MIGRATION TO LINUX

MIGRATION TO LINUX An article originally I wrote for Indian Army.. INTRODUCTION 1. Today, we are in information age and we use many electronic devices to meet our information needs. The core component of any electronic device is its operating system. Though there are many types of devices used for computing, Computers have become synonymous … Continue reading “MIGRATION TO LINUX”

MIGRATION TO LINUX
An article originally I wrote for Indian Army..
INTRODUCTION
1. Today, we are in information age and we use many electronic devices to meet our information needs. The core component of any electronic device is its operating system. Though there are many types of devices used for computing, Computers have become synonymous with PCs and Operating System(OS) has become synonymous with Windows, at least in India. Even IT professionals feel that we have come too far down the road and now it is fait accompli to maintain the status quo ?
2. The question is, can we ever switch to a liberated world of Open Source Software (OSS) or are we condemned forever to a Digital World, controlled and manipulated by a few multinational software giants. OSS in general and Linux in particular offer great opportunities to individuals and organizations alike to make the Digital world far more friendlier, far more creative and definitely lighter on the wallet.
3. The scope of this paper is not restricted to just Army, but to any individual or organization dissatisfied with Propriety Software. Migration to Linux, is nothing but pure liberation. This paper addresses need for the migration, away from all propriety software, be it for exercising the right to choose or for attaining strategic self dependence.
AIM
4. The aim of the service paper is to evaluate the case for individuals and organizations to migrate to Linux from Microsoft Windows to meet all their computing requirements. The paper is divided in three parts as under:-
  1. Part – I . Review of Operating Systems over the past three decades.
  2. Part – II Why we need to migrate to Linux.
  3. Part – III Seven Steps to Software Liberation.
PART – I : REVIEW OF OPERATING SYSTEMS
OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES.
A Historical Overview of Operating Systems
5. Though there are many operating systems, they can be broadly categorized into three basic families viz, Mac family including all shades of iOS , Microsoft family from MS Dos to Windows 10 and the Linux family that would include all flavours of Linux, like Red Hat, Inux Mint OS, Ubuntu and so on.When we come to the hand-held devices like phones and tablets, we have iOS, Android, and Windows as the market leaders. There is definitely a convergence taking place with availability of Ubuntu phones and android laptops.
6. Till the advent of Open Source Software, the IT fraternity was vertically divided into two schools of thought, the Mac way and the PC way. The Mac products believed in tight integration of hardware and software. Quality was of utmost importance and it was propriety all the way, be it the hardware or software or the formats used . Even the styling of icons mattered as the bitterly contested copyright case between Apple and Samsung showed. As for PC was concerned, IBM had freed the hardware part, resulting in mushrooming of IBM clones, while the marketing genius, that young Bill gates proved to be, kept a tight hold over the OS , which ironically he had bought for a pittance. QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was bought from Tim Patterson, rechristened as MSDOS and loaded on an IBM PC. With a series of outright purchases and repackaging MS Office was born and today we have MS Windows and MS Office dominating the market in India.
7. End of cold war gave a big boost to Internet which led to extensive collaboration over the net. It was not just a software, but an entirely new philosophy was born. Programmers could download source codes for free. They were free to look into other programmers’ codes; they could make modifications and propagate their products as long as they too kept it free. It was called not copyright but copy-left. With that software got liberated from the clutches of multinationals. Today, you can buy a PC without any Software and load your own OS and applications.
Present Environment
8. Most people and organizations today go for a hardware software bundle and in India, most of the additional software is available for free due to non-implementation of laws on Intellectual property rights.
9. Of course there is a small percentage of users who scrupulously use licensed software and an even smaller percentage of users who are aware that there is enough resources available under open source and there is really no need buy any operating system or applications leave alone the compulsion to break any law of the land to procure one. This last category of users, to begin with were hard core geeks, but over a period of time even not so tech savvy users have also joined this fold. There are children who have grown up using open source software and don’t use any other unless forced to do so by their schools. If some users can benefit from OSS, then why not the whole world benefit.
