The Other Side

The Police Commemoration Day: Lest We Forget

2018-10-21T10:49:00.000+05:30

The Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21st every year. We stand with our heads bowed on this day in the memory of our colleagues who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Their supreme sacrifice is an inspiration to everyone who proudly wears the khaki.

The day commemorates the sacrifices of ten policemen at Hot Springs in Ladakh while defending our borders with China. On October 20, 1959, three reconnaissance parties were launched from Hot Springs in North Eastern Ladakh. While members of two parties returned to Hot Springs by the afternoon of that day, the third one comprising of two Police Constables and a Porter did not return. All available personnel were mobilized under the leadership of DCIO Shri Karam Singh early next morning in search of the missing personnel.

At about mid-day, Chinese Army personnel were seen on a hillock who opened fire and threw grenades at the party led by Shri Karam Singh. Ten of our brave Police Personnel attained martyrdom and seven others sustained injuries. The seven injured were taken prisoners by the Chinese while the remaining managed to escape. Bodies of the ten police personnel were returned by the Chinese only on November 13, 1959, a full three weeks after the incident. The bodies of martyrs were cremated with full Police honours at Hot Springs.

The Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January 1960 decided that October 21 would henceforth be observed as ‘Commemoration Day’. It was also decided to erect a memorial at Hot Springs and every year, members of Police Forces from different parts of the country trek to Hot Springs to pay homage to those gallant martyrs. Commemoration Day Parade is held in every district police headquarter. During this ceremonial parade, the arms are reversed (Shok Shastra) and two minutes silence is observed in the honour of the departed souls. The names of police martyrs of states, police and paramilitary forces are read out, to acknowledge with pride the supreme sacrifices made by them. Three volleys of shots are fired as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Each year, Commemoration Day meant to honour the supreme sacrifices of policemen largely goes unnoticed either because of the indifference towards policemen or ignorance of their service. Unfortunately, police force in India has not got its due even though it is embedded in every segment of our society. More often, police is neglected and dismissed as corrupt, in-efficient and not people friendly. Such allegations may be partially true, but there has not been a genuine effort by the critics to appreciate the good work done on regular basis which largely goes unnoticed.

Since Independence, 34,832 Police personnel have sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the integrity of the nation and providing security to people of this country. During the last one year, from September 2017 to August 2018, 414 Police personnel have laid down their lives. On the other hand, since independence, approximately, 23,000 Indian Army soldiers have made supreme sacrifice. During the last year (2017), 106 Indian Army soldiers have laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

Without any bias or animosity towards armed forces, we have seen army being lauded time and again for their sacrifices. The armed forces are well equipped in terms of budget, state of the art infrastructure, medical facilities, welfare of soldiers and their families, etc. Unfortunately, this is not the same for policemen despite their contribution and sacrifice for the country is no less. If the armed forces are guarding our country from external threats, the Indian Police is there to ensure peace and tranquillity within the country. This is certainly not an easy job considering the challenges the police forces face every day. Threat of terrorism, communal violence, law and order, insurgency and Naxal violence, diverse nature of the crimes with increasing sophistication, general and local body elections, natural calamities and several other complex issues are on the overcrowded plate of police and this is not a one-time job. The policemen are certainly overworked and underpaid.

"The Policeman is denounced by the Public, Criticized by the Preacher, Ridiculed by the Movies, Berated by the Newspapers and Unsupported by the prosecuting officers and judges. He is shunned by respectable, He is exposed to countless temptations and dangers, Condemned while he enforces the law and dismissed when does not. He is supposed to possess the qualifications of soldier, doctor, lawyer, diplomat and educator with remuneration less than that of a daily labourer." - August Vollmore.

On this Commemoration day, we stand with our heads bowed in the memory of our colleagues who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Their supreme sacrifice is an inspiration to everyone who proudly wears the khaki. It takes an extraordinary courage and motivation to fight for someone you hardly know, to protect someone you have never met, to die for someone completely unknown. George Patton once said, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank god that such men lived." Let us remember and celebrate the life of those martyrs who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country and let us thank almighty god that such men and women lived for us.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't!!

2018-10-06T16:30:00.000+05:30

The Policeman is denounced by the Public

Criticized by the Preacher

Ridiculed by the Movies

Berated by the Newspapers and

Unsupported by the prosecuting officers and judges

He is shunned by respectable

He is exposed to countless temptations and dangers

Condemned while he enforces the law and dismissed

when does not

He is supposed to possess the qualifications of soldier, doctor, lawyer, diplomat and educator with remuneration less than that of a daily labourer.

“AUGUST VOLLMORE”

Connecting Gadchiroli: Connecting Hearts and Minds!

2016-12-19T20:51:00.000+05:30

In September 2015, there was an exchange of gunfire between Naxalites and Gadchiroli Police Commandos. One of our officers had a life threatening bullet injury. After first aid, despite our best possible efforts, it took us almost twelve hours to bring him to hospital bed. There was no communication channel to contact the ground forces on time. No mobile network, no land line and no internet! Even our police wireless was not reliable. Satellite phone was the only life line. Helicopter stationed at Gadchiroli Police HQ was not available that day but Indian Air Force helicopter came to rescue the injured officer. While the injured officer was being brought to nearby post, rescue team was ambushed twice. Helicopter had to be flown back without rescuing the injured officer because he couldn’t reach the nearest post before the last light. We lost golden hours due to lack of communication network. We had to rescue him by road which was extremely dangerous; we learnt later that the road we used was mined and IEDs were in place to ambush the police party. Fortunately, we were able to rescue the officer and send him to the hospital in Nagpur. He survived. It was my first experience in coordinating a rescue operation and that was the day we thought we should do something to connect all our out posts and important areas. The idea of “Connecting Gadchiroli” was born.

On 14th December 2016, almost 15 months after that incident, Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis has inaugurated “Connecting Gadchiroli” project that connects hearts and minds of entire police force in Gadchiroli.

Hon CM inaugurating "Connecting Gadchiroli"

Today, 64 locations in Gadchiroli district including remote posts and sub divisional police offices are directly connected to Gadchiroli head quarter by a high speed dedicated secure communication network. We now have a hot line to make a call to the posts directly, video conferencing and data sharing facility with internet connectivity. We have established a secure communication network that provides long distance transmission of data, voice, image and video information over large geographical area of Gadchiroli. “Connecting Gadchiroli” is a unique project and first of its kind in India especially in Naxal affected areas. Some of the major benefits of project “Connecting Gadchiroli” are,

Establishing Secure Hot Line / Intercom
Video Conferencing and Virtual Meetings
Interactive Training through video conferencing
Centralized CCTV Network
Improvement in Administration
Foundation for e-Governance initiatives
Internet Facility and Online Library
Telemedicine for Remote Areas
Communication Centers for Citizen in remote areas
Interaction channel for Citizen, Administrators and Public Representatives

Hon CM interacting with officers and men from all posts

The main purpose of this proposed project was to establish a secure communication network that provides long distance transmission of data, voice, image and video information over large geographical area of Gadchiroli.

The unit commander / SP should be able to have a direct communication with interior police posts. He should be able to pass on the information which may be in the form of text, image, voice, or video. This is crucial in order to ensure regular follow ups, communication of decisions, orders and instructions.
The supervisory officers in the district should be able to communicate with all men in the interior posts without any delay.
Training sessions can be broadcasted live across all the posts so that large number of policemen can be trained simultaneously.
Our teams spread across the district can collaborate in planning, executing and supervising the anti naxal operations.
All the individual teams can be briefed and debriefed at the same time by commander or senior officer. Pictures, videos, maps related to the operation can be shared in real time.
Officers, men, and women working in the interior posts should be able to communicate with their families and friends as and when needed. This is important to ensure people working in the posts do not have to fight a feeling of isolation.

In order to achieve this, we needed to connect those areas which are not even covered by BSNL or any other communication agencies. It was easy to get a leased line to 24 places which were connected by Optical Fiber Connection (OFC). But how can we connect remaining 40 locations? After weeks of research; after speaking to friends, colleagues, batch mates, companies which are specialized in wireless communication, vendors who can actually supply and do the installation in Gadchiroli, finally, we were able to zero down our requirements. We had three options to connect our posts:

Point to Point Connectivity (OFC): Posts which are located at Tehsil and other important villages, where BSNL OFC connectivity is available, can be covered through Optical Fiber Connection (OFC) network of BSNL.
Long Distance P2P Micro Wave based Wireless Links: It is easy to connect all our posts where BSNL has OFC communication. But taking the connectivity to remote posts by wireless links is a challenge. Long distance P2P Wireless Link helps us transmit the data from OFC end points to remote posts. Only hurdle is we need clear line of sight for the communication. These links can cover up to 45kms depending on the line of sight. More than half of our posts in Gadchiroli are covered using this technique.
Satellite Based Connection (VSAT): If any of the posts are not connected by either of the above techniques, we can go for satellite based internet connectivity. Though this technology is expensive, the bandwidth provided by this method will be sufficient enough to meet our purpose.

The entire team of Ank Marketing and Services Ltd, Gadchiroli deserves a heartfelt praise for successfully implementing this project. They have fought constant challenges posed all the time by Gadchiroli. They kept their momentum going and shown exceptional spirit in implementing this project.

This project would not have been completed without the active support of senior officers. They took keen interest in every phase of the implementation. The guidance and support of Hon DGP, ADG, IGP, SPs was crucial and encouraging. The entire team in Gadchiroli took keen interest in making this project a reality. It’s an honor and privilege to have worked for this project during my tenure in Gadchiroli. The true credit of this project goes to all those wonderful people working for Gadchiroli.

Presentation of Project Connecting Gadchiroli

Communication is the foundation for police administration. It is the key element that determines the efficiency, effectiveness and performance of the police in discharging its day to day duties. Considering the terrain and geographical conditions, availability of secure communication channel in districts like Gadchiroli is crucial and decisive factor in our fight against anti national elements. If the full benefits of this project are explored and further expanded, it will have far reaching benefits for the district. This will be a game changing project in police administration and developmental history of Gadchiroli. This project aims at providing a platform, a foundation or a base for new ideas and initiatives. Anyone with innovative ideas can use this communication platform to implement his / her ideas for the development of Gadchiroli.

War against Naxalism and Romantic Illusions about Maoists

2016-06-11T01:54:00.000+05:30

It’s been almost two years since I wrote anything for this blog. I got busy experiencing life as it came, learning almost everything the hard way, accumulating impressions about life, and trying to make sense of why things are happening the way they are happening. After getting posted in Naxal infested Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, life has been almost like fire fighting, literally. Coming from a peaceful part of this great country, I had no idea about the extent and intensity of the war here. Last one year in Gadchiroli has shown a whole new perspective of life and taught me the value of it.

