Col. Ganesan

கர்னல் கணேசனின் அகத்தூண்டுதல்கள் -
Col.(Retd.) P. Ganesan

அகத்தூண்டுதல்கள்

வியாழன், 7 மே, 2020

Officership in the Army.-2

All Army units are organised into self functioning small groups who can join together and deal with battle situations. The groupings will depend upon the type of operations ie either Offensive or Defensive.It may also depends upon terrain and the impact on it by weather.

In all military operations inspite of all supports the ultimate decisive factor would be, the men,and the courage and endurance of the men.That is where leadership plays an important role. Un fortunetly the officership in the Army does not encourage National integrity at all places but cautions the officers to be tactfull in dealing with situations.Since our country is governed by civil supremacy our National integriy is dictated by ruling political party.

India as a country has great history that we were the world leaders in many fields.But even there , personal enimity came up to destroy National pride and honour.That is how the country of 525 princely states went under British rule.Had Vallabhai Patel not been Home minister at the time of Freedom, we would have been back to square one with the same Princely states. The Indian army inherited many Rules and Regulations from the British.The Officership of the Army slowly and steadily indianised.But the quality of leadership got diluted to indian style, which includes Corruption,Favouritism, Napotism and many such viruses.

There is a difference between Leadership and Management.Leadership is of the spirit; Its practice is an Art.While Management is of Mind.Its pactice is a science.

Managers are necessary;But Leaders are essential .

The Leadership today is mis demonstrated as Managers.The Indian Army requires Leaders and not Managers.Ganesan entered Army without knowing anything about Army except Patriotism. Patriotism is not serving superiors;It may be defined as Loyalty. But Patriotism is even eliminating a superior if he is against National interest.The basic quality of a leader is to stand infront of a group who will automatically accept him as their leader.So Ganesan started developing such qualities which will project him as an un disputed leader. Physical fittnes,professional competence and total integirity were the corner stones of his fort.

An Engineer Regiment though authorised about 25 Officers,generally posted with 12-15 officers only.Out of the 15 ,leaving 4-5 senior officers rest of the officers would be of the rank of Captain and Majors.It is here the favouritism starts.Remembering the type of Officers entry,Ganesan who entered as Emergency Commissioned Officer was in the lowest order of merit.If he has to draw the attention of higher commanders he has to be an outstanding officer.Hence Ganesan did not leave a single stone unturned.

He was awarded best sports person,in Swimming,Basketball and Atheletics.As a routine he used to run 20 Km daily,followed by one and half hour Basketball play.and then 5 Km Swimming. Ganesan determined to proove that great leaders can emerge from any backgrond.

கள்ளிவயிற்றின் அகில் பிறக்கும் மான் வயிற்றின்
ஒள்ளரிதாரம் பிறக்கும் பெருங் கடலுள்
பல்விலைய முத்தம் பிறக்கும் ,அறிவார்யார்
நல்லாள் பிறக்கும் குடி..

When a person is totally dedicated to achieve greater heights and is sacrificing many comforts that would attract the youth ,then the Cosmic force bows down to him and guides him to the right path. Very prestigeous appointments were bestowed on him to gain experience.He was Training officer to train Recruits.He was officer in charge to train young officers of Corps of Engineers at the college of Military engineering,Sports secretary at the same time there,Commanding Officer of an Engineer Regiment,National Mission Leader to South Pole,Battalion Commander of Recruits Training Battalion,and finally Additional Chief Engineer.

Some unique oppurtunities came on his way which engraved his name in indelible mark in the history of this country.

1.He was part of Engineer Re-organisation to form 4 Engineer Regiment and the only Officer, who repeatedly came back and finally Command the Regiment.He was the first to Command in the rank of COLONEL .
2.In his 30 years 4 months Army service,he had served only in one Regiment and that is 4 Engineer Regiment.All other time on Extra Regimental Duties.
3.He participated in 1965,1971 wars ,both with 4 Engineer Regiment.
4.On completion of Command in 1987,he was selected for National mission to South Pole. He was the first and only officer from MEG &Centre to go as leader to Antarctica
5.He was President's Parade organiser,in the 250 years history of MEG.
6.He was the first & only officer in the world to do Para Sailing at Antarctica.
7.He had served in the Deserts of Rajasthan,Plains of Punjab,Glaziers of Leh-Ladak,Jungles of Arunachal,Andaman-Nicobar (short period )
8.He was awarded President's Vashisht Seva Medal for distinguished service.
9. He took mother earth from his birth place and sprinkled around Indian station at Antarctica. while returning he brought rocks weighing 1 ton which were in ice over 50,million years and established "Inspirational Park "at different places,including National Military Memorial, only one in the country ,located at Bangalore.

Does these points indicate to the readers that Leadership need not be a birth right of few.

In all the places of his appointments he was conciously honest and did not yield to any pressure. He went beyond the call of duty to educate and improve the quality of soldiering as he himself was a front line soldier. When an young boy died in the swimming pool,where Ganesan's soldier was incharge .Ganesan was asked to take disciplinery action