There seems to be a compulsion to question benefits given to Warriors and their families ( serving and ESM). At the same time
there is a mention of close kin including own mother being recipient of Armed Forces ' benefits/ privileges Viz.,
Liquor/ reservation for wards of uniformed personnel in education institutions/ pension/ CSD etc.
If pension is a deferred wage , where is the question of reneging by a civilzed nation to keep the promise UNLESS the person has forfeited the privilege by some misdemeanor and actions against national interests.
Further Warriorship being a Rajas ( ref Tamas, Satvik and Rajo Gunas or Traits) most warriors are wont to take food and items like liquor of Rajas type. Exceptions will always be there where some Warriors are teetotallers and vegetarians . Why sermonise or insist one' s Way of life on an unsuspecting section of society under the garb of protecting tax payers money. It is customary not to grudge the specific privileges extended by a civilized community to specific sections of its society ( MPs, MLAs, Rly men, Men of Telephones , Airlines and so on) .There is no need to rave/ rant at the special privileges .
Further ,it is as improper as questioning the privileged seat or treatment given to elders in the family . The one who questions is prone to suffer ( Like Sisupal in Rajasuya Yagna in Mahabharata when he condemns the participants decision to honor Sri Krsna as lunatic behavior of elders owing to their age related mental atrophy). May good sense prevail and this running down of Warriors cease forthwith. Incidentally Warriors are also tax payers.
Veteran TTK
On Thursday, August 29, 2013, Veeresh Malik wrote:
On Thursday, August 29, 2013, Veeresh Malik wrote:
Dear Ashok Coomar,Thank you for writing in, and I must salute your tone of language, far different from the tone used by Shri Pannu.Now, on contents and some facts:-1) My mother takes a pension from the Indian Army thanks to my late father, my late maternal grandmother took an award for all 4 sons in the Armed Forces (though only 3 continued, the first had to take a civil job to bring up the zero restart family after '47)2) I have a list as long as your arm of family members from the close circle of relatives as well as close friends who have been in the Armed Forces and are in the Armed Forces and some have also made the Supreme Sacrifice and so get slightly outraged when people choose to question my patriotism.3) Not having been in the Armed Forces myself but from an institution which produced the earliest Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Navt as well as other Star Officers for the Indian Army, so connections of not just the Indian Navy, my own training went through the full drill on Armed Forces pattern, and more, including swearing loyalty to flag and country.My single point question here to you is this - if after retiring, a person from the Indian Armed Forces or Civilian Government services voluntarily exits from Indian citizenship and swears loyalty as well as fealty to another country, then what right does he have to the benefits of the Army Act or similar, whether ex Armed Forces or Civilian?Would we justify the benefits if, hypothetical situation, the Supreme Commander in Chief, the President of India did something like this?Please do not try to churn the issue up into other unrelated issues of loyalty, patriotism, and need of the Nation and the hour. I am not a fool to not know the importance of a strong Armed Forces. If it is your contention that strong Armed Forces can not exist without booze, then I have nothing more to say. However, if that was not your contention, then:-4) As far as duty free booze is concerned, tots of rum could have been justified in gunpowder days, which is what we also were taught, but in this day and age, when Armed Forces personnel are expected to be tech savvy as well as in charge of equipment costing billions? On an ordinary cargo tanker carrying crude oil, a clear window of no booze for 15 days prior is now SOP. A railway engine driver, merchant navy sailor, civil aircraft pilot, truck operator, lab technician, surgeon, teacher, everybody else is supposed to be cold sober nil alcohol. But our Armed Forces expect to get cheap booze?5) Given half a chance, the dispensation towards no booze needs to be instilled into people joining the Armed Forces from the date of induction, just as it is done in other professions requiring some amount of responsibility. Maybe it is a good idea to put this in the curriculum of the training establishments for the Armed Forces, as is done with responsible Armed Forces, increasingly, worldwide?Deflecting any rational arguments into vague retorts about being anti-National would make anybody else an easy target, but not me, Coomar, or Pannu - I got far too many family members and friends who have died in the Service of the Nation for you and your ilk to get patronising, condescending and supercilious with me. In addition, I have pursued one too many compensation claim for families of such people where people in service have put obstacles, to not know the truth.Have a nice day, try and remain sober, and set a good example to the youngsters joining the forces. Calling me names just makes me more keen to do a follow-up article.Warm regards/Veeresh Malik
On 28 August 2013 19:43, Maj Gen Ashok Coomar <coomar.ashok@gmail.com> wrote:
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