War against Naxals here is much more complex than the war at borders. This prolonged war is bleeding our country from within, challenging the very foundation of freedom. Some sections of the society, especially the younger generation, have romantic illusions about the Maoists, arising out of an incomplete understanding of their ideology. The central theme of Maoist ideology is violence [MHA]. The Maoist insurgency doctrine glorifies violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and political structures. Speaking to surrendered naxals reveals that the young boys and girls who have joined hands with naxals have no idea what they are fighting for. They are misguided in the name of revolution and glorified violence.

The violence, intimidation and killings by Maoists in the countryside have kept the people away from the comforts of life that we all have seen in other parts of this great country. In the remote areas of Gadchiroli which are under Maoist domination, the absence of governance and difficulties in extending public service delivery systems have worsened the situation further. In the areas where police forces have flushed out naxals, people have just begun to live the life they deserve. There are villages here still out of electricity and without mobile coverage, yet to be connected to external world.

When I interact with children from remote areas, I ask them what they would like to become in future. I have not seen any child saying, “I would like to become a doctor, engineer, civil servant, etc”. But these innocent boys and girls say, “I would like to become police constable, teacher, Nurse, etc”. These jobs are greatest luxury they have seen so far. Most of these children have never seen a city in their life, not even a train! It will take at least a generation to take them out of the clutches of underdevelopment.

I keep hearing stories from my constables which are beyond my imagination. They spent their precious childhood under the threat of violence, destruction, killing. These boys who were fortunate to get some schooling have become police constables today and some of their friends who didn’t have the good fortune to have schooling have joined hands with naxals. The children who spent their childhood playing together have become enemies and are now fighting a war which they can’t comprehend fully! Education or absence of it has defined which side they are fighting in this war.

Majority of the boys and girls who have joined police force in Gadchiroli are from tribal community. They are fighting naxals not because it is their job, but because they want to get rid of the violence they have been seeing from their childhood. In the interior parts of Gadchiroli, their families still suffer the threat and violence from Naxals. Naxals target not only the families of police but also the families of those who wish to join police. Between 2010 to 2015 (upto 31.12.2015) around 2162 civilians and 802 security force personnel have been killed by the Maoists in different parts of India. The majority of the civilians killed are tribals, often branded as ‘Police informers’ before being brutally tortured and killed [MHA].

The Government’s approach is to deal with Left Wing Extremism in a holistic manner, in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities, improvement in governance and public perception management. Despite the development measures, use of force against naxals is inevitable here. Unfortunately this war is dragging us. As responsible citizens of this great country we must understand and accept the fact that, when you are in war, you are in a professional business of killing the enemy. No matter who the enemy is. If you don’t kill the enemy, the enemy will kill you. It is better not to show any mercy on your enemy unless he is willing to surrender. Wiping out naxal formations in the affected area is the only way to extend development and public service delivery systems.

Some sections of the society have romantic illusions about the Maoists, arising out of an incomplete understanding of their ideology. These confused lot works under various banners. They are known as frontal organizations of Naxals and they keep us busy in courts with ridiculous allegations and protecting naxal cadres from legal actions. Thus exploiting the loopholes of our judicial machinery to help Naxals. They also work as Naxal propaganda agencies and mobilize the people against the government. These frontal organizations and pseudo human right activists are real obstacles in the war against naxals.

Because of Guerilla tactics of naxals and support from frontal organizations, the war against naxals is prolonging. Naxals call it “Protracted People’s War”. In the “Art of War”, Sun Tzu says, “I have heard of military campaigns that were clumsy and swift, but I have never seen military campaigns that were skilled but protracted. No nation has ever benefited from protracted warfare”. Heated political rhetoric may get people into war, but when the words and emotions fade away and the conflict drags on, the nation grows weary of the economic and human toll of war, and wants out. War against naxals has already taken its toll. This has to end. The sooner it ends, better it is for this country. We all have a role to play.

The frustration and funny side of the false complaints

2014-07-20T13:59:00.000+05:30

A man calls head of the district police force and says, there is a vehicle with "so and so" number carrying arms, ammunitions and explosives and moving on "so and so" road. The officer alerts several teams and dispatch them to intercept the vehicle. After an hour of hectic search operation, the vehicle is finally located. When taken a thorough search of the vehicle, not even a single suspicious thing is found. Ordinary mortals traveling in the vehicle were so shocked by the police team that they had no clue what was happening there!

Officer then makes a call back to the guy who had given information about the vehicle. Thorough interrogation revealed that one of the guys traveling in the vehicle was actually going to court to give evidence against the guy who called this officer and gave that fake intelligence. He was facing a trial in the court! He used this trick just to make sure, that poor soul doesn't reach the court room, in time, and give evidence against him!

As an ordinary mortal, what would you do to that guy? Sometimes, people find themselves too creative to make policeman's life miserable and to meet their selfish ends.

In another case, a guy dials emergency number 100 from his phone and informs police control room that his father is brutally murdered and he needs immediate help. Control room informs the concerned officer in the area and alerts the nearest police station. A team from police station reach the spot within 20 minutes after the emergency call and finds nothing wrong with anyone there. No dead body at all! When asked about the emergency call, the guy simply refused to accept that he made that call. After thorough interrogation he confessed that he was drunk and he had a heated argument wth his father. He made that call to see how fast police reach his home.

Social experiment? Well, I must say, WTF? He thought it's so much fun to make policemen run around like dogs. He did not have a slightest idea that providing false information would land him in jail!

In yet another case, a teenage girl's father comes to police station and reports that his daughter was kidnapped. Police launch a search operation with whatever little inputs they got from girl's friends and family. After 5-6 hours of rigorous search in the night, the girl was found with her boyfriend at a public place enjoying a romantic conversation. She thought she would return home early in the morning saying that she was at her "friend's" place. But, luck wasn't on her side.

What action would you take against her boyfriend, who, according to girl's father, was a kidnapper? Poor father, couldn't wait a little longer to see his daughter return home from what would have been a wonderful date for her!

Sometimes people intentionally mislead police to take advantage and meet their selfish ends. For example, an illegal liquor seller calls up police and says some Mr.X is carrying #N number illegal liquor boxes in "so and so" vehicle traveling on "so and so" road. If police buy this information and go for a raid, they will make a fool of themselves. Most of the time the guy who calls is actually faking and most of the time he calls to give information about his rival and divert the attention of police so as to deliver illegal liquor to his own client!

Many times policeman's time and energy is wasted because of fake intelligence. It just tests patience and perseverance. We cannot take emergency calls casually. Even if the information is fake, we need to invest our time and energy to verify the facts. Most of the time, cost of inaction is simply huge. In the above examples, what if the vehicle was actually transporting arms and ammunitions? What if the guy's father was actually murdered and he badly needed help? What if the girl was actually kidnapped by someone? Breaking News? Whether or not the information coming in is true or false, policeman has to invest his time and energy to respond to the call and take action. Fake information just adds to his frustration. But it does make policemen to be more patient!

Every society gets a kind of policing it deserves

2014-07-15T20:47:00.001+05:30

A young couple feel that their marriage has gone for a toss. The aggrieved wife comes to police station and reports that her husband and his relatives have subjected her to cruelty and harassment. Police officers in charge of the Police Station sends husband and wife to Women’s Cell in district police headquarters. Officers in the Women’s cell try to counsel the couple and resolve the differences. Compromise is not achieved. The aggrieved women and her parents (the complainants) come back to police station and says, enough of negotiation, I would like you to register a case and take action against my husband and his relatives. Police officer promptly registers an FIR under section 498A of IPC and hands over a copy of FIR to the aggrieved lady.

Now, the “big question” is would you go ahead and arrest the accused, i.e. her husband and his relatives? If you do not immediately arrest them, the women complains, “Police have taken money from the accused party (husband) and police is not taking any action on them.” If you make an immediate arrest, supreme court says, you can not make immediate arrest. [See recent SC judgement]. Even if you arrest them after taking the statements of relatives and those who can confirm that the husband has actually subjected the woman to cruelty and harassment, the actions of police is not justified at least not every time. The worst is, if you make the arrest and the case is subsequently acquitted in the court (which happens 85% of the times) the kind of emotional and psychological crisis they go through and the kind of irreversible damage it does to the family is tremendous.

On other hand, if the woman is actually subjected to cruelty and harassment, and if the police do not arrest them, or if the accused party gets anticipatory bail, then its a gross injustice to the victim (woman). Worst is, if such case is acquitted in the court of law, it ruins the life of that poor lady.

As of today, “As many as 3,72,706 cases of such nature (498A) are pending trial of which on current estimate, nearly 3,17,000 are likely to result in acquittal”. In 2012, Nearly 2,00,000 people are arrested in these cases, out of which 47,951 are women. Which means, sisters and mothers of the accused man are liberally included in the arrest net. i.e unnecessary legal harassment to the relatives of husband.

There is another side to this story, may be there is another way of looking at it. You can say, out of 3,72,706 cases, as many as 3,17,000 cases are going to be acquitted and only 55,706 cases are going to be convicted. Meaning, there are so many women who are being subjected to cruelty and harassment and only few are going to be convicted!

If the case is convicted, accused party blames police for manipulating the case. If the case is acquitted, the woman and her family suffers and the man go on to marry another woman leaving the victim in the crisis. Whether there is an acquittal or conviction, police is always on the receiving end from either of the interested parties in the case.

This is not to say that all policemen are honest. The conviction of the case depends on various factors. Ability of the investigating officer, availability of the evidence, willingness of the victims and witnesses to cooperate during the trial, ability of the public prosecutor to successfully put across the argument, etc. Case may be acquitted for a simple reason that one of the main witness turns hostile during the trial. Whatever the reasons for acquittal be, it is the police who receive maximum criticism.

If you act, there is a problem. If you don’t act, there is a problem. In either way, police is on receiving end.

The society must understand that the policemen are drawn from the same society in which the police machinery functions. Policemen inherit all the traits of the society, the good, the bad and the ugly. We all are part and parcel of the same society. Its a chicken and egg kind of relation between policemen and the society. “Every society gets a kind of policing it deserves. [Robert Kennedy]”

Not all people in the society are bad. Not all policemen are bad. And yes, not all policemen are good either. All that we need to do is, stand up, be bold, and raise your voice against those who are bad. Understand your legal rights, tell the bad guys that the law is same for all. Assert yourself with adequate knowledge of law. If you do not understand law, seek help from a lawyer. Let me tell you with all conviction that, we are living in the times where even policemen are afraid of law. Whether or not there is a problem in taking or not taking an action, policemen will act, and they will act in a way they should be, provided you raise your voice, provided you raise your voice for a right cause.

If all that do not convince you, you can give a try and see for yourself!

For all the crazy things, there is one agency to blame: Police

2014-07-04T20:40:00.000+05:30

In the last one year, Khakhi has thrown me into an ocean of unpredictable routine. Quite often, what I think are my limits are tested only to find that they are no longer there. Every time when that happens, I feel I should pen down those incidents somewhere and share it with you all. But in the rush of routine duties, I was compelled to convince myself that there is no danger in peacefully forgetting them.