PART – II WHY WE NEED TO MIGRATE TO LINUX.
Why Migrate to Linux
10. Some of the compelling reasons for switching to Linux are as follows:-
  1. Freedom to Use .The software is completely free as in Mukt and completely free as in Muft.
  1. Stability The OS is rock solid and absolutely stable. Of course there are beta versions, on the leading edge, available to all for download; and one needs to ensure that he uses only a stable version.
  1. Choice of Applications. Entire set of productivity applications are available for Linux and there is really no need to go for an OS if only to load a specific application software.
  1. Security Security is better in OSS as the source code is available for any one. So any organization wishing to make their computing environment absolutely secure does not need to look to Redmond for assistance but can do it in their own laboratories. It is in this context that our former President and an eminent scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam called up on Indians to use OSS.
Some Myths About Linux
11. There are many myths about Linux which we shall analyze one by one as follows:-
(a) Linux is not user friendly.There is not a single step in installation, configuration and use of the OS that does not have a user friendly, graphical User Interface in Ubuntu, Red Hat, Open Suse or Linux Mint.Of course there are provisions to get anything done through Command line Interface , which is only an added advantage and definitely not a disadvantage. A Class VIII student can comfortably install Ubuntu from an Installation CD or an USB Drive. Of course any child who can handle a mouse or a touch pad can use an Ubuntu machine.
(b) No applications are available for Linux. There are users of the view that it is okay to have Linux as OS, but for running specific applications, one needs Windows. This may have been correct about 10 years back. Today we have open source applications in every area of computing like Office Software, web browsing, IDE for Programming, graphics , video and audio editing, database management systems.
(c) Installation of applications is difficult. Nothing could be far from truth. While Software like MS office, Adobe Photo-shop, need registration and dedicated efforts to get regular updates, anyone using open source software like Ubuntu or Libre office gets regular updates automatically. It is easier as there is no need to guard against piracy issues. The repository system for installation or upgrading of software is akin to the istore of Apple devices or Google Play of Android phones. You just need to pick the applications and click ‘install’.
(d) Version compatibility Issues Ubuntu has the best organized system for storing of libraries. Canonical, the company supporting Ubuntu has dedicated servers to keep track of all the software and the compiler libraries used by these software applications. Ubuntu brings out a version every two years with Long term support. Then there are six monthly update versions of the OS. The security updates is on a daily basis.
  1. Inter OS Interoperability is difficult. A Linux server can easily handle any Windows client, though the converse may not be true.
  1. Lack Of Commercial Support In the past, businesses used the lack of commercial support as the main reason for staying with Windows. Red Hat, Novell and Canonical, the “big three” commercial Linux providers, have put this fear to rest. Each of these companies offers 24x7x365 support for your mission-critical applications and business services.
  1. Lack of .Net Support Businesses that have standardized on Microsoft technology, specifically their .NET web technology, can rely on Linux for support of those same .NET applications. Novell owns and supports the Mono project that maintains .NET compatibility. One of the Mono project’s goals is to provide businesses the ability to make a choice and to resist vendor lock-in. Additionally, the Mono project offers Visual Studio plug-ins so that .NET developers can easily transfer Windows-based .NET applications without changing their familiar development tools. Why would Novell and others put forth the effort to create a .NET environment for Linux? For real .NET application stability, Linux is a better choice than Windows.
Organizations That Have Migrated Or In The Process Of Migrating To Linux
12. If Linux is so good why are people not using it ? The answer is that most computer users are not fully aware of the possibilities. Let us see some informed organizations that migrated from Windows to Linux :-
(a) The White house
(b) US Navy in the US Submarine Fleet

