Lungar Gupp XXXVII

1. Seniority List. The 'tentative' All India Seniority List of Security Officers (Grade 'A' to 'C') has been notified by DAPM, Central Office. The list is supposed to be as on 01 January 2008 and the notification is dated 28 January 2008. All security officers have been advised to scrutinise the list and report errors and omissions (which are plenty !!) latest by 28 Feb. We received the list only on 22 Feb. It is also available on the DAPM web page. So go ahead and have a look and start pointing out the errors/omissions fast.

2. Market Value. Guys, what would your reaction be if I were to tell you that one of our brother officers has been offered a job which pays Rs 1,20,000.00 (yeah, that is 1 lakh 20 thousand) per month cash (NOT CTC) plus a Scorpio vehicle, plus a laptop etc etc. The employer is willing to take care of the officers' liabilities towards the Bank also. Howzzat ?? Jaw dropping, eye popping and what not isn't it ?? It is great to know that such attractive packages are available in the job market for security professionals too.

3. Congratulations !! To all the five officers who have been selected for Grade 'B' in our cadre recently. I know this is belated - but, better late than never aint it ?? Now these newbies should be prepared for postings (going by recent trends !!) to fresh (read Godforsaken) stations. All the best.

Lungar Gupp XXXVI

1. The Exodus Continues. Maj R.M.Bade, CPP, has submitted a request to the Bank to allow him to work in another organization while maintaining his lien on the Bank on the same lines as Capt Muralidharan. Here's wishing him all the best for a happy 'grazing' in new pastures and hope that the Bank grants him the lien !!

2. Grade 'A' to 'B' Promotion Interviews. Interviews for 5 vacancies in Grade 'B' in our cadre have been scheduled for 15 Feb 2008 (at last !!). The first timers are raring to go (they are lucky to make the grade in 5 years of service !) I have had some queries regarding 'tips' in this connection. Well, for starters, just type 'Tips for Interviews' on the search bar at the top of my blog to get the 'tips'. Best of luck to all those who will be scratching the starting line.

3. Monkey Business !! This is another howler connected to the President's visit to Karnataka in the first week of this month. As reported by one local daily, the President was scheduled to visit 'Hampi' and some overzealous state government officials started a 'monkey catching drive', as they perceived the simians to be a security threat. This, understandably had the animal-rights folks 'up in arms' and some even threatened to go on a fast in protest. The monkeys, it seems, were given goodies to eat and got free medical treatment and were let off exactly from where they were picked up - the precincts of a famous temple !! Just goes to show 'dont try monkey business with monkeys in India'.

Proud to be an Indian

1. This month began with a VIP visit when we played host to HE the Governor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA). The dignitary who was accompanied by one of his directors spent two days at Bangalore. I was given the task of looking after the VIP during his visit to the city. In addition to local sightseeing the esteemed guests were also scheduled to visit Wipro and Infosys offices. On the day we were supposed to visit these giants of the Indian industry, HE the Governor asked me to show him the Tata 'Nano' car on the road as he was very curious about it. On being told that the car would hit the roads only in October this year, he was a bit disappointed. Nevertheless, I was quizzed by him about Tata vehicles at length - types, manufacturing facilities etc, etc. I was amazed at his interest.

2. On reaching Wipro, the VIPs were given a warm welcome and a series of presentations followed highlighting the achievements of the company which is truly global now having offices all over the world. We spent nearly half a day at the facility which seemed like a massive college campus having sprawling landscaped greens, water bodies, spotless buildings and roads. We were informed that around 20,000 employees were working there. The atmosphere was cool and informal. Mr Azim Premji being out of the country at that time, the proceedings were conducted by members of the top management of the company.

3. At Infosys we were lucky to meet Mr Narayana Murthy, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor and the audience with him was truly an education for me. I have had the good fortune of interacting with him when he was a member of our Central Board and he was always an epitome of humility and politeness. He still remains the same though he has acquired a 'professorial' charm now. He alone conducted the 'class' for us and took us around the huge Infosys campus which consists of 50 odd buildings, well spread out and some of them being architectural marvels in their own right. The campus was again flush with all the amenities one could wish for - food courts (serving international cuisine), ATMs, shopping plazas, a world class gymnasium etc. We saw people of different nationalities working at Infosys.

4. What was most impressive was the 'Infosys story' to which we were given special screening in the auditorium. Mr Narayana Murthy told us about the Infosys Global Education Centre at Mysore. This facility consists of 20 million sq ft of training space with 10600 single bedrooms. Around 20,000 people can be trained over here on any given day. It has 285 full time faculty and senior officers of the company are encouraged to teach here whenever possible. In 2007 infosys recruited 28000 engineers who are being trained here (the total number of applicants was a staggering 1.6 million). A memorable feature of this visit was the plethora of original 'quotes' and 'one-liners' which Mr Narayana Murthy used during his briefing. The visiting dignitaries were very impressed with this experience.

5. What is common in all the above paragraphs is that the stalwarts heading these organizations have an association with the RBI. While Mr Ratan Tata and Mr Narayana Murthy have been our erstwhile Central Board Directors, Mr Azim Premji is currently on the Board.

6. Another fact which I would like to mention here is that both the facilities described above are really world class. Once you enter the perimeter gate, you are transported to a different world. No wonder people give their eye teeth to land a job at these companies and the attrition rate is very low. These facilities can give a run for their money to any 'phoren' locale !!

These are some of the things which really make me proud to be an Indian.

CGM हम बन नही सकते और ......

Guys,

I recollect a 'gem' from my army days ! In one of the peace stations where I was posted there was a breed of officers who were called 'Part 'D' failed types'. These stalwarts were stuck at the 'Major' rank as they had failed to clear the Part D exam on successive attempts (and had eventually given up !!). They were characterised by their boisterous demeanour, shirking the assigned duties unabashedly and downing 'Rum' (and ONLY Rum !) by the bottle in the mess at last light (which was the start of the binge - the end used to be in the wee hours of the next day)।

One such guy in my unit had coined a phrase which he used to proclaim loudly at every gathering (thereby justifying his life style) which went thus :

" Colonel हम बन नही सकते , और Subedar Major हमे कोई बना नही सकता !"

If I were to coin a similiar phrase in our present occupation (or predicament ??), it would be something like :

" CGM हम बन नही सकते , और Caretaker हमे कोई बना नही सकता !"

So guys just relax and take it easy !!

'Painter's' Devil !!

The honourable President was in Bangalore recently and BBMP (Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike) had proudly displayed the following poster on the roadside near the airport welcoming "His Excellency" to the city !!

Sainik School News

Firstly, I want to draw the attention of the readers of this blog to a very thought provoking article titled " Rediscover the Sainik School" written by M.P.Anil Kumar who happens to be an ex- Indian Air Force pilot. This article can be read at http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jan/25anil.htm . You can access it by clicking on this link. The article is about the alarming shortage of officers in the defence forces and lists some practical suggestions to overcome this problem, including the need to nurture the sainik schools and military schools. Do not bother to read the comments at the end of the article as a majority of the 84 comments posted are not worth a read.

Secondly, I am happy to post here that the Old Boys Association of my 'Alma Mater' - UP Sainik School, Lucknow have revived their website and are doing a great job. The website can be viewed at http://www.upsainian.in/ . I have given a link to this site on the right side toolbar of the blog page also. Upsainians are urged to view the website regularly !!