But, if I continue to do so, there is a danger of losing the values and lessons attached to them. And there is a real threat for existence of this blog! So, I am back here, to blog my random thoughts and share with you all and enjoy my favourite pastime, writing!

Some of those incidents which happened with me and my friends drove me crazy. They are important for a reason. No matter how hard a police man tries to discharge his duties, there is always a section of people who blame police for anything and everything under the sun and hold them responsible for an incident which they weren’t even part of. Take a look at some of these incidents.

1. A right wing Hindu organization stops a truck full of buffaloes heading to the slaughter house. Thinking that they are cows! Police requests a nearest Goshala (protective shelter for cows) to take care of buffaloes. Goshala refuses to accept the custody of these buffaloes saying they accept only cows and not buffaloes. The doctor, instead of giving clear opinion on whether they are fit for slaughter or not, just says they are not pregnant. Finally police requests the members of right wing Hindu organization to take custody of buffaloes and provide them with some fodder and water. They outrightly refused and said, it is Police’s job as they the buffaloes are in police possession now!

Court says nothing about where to keep those buffaloes and just says, “send them to Goshala”. Goshala refuse to accept them. In the end, police officer deputes two constables to feed and water the buffaloes and keep a watch on them. So, the buffaloes remains in the possession of police in the fear that if anything happens to buffaloes the same right wing Hindu organization would make an issue out of this and create a Law and Order situation. No one wants to take responsibility, neither court, nor political activists, nor doctor, none of them, just the police!

2. Father brutally murders daughter and the entire family makes this incident look as if she committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Neither close relatives nor the neighbours give a slightest clue to police about the most heinous crime. Women organizations and human rights wings blame police for not finding the truth (quickly?). Based on suspicious crime scene and the unique methods, police leaves no stone unturned to find evidences against the father and put him behind the bars. The wife and son of that man still feel he is innocent!

3. An old man dies due to sunstroke and his body is found in the cotton field. Two beat constables rush to the spot to investigate. Hundreds of villagers rush to the spot just to have a glance at the body. Not even a single one of them are willing to extended a helping hand to the police - in terms of providing most basic needs like a piece of cloth to cover the body, in terms of extending their helping hand to load the body into the vehicle. Owners of private vehicle in the village outrightly refuse to provide a vehicle to transport the body to hospital. Once the post mortem is done on an unidentified body, the entire responsibility of performing last rites rests on our police constables. They perform the last rites of a dead person who they have never seen in their entire life and bears the entire cost of this noble act without any hope of reimbursement from government.

4. Fickle minded teenage girl leaves home after an insignificant argument with parents. Heads to railway station to board a train to Mumbai, to pursue her “dream” of being on silver screen. On the way to railway station, auto driver sympathises her and this gullible girl finds a friend in him. In the same evening, the same auto driver along with two of his fellow auto drivers rapes the girl and leave her in a farm land. She comes to the nearest police station for help and she has absolutely no clue about those inhuman souls, not even their name. Newspapers starts their blame game. The police machinery have no idea where to look for. Yet, our men work with all the dedication to arrest those accused and put them behind the bar. After all this drama, the girl refuses to go home and the parents are reluctant to accept her. Police makes all the efforts to contact the child rights activists to counsel her and provide her with temporary shelter.

Police has no fixed role. It does all kind of crazy things, taking care of buffaloes to taking care of a rape victim. Taking the accident victims to hospital, counselling the husband-wife not to separate, chasing the thieves, arresting some crazy souls, finding a missing boy from neighbourhood, providing security to the political bosses, etc, etc, etc. If it rains and trees fall on road, police have to rush before citizen go crazy and start blaming them. If some crazy soul sets fire on something, police has to reach before the fire brigade comes. If some religious fanatics fight over a ridiculous issue, police has to rush to avoid a major Law and Order issue.

So, the overworked and underpaid policemen detaches himself with the emotions attached to those incidents, which he has to do. Otherwise he won’t be able to do discharge his duties fully. When these things become so routine, emotions find no meaning. There you go. The human rights and other activists throw some light on need for police to be sensitive to every such incident and show some emotion. What a situation to be in. Endless search for serenity! Despite all the odds, how this system is rolling on is a real mystery.

ಯಾವ ಜನ್ಮದ ಮೈತ್ರಿ - ಕುವೆಂಪು

2013-04-07T22:59:00.000+05:30

ಯಾವ ಜನ್ಮದ ಮೈತ್ರಿ ಈ ಜನ್ಮದಲಿ ಬಂದು

ನಮ್ಮಿಬ್ಬರನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಬಂದಿಸಿಹುದೋ ಕಾಣೆ||

ಅದರರ್ಥಗಿದರರ್ಥಗಳು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಕರ್ತನಿಗಿರಲಿ

ವ್ಯರ್ಥ ಜಿಜ್ಞಾಸೆಯಲಿ ಕಾಲಹರಣವದೇಕೆ?

ಹಾದಿ ಸಾಗಿದರಾಯ್ತು ಬರುವುದೆಲ್ಲ ಬರಲಿ

ಬಾರಯ್ಯ ಮಮಬಂಧು ಜೀವನ ಪಥದೊಳಾವು

ಒಂದಾಗಿ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯುವ...

-ಕುವೆಂಪು

Of which previous life, this bond?
Has Come back to bind us!
Its meaning or none, To their creator leave them
Why waste time in a discourse futile
Come my pal, let's walk ahead journey of life
Together in its every bend

-KuVemPu

For the complete poem click ಮಧುರ ಹಾಡುಗಳು,

Translations: Click here or here

Antim Pag: The First Step in the Service of People

2012-11-02T20:11:00.000+05:30

Dikshant Parade (Passing out Parade) was one of the most spectacular event of my life. I waited years for this day and I am sure, I am going to cherish this as long as there is a single breath in my heart.

I woke up with a very strange feeling today. I was engulfed by a flood of nostalgia spanning 46 weeks in the National Police Academy (NPA). A feeling of excitement mixed with apprehension was very strange. Excitement because I was going to cross the Antim Pag (The Final Step) and apprehension because of the days ahead. I felt as if all 320 days at NPA have culminated into one single moment. A feeling which is hard to explain no matter how hard I tried.

When we all entered the parade ground, I could see the excitement of parents and families of officer trainees to witness the unforgettable moment of their son/daughter taking the final step to serve this country. When tricolour was passing through the parade, there was a rush of blood in the hearts of officer trainees. The music of the band just added to the emotional feeling. The entire atmosphere was so full of life that even the nature took notice of it and showered rain on us! It is very rare to see passing out parades in the rain. The showers from the heaven did not stop but we did not move an inch from our places. “We were perfectly okay where we were”. In fact, it symbolized our duty and sense of responsibility as we were going to take the first step in the service of people.

The “peeling off” of the Dikshant Parade under the heavy showers from heaven was something unique this year. (Peeling off means leaving the parade formation and moving towards the Antim Pag). As we stepped on the Antim Pag, the 320 days rollercoaster ride at NPA came to an end. The academy life was full of adventure, thrill, excitement, hardship, challenge and loads of fun. It was as if 46 weeks have gone away in a blink of an eye.

Throughout my days at NPA, I never realized the value of life at NPA. Someone very wisely said once that you come to know the value of something when you lose it. The dawn of November 2nd must have brought the curtains down. But the show will go on, just that the theatre will shift to different corners of India. However the days at NPA will remain very close to my heart. “The bonds I forged with my friends here cannot be broken by absence, distance or time”. The memories etched in our hearts and minds can never be erased by anything under the sun. “A lifetime of togetherness begins today. The Academy Colors must have left the parade ground today, but the colours of the academy shall stay with us forever”.

Entering the parade ground	Inspection of parade by home Minister of India

Oath	March Past
:)	Antim Pag
Speaking to him was an exciting experience!	With Shri Vijaya Kumar Sir

PS: Quoted text are from Aravindan P and Mohd. Imran.

The NPA Diary: Odyssey of Squad No. 2, 64RR

2012-10-25T10:25:00.001+05:30

Caution: This article was written on behalf of Squad No. 2 for IPS 64RR batch book. The context of this article is known only to 64RR. Apologies for unexplained jargons.

Sometimes, memories of lifetime can be ruined if put to words. 320 days that we spent in NPA are undoubtedly the finest days our life. No matter how hard you try, it is very difficult to reflect those experiences in words. Nevertheless, it is worth attempting. Once the years pass by, it is only the words which can invoke the feeling of reliving those finest moments of our life!

We all came from different backgrounds, different cultures and very different perspectives. Two officers from Nepal and Maldives made this group even more diverse. Ustads made this group complete. Laxman Oran sir treated us like his own kids. Though he was there with us for short period, his association with the squad left a lasting impression. Abdul Samad sir carried the baton of leading the squad with the same spirit and energy. Both of them just loved talking to us. So much so that we named Abdul Samad sir as “Gyani” ustad! Lekhraj sir was a hard task master, a KTP (Mugambo) ustad, never shown mercy on us. But it was his “strictness” which taught us quite a bit (remember “Mugambo khush huwa!?”). Subhash ustad (aka Tiger ustad) was ever ready to help us under any odd circumstances, Bhanwarlal sir played a similar role. Coming of Mohanty sir was a late but welcome addition to the squad. Ustads were the one who held our hand and took us from the first day to the passing out parade. The love and compassion that the Ustads shown made us feel at home. As long as we don the uniform, memories of the Ustads will be very fresh in our hearts and minds.

Squad 2 was an interesting mix of OTs. Pratit Rowdy Rathore from Nepal, really impressed all of us with his stamping of the foot! So hard was the stamping that, for a moment we would think he can break the ground! He was a “Bindaas” type guy who slept all through the classes, and kept chewing something when he was awake! A straightforward guy who never afraid of speaking his mind.

There was an interesting trio in Squad 2. Ajay Kumar “Mitra”, Chandan and Anand Mishra. Ajay, the founding father of philosophy of “Mitra”, had no dearth of energy and spirit. His 400m relay run without shoes and with blood on both his knees showed his team spirit and made him Paan Singh Tomar of 64RR. Initially, we thought Chandan was a serious guy. Phew! His witty jokes never failed to put a smile on our face. Mind you, deep inside, this guy has tremendous maturity, he is a guy who wants to give it a shot, whatever it is. Anand, a guy who really takes pride in being in the uniformed service. His UAC performance on 15th August stunned many. A gentleman at heart, ever ready to do anything for the team.

There was one guy, though he was physically present in squad 2, at times, his heart was in squad 6! Thanks to Saxena sir’s classes, we all could find a name to Abhishek! (Remember “Jorba, what are you doing?”). Jorba was a pleasant guy to be around, clean at heart and has child like enthusiasm. Equally interesting character was Surya Pratap Yadav (or Singh?). Surya had no idea what the word confusion means. His favourite pastime is just “to pass time”! He is the only guy in 64RR who doesn’t sweat even after running 10kms.

