महासागरों को मणिपुर की चुनौती : लेफ्टिनेंट विजया की शौर्य गाथा

महासागरों को मणिपुर की चुनौती : लेफ्टिनेंट विजया की शौर्य गाथा

देश के सुदूर पूर्व में छोटे से गाँव के एक किसान की बेटी क्या नहीं कर सकती अगर मन में ठान ले तो. यही कहानी है वर्दीवाला के इस अंक की नायिका की. आज से कुछ वर्ष पहले मणिपुर के बिश्नुपुर जिले में जन्मी विजया देवी ने कभी सोचा भी नहीं था कि एक दिन वो दुनिया भर के महासागरों को एक छोटी सी नौका से चुनौती देगी. बिश्नुपुर, इम्फाल घाटी से लगा हुआ एक सुन्दर इलाका है जो कि किसी समय आतंकवाद से सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित था. ऐसे में वहाँ की लड़की का सेना में जाना अपने आप में एक बड़ी बात है.  न मणिपुर में न दिल्ली में अपनी स्नातकोत्तर पढाई करते समय विजया को कभी ये इल्म था कि वो एक दिन नौसेना की सफ़ेद वर्दी पहने गहरे नीले सागरों की सवारी करेगी. पिता कुंज्केश्वर  और माता बिनासखी देवी कि 29 वर्षीय पुत्री ने हाल ही में एवरेस्ट चढ़ने से भी कहीं ज्यादा जोखिम भरे काम को अंजाम दिया.  विजया ने दिल्ली से अंग्रेजी में एम.ए किया और तत्पश्चात बी. एड करने के बाद 2012 में नौसना की शिक्षा शाखा में बतौर अधिकारी प्रवेश लिया. हमेशा कुछ नया करने को तत्पर विजया को जब ‘तारिणी’ मिशन के लिए चुना गया तो उनकी ख़ुशी का ठिकाना नहीं रहा. 6 महिला अधिकारियों की टीम ने कुल 8 महीनों में तीन महासागरों को पार किया और और चार महाद्वीपों में पाँच देशों की धरती पर पाँव रखा. 254 चुनौती भरे दिन और हर एक दिन ऊंची लहरों, ख़राब मौसम और अनजाने कितने ही खतरों से खेलती हुई विजया और उनकी टीम अभी हाल ही में वापस स्वदेश लौटी है.

मणिपुर राइफल्स से रिटायर हुए उनके पिता ने विजया को वर्दी की ओर आकर्षित किया. धुन की पक्की विजया ने कड़ी म्हणत और लगन से वर्दी पहनने के अपने सपने को साकार किया. तारिणी मिशन पर जाने से पहले विजया नौसेना अकादमी में 2 वर्ष तक प्रशिक्षक रह चुकी हैं. संगीत और कलाकारी की शौक़ीन लेफ्टिनेंट विजया ने नौसेना के इतिहास में अपना नाम स्वर्णाक्षरों में लिख दिया है. उनकी शौर्यगाथा आतंकवाद से जूझ रहे मणिपुर के युवाओं को साहस और देशप्रेम का सबक देगी और चुनौतियों से मुकाबला करने की हिम्मत भी. विजया के विजयी जज़्बे को ‘वर्दीवाला’ टीम का सलाम. 

राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी के शिक्षण स्टाफ पर सीबीआई का छापा ( देश की प्रमुख सैन्य शिक्षण संस्था के साथ गलत खिलवाड़ )

(वेब पोर्टल mediawala.in के अंतर्गत सेनाओं से जुड़े स्तम्भ 'वर्दीवाला' में मेरे लेख .... पढ़ते रहिये ....)

राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी के शिक्षण स्टाफ पर सीबीआई का छापा

( देश की प्रमुख सैन्य शिक्षण संस्था के साथ गलत खिलवाड़ )

राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी के शिक्षण स्टाफ पर सीबीआई का छापा

( देश की प्रमुख सैन्य शिक्षण संस्था के साथ गलत खिलवाड़ )

राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी देश की ही नहीं पूरे विश्व की सभी अकादमियों से अलग और ऊपर है. वहाँ तैयार होते हैं न केवल हमारी तीनों सेनाओं के भावी अधिकारी, बल्कि दूसरे देशों के प्रशिक्षु भी . मैंने अपने जीवन में कुछ अच्छा और नया सखा तो मैंने वहीं सीखा. देश, वर्दी, टीम, संघर्ष, भाईचारा, बलिदान  और भी न जाने कितने आदर्श जो कि आप हमें सिर्फ  पुस्तकों में मिलते हैं, राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी में एक कैडेट के जीवन का अभिन्न अंग हैं. सैनिक जीवन के मूल मन्त्र किसी योगशाला या धर्मशाला में नहीं बल्कि ऐसे संस्थानों में मिलते हैं. ऐसे में सीबीआई की रेड और उसे एक अलग ही रंग देने का मीडिया का उतावलापन एक महान संस्थान की छवि पर ऊँगली उठाते हैं.