(c) NASA , USA

(d) Amazon Inc , USA

(e) City Govt of Munich (Germany)

(f) Kerala State Govt
(g) Tamilnadu State Govt
(h) IBM Inc

(j) Indian Navy

13. You can see the wide diversity in the type of organizations using Linux. The next question is, have any of these organizations reverted back to Windows ? There is no evidence of any such moves. Okay, has any organization that started a business with Linux and migrated to any other operating system. A cursory Google search draws a blank. Then why are more individuals not in Linux world ? At least as for as India is considered, the answer may be :-
(a) In India, very few users buy software, at least not for personal ownership. The day, people who use MS office are forced to pay for the software they use at home, Open office downloads will multiply. (This paper is written using Libre Office Version: 4.3.3.2.)
(b) So many applications are available, mostly pirated, and users have attained a certain degree of proficiency in these applications. There is a reluctance to learn any new applications available in the open source arena. How else can you explain anyone be using Internet Explorer ?
(c) Despite the progress made in the IT field, Internet penetration is very low. In India we have only 15 to 20 PCs per 100 and out of that only – only 1.1 use Internet broadband.Most users still load software through CDs and DVDs, pirated of course. Open source means global collaboration and Internet broadband is a pre- requisite. Any expenditure made by a Govt or any private organization or an individual in broadband connection is money well spent. It is an investment to break the shackle of propriety software and propriety education and will prove a great money saver in years to come.
PART – III SEVEN STEPS TO SOFTWARE LIBERATION.
How To Migrate
14. Here is a suggested model for an individual to switch over to Linux over a period of six months to one year. When individuals embrace Linux, it would be a smooth migration for an organization as IT products work on the principle of ‘Winner takes all’.
(a) Step 1 identify the applications you actually use under windows, leaving out the ones that have been preloaded free of cost by the vendor, but never used.
(b) Step 2 Identify the Linux equivalent of these applications.
(c) Step 3 Download windows versions of these applications. Some of them would be very familiar for example, Mozilla Firefox Browser.
A Table Showing These Applications
Application
Propriety application in Windows
Open Source Applicatin in LInux
Browser
Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Chromium, Ubuntu Browser.
Office Suite
MS Office (Word, excel and powerpoint)
Open Office or Libre Office (Writer, calc and Impress)
Email Client
MS Outlook
Evolution or Thunderbird
Graphics
Adobe Photoshop
GIMP
Video Player
Windows Media Player
Amarok, Rhythmbox,Yarock
Video editing
Movie maker
Open Shot Video Editor PiTV
Audio Editing
Adobe Audition
Audocity
Database
Oracle, Sybase
Mysql, Postgresql
(d) Step 4 Keep booting into the widows machine, but get used to open source applications like Mozilla Firefox browser, Libre office, GIMP, Kompozer, VLC Media Player, and so on. In case of any problem a simple search on the net for open source application for windows will give a huge choice of apps. As a rule anything available for Linux will be available for Windows , but not vice versa.
(e) Step 5 Use a bootable Linux CD, Ubuntu preferably, and try the OS, without actually installing. No change is made in the Operating System. This is one feature which is new to Windows users, who are used to formatting and re installation at the drop of a hat. There are also Packages available which can be installed under windows just as another software.
(f) Step 6 Once you get used to the Open Source Applications in windows environment, using the same in the native Linux environment can only be smoother.
(g) Step 7 Boot into Linux and work in Open Source Applications. Let Windows be available in the system , particularly to work on an odd document or graphic received from a colleague or from another organization, which requires a specific Windows application. One day, one finds that neither is there a need to boot into windows nor is it a peasant experience to do so , at times when you are forced to do so,.That is the time delete your windows partition and that would be Software Nirwana.
CONCLUSION
15. The Information age has seen so much development in three decades that has not happened in industrial age for three centuries and agricultural age for over three millenniums. Open Source Software has evolved to become a viable alternative to propriety software. The main reason why users have not switched over to Linux is that they are not aware of the developments that have taken place in the Open Source arena in the past decade. We need to spread that awareness, for the benefit of all users, individuals or organizations.

My E-Bookshelf

I have often wondered as to why is it that we see no icon on the desktop called ‘My Book-Shelf. ’when ‘My computer‘ is so universal. Is it because computers have replaced books ? Can they ever do that? In my own case, the very first computer, I owned was an AT286 Machine, which just … Continue reading “My E-Bookshelf”

I have often wondered as to why is it that we see no icon on the desktop called ‘My Book-Shelf. ’when ‘My computer‘ is so universal. Is it because computers have replaced books ? Can they ever do that?

In my own case, the very first computer, I owned was an AT286 Machine, which just displayed a DOS prompt. Even then, as I recall, I had one folder (called a directory , those days) where I kept such files which was for any kind of reference. Since Windows 3.1 days then I have always had an icon on my computer desktop, which took me to my digital resources like Dictionary, Railway Time table, CDA Hand Book , a few Tamil books etc. Today, I have a Linux Machine with the “Calibre’ meeting all my needs of ‘reading off the screen’, which includes some reference material, some fiction and some news feeds.