The word “Simple” is the first name of Karthick. Baggage of this prefix came from LBSNAA. Be it law, a game plan or anything, he prefered to keep things simple. His hindi tirelessly brought smile on our faces. His “never give up” spirit is something which can inspire the confidence of many. Despite his knee injuries, he played many games for the squad. So much so that he never stopped playing until he lost control over his knee. He fell down many times, but every time he fell down, he got up again for the team, something that truly inspired us. Yet another determined fellow was Sameer Cycle Sharma. Sameera would have fetched many medals for our squad if he wasn’t injured. A true sportsman with true spirit. We really missed him towards the end, wish he did POP with us.

Battula Gangadhar and Rakesh Kalasagar were twins of squad 2. They were buddies and sticked around together. Gangadhar was known for getting up from the deep sleep and asking questions to the faculty. He would go back to sleep soon after his question was answered. He is the focussed guy who exactly knows what he wants in his life and gives his best to get it. Rakesh was calm, composed and sincere at heart. Somewhere deep down, he is a thorough gentleman. Manoj C was a different guy who always seemed to be lost in his own world. A silent and cool guy who cheered squad 2 in most of the games. Manoj will remember Rambo for rest of his life for what accidentally happened in hockey ground!

There is an interesting trivia attached to our squad. We had four lady OTs, more than any other squad had. Usha was sincere and intelligent almost to an extent of being KTP! Her simulation reports are testimony to this. Be it indoors or outdoors, she always gave her best. Swapna was calm, composed, soft spoken and was the torchbearer of our squad in most of the cultural activities, but hated anything adventurous! Rahuma brought a unique Maldivian flavour to the squad. Smile was her most important medium of expression. She is the fighter, a brave lady who never gives up. Running 400m and 100m sprint with injured knee was something which inspired many. Ever ready to participate in the games, the lady who loved outdoors and games. Amrutha was a late but welcome addition to the squad. A good singer, articulate, knows exactly what she is doing and does what she think is right and does it with utmost clarity and precision. A good sportswoman who fetched the first medal for squad 2 in the athletic meet.

Hitesh - our own Rambo - had no dearth of energy and spirit. Caring and compassionate guy who is ever ready to do anything for the team. Thanks to “The Chief”, he finally graduated in what he got started here in NPA. Swapnil - The Chief - was a thorough gentleman, a balanced and matured guy. He was the one who made Manju the drummer, taught Rambo “something” and helped him graduate in that. Thanks to him, officers club came alive in NPA and not only that, he kept the spirit of officers club going! Gaurav Garg aka GG, always thought two steps ahead of anyone. He is one guy who can touch deep down the mind of someone in no time. GG was the powerhouse of squad 2. In the very first day of our UAC class, he tore apart the punching bag. He was a friend, philosopher and guide of squad 2. Squad 2 suffered a lot in games and athletic meet due to his freak injury.

“Patilanchi Krupa”, was something Manju always said whenever squad 2 won a game.Thanks to Vinayak Patil, squad 2 could fetch a silver in handball. He was one of the best sportsman of the squad, great athlete, a team man and a balanced guy.

Basic training at NPA was a unique experience. No one was exceptional in the squad but we as a team had loads energy and synergy to excel. Injuries let us down, but not our spirit. We fought back, we never gave up and we made every moment of our life here memorable. The best days of our life so far may have come to an end, but the memories of those days will remain fresh for a long time to come.

PS: Special thanks to Swapnil for the inputs!

Don’t just run with your legs. Run with your mind!

2012-09-25T00:46:00.000+05:30

So far, I had been running long distances from my legs. But last week, I did run 10km distance not just with my legs, but with my mind. I remember reading somewhere, “Come on, young man. you’ve been running with your legs so far. Now run with your mind!” For a seasoned runner, 10km run is no big deal. He can cover well within 45 minutes. But for me, it was an uphill task. While I was warming up for the 10km run, with my left knee in pain, I was not sure, how long I could run. I had not run long distances for almost 2 months. Thoughts of staying out of the cross country passed through my mind. But I wanted to give it a try, and didn’t want to give up so easily.

The first mile

Half way

I managed to run first 7kms without much of a difficulty. Body was completely warmed up, breathing was steady, “legs were moving one after another”, rhythm was good and was sure of covering the distance well within an hour. But after 7kms, I started feeling the pinch. I wanted to go on, but felt like giving it up. Every time I saw a vehicle on the road, I thought I should just get into it and cover rest of the distance. But the joy of crossing the finish line, kept me going. I covered another 2km. The last 1km run, I must say, was one of best I have experienced in my life. There was absolutely no control over my legs, they just kept moving at the same pace. I started counting every step to cover rest of the distance. For a moment I thought I lost control over my body, but managed to get my steps right. “Come on! It’s all in the mind”, I shouted to myself, literally! I don’t know what happened to me after that, those words seemed to work like magic. All I remember is that my left leg which had bit of a pain in the knee was moving swiftly, following the rhythm of my right leg. I increased my stride, started breathing fast, kept going with the increased pace and my left leg was still following the right leg! Last 300-400m to the finishing line was an inclined road. I increased my pace again, started feeling breathlessness, but kept going, and finally, managed to complete 10km distance in 49 minutes!

I can see the Finish Line!

Crossing FP, the last step!

What a joy! I was happy, really happy, on top of the world. Not because I covered 10kms, but because I covered that distance with an injured leg, because this was the first time I ran the long distance with my mind. And it was yet another rare opportunity to take my limits to a new height. I feel this experience has a deeper meaning. It’s the last mile that matter the most. Its not about our physical ability or not even our talent, “but by the mental strength to stay the course, and run the extra mile. When you run with your legs, you allow the pressures to weigh you down. You allow obstacles to come in the way of your progress. You find yourself saying “I can’t!” But when you run with your mind, you become unstoppable. Your mind says “I can!”[....]

All my life, I have failed quite a few times, not because I didn’t try. But may be because I didn’t try enough in the last mile. The effort which matters the most. Thats where the mind plays a significant role. “Don’t just run with your legs. Run with your mind!”

5 days in the jungle: An odessey with Greyhounds

2012-09-07T22:46:00.000+05:30

When I stepped out of the bus, it was 11.00pm, clouds seemed to race across the sky, moon was playing hide and seek with clouds, calmness of the empty road leading to jungle was disturbed by the gentle breeze. Entire atmosphere seemed to be welcoming us for a wonderful jungle experience.

I was not sure of carrying a haversack weighing 18-20kgs and 4kgs rifle in the hand for a distance of 4-5kms in the middle of the night. But, surrounding atmosphere (and the peer pressure?) made me enjoy that night walk which lasted almost for 2 hours. Soon after we reached the destination - a “safe” place to sleep - at around 1.00am, the sky opened up and rain began to fall. Sky was the roof and hills around us were the walls. Literally, we were guests in the house of nature! We slept under the cover of our ground sheets. When I woke up before the first light, I couldn’t believe I actually slept under the rain!

Thanks to Greyhounds training which provided an experience of lifetime! The Greyhounds are an elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh. The force was raised in 1989 to control the Maoists/Naxals. As a part of our training, we had one week attachment with Greyhounds, they trained us for anti naxal operations and jungle survival. We had to spend five days in jungle like a commando - without any contact with outside world, cooking our own food, making our own shelter, finding every means to survive ourselves. We were simulating the life of a commando in the jungle!

For me, it was a challenge to truly test and scale up my physical and mental potential to new heights. No internet, no mobile phone, no communication whatsoever with the outside world for five days. No bathing, not even washing face for five days so as to save water, wear the same camouflage (Dangri) dress and same shoes (and socks!) for five days. Ration given to us was limited, pure drinking water was a rare commodity, had to carry 3-4 litres of drinking water in my haversack despite its heavy weight on the back. Rifle, GPS, walkie talkie, etc added to the burden.

Watching every move?

Home in the jungle!

We were thoroughly briefed to treat every corner of the jungle as naxal affected area. Our moves had to be tactical, no unnecessary sound, every place we halted had to be recced and guarded by sentries to pre-empt any attack! Same place cannot be used for halting so as to keep the enemy guessing. Any place we used should be left undisturbed so that our footprints are not left for the enemy. Cooking of dinner must be finished well before the day ends so that our location is not revealed to the enemy because of the fire! Proper drill had to be followed to fetch the water so that enemy attack at the water source is avoided!

What's cooking?	Delicious Rice and pickle! :)
Every drop counts in the jungle	Sentry? Who is next?

Tactical exercises which were taught to us either early in the morning or late evening. Day time didn’t have much of action. We spent most of the day time in cooking, eating and of course sleeping, except those who had to do sentry duty! Cooking wasn’t that easy because wet firewood simply refused to burn and it was not easy to find completely dry firewood due to the rain in the night. And there were not many ingredients to showcase our culinary skills, all that we had was rice, dal, soup powder, cashew, and milk powder for making tea. Many of us tried all possible permutations and combinations to cook a tasty food. Some tried cooking khichdi, few of us tried to cook pulav using bit of onion and potato but ended up making just rice! Some even succeeded in cooking rice-kheer using milk powder. But easiest and tastiest was maggie, all that we needed to do was boil some water and mix it with a cup of maggie. Trust me, whatever combination we all tried, everything tasted so good that the satisfaction after eating was rare to find in day to day life outside the jungle!

The last light of the day (Sun)

The first light of the night!(Moon)

Night in the jungle was serene and beautiful. As soon as the sun sank and moon was bright, entire surrounding changed its beauty and became alive in a matter of minutes. I spent plenty of time lying on the grass and watching the beautiful sky full of stars and bright moon. In fact on one night, we were resting on an elevated area from where one can have a 360* view of the surrounding area under the bright full moon light. At times, moon was playing hide and seek with clouds, the moment bright moon was engulfed by the clouds, everything fell silent in the darkness. Within minutes, moon was freed and everything around us was painted with moonlight.

Apart from tactical exercises which taught us how to fight naxals / maoists, there was so much to learn from the nature and from our own experiences. The hardship we face in the jungle reveals the true character of a person. Once we exhaust our stamina, the tired mind reflects our true nature, it reflects our ability to help others even in the face of adversities. If one succeeds to show compassion during tough times, be assured, he is the person who you can depend and trust for rest of your life. My heart goes out to those commandos and soldiers who not only master the art of overcoming physical exhaustion, but also master their mind to continue fighting for the country even in the face of adversities.

We got a feel of difficulties faced by a commando in the jungle during anti naxal operations. The five day exercise helped me realize what it takes to be a commando who wears his heart on his sleeves and stakes his life in the most deadly situations to fight the naxals, ensuring that we enjoy the leisures of our living room, ensuring the unity and integrity of this nation.

In the end, i felt, “I took a walk in the jungle and came out taller than the trees!”