मैंने राष्ट्रीय रक्षा  में  अकादमी सन 1989 में  प्रवेश लिया और तीन वर्ष के लम्बे प्रशिक्षण में एक साधारण युवक से युवा सैनिक में परिवर्तित हो गया. अकादमी में JNU से  स्नातक की डिग्री मिलने का प्रावधान  है जिस के लिए  अकादमी की शिक्षा शाखा में असैनिक (सिविलियन)  स्टाफ होता है. हमारे समय के अध्यापक और विभागाध्यक्ष अकादमी के सैनिक प्रशिक्षकों से भी अधिक उत्साहित हुआ करते थे और कई शिक्षक तो दो से भी अधिक दशकों से वहाँ कार्यरत थे. ये वो समय था जब कि उनकी चयन प्रणाली में किसी बाहरी संस्था का हाथ नहीं था. असिस्टेंट प्रोफेसर के पद से कार्यकाल शुरू करने वाले अध्यापक एक एक सीढ़ी चढ़ के प्रोफेसर और फिर विभागाध्यक्ष के पद पर पहुँचते थे.  2007 के बाद ये ज़िम्मा UPSC को मिला और हर स्टार पर अलग चयन प्रक्रिया पर आधारित सीधी भर्तियाँ होने लगीं. साथ ही देश के बाकी संस्थानों में चयन प्रक्रिया में जो गड़बड़ियाँ और धांधलियां होती हैं, यहाँ भी धीरे धीरे आने लगीं. UPSC एक बड़ी संस्था है और उस पर ऊँगली नहीं उठाई जा रही. पर वहाँ काम करने वाले लोग देश की सुरक्षा की मर्यादा और उसकी गंभीरता से अपरिचित हैं.  मामले की जाँच चल रही है और शिक्षकों की नियुक्ति में बड़ी गड़बड़ी पायी गयी है. प्रधानाचार्य ओम प्रकाश शुक्ला के साथ कई  अन्य शिक्षक हैं जिन पर गलत दस्तावेज़ प्रस्तुत करके पहले प्रविष्टि और तत्पश्चात पदोन्नति पाने का आरोप लगा है. ध्यान रहे कि चयन प्रक्रिया से अकादमी को अलग रखने का नतीजा है कि ऐसे लोग राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी में नियुक्त हो रहे हैं, जिनका अपना चरित्र संदिग्ध है. आग्रह है कि भ्रष्टाचार को इन संस्थाओं से परे रखें और इन संस्थाओं के भी चयन के नए मानदंड तय करें.  कृपा कर के सेना की नींव को कमज़ोर न करें. कैडेट, जिन्होंने आगे जा कर देश की सुरक्षा की बागडोर संभालनी है उनको  नैतिक, मानसिक और शारीरिक तौर पर सही प्रशिक्षण देना पूरे देश की साझी ज़िम्मेदारी है. मैंने उन तीन वर्षों में जितना सैन्य प्रशिक्षकों से सीखा उतना ही अपने सिविलियन शिक्षकों से भी. वो सब आज भी हमारी स्मृतियों का अभिन्न हिस्सा हैं क्यूंकि उस वक़्त वे सभी राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी के आधार स्तम्भ थे. सीबीआई की जांच का अनुरोध भी रक्षा अकादमी के अधिकारियों ने ही किया था . सोचने और विचारने का विषय तो है ही, सख्त कदम उठाने का भी समय है. UPSC और चयन प्रक्रिया से जुड़े सभी महकमों को आतंरिक जाँच कर के गलत व्यक्तियों को दण्डित और निष्कासित करना होगा. राष्ट्रीय रक्षा अकादमी ही क्या किसी भी शिक्षण संस्थान की चयन प्रक्रिया पारदर्शी होनी चाहिए.

देखिये मित्र भी  कैसे  बन जाते हैं। गौतम राजरिशी ने प्रदीप मिश्र जी  का पता दिया और बात की बात में जनवादी  लेखक संघ की काव्य गोष्ठी में अपनी रचनाएँ सुनाने अवसर मिला कल। साथ में दादा कृष्णकांत  हैं और उनकी  कवितायेँ सुन कर एक अलग ही दुनिया  आभास हुआ। इतने महान कलाकार ही जगह मिलना एक साथ संभव  नहीं होता।
ये हिंदी में ब्लॉग भी कल की गोष्ठी की ही देन है। प्रभु जोशी जी से  भी मिलने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। प्रदीप मिश्र और प्रदीप कांत दोनों ही मित्रों ने पता भी नहीं  दिया कि मैं पहली बार ऐसी किसी गोष्ठी में आया हूँ। अलकनंदा साने ( जो कि प्यार से ताई भी कहलाती हैं ) जी ने बाद में मुझे बताया कि मेरी पुस्तक 'खुद से मुलाकात ' कई वर्ष पहले किसी पुस्तक मेले से उन्होंने ली थी।
एक नए ही अनुभव के साथ वापस आया कल।

Who Let The Dog Out, Stories from Kashmir #Indian_Army

WHO LET THE DOG OUT

Major Sarkar's company located near Ramban played a key role in maintaining peace and tranquility in an erstwhile sensitive area. The patrols kept the miscreants at bay and instilled confidence in the local population.