While it may be true that we do not need a book shelf in every office or home PC, a E-Bookshelf on every computer is not only necessary, but very much practicable. Today with the rising popularity of open source resources, we have a huge volume of rich contents in the public domain. To manage all these resources we have open source e-book management software applications like Calibre. All you have to do is to download an application, configure it and start surfing the net for resources of your interest. Mind you, not for a moment, am I suggesting piracy. There are any number of projects like Project Gutenberg which are involved in digitizing classical works. There are sites like it-ebooks.info which are giving away good E-books for free and they charge only for the print edition.
Even if one is not interested in classical poetry or for that matter any kind of serious literature, a book shelf is required even if it is purely for resources of utility nature, like CDA Hand Book, Railway Time Table, Dictionary, or may be ‘Golf made Easy’ .
I only wish, a ‘My Book-shelf ‘ Icon becomes a reality, at least in Schools and other Educational Institutions even if it is not as omnipresent as ‘My Computer’.

Booklet printing and The Spirit of Ubuntu

  These days we tend to do more screen reading than traditional book reading. While it is okay to read blogs, news-feeds etc off the screen, certain materials like tutorials and how-tos need to be studied leisurely.   Taking printout on A4 sheets is ok, but it is still not so convenient. To have a … Continue reading “Booklet printing and The Spirit of Ubuntu”

 

These days we tend to do more screen reading than traditional book reading. While it is okay to read blogs, news-feeds etc off the screen, certain materials like tutorials and how-tos need to be studied leisurely.

 

Taking printout on A4 sheets is ok, but it is still not so convenient. To have a good feel of reading, the material should be of book-size, with ample margin for binding and  should be held open with a thumb or thumb and the little finger. I have always been loking for an app which can do booklet printing. The other day I found just that.
You can just right click on a file and generate a booklet in a size of your choice. what’s more , you save a lot of paper.

There are many apps which only a minuscule few may want, and big IT companies don’t care. An open source software enthusiast, who needs such a feature, looks  around, to see if it is available. If not available  he proceeds to develop one, alone or with other like minded people.

And once a facility is developed, the real fun is in freely sharing it with the whole world. That is the spirit of Ubuntu, a far cry from the software giants who toil hard to produce stuff people don’t need and toil harder to sell it to them at exorbitant prices.

Moga Mul (மோக முள் )

      Saw the movie mogamul   . Sure it is slow moving , but makes you think at  every twist and turn. The song ‘sollayo vai thiranthu just about sums up the main theme . Archana Joglekar looks beautiful and the mother daughter duo live their roles as  tamil-thanjavoor marathi caught in a cleft.          … Continue reading “Moga Mul (மோக முள் )”

      Saw the movie mogamul   . Sure it is slow moving , but makes you think at  every twist and turn. The song ‘sollayo vai thiranthu just about sums up the main theme . Archana Joglekar looks beautiful and the mother daughter duo live their roles as  tamil-thanjavoor marathi caught in a cleft.
      
       If a movie can be so  touching, the book has to be more so. Whoever said, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ ? after all a picture also has to give rise to words, or can we think or appreciate a picture without words, with just visuals; may be the youngsters these days can.  Words let you imagine a picture, may be a different picture every time you read the words or reflect on the words, depending on the mood , and your own stage of growth. This is one book of Thi jaanakiraman I had not read. Thanks to flip cart, it is so easy to procure tamil books, even from a town like Mhow.

        I took a week to finish the 600 odd pages. In fact , I deliberately read slowly, so that it can be savored for a longer time. A book has to be ‘put downable’ so as to let you chew the cud leisurely, relishing  and reflecting on  every chapter. Each character has been portrayed so live, complete with warts and all. It is total Thanjavoor and Kaveri; a place I have never been to , yet I feel so much part of. In fact my thanjavoor is as seen through Thi jaa’s books and of course from my father. Some of the words and phrases you come across in the book are no more in vogue. After a long time I came across ‘haithari kodagal’ an exclamation that I have heard only from my father.