Bungy Jumping: Rush of blood to the head

2012-05-01T21:57:00.003+05:30

Fear is an experience you can’t buy. Our mind gives it free of cost! Thinking about bungy jumping used to send chills down my spine. Nevertheless, I wanted to do bungy, at least once before I stop breathing. I wanted to experience free fall, wanted to experience being in the air. Compulsory bungy, as a part of my training, came as blessing in disguise.

Jumpin heights in Rishikesh is the only place in India, where bungy jumping can be done from a fixed platform. A cantilever platform built at a height of 83 meters is used for bungy. Four safety checks and experienced bungy masters from New Zealand assure you that there is very little chance of accident. But even the slightest chance of accident harbors deepest fear in the mind!

The moment I started walking towards the bungy platform, plenty of things were going through my mind. Some corner of my mind was repeatedly asking me to back off! For a moment, I felt why this Kolaveri? But I managed to keep the smile on my face with some difficulty. The bungy staff at the platform were happy to see smile on my face, but deep inside, i was terribly scared. Bungy cord was finally hooked to my ankle attachment and an additional rope was hooked to body harness to make sure I won’t be detached from the platform!

Instead of just falling from the edge, I wanted to take a jump in the air like I do in the swimming pool. Bungy master was impressed and said, “Awesome! Go ahead!”. I looked down from the edge only to discover that there is hardly any water in the river! For a moment, I thought, fear - a little-death - is something you can’t get over until you do the thing you are afraid of. By that time, bungy master started saying, “Ready, One, Two, Three, Bungyyyyy!!”. My mind completely went blank and I managed to jump the way I do in swimming pool. Soon after I took off from the edge, for a fraction of second, I thought, what the heck am I going to hold? But, alas! I was free falling! I screamed and shouted with plenty of joy and bit of apprehension in the heart. The moment bungy cord started stretching, i realized that i am not going to fall off! It started recoiling and there was a sudden rush of blood to the head! Head was heavy, heart was lighter and my scream reflected the fun I never experienced before. I continued to oscillate up and down until all the elastic energy in the bungy cord was dissipated. Finally, after the oscillation stopped, i started moving down. The moment I rested on the ground, I felt my head was heavier than rest of the body. One should experience the rush of blood to the head!

After the cord was detached and body harness was removed, the joy of doing bungy had no limits. “Fear is something you can’t buy”. But at Jumpin Heights, you can buy it for 2000 bucks and even overcome it! My excitement after bungy made me to try the giant swing. I paid 1200 bucks more and tried swing as well. I must tell you, bungy and swing were the experiences of life time. one should try!

I have got guts! You? :)

The NPA Diary: Trust your legs and run easy!

2012-04-01T16:22:00.001+05:30

After running 5KMs in 27 minutes and cycling 20KMs in little over an hour, what I feel is, “nothing good in life comes easy”. When the finishing line is way too far, two voices in my mind say two different things. One says, “I want to go on” and the other says, “I want to give up!” But, when I think about the joy of crossing finishing line, I just trust my legs and go on. I feel It’s not about crossing the finishing line in time, but about going through those conflicting feelings within, overcoming them and finishing the race, no matter how much time we take to finish. “The important thing is not how you start a race, but how you finish it”.

It’s not that I am so damn excited to run long distances. The morning physical training (PT) in LBSNAA Mussoorie and now in NPA has forced me to run those long distances. Every week, on saturday, long distance running is compulsory. It all started with 5km run and so far we are able to run upto 11kms. And it might go upto 16-20KMs!

Many trainers here at NPA say that there is no better exercise than running. You run for 20-30 minutes a day and no disease can run after your life! I wonder how, but Christopher McDougall seems to be having an answer. Take a look.

Hopefully, the long distance running has more in it for me to discover and keep me going.

Run easy!

The NPA Diary: Time flies by but memories stay

2012-03-18T13:40:00.000+05:30

All my life, I hardly slept before the midnight and never woke up before the first light. At home, my father tried his best to wake me up before 6AM, but he had to give up! But in the last three months, I never slept after the midnight and never woke up after the first day light! Life has taken a whole different trajectory after coming to NPA, Hyderabad. The mind and body have finally started showing some signs of getting used to the discipline and routine.

Though there is reluctance to wake up in the early morning, I do overcome the fight within to get ready and go to the ground. There were instances where my alarm didn’t go off and woke up only when I heard the noise of people marching towards the ground and I took hardly 3-4 minutes to get ready and reach the ground with galloping speed! All this to avoid heavy consequences that I may have to pay for if I don’t reach on time! Some times, my mind fully wakes up only when i hear the command "parade Saavdhaan!". The morning exercises, at times the Yoga, Gym, Unarmed Combat, etc, makes me sweat like crazy. But, there is a feel good factor. The body feels lighter, better and alert. At times, I feel the day is so long and there is so much time to do so many things if we get up early in the morning. But the morning fight to get up? Continues!

Drill in the uniformed service is something which many people question and fail to understand the need. There is a drill for everything - to march, to salute, to report, to hold a weapon, and even to dust off your hands! At times, even I ask if I really have to do all this? The answer I got was, "this is required to make you a cop!" I am yet to convince myself about this! I remember those funny mistakes I and my friends used to do while marching, saluting, handling weapons, etc. I am going to cherish those memories! Nevertheless, I must tell you, it's quite an experience. It teaches one to obey commands, to learn discipline, etc which are absolutely important in policing.

Honestly, I enjoy outdoor activities - especially the games/sports - more than indoor classes. I feel those law classes a bit monotonous and painful to pay attention to and I repeatedly hear instructors saying, "If you don't pay attention now, you might have to pay for it later!". However, few indoor sessions including seminars, talks/lectures are interesting and enriching. There is so much to learn from the life of those people who really made some difference in our country.

Even after the regular scheduled activities, academy doesn't leave us alone so easily. Most of the time, there will be compulsory activities which keeps us busy till we go to bed. Activities of clubs and societies, pre-dinner talks, cultural programmes, interaction with eminent personality etc have become routine and common.

Despite the reluctance to wake up and few minutes of fight to get ready and go to the ground, despite those monotonous law classes, despite the seminars and lectures, at the end of the day, i feel the day was worth the sweat.

So far it has been a great experience in NPA.
The first day in IPS uniform, fulfilling my mother's dream of seeing me in uniform, the republic day parade (in front of my parents), meeting some celebrated officers, and yes, the friends i have made here and the great time I had so far with them will remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come!

This post was an attempt to capture my memories in NPA and hopefully, I overcome my laziness in the coming days to record them here. :)

Foundations for Life: Memories of 86th FC @ LBSNAA

2011-12-22T22:49:00.000+05:30

Honestly, I have spent lot of time trying to pen down my LBSNAA experiences during the 86th Foundation Course(FC). No matter how hard I tried, my words couldn’t reflect the experiences. Was it my inability to pen down those memories or was it that the whole experience was something which cannot be described in words, but has to be experienced? I do not know. One thing is sure, so far, those three months in LBSNAA, Mussoorie were the best days of my life. What better way can I find than a short video to jog my memories of FC?
Take a look...

Click here to view on youtube, if you have a problem viewing here.

The Himalayan Odyssey: Memories of scaling new heights

2011-10-27T23:14:00.001+05:30

It has been my desire to go to those places or do those things which can truly test and scale up my physical and mental potential to conquer new heights. The nine day Himalayan trek as a part of our Foundation Course at LBSNAA provided me an opportunity to do just that! The freshness and purity of Himalayas, their untouched majesty, pristine beauty, divine aura, rich culture and wondrous history left me wanting for more.

I had read somewhere that, when God decided to descend on the earth as mountains, the earth asked: “Why do you come in the form of mountains and not in your own form?”. And God answered: “The pleasure that exists in mountains is greater than that of animate beings, for they feel no heat, nor cold, nor pain, nor anger, nor fear, nor pleasure.”

That is exactly why mountains humble me. They are always there and have stood the test of time. They have seen thousands of generations, stood there as mighty bastions of god’s creations, thrown away beautiful smiles when every man was awestruck by their beauty, they humble the mortals as nature always do.

One of the most memorable part of Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie is the Himalayan trek. 260+ officer trainees were divided into 14 trekking groups (plus one group of officers who didn’t want to trek for various reasons and were made to visit NGOs and other places of pilgrimage. Many called them ‘Bhajan Mandali’!). The journey from Academy to Rudraprayag, Govind Ghat, Ghangaria, Hemkund, Valley of Flowers, Badrinath, Mana, Ghastoli, Auli, and back to the Academy was something special. The rivers separating the rocky and green mountains, confluence of rivers (Prayags), the music of flowing water streams, countless waterfalls, majestic snow covered mountains, the clouds moving across those mountains against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, chilling cold at the high altitude, and a feeling of sense of achievement after the difficult journey to the top will always remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come.

1. The first day
19 of us in my trek group were all excited to scale the new heights in Himalayas. The first day was kept just to reach Rudraprayag by bus and to stay there for a night. Throughout the journey, what struck me was the beauty of rivers effortlessly overcoming the obstacles of mountains to continue their hurried journey towards the ocean. On the way to Rudraprayag, the confluence of two heavenly rivers, Bhagirathi and Alakananda to form the holy Ganga at Devaprayag makes one to think about seeing Panch Prayags (five confluences) of river Alakananda. It was a great feeling after I crossed all five Prayags of Alakananda at the end of our 9 day trek.

2. The night trek and the fear of ‘Bhaalu’ (Bear)
We were quite late to leave Rudraprayag in the morning and it was close to 2PM by the time we reached Govind Ghat though we were supposed to reach there by 11AM. Govind Ghat is a starting point for the trek to Valley of Flowers and Hemkund via Ghangaria - around 15KM uphill from Govind Ghat. The worst part of our (planned) trek was to carry the rucksack ourselves which was around 20-25kgs. It was almost an impossible task to do that considering the 15km uphill that was quite steep towards the end. All of us in the group couldn’t resist the idea of hiring few mules to carry our rucksacks so that we can trek to Ghangaria peacefully. To our bad luck we had to pay lot more than the normal price because the mule owners were reluctant to come since it was already late and they cannot return back to Govind Ghat from Ghangaria on the same day. We had no option but to go for expensive hiring. But trust me, the decision to hire the mules was totally worth every penny that we paid. That day’s trek was something we had never done before. Had we carried our rucksacks, we might have abandoned that day’s trek midway!

Since we started the trek quite late, at around 3.30pm, we were sure about getting late to reach Ghangaria. But we had no option, we had to go according to our schedule to complete that day’s trek. One of the worst thing about that trek route was it’s full of mule dung, stinking every now and then! By 6pm it was dark enough to start using our torch light. Quite a few people who were returning from Ghangaria and also few shopkeepers on the way (sincerely) advised us not to continue the trek since it was too dark. One fellow trekker said the route is a paradise for Bhalu (the Bear). We found that assertion quite preposterous since the route was well known and there were quite a few food stalls on the way. However, we couldn’t escape from the element of fear in our minds. We decided to continue but stay close to each other and move slowly but steadily. This is the point where our comradery started to protect ourselves just in case the (non-existent, fictitious) Bhalu attack us! After all, life is important to every one and no one want to die or get injured for that matter!