Major Sarkar, himself a thorough gentleman, had made good friends in the area and he was liked and respected by all. However, his reputation was put to test recently through a minor incident of Dog bite.

A stray dog moving behind one of the patrols happened to attack and bite one boy named Akhtar. Major Sarkar's men chased the dog away and took Akhtar to their post and administered first aid. The boy was safely handed over to his parents alongwith medicines. This should have been the logical end of the small story. But that was not to be. Sarkar received a call from Sub Inspector Sheikh the same evening saying that an FIR had been lodged by Akhar's father that his son had been bitten by an Army Dog.

Sarkar, a battle hardened soldier was un-fazed by the preposterous allegation. He drove upto the police station and explained the matter. The local shopkeepers who were witness to the entire episode, confirmed Sarkar's statement. Sheikh reprimanded Akhtar's father, who broke down and said that he was asked to lodge the FIR by the head of local madrasa.

End of the story. No!

The same dog, the very next day, again walking behind a foot patrol from Sarkar's Company, happened to attack and bite Farida Begum, an old lady who sold vegetables in the market. Sarkar's boys gave a chase to the dog and killed him. That the dog had been killed was not known to the madarsa head who himself had come to the Deputy Commissioner's office the next day with a complaint, that the Army unit were targetting his community members through a well thought of plan under which they were feeding and training the disease infected dogs.

Major Sarkar got a report from the Deputy Commissioner Office and Sarkar asked the DC to hold the Madarsa head in his office till he had arrived.

In DC's office, in presence of Major Sarkar the gentleman went ahead with his rhetoric of Army being against his community. He alleged again that it was a specially trained Army Dog.

`Very well Shahabuddin Sahab' said Major Sarkar politely. `We have taken action on your complaint. We caught the dog yesterday, court martialled him for repeated grave offences and awarded him death sentence”. He added “and I have brought the dead body of the accused as evidence”.

There was a smile on Deputy Commissioner's face and Sahabuddin's face, was for the first time; expressionless. The Dog of propaganda had finally bitten the dust .

Open Letter to Stone Pelters #Indian_Army

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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE STONE PELTER INC

My dear Stone Pelter,

Yes ! the stones thrown by you have caused some ripples in the sea but its just ripples and nothing else. Your pictures have appeared on the covers of magazines, hate videos on Youtube and Google has accepted stone pelting as a new form of non-violent protest. As your face is always covered behind a mask or a cloth, I am forced to write this open letter. Some of you, I am sure, are literate enough to read this, and a handful of you may be hit by this `non violent ' stone of mine. Yes! I am concerned about you. You are a young man. You are the future of the nation, state, district, town and more importantly your parents. I must caution you that stone pelting will never get you the right answers, let alone a decent job because even though you may have mastered the art of throwing a store for more than a 100 yards, and hitting `many birds with one stone', it still cannot be added to your resume for a job application. As it is, most of the stones thrown by you,do not hit anything at all.

The uniformed people whom you are tangetting have adequate protective gear now and god forbid, it DRDO develops an automatic stone pelting machine for them. Your masters do appreciate your effort, with a cuppa of `Kahwa' in their hands, and a kangri in their `Firan'. They smile when they see you live on the TV. They are safe behind the walls of their houses while you are out in the open. I wonder if you often get the feeling of being a puppet. I also14 wonder what kind of ideology needs stone pelting as the medium of communication. You may be convinced about your methods but its not very popular among the masses. Think from the point of view of your parents and your siblings and you will have the answer. Day after day i see quite a few of you bringing the life in some areas to a standstill. But, have you ever wondered, its the life of your own people. Your actions have harmed your own friends and neighbours. The children of your area miss the school for daysat a stretch. What future are you going to promise them? That of a stone pelter only, if i am not wrong. I am sure that most of you don't even know what are you doing, but some day someone will ask you. Someone very dear to you will ask you as to why you threw stones at their future.