        Kaveri and Carnatic music  gently flow all along the story. There is that subtle humour, characteristic of the region. One can sense the spiritualism, talent  and  brilliance in individuals and also the appalling cruelty in some of the social customs and  practices.

       A young girl is married to an old man; then there is the character ‘thaiyyu paati’ who steps off the road, every time someone approaches to avoid bringing bad luck to people. She was married at three, widowed at four and for the next seventy years she has lived like this. This one sentence brings to mind a thousand pictures of cruelty to women in this society.

      Predictably, the book is better than the movie. While there is lot of romanticism in the movie, the book is more realistic, may be a little pedestrian, which is what real life is.

 
      Another book that can be read more than once.

      

Magnificent Mary

‘Magnificent Mary’ ; Five times world Boxing Champion is hardly known in her country. Can it happen in any other country ? I heard of her only during the Summer Olympics in London, long after she became a world Champion while I can easily the number of runs Srikant scored in the 1983 World Cup. … Continue reading “Magnificent Mary”

‘Magnificent Mary’ ; Five times world Boxing Champion is hardly known in her country. Can it happen in any other country ? I heard of her only during the Summer Olympics in London, long after she became a world Champion while I can easily the number of runs Srikant scored in the 1983 World Cup. I feel ashamed.
Even after the Olympic medal, it requires a Bollywood film ‘Mary Kom’ to make her a household name today. While it is great that the champion , her sport and her home state Manipur, are better known today, through the movie, it is sad that it would be Priyanka Chopra’s face that would be associated with the name ‘Mary Kom’ , at least among the general public.

Boxing probably is the most demanding sport. Any shortcoming in training or technique is severely punished, physically and emotionally right in the ring.

Mary Kom is in the wrong country, wrong sport, wrong gender, wrong Region and Wrong social class , to achieve any feat; well that is what is ‘Against all odds….” .   I salute !

See what google suggests ………

For God’s Sake

       A book by an adman, alumnus of IIT and IIM; one more IIT guy excelling  in fields other than engineering.       It is not about how God influences your life , but about how the idea of God affects business in India.      Written in a lively , chatty, yet informative style, as a … Continue reading “For God’s Sake”

       A book by an adman, alumnus of IIT and IIM; one more IIT guy excelling  in fields other than engineering.

      It is not about how God influences your life , but about how the idea of God affects business in India.

     Written in a lively , chatty, yet informative style, as a series of somewhat disconnected essays, it makes a nice office hours reading ! It is particularly good for random access reading, if I may call it so, jumping from chapter to chapter not in any particular order, switching gears as you go. A casual skimming over the table of contents  took me to  the chapter ‘burkha ke peeche kya hai ?’ ; the answer is not what I thought or what you are thinking nor ‘dil’ as in ‘choli ke peechhe kya hai  ‘but ‘designer-ware clothes‘. It is a phenomenon that has led to hundreds  of garment factories in a country populated by millions of burkha clad women. 
     Then there are essays on divine arts, divine tourism, sacred music all contributing to the way Indians of all religious hues think, earn and live.
     If the western idea of secularism keeps  religions insulated from politics, business, education and just about everything, Indian idea of secularism is so inclusive that it demands some measure of every religion in every aspect of life !

A Reluctant Techie

        My career , which was always on a ‘ conveyer belt’ gave very little room for any deliberate decisions ; from sainik school to NDA to army .        One of the rare occasions when I was really required to make a choice was to choose between tech and non tech. The first time … Continue reading “A Reluctant Techie”

       

My career , which was always on a ‘ conveyer belt’ gave very little room for any deliberate decisions ; from sainik school to NDA to army .