Despite all the sweat (and fear), the night trek was something special. The gentle breeze from mountains, the deserted path with absolute silence, the music of flowing water, and a never give up attitude in all of us was an amazing combination for the night trek. At one point of time the road to Ghangaria never seemed to be ending. We walked and walked in a hope that we could reach at least by 8PM, but that was the time mules carrying our rucksacks reached Ghangaria. It took us another two and half hours to reach. We all just wanted to finish off that day’s trek and hit the bed, but the joy of scaling 3050m height after trekking 13km uphill had no bounds. Because of the night, though we missed the beauty of mountains and river on the way, it was really a special trek. The ‘Bhalu’ element made it even more interesting!

3. The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib
The third day’s trek plan by LBSNAA was over ambitious. We were supposed to cover both Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib on the same day. Valley of flowers is about 3km uphill from Ghangaria in one direction and Hemkund Sahib is around 6km uphill from Ghangaria in opposite direction. Many localites and trekking enthusiasts staying at Ghangaria told us that it’s very difficult to cover both places on the same day. I did not want to miss either of them at any cost. A localite at Ghangaria advised us to take Mules to cover one place so that we will have time to see the other. Only five of us including me volunteered to visit Hemkund and rest all fourteen decided to go to Valley of flowers. I was really hoping to scale Hemkund by lunch time and then the valley of flowers.

We started to trek soon after out breakfast and it didn’t take much time for me to realize that the trek route to Hemkund is extremely tough due to steep uphill. Couple of my friends were finding it very difficult to climb and I advised them to hire mules so that we could finish the trek in time. At first, they refused but after some time they convinced that my advise was right. I was still over confident about my energy to trek and thought i could keep up my pace with those friends on the mules. As the mules started climbing the hill effortlessly, rate of my breathing increased rapidly. The cold weather, dusty route and smell of mule dung (read s**t) made the situation worst. I knew i could scale the height of Hemkund but it would have taken two or three hours more than the mules and hence costing the visit to Valley of Flowers. The ITBP jawan who accompanied us advised us to hire mules on one way so that we can save plenty of time and effort in order to cover Valley of flowers. I thought that’s quite sensible advise and hired the mule to reach Hemkund. It took us just one and half hour to reach Hemkund. To my surprize, ITBP jawan - who was well trained to scale such mountains - reached Hemkund much before us!

Hemkund is the highest Gurudwara in the wold and a place of serenity. “With a setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks and each peak is adorned by a Nishan Sahib on its cliff. It is located at an elevation of 15,200 ft / 4632 meters as per the Survey of India.[Wiki]” Though the surrounding mountains were not yet fully covered by snow, weather was extremely cold and the floor of the Gurudwara was almost freezing and water in the lake was ice cold. The atmosphere in and around Gurudwara gave a spiritual feeling and a state of serenity. I was in no mood to leave that place soon, but Valley of Flowers was there in the back of my mind. We started by 11.45 -12.00 in a hope that we could reach Ghangaria by 2 and then start to Valley of Flowers by 3pm. Downhill trek to Ghangaria was not easy either. After the half way i felt like i had no control over my legs, they were just moving on and on. Shoes were hurting and knees were in a bit of pain. But the beauty of surrounding mountains - some of which were partially covered by snow - and the view of the valley from the mountain were worth the pain and struggle. There was a feeling of great joy.

However, that joy did not last long. Few people on the way told us that the Valley of flowers will be closed by 2PM! I was thoroughly disappointed and started feeling guilty of hiring mules on the way to Hemkund Sahib. The moment i got that confirmed from localites on the way, we started walking slowly and reached Ghangaria by 3.30pm. The other friends who went to visit Valley of Flowers also came back by same time. All those who visited Valley of Flowers told me that there weren’t enough flowers since it was not the season for flowering. June-July is the time when the Valley of Flowers is at it’s majestic beauty. For a moment i thought i made a right decision to visit Hemkund Sahib first! In any case i will not miss a chance to visit Valley of Flowers at least once in my life time!

4. Downhill trek to Govindghat and journey to Badrinath
The very next day, as per our trek plan, we had to pack up and trek down to Govind Ghat where our bus was waiting to take us to Badrinath. Just a day before we had thoroughly enjoyed (uphill) night trek on the same 13km route between Ghangaria and Govind Ghat. But trekking down on the same route in the broad day light gave us a chance to enjoy the beauty of mountains, streams and river which we missed during the night trek. Eatery stalls and tea shops on the way provided some sigh of relief in covering the 13km route.

Though we were a big trek group of 19 people, we gelled well as a team. Got to know each other little better and supported each other well during the trek so far. After all, trekking is a wonderful opportunity to get to know your group better.

5. Badrinath and Mana
We reached Badrinath on the same evening after having a good lunch at Govind Ghat. The best part of our stay at Badrinath was the location of our hotel. The river Alakananda flows along the wall of that hotel, a bridge next to the hotel to cross the river and a beautiful Badrinath temple on other side of the river. The music of flowing water invokes the spiritual feeling when you look outside the window at the temple. The moment i got into my room, i thought i couldn’t have got a better place to stay in Badrinath.

It was really a tiring day after a downhill trek and travelling some distance by bus to Badrinath. The ITBP Jawan who accompanied us told me that there is a hot water spring at the temple and we could take holy bath there to get rid of all our tiredness. I had read somewhere in Geography while preparing for UPSC about hot water springs but i had never seen it before. I didn’t even know that Badrinath temple is known for hot water spring miracle. I was keen to visit that place and take a holy dip in “Taptkund”, a hot water well. The Taptkund hot spring is just below the temple and it is considered to be medicinal—many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The water in the Taptkund was too hot in the evening to take a dip. I might have used some 20-30 buckets of hot water that day. All my tiredness was lost in that hot water and the feeling after bath was very very refreshing. I visited the temple and thanked lord Badrinath for giving me an opportunity to scale Himalayan mountains!

According to our trek plan, next day i.e. Day 5, was a day to rest and acclimatize. Some of us decided to trek to Mana which is around 2-3 km from Badrinath and some guys decided to spend some peaceful time in the hotel. Walking along the river Alakananda to reach Mana was a nice experience. Ice cold river water, plenty of pebbles surrounding the river stream, majestic mountains, and the Mana village next to the river was something special that day. Mana is called the last village of India close to the border. ITBP and IBEX army Brigade guards that area.

After 2-3 hours of walk, we decided to eat something at a small eatery in Mana. The maggie was cooked badly and none of us liked it. I thought of going to the kitchen and cooking the maggie in my own style which i had tried in Bangalore, a long ago. The shop keeper smiled when I asked him if i can cook. He agreed and was nice enough to help me with all ingredients i demanded. Trust me, the maggie was much better than what we were served before. Everyone liked it!

6. Trek to Ghastoli and a visit to ITBP Camp
After 5 days of hard trekking, we still had plenty of energy left to scale yet another height in Himalayas. Ghastoli is connected to Mana by road. There is a camp of ITBP and Indian Army to guard our borders. Our official plan was to trek to ITBP camp which is around 16km from Mana, and meet ITBP officials over lunch. The trek route wasn’t that difficult since it was a road for army vehicles maintained by Border Road Organization.

Before starting our trek we took few pictures in the last village of India and the last tea shop of India (Mana village)! It was a long winding walk, crossing several of mountains, each one showcasing the majestic beauty of Himalayan Mountains and it was literally a treat to watch. On the way, Arwa Nala, which was gathering more water from various streams, was in full force. It enters Mana through a deep gorge. A spectacular sight to see while walking on the bridge (near Mana). Arwa Nala joins river Saraswati at Mana and together they become Alakananda at Badrinath.

Throughout the route, clear blue sky covering the mountains, the white clouds hovering around the summit, the rock debris with numerous crossing of streams, the snow covered rocky mountains competing each other in their heights, the long winding road, the cold breeze adding to the feeling of being close to the nature was something which will remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come. One need not be a photographer to capture the surrounding beauty of those mountains and that was hardly a place to learn photography. Point your camera at any direction and blindly click it, it will certainly be one of the best picture. And yes, I am not exaggerating. It was wonderful to be so close to the nature!

The weather along the way was changing constantly, becoming more and more cold. Despite covering sufficiently, and walking for such a long distance, we still couldn’t escape from that freezing cold. For a moment, i just wondered how our Jawans survive there for months and years to protect our borders. After reaching ITBP camp, It was all together a different feeling to see our tricolour flying high in the backdrop of those majestic mountains. The camp was at an altitude of (aprox) 4000 meters. We were treated to all comforts there. They served us warm lunch and hot tea in that freezing cold surrounding. After such a long and tiring trek, with no energy left in us, their hospitality made us feel at home.

We spoke to ITBP Jawans for a while and decided to walk back to Mana. It was already late and we weren’t sure if we could reach back before the sunset. On the way back, we met a Captain from Indian Army. A truck was following his vehicle. We spoke to the captain and he readily agreed to take us in the Army truck. We all felt, “what a relief!”. The truck was so dusty, it looked like seats were covered with an inch of dust. But, who can think of luxury in those mountains? We never hesitated to sit and adjust to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. By the time we reached Mana, our cloths were full of dust! However, none of us complained, we thoroughly enjoyed our ride in that road. It was awesome!

Our original plan was to stay at ITBP camp over a night and return on the next day. But due to extreme weather and logistic problems to accommodate all of us in the camp, ITBP officials had made arrangements for our stay at Badrinath itself. By covering both the ways in one day, thanks to army truck, we saved another day for the rest.

On the next day (i.e. day 7), instead of just resting in the hotel, some of us decided to see Neelkant Parvat behind Badrinath. This small trek was a cake walk for us after successfully completing Ghastoli trek! Neelakant Pravat was snow covered mountain standing behind two adjacent mountains which weren’t covered with snow, giving contrasting look. Since we went there in first week of October, all the mountains were yet to be covered with snow.

7. The confusion and subsequent visit to Auli
Auli, (alt. 2915 mts-3049 mts ) is an important ski destination in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India. Skiing events happens in Auli only after January when it is completely covered by snow. In fact, 2011 South Asean winter sports were held at Auli in last January. Some of us in the group came to the conclusion that “there is no fun in Auli if there is no snow and it will all be mountains which we have been seeing in the last one week”. I wasn’t happy with that. Few others including me really wanted to see Auli no matter it was covered by snow or not. Some were suggesting to skip Auli and go back to academy a day earlier. I was certainly not for that. We decided to go by majority and majority of us raised voice for Auli trip!