I suggest that you better have answers for him. The property that you damage is your own and a large sum of money will eventually be spent ( read wasted ) in repairing the damage caused by you. Don't you think there are better ways of spending the same money? I also request you, my friend to carry out a detailed cost analysis of your actions. You have successfully scared away the tourists to you beautiful state. The image that the world carries about you is that of a masked man with a stone, a stone against whom, the pictures do not suggest. The popularity of the basic Sufi ideology has declined. From paradise on earth, the beautiful abode of yours has been converted into a conflict zone, to which i do not see a logical end, neither do you. Your masters may have tried to kill Buddha at Bamiyan or Jesus Christ at so many church bombings but unfortunately Gods do not die this way.

You yourself doubt your masters but you can not go against them. For them you are the cannon fodder and they want to exploit you to the hilt before you open your eyes to see the truth. I also feel that deep down you are scared too. Scared of the reality, scared of the questions and challenges that a peaceful state will throw at you. For your own fears you do not want the situation to improve. Some wise man said, “Be the change you want to see” . The success of Aam Admi Party has proved that silent candle light marches generate more powerful emotions than stones. Ideologies are better conveyed through logic and emotion. Try it for change and you may, some day, hit the spot. The identity that you are trying so hard for, can not be established if we can't see your face. Its time to wake up and face the real world my friend.

Yours truly

Amardeep

A Bridge Not Too Far : #Indian_Army

                                           A BRIDGE NOT TOO FAR

Village Kotranka and Mohra do not figure on the first page of Google search, nor does Ans river figure in the Indian Mythology. Not to mention the 20,000 population of there villages as none of them have cleared CAT, GATE, UPSC and nor these villages have produced MS Dhoni or Katrina Kaif. The chances of news of a footbridge connecting these villages figuring on the first page of a national daily ( or on any other page ) are as remote as polite drivers in the NCR.

The why should this piece figure anywhere at all. It is hardly newsworthy, lacks sensationalism and is devoid of controversy of any kind. It does not merit attention of the so called 'aware' public of the state or the nation. But then,it should because, though small in effort, the job done by boys of Nagrota based Engineer regiment is by big and noble in thought.

The footbridge on this nondescript river in the nondescript area of Samote in J&K was connected by a stone and earth ramp on both sides. The local arrangement worked fine till the monsoon showers depleted the ramp. It became unsafe for use and Ans river soon assumed the proportion of a formidable obstacle. Daily there were reports of women and children and elderly men slipping while trying to negotiate the ramp. Many got injured, though none of them seriously but for the population of almost 20,000, the depleted ramp indeed was a cause of major concern.

As good Indians, we seem to adjust ourselves with whatever ecosystem we are put into. No one of value seemed to notice and none of the lesser mortals ever complained. The depleted ramp continued to be an insignificant event among the big events like Maha-rallies of political bigwigs, high profile murder cases and such like things. Things would have continued like that and in a matter of few months, villagers would have constructed the temporary ramp once again. The fact that the delay may have led to a major accident or loss of life is another story. After all, we have just sent a mission to Mars and as they say, there in no upper limit to human endeavour. But equally true is the omnipresence of the divine power which we lovingly refer to as God.

So, the God directed an Army patrol from the local Rashtriya Rifles battalion to go and cover the village Kotranka. Major `Eversmiles' the patrol commander noticed the missing ramp and instructed Subedar ' Never Frown' to remind him once the patrol reached their company base.

In the 'OK Report' to his CO, Major `Eversmiles' brought out the issue and colonel 'All yours', called up the the CO of the Engineer regiment. No letters had been written to any authority by the helpless villagers, but God's will is God's will. Colonel `Always At Work', the CO of Engineer Regiment moved a vehicle loaded with necessary manpower and stores the very next morning. It took the RR company assisted by the Engineer boys just three days to connect the footbridge to the river bank and all of 20,000 villagers finally had a sigh of relief. The aim of this story is not to put village Kotranka and Mohra on the Google's list of most searched places, nor to compare river Ans with mighty Brahmaputra. Nor it is to give out of turn promotions to the officials involved (Thats why the names have been exchanged with their character traits). The aim is to highlight the small little good deeds which are likely to get lost forever in the `Google sea of nobility'.

soldier@the platform

i see a train at the platform
is it waiting for me?
for i have been away so long
is it waiting for me?

when i left,
when i left my town
she had tears in her eyes
eyes big n brown

she wanted me to come back
fearing what the war might do
her lips were sealed
but her eyes said i love u

is the train her friend
or does it carry a sad song
for i have been so far away
and away for so long

not one letter she wrote
not a message she sent
the train am sure was everyday
it came to town and went

has she forgotten
all that we shared
has she lost the fact
that i cared

mama told me to be a man
stand by the nation as a wall
love for the country is and
should always be a man's first call

and now that the enemy pushed back
now that the blood days are behind me
her scarf takes me to another world
her touch and love it reminds me

and then there is this train
loaded with the past
that the love for the woman
should also last

i need some effort to make
and tell the train to take
take me to her town
and rest into those eyes

eyes big and brown....