       One of the rare occasions when I was really required to make a choice was to choose between tech and non tech. The first time it happened was at NDA, and as a 16 year old, I opted for the technical stream. The classification test at NDA categorized me as ‘A’ the highest class in the technical group. I remember telling my DS , that I got A in all subjects, little realizing that, while it was the highest in Tech and English , it happened to be the lowest in Hindi; for whatever reason. So, I started my career in army with a triple ‘A’ .
       Survival at first term had more to do with physical endurance than anything else, least of all studies. The common mode of locomotion was front rolling and the bicycles we were issued with were riding on us more often than we ever rode them. Under the circumstances, I came down rolling from ‘A’ to ‘C ‘ classification in the second term and passed out with a CGPA of 4, (a four point someone). The three years of ‘technical ‘studies  was just a black hole to me . Try as I might , can’t remember a single thing I learnt in those three years in Sudan block and Science block. Whatever was learnt, good or bad was learnt outside these famous academic blocks.
        Years later, I was sitting in front of my DS at IMA (who retired as a well known Army Commander), who was trying to push me towards a technical arm. The interview went something like this.
Why don’t you go for a technical arm ?
Sir, I prefer Infantry.
You were a techie at NDA weren’t you ?
Sir, NDA techie is not much of a techie.
Anyway, you have slogged more than others. (doing math is slogging while push ups was fun !)
……………………… ???!!! 
Why not artillery ?
Sir, I prefer dealing with men to handling guns.
Consider artillery again.
NO sir it is infantry
GO TO HELL !
        In one of his lectures the same DS had said, “why do you guys want to go for docile tps like hill tps , cross swords with Sikhs and Jats , they are the ones who win all competitions. (he was a jat sikh from Gorkhas)
         Well, I opted for JATS.
         The first ten years of my career, I stayed away from anything that had to do with maths or science. We used to have a technical orientation course before going to staff college. As the name suggests, it was meant for ‘pongos’ like us, as the future generals were expected to be tech savvy. No sir, don’t you stuff me with maths and science for whatever reason; I will, anytime put tactical issues above the technical ones; don’t I have some bespectacled geeks under command? Predictably, I got a C grade in the course.
         Those were the days, XT Computers were just being introduced in offices. I went through the first year of my staff appointment blissfully ignorant of PCs. The turning point came when a GD sepoy, who was in-charge of the PC (well friends , we had just one XT PC in the whole Brigade Headquarters) informed all that the ‘files’ would not open and we had to do the VIP brochure , briefing etc all over again. The army cdr was visiting the next day. It was a long night of typing and proof reading and by the end of it, I had to know why the file wouldn’t open and had to ensure that such a crisis wouldn’t occur again.. Thus started the long road to my Education in the IT field. Subsequently, supersession helped; leading to a huge bonfire of all army pamphlets I had , (just to ensure security of info) and books on IT more than replaced the void in my bookshelves.
        The world of Info Tech is a great field, ever changing, ever evolving, a field of huge depth and width, a digital ocean , yet always willing to reveal its secrets and treasures to anyone willing to learn, willing to dive deep into it. You don’t need a teacher, classrooms or universities; all you require is the hardware and the NET. If at all you need any guidance , there is abundant help from fellow-netizens. Where ever I was posted I created projects for myself, developing web sites, applications and so on.
          Later I was posted to Infantry School as an instructor in the newly created IT Division. Suddenly, the shoe was on the other foot. I found myself as a techie among non-techies. A course mate of my mine, a signal officer not very tolerant to ignorance shared with me a conversation he had had at the bar . It went like this ..
…….. “Water here seems to be very hard, isn’t it ?”
Infantryman… “oh sure it is , even yesterday we had a hailstorm” and he was dead serious !
I could totally empathize, It is not easy to be out of sync in any environment.
         Strange are the ways God and …. The Army.. years later I found myself , as an infantryman, teaching a tech subject to officers of the Corps of Signals. About that later …….

Regimental Reunion

It is about a Regimental Reunion or a Paltan reunion and I shall restrict myself to my thoughts rather than people and events. I had left the unit in Mar 1997, and it was after a long gap of 16 years, that I found myself back with the family. Unlike a School  or College, there are no … Continue reading “Regimental Reunion”