Auli is a good tourist destination. Thanks to 2011 South Asean Winder Sports event, the infrastructure there is pretty good. “There are two different small lifts available for skiing during winter seasons. The chair lift of 800 meter & 500 meter of Ski lift are used to reach the top area of the slope to start the skiing.” The ropeway from Joshimath to Auli is called Gorson ropeway system. Joshimath to Auli Gorson ropeway system is the highest ropeway of India. This ropeway has two cable cars and has 10 towers. It covers a slope distance of 3.96 KM and a track distance of 4.15 KM. This ropeway takes you up by 1110 meters. [Read More]

“At Auli one can get 180 degree view of different snow peaks. The highest peak among them are Nanda Devi (7817 m), Choukhamba, Panch Chuli ( named after five Pandava brothers of Hindu mythology ), Doonagiri (7066 m) and many other peaks. “

The decision to go to Auli proved to be right and we had a good time. According to our plan Auli was a last place to visit. After a good lunch at Auli, we started our journey (by bus) to Gauchar for a night’s stay. “Gauchar is a small town located in Karnaprayag tehsil within Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in India. It is situated on the left bank of river Alaknanda, at an altitude of 800 meters”.

The next day we, started our journey back to the Academy. From Gauchar, till we reached Dehradun, the journey treated us with the same mountains, rivers, and countless streams. There were quite few landslides here there to obstruct the road. Landslides were quite common in those Himalayan roads. By the time we reached Academy, it was around 9.00PM (9th October). It was hard to believe that those nine best days of my life have gone away within no time! Himalayan trek is one of the best thing that happened in my life.

I have said it many times earlier that the mountains always humble me. There is so much to discover from them. There is so much to learn from just being so close to the nature. For me, the mountains that I scaled during the trek represented nature at its best - most powerful, most awe-inspiring and spectacularly beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, “the pleasure that exists in mountains is greater than that of animate beings, for they feel no heat, nor cold, nor pain, nor anger, nor fear, nor pleasure.”

Here are some pictures clicked during the trek, will upload more pics on facebook... :)

At Devprayag

Hemkund

Hemkund Sahib

Trekking down to Govindghat

Taptkund, Badrinath (Hot water spring)

Badrinath Temple

River Alakananda in the background

Cooking Maggie in the Himalayas!

Dinner at Badrinath with Lord Rawat

On the way to Ghastoli

Look at the clear sky!

Neelakant Parvat

Auli Cable way

SA Winter Sport was held at Auli

Auli

Caption needed???

Fun Filled Treking and Adventurous Rock Climbing

2011-09-26T23:02:00.000+05:30

The George Everest Bungalow is about 7000fts high, 6km from Mussoorie. “The place provides an enchanting view of Doon valley on one side and view of Yamuna valley & (snow bound) Himalayan ranges on the other.” It was named after the first Surveyor General of India Sir George Everest (World’s highest peak Mount everest is also named after him).

After successfully completing three relatively difficult treks earlier, Saturday’s George Everest Bungalow trek was nothing but a cake walk. May be we were acclimatized enough not to sweat much for this trek! Though our horse riding instructor had promised a ride on horse back, the PT (Physical Training) instructor refused and forced us to walk with 10-15KG rucksack so as to acclimatize ourselves for 10 days Himalayan trek starting from 1st October. Nevertheless, few officer trainees managed to ride on the way back, which unfortunately I missed out.

360 degree view from the highest mountain near Everest Bungalow is majestic and something to remember for a long time. Initially though the sun was bright and sky was clear, the clouds lost no time in covering the beautiful mountains and thus depriving us from clicking breathtaking pictures. The best part of the trek was the loud music at the Everest bungalow. LBSNAA managed to get a generator at 7000ft high mountain to entertain us! Tug of war, music, dance made the trek more of a picnic type and completely enjoyable.

On the same day we had a DJ party in the evening and yeah, the drinks were also served! One of the best part of LBSNAA is the officially recognized bar within the campus and that too in the officer’s lounge. Officer trainees can drink as much as they want, just that the money will be duly deducted from their salary! Trainees and faculty thoroughly enjoyed the DJ and of course the drinks. :)

On Sunday, Rock Climbing activity at ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) academy in Mussoorie was adventurous and exciting. There were quite a few adventurous people in the batch who managed to climb the rocks effortlessly. There were few brave lady officer trainees who managed to reach the top. There were few who needed some cheer and support. And yes, the kind of cheer and support which lady officers received while climbing the rocks was something phenomenal compared to what other guys got despite putting up a brave effort!

I had tried rock climbing before while I was in Singapore. It was just an artificial rock created in Universal Studios (Singapore). But here in ITBP academy, there are real rocks, the scary ones. Despite a (small) shoulder problem, I had no issues in reaching the top of the rock and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to ITBP Jawans who made the rock climbing safe and enjoyable. What I realized was, making up your mind to climb the rock is half job done. The will to climb and physical strength will take care of the rest. It’s all about 50% will and 50% physical strength.

In the last four weeks, it was hard to notice how time just flies. Weekly trek on Saturday reminds us how quickly the week gets over. I must say, without any hesitation, the foundation course is just like a fun filled paid holiday! Long way to go before I even think about finishing it, the best is yet to come! :)

Here are some pictures clicked during trek and rock climbing:

On the way to George Everest bungalow

At the peak, when clouds covered the mountains.

Clouds engulfing mountains

Walking in the clouds!

Music, Dance, and fun at 7000ft!

On the way back.

Scaling the new heights!

Coming down from the top!

Lal Tibba: Blood, sweat and a summit to scale

2011-09-18T01:03:00.000+05:30

Clouds were clear, sun was bright, route was green, and the summit was high enough to test our endurance. Leeches sucked our blood, heat of the sun made us sweat more than required, the steep uphill and the concrete road on the way back managed to spoil the knees. Many travel guides on the web advised not to visit Lal Tibba during rainy days or even during any of the mansoon days. But, we had to go, we had to reach the summit to mark our attendance!

The only sigh of relief for many of us was, we could take a taxi on the way back (and of course, only after marking the attendance!). Many officer trainees skipped the lunch at Lal Tibba and rushed to Mussoorie for sumptuous meal. I was already exhausted not to try any new plan which takes more time before i eat! The same daal, chanaa, rice, puris, pickles which i had in last two treks really disappointed me. Just hope they change the menu in the next trek. But, you know, when you are hungry, taste really doesn’t matter, just eat and eat to get back to life!

Lunch and yeah, the “Neembu paani” provided some sigh of relief and helped me realize that though trek was tiresome but it was like a pleasure in the pain! The summit of Lal Tibba Hill is no less than 7500ft high. The majestic mountains around Lal Tibba just watched us struggling to climb them, throwing away their smile when we were awestruck by their beauty. Mountains still humble me, as they always did.

Many of my batchmates took taxi to get back to academy, but I didn’t want to give up, I decided to walk back as long as I can. The return route took me through the narrow streets of Mussoorie and the the famous ‘Mall Road’, a place for (plenty of) shopping in Mussoorie. As we walked on mall road, the clouds engulfed the surrounding mountains and hit us with the cold wind. There was a time when I used to look up to the sky to see the clouds, but now in Mussoorie, I have to look down from the clouds to see the road ahead. It’s like living in the clouds! Lal Tibba trek was pretty hard, but just get a feeling that I had an eventful and memorable day.

Some information about Lal Tibba:

The highest point in Mussoorie, over 7500ft high.
Located in Landhour area -- the oldest inhabited place in Mussoorie.
The buildings, the architecture everything tells a saga of an English past. After India gained it's independence, many Britishers settled here.
In 1967, the Municipal Corporation of Mussoorie ordered a Japanese Telescope which is placed on Lal Tibba. Through this telescope one can have a lovely view of many peaks in the Himalayan range like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Banderpunch, etc. [External Link]

Here are some pictures clicked:

Rashomon: "truth is relative, fragile, fleeting and uncertain"

2011-09-15T23:36:00.003+05:30

Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese crime mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa. A masterpiece and a landmark in the history of films. Though, at the end of the movie, i found it extremely difficult to understand the overall philosophy behind, a bit of thinking and extra reading opened many doors for understanding. I have heard people saying, “This is my perspective”, “That’s his perspective, he may be wrong, it depends on the way you look at it”, “He is giving an altered perspective, that’s not the truth!”, etc.. the most famous one is, “If you put everything in perspective, you will understand the ground reality”. What Rashomon try to achieve is, “Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable.”

There are four different perceptions/stories in the movie, all trying to explain, convincingly, how the samurai was killed. At the end of the bandit's version of the incident, he admits to the rape of a woman and the murder of the woman's husband (Samurai). In the trial court, the women (samurai’s wife) claims that she did not instruct the bandit to kill her husband. Samurai’s version (though he is dead, his version is heard by a ‘medium’) is altogether different. He (through the medium of a women in ghostly voice) claims that after the woman is raped and the bandit runs off after a furious fight with him and he commits suicide because he is ashamed that his wife had been raped and wants to abandon him for the rapist. Finally, there is a version from a woodcutter, a witness to the incident and his version seems reasonable though he try to cover the fact that he stole the dragger from the scene of murder. In the climax, the priest who lost faith in humanity after hearing all these “versions/perspectives”, finally see the humanity existed in the heart of that woodcutter, when he compassionately agree to take care of the unattended baby.

The message of the film seems that, "truth is relative, fragile, fleeting and uncertain. The movie is not about culpability or innocence. Instead, it focuses on something far more profound and thought-provoking: the inability of any one man to know the truth, no matter how clearly he thinks he sees things. Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable [Read More]".

What I understand is, perspectives on “something” may differ, we may be forced to compassionately accept the divergent perspectives. It is only when we try to obviate the “self-serving” element in various perspectives, we may have a chance to walk on the path towards absolute reality/truth.

Rashomon is a great movie. Please do watch! :)

Binog hills, Chengez and I: An experience of lifetime!

2011-09-11T19:59:00.001+05:30

With a cloudy sky above, lush green mountains around and a wonderful horse to ride, the experience of trekking in the mountains of Himalayas is something I never imagined in the wildest of my dreams. Just before leaving for the trek to Binog Hills, the horses of LBSNAA were lined up near the gate. I was quick to find my horse Chengez and the instructor. The moment i came to know that at least for the first 4-5kms the horses will accompany us, i lost no time in asking if I can ride on Chengez. Just after two horse riding classes, I never thought my instructor would allow me to ride on risky mountains. He did and I thanked him with that “Yes!” feeling!

Chengez and I, just before leaving for the trek

As I mounted on Chengez, for a moment, I did realize that its not going to be a cow pasture ride, it’s a Himalayan ride and the terrain is not flat! The only encouragement was the presence of riding instructors and many of my batch mates who were walking with me. A no-nonsense horse Chengez beneath, a cloudy sky above and a spectacular beauty of lush green mountains around, the experience of Binog trek is something i will cherish for a long time to come.

Binog hills is one of the high peaks around Mussoorie. There is a small temple of Jwala Devi at the peak. A very beautiful place with a spectacular view, just 4-5kms from Clouds End. Clouds End is a resort situated at the extreme west of Mussoorie hill, around 4kms from the academy. “The resort is surrounded by thick forest, offers a wide variety of flora and fauna besides a panoramic view of (snow clad) mountains of Himalayas and Yamuna river.

After the breakfast at Clouds end, I had to leave Chengez behind and walk towards the Jwala Devi temple at the peak. 4-5kms path wasn’t that difficult to walk and the heavy rain on the way made the trek even more exciting. I decided to walk without an umbrella and a jacket, it had been a long time since i walked in the rain. The view of clouds engulfing the green mountains, the sky turning black, and the rain bringing the chilling cold, the experience was amazingly great!

On our way back from the peak, the clouds around us were so thick that the visibility was reduced to less than 10 meters. We had to be little careful due to the rain and slippery path. Leeches made it even worse. Reaching the bottom of that mountain was quite difficult but it was worth the pain. Soon after our lunch, we had to climb another mountain to reach the academy. Pushing ourself up the steep hill was really tough and the slippery concrete path on the way made our life even more difficult. After reaching the academy, a strong coffee at “Ganga Dhabha” near the hostels provided a sigh of relief!

“The experience of Binog trek, especially riding on Chengez, lasted a short while but the memories will last a lifetime!”.

Here are some pics clicked on the way.

Chengez and I

Single file!

Spectacular mountains.

Thick clouds in the b/g

With PK Gera sir

Lush green canopy.

OOOTAaaa (lunch) :)

Clouds engulfing mountains.

Kempty Falls Trek: The mountains always humble me

2011-09-04T01:22:00.000+05:30

On my way from Dehradun to LBSNAA Mussoorie, the lush green Himalayan (Shivalik) hills made me feel I am on top of the world. I thought i am really blessed to be here in Mussoorie, especially in LBSNAA. As a part of our foundation course, today (3rd Sept, 2011), academy had arranged for a short trek to Kempty Falls near Mussourie. Having spent 5 years in the concrete jungles of Bangalore, nature always provided me the much needed sigh of relief. The mountains and their lush green canopy always humble me. They are always there and have stood the test of time. They have seen thousands of generations, stood there as mighty bastions of god’s creations, thrown away beautiful smiles when every man was awestruck by their beauty, they humble the mortals as nature always do.

I am (i should say, i was) not a trekkoholic as many of my friends in college and office (Bangalore). Many a times, i found one or other reason to take the road rather than trek route to enjoy the beauty of mountains. But today, compulsory trek for OTs (officer trainees) made me realize that there is a pleasure in the pain of trekking!

The trekking group wasn’t small. All the 260+ OTs were made to trek down to Kempty falls and climb the shivalik hills to reach the academy. This was being the first outing and the first trekking for 86th FC (Foundation Course) batch, all the “officers” were trying to woo each other, especially ladies, and rightly so! After all, though it’s officially called “Short Trek”, it was long enough to exhaust all the energy and enthusiasm.

We were asked to assemble at around 8.30AM, but we could leave the academy only at 9AM, after the mundane instructions were given. The Director of LBSNAA formally flagged off to mark the beginning of the trek. Unlike all the treks which usually starts with going uphill, reaching the top and coming down, our trek was quite opposite. We had to walk down the hill since academy was at a higher position than the trekking destination - Kempty Falls!

There were no risky places to cross and the route we chose to reach Kempty was well known. There were couple of settlements/villages on the way. But what was really fascinating was the scenic beauty of Himalayas. We were already at such a height that it was like walking “in the cloud”. The clouds kissing the mountains were at the same level as our path. It was a treat to watch clouds coming down towards the valley through the green canopy on the mountains. The water streams between the hills made those majestic spots even more beautiful.

There were plenty of photographic enthusiasts who were excited to photograph every beautiful spot they found. I never missed a chance to get myself photographed from others’ cameras since I didn’t have a good camera. All that I have is 5 mega pixel camera that came with my Nokia phone.

Our trekking group was so large that (260+ OTs), we covered 1 - 2 KM path at any given point of time. There was no need of any guides to lead us since our training instructors were with us and they traced the same path a day before to make sure “all izz well”, they even marked directions on the way. On our way, there was a tree plantation event coordinated by Ecological Task Force and LBSNAA. I too, planted couple of saplings just as everyone else did. The Kempty falls wasn’t too far from the event location, so we reached the falls without much of effort.

About the falls, i don’t think there is any need to copy paste from wikipedia, you can read all about Kempty Falls here (wiki).The water was really chilled and it falls from such a good height that you feel like some chilled ice crystals are falling on you. We spent some time in the water and had to start back soon.

The real test of endurance started from the Kempty Falls. I still had some energy and enthusiasm to scale the heights of Himalayas to get back to academy. We had chosen different route on our way back and it was again a treat to watch those beautiful mountains from different locations. Since couple of us had spent more time in the waters, I was again one of those last few OTs who were lagging behind. So, couple of times I chose some risky short cuts to cut short my path and it was worth the risk! It gave a sense of achievement to overtake many OTs who were far ahead of me!

When I reached the top, out of exhaustion or may be out of little sense of achievement I thought, I conquered the mountains around LBSNAA, but it was short lived. The mountains conquered me. Looking at those giant structures, I realized that, I overcame my weakness and gained a sense of determination and accomplishment. This trek did challenge my limits and crossing those limits and scaling the new heights is always fun. Nine days long trek (in October) is a part of our foundation course and I am looking forward to challenge this new limit and scale the new heights in Himalayan mountains!

Here are some pictures clicked (Will upload rest of them soon).

On the way

Shivalik hills in the b/g.

Shivalik hills

On the way back

Near the falls

With Rawatjee, instructor

Tired and finally reached!

Majestic Shivaliks!

Yes, this blog is still breathing, safely!

2011-08-31T22:56:00.000+05:30

It’s more than a year since I blogged regularly. A friend of mine had asked me if my blog is dead, just as many other blogs do soon after the initial enthusiasm of the author/blogger dives deep down! I never had a great number of followers to my blog and I never expected any of those subscribed readers to follow my blog. I used to blog so that i could improve my writing skills in Kannada and English and ultimately to do well in (UPSC) mains. I never expected that blogging as a hobby could help me a lot for UPSC interview.

After I got through civil service, i had this apprehension of writing something which might land me into some sort of trouble. So, never really bothered to write my views on some “issues” as i used to do earlier. But not “thinking” of something because of not writing for a long time might lead to some sort of bankruptcy of ideas. What I understood is, a hobby should never be let die down and I thought I should rediscover my hobby - blogging.

I just hope that my days in Mussourie and later on in NPA will have plenty of interesting things to share which might interest the readers. One might remotely feel who cares about what I write here, but I do! I am sure some day it will be of some help to some one, at least me!

So, before any one asks if my blog is still breathing, my answer is, “Yes, this blog is still breathing. Very safely, in fact, it is going to get a new life very soon.” :)

The more you see, the more you want to see!

2011-04-22T12:29:00.000+05:30

I remember reading Mark Twain’s quote on travelling, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”. Basically, on your death bed, if you look back and see your life through your memories, you should never say, “Oh s**t, I should have done that! or I should not have done that!”. It’s been quite some time since I have been trying to avoid that awkward situation.

I did know that, “the world I perceive is drastically simplified model of the real world”. I had a deep desire to travel and see places that I had never seen before and see life through them. With this inclination in mind, training in Faridabad came as a pleasant gift and I didn’t even try to change the training location (to Mumbai), so that I could explore North India.

After being “Bangalored”, last four months, far away from home, have been a wonderful experience. Every time you cross a linguistic or cultural boundary, there is always something which fascinates you. There will be plenty of “wow! this is really cool” kind of situations. In every such situation, you will have something to learn and take back home. “When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.”

Just as in my engineering days, training has given me a chance to make friends from all parts of the country. It’s not rare to hear, “Oh! this is totally different in our place! Or In our place, this is our favourite food!”, yet, there is something which connects people, something which brings them closer and give way towards making plenty of good friends and learn something from them. “The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway[Henry Boye]”.

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted. [Bill Bryson]”. I still haven’t travelled enough to say “I love travelling!”. But I am certain that I will, at least in the next one year and explore new horizons. So far, the more I saw different things, the more I realized that I should see more places and things in life!

NACEN Times : When 'e' starts empowering the 'governance'

2010-12-30T10:04:00.000+05:30

Having worked over five years in private sector that too in software industry, i (think i) cannot fall short of understanding how important technology can be in making life simpler. Talking to someone on instant messaging to get a quick info, exchanging emails to facilitate our understanding, or even better, using online collaborative tools to arrive at a logical conclusion, using analytics tools to predict the market, etc, have taken business and management to a new horizon. "Technology and business have become inextricably interwoven."

Most of us are of the opinion that usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in public sector is still in infant stage. Whether the government has sufficiently used ICT to deliver the services efficiently is a debatable topic. However, studying e-governance and ICT related projects under Government of India while preparing for civil services exam and after joining the services, what i have realized is penetration of technology in government is far greater than what most of us would think.

Civil services (IRS) training which began few days back reminds me of my Entry Level Training Programme (ELTP) in IBM Software Labs. Way back in 2005, I thought government sector could never beat the standards being set in private sector, at least in the training domain. E-governance initiatives in our training academy are far more futuristic than what i had imagined. In the academy, the e-governance initiatives deserve lot of appreciation.

National Academy of Customs, Central Excise and Narcotics (NACEN), is the Apex institution for training the IRS (C&CE) officers. "NACEN has taken a number of initiatives in the recent years for improving the training quality. It's state of the art website is rated as the top website amongst all National Academies of India. (I didn't like the UI though!). The most striking feature of the website is its hundred percent dynamic modules. [NACEN Quarterly]".

"In order to ensure the quality of the training, the online feedback module was developed which captures the feedback and suggestions of the participants and generates an automatic email to the trainer. All the Probationers (trainee officers) are registered with the website and they apply for leave online, discuss important issues amongst themselves and with faculty of the academy and ask questions from experts. The polling module helps the academy in conducting poll on any important issue while the SMS module sends important information to probationers and faculty within no time. The Attendance module captures the attendance of probationers and the punctuality is ensured by Biometric Attendance System. All the lecture halls of the Academy are connected with state of the art CCTV cameras which provides real-time 360 degree high resolution video of training, live in the room of Director General [NACEN Quarterly]."

After getting to know about all these initiatives in the academy, in my own interest, i had a small opportunity to have a glance at the back-end system which does all this. Trust me, it was nothing short of a well planned system. It is designed in such a way that trainees and faculty, with little bit of curiosity in computers and technology, can make the best use of it. Having said that, i have no hesitation in admitting that, User Interface (UI) would have been better, but the system still works better! I feel they should have given little more importance to UI aspect.

I guess this is just an example of one small entity of the government. Initiatives undertaken by National Informatics Center, National e-governance service delivery system, India portal, India Development gateway, etc, would reflect the spread of ICT in the system of governance. If you think government sector is no better user of technology, think again!