good drinker – you will have two advantages in the military:

1. Your drinking prowess will enable you reach high rank while in service.

2. Once you hang up your boots – your high rank will ensure that you get a higher liquor quota even after retirement.

And now – someone tells me – even the paramilitary forces want to join the liquor quota bandwagon – and are applying the same bizarre “RHIP Logic” for determining liquor quotas – and want to continue the same rank-consciousness after retirement too.

Some uninitiated civilians must be wondering what is this “liquor quota” all about.

Well – maybe some veteran can correct me – but as far as I understand – this Liquor Quota concept seems to be “Relic of the British Raj”. 

MILITARY LIQUOR QUOTA – A RELIC OF THE BRITISH RAJ...?

The genesis of this liquor quota probably goes back to the days of the British Raj when a British Officer serving in India away from home was given a certain amount of liquor at concessional rates. 

After Independence – like most rules and regulations made by the erstwhile British rulers – this concept was continued. 

Yes – in many cases – we continue to follow archaic “Royal” traditions in our Defence and Civil Services – some obsolete customs and traditions which even the British have done away with long ago. 

One wonders whether the British Defence Forces still have a Liquor Quota for their Servicemen and Military Veteran Ex-servicemen...?

“RUM BUM LASH” NAVY – BLACK TOT DAY

As far as the Royal Navy is concerned – I read somewhere that – the British Royal Navy has discontinued the daily “Rum Rations” given to sailors on board ships – which was a centuries-old tradition from the days of the “Rum Bum Lash” Navy 

(or Rum Sodomy Lash Navy – as Sir Winston Churchill is alleged to have famously quipped). 

This day – 31 July 1970 – the last day when Rum Rations were served to sailors – was observed as “Black Tot Day” 

Whether this “perk” of subsidized liquor is good or bad – this is a debatable issue. 

But – subsidized liquor quota is certainly an incentive to drink alcohol.

I remember that subsidized liquor (or “Military Rum” in popular parlance) was considered a big perk in the erstwhile days of prohibition – when drinking was not quite prevalent in civilian society – and there was hardly any good quality Indian Liquor available.

But nowadays – post liberalization and globalization – the choicest quality of liquor is freely available all over – and – since most states levy various Taxes and VAT on CSD goods anyway – there is hardly any price differential between the CSD and Civil rates – so gradually – a day will come when this “liquor quota” may become irrelevant once GST is implemented for alcohol. 

MILITARY LIQUOR QUOTA – Yes “RANK BIAS” but NO “GENDER BIAS”

It is interesting to note that – whereas – there is “Rank Bias” in the entitlement of CSD Liquor Quota – there is no “Gender Bias” as far as booze is concerned. 

In the Defence Services – Liquor Quota is a “Gender Neutral” perk.

Yes – as far as drinking alcohol is concerned – Lady Officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force have equal opportunity to imbibe the same amount of Liquor as their Male Counterparts in the same Rank. 

Women may have less alcohol tolerance levels as compared to men. 

Women Officers may enjoy various “Gender Privileges” like relaxed physical standards and soft non-combat appointments.

But – as far as Liquor Quota is concerned – women officers enjoy the same liquor quota entitlement as their male “brother officers”.

Liquor Quota is “gender neutral”. 

In the matter of booze – your gender does not matter – it is only your rank that matters.

Cheers for “gender equality”. 

In fact – there is “gender privilege” in case a woman officer outranks her male colleague. 

A senior female officer will get more liquor quota than a junior male officer.

And – if a female officer gets married to a fellow male officer (marriage in uniform) – then with both husband and wife each getting their liquor quotas. 

So – for such military “marriages in uniform” – it is “cheers” all the way. 

This is an incentive for “booze loving” military officers to marry fellow military officers and get double the liquor quota. 

Yes – if you are a military officer – and you marry a fellow military officer – you will have a “cheerful” marriage – full of “cheers”...!!!

That calls for a drink...!!! 

DOES DRINKING ALCOHOL IMPROVE YOUR OLQ (Officer Like Qualities)...?

But coming back to the moot point – I still have two sets of unanswered questions in my mind:

1. Are you supposed to drink more alcohol as you get senior...? 

Is there a correlation between Rank and the amount of alcohol you need to imbibe...? 

Do successful people need to drink more alcohol...?

Do senior officers really need to drink more than their juniors...? 

Does drinking capacity increase with rank...? 

2. Is drinking capacity the key to career success...? 

Is promotion to senior ranks dependent on your drinking prowess...? 

Do you need to drink more alcohol to be successful...? 

Is there truth in the premise:

“The More You Drink – The Higher You Go...” 

Ha Ha – I know that you become “high” when you drink – but this “high” refers to spirits (“high spirits”) – whereas in the context Military Liquor Quota – the “high” refers to rank.

Do you go Higher in your Military Career if you drink more Alcohol...?

For a Defence Services Officer – everything depends on your OLQ (Officer Like Qualities).

So – to put everything we have discussed in a nutshell – the Moot Question is: 

Does drinking alcohol improve your OLQ...?

Will some “veteran” be so good as to enlighten us by answering this question.

Till then – “Cheers” – enjoy your “quota” – and have a drink...!!! 

Dear Reader: 

We already have Money in Lieu of Rations (MLR) aka “Ration Allowance”. 

Shouldn't we have Money in Lieu of Liquor (MLL) aka “Liquor Allowance” for Non-Drinker Teetotallers in Uniform...?

VIKRAM KARVE

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This is a Revised Version of my article THE MORE YOU DRINK THE HIGHER YOU GO written by me Vikram Karve more than 6 years ago in the year in August 2012 and first posted online by me in my various blogs including at 8/18/2012 11:24:00 PM  in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/08/the-more-you-drink-higher-you-go-rank.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/06/humor-in-uniform-drinking-prowess-and.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/03/humor-in-uniform-olq-alcohol-tolerance.html  andhttp://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/11/humor-in-uniform-booze-logic-one-rank.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/04/humor-in-uniform-oroq-one-rank-one-quota.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/08/humor-in-uniform-musings-on-liquor-quota.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/12/humor-in-uniform-why-senior-officers.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/12/humor-in-uniform-more-you-drink-higher.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/liquor-quota-rank-has-its-privileges-rhip/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/why-sailors-love-rum/ etc