It is about a Regimental Reunion or a Paltan reunion and I shall restrict myself to my thoughts rather than people and events.
I had left the unit in Mar 1997, and it was after a long gap of 16 years, that I found myself back with the family.
Unlike a School  or College, there are no buildings or landscape to identify the Paltan with. It is just an idea that gives people a sense of belonging. Of course, it was easier to mingle among familiar faces, but one could feel the deep sense of familiarity even  with members of the family who were not yet born, at the time I left the unit. The turn out was so good, that, we were counting the people who couldn’t make it , rather than the number who made it.
Just as you get a better perspective of ground from a vantage point, seeing the course of events from a distance of long years adds to the clarity. You look back on your own journey in life which is inexplicably linked with the Paltan’s journey through the highs and lows. People make the paltan and paltan makes the people. A Reunion affirms that it is indeed a worthwhile journey. 
There was a lot of  “do you remember when…..”  The Freudian filter was definitely on, leaving only such memory that was good for the system, leaving out the unpleasant and harmful pieces.
While in service, a senior is always a senior and a junior is a ‘bloody junior’. The kind of advice , guidance and  words of wisdom freely dished out to the captive audience, “bloody juniors” is also off the memory map.
Reunion is the place where the ‘then juniors’ remind you of these words.  “Oh yeah, did I really say that ?” Well it certainly feels good to have said that.
There are others who get to receive a realistic feedback after long long years , on some debatable  actions taken at the spur of the moment, in organizational interest or just as the result of an  emotional outburst. One officer got to hear from an NCO, some kind words on how much he was impressed by the riot control action of the young adjutant. The act involved beating up own jawans with a tent pole to break up the warring factions after a “not so friendly’ football match with another unit.
Yes, we did talk about the bad times, when things didn’t go well for the paltan. A battalion is like a human being , complete with memory, mood swings, and ups and downs in performance and  potential. Perhaps, that is why  ‘Morale’ , is an important  principle of War. The morale presently is definitely sky-high.
At home I am outnumbered 1:3 as the only one who is not an army brat. I keep wondering why army brats love to return to the services fold even after spending considerable time in the corporate world or even a stint abroad. May be there is something the kids raised in  cantonments pick up even as a children.
From reception to seeing off there was an overwhelming sense of being wanted (but not dead or alive :)). As my train pulled away from the Station , the foremost thought in my mind was ” Oh God !, what have I done to receive such warmth, love and affection ?”
(Photos: Courtesy Rohit Chandra)

A Fauji and his Rank

      In a strictly hierarchical  system, comfort is, knowing where exactly one fits in. A man in uniform is quite uncomfortable in a flattish organisation, where people don’t give or take orders unquestioningly. That is why, when the stars and stripes on the shoulders look similar, people discretely look for the service number or date of commission to ascertain the correct pecking … Continue reading “A Fauji and his Rank”

 

 

 

In a strictly hierarchical  system, comfort is, knowing where exactly one fits in. A man in uniform is quite uncomfortable in a flattish organisation, where people don’t give or take orders unquestioningly. That is why, when the stars and stripes on the shoulders look similar, people discretely look for the service number or date of commission to ascertain the correct pecking order.(chapati seniority as they say in army) . Literally you can’t even move a step forward , as you wouldn’t know whether to walk to the left or right of a person if you don’t know the inter se seniority.! A senior always walks to the right of his junior. (may be that is why a south indian bride stands on the right, while in the West, the  bride stands on the left !)

As a sixteen year old, when I entered my squadron in the NDA (National Defence Academy) I got a welcome bark from a senior, “what’s your name ?” “muralidharan”, I replied. “what muralidharan ? Bloody Bhangi muralidharan ? Get rolling. So I got rolling, and kept rolling till another boy, who had joined a day earlier was called up to demonstrate the correct response “Cadet Rakesh Marwaha , Sir”. Oh , so I see . That is how it started and till today, I have always had a tag of cadet, GC (gentleman cadet) capt, major, whatever. Finally it will be col (retd), as for a military man ‘stars and stripes are forever . No one is so attached to his rank as an army man.
Back home, there are people who generally refer to me by the rank I held when I first met them. I remember being asked as to how I got this ‘pattam’ (pattam in Tamil roughly means a title) . It is understandable as , for many tamilians, the only major is major sunderrajan and the only capt is capt vijaykanth; both actors got their titles playing the roles of army men on screen / stage.
Once a hostess from non army background, in a party,  repeatedly called a major general as major. She had to be taken aside by the husband to explain the huge difference between a major and a general. She quickly apologized, but had the presence of mind to coo “ Oh.. General, but you look soooo.. young”
That reminds me of a briefing at the academy for an important tactical exercise. Commandant, who was a Major General, addressed the cadets, stressing on the importance of training and tactical exercises. Once he left, a tall, big mustached Major stepped up and bellowed “ok… now that the General has given the general points, note down the bloody MAJOR points if you want to save your ****”
Having settled in a retired officers colony, I hardly hear anyone being referred to, without the rank tag; and sometimes it comes in handy to differentiate, as between Gen Jetley and Col Jetley. I personally feel , the earlier one can shrug off this tag better it is, at least after retirement. In uniform , one is used to getting saluted, not ignored or challenged . In the civvies street even a lowly security guard may behave rudely, unless of course you are Amitabh Bachan or Sachin Tendulkar. As a civilian one is in a better position to handle it than as a  retired “General Officer”. After all we are all civilians except for the brief period of 20-30 years when in uniform.

leaning in – The Indian Scene

continued from ……….. lean in What struck me in the book was the frequent references to India and a number of anecdotes where Indian names figure. (some of the names, originated in India and corrupted in America ). Foreword is by Naina lal Kidwai. Wherever statistics are quoted, besides US, the only other country considered … Continue reading “leaning in – The Indian Scene”

continued from ……….. lean in

What struck me in the book was the frequent references to India and a number of anecdotes where Indian names figure. (some of the names, originated in India and corrupted in America ). Foreword is by Naina lal Kidwai. Wherever statistics are quoted, besides US, the only other country considered is India. As always, these figures cannot be verified and a database can confess to any crime, if tortured long enough. Here’s one,
….According to the most recent analysis, when a husband and wife both are employed full-time, the mother does 40 percent more child care and about 30 percent more housework than the father. In, India women do more than ten times as much child care and thirty times as much housework as men …
 
When you see some of the specimens in the category of ‘working moms’ , pregnant or not,  you will be tempted to name every project in every organization as ‘Project Whale’. If only they do 10 % of what is projected they would have been leaner long before Sheryl Sandburg thought of leaning in.
 

That brings me to a gem of a theory from SS, though it is not directly linked to lean in.

..We overcome biology with consciousness in other areas. For example, storing large amounts of fat was necessary to survive when food was scarce, so we evolved to crave it and consume it when it’s available. But in this era of plenty, we no longer need large amounts of fuel in reserve, so instead of simply giving in to this inclination, we exercise and limit caloric intake. 

It means Nature intended us to be fat and we fight Nature to be fit. How preposterous !

So how will lean in affect the Indian work-space and Indian homes?

I’ll try not to be judgmental, but make an attempt to foresee the trend.  More and more women will strive for a career and compete to reach top posts. They will fight at home if need be, to preserve their career prospects. Young girls may delay marriage or altogether avoid marriage. Once married , they would delay child berth or avoid child birth if not assured of help from organization and husband in child care. I am not sure if Indians will as readily as Americans resort to reformatting and reconfiguration of  career or marriage , if bugs persist. So wherever things don’t work out, struggle will be long and bitter. Of course men will change, for peace at home or simple economy, if not due to change of heart.

In traditional male bastions like defence forces, induction of women will increase, but for whatever reason the ladies will  take a lion’s share of the desk jobs which normally is occupied by war wounded soldiers or soldiers returning from exceptionally difficult assignments.

The X factor

The X factor in India is affordable domestic help and help from grand parents. The leaning in couple will make most of this factor to ‘lean on’ any such available help.

Apparent Anomalies

Sunday times will continue to be popular for matrimonial advertisements. Bharat matrimony will continue to be the first web page viewed, for many parents, irrespective of whether their children or leaning in or not. Big fat Indian weddings will continue to be funded by parents and brothers and rarely by sisters.  Sons are likely to remain ‘number one , in-demand offspring’ when it comes to looking after parents or dependent siblings.

Another term that I learnt from SS.

…He cooks and cleans more, knows the details of the schedule, and is happy to be the ‘ number one,  in-demand parent’ for half the week….

All this applies to the affluent regions; in  the islands of California in a sea of sub–Saharan Africa. Where even survival of a girl child is an issue, lean in will have no effect . The real work for empowerment of women would be in this area. One startling fact is that the skewed sex ratio is  not due to poverty but due to the fact that a girl is perceived to be a liability on the family balance sheet, be it an affluent household or not. The greatest  service that anyone can do is to change that perception across the country and to change a perception some realities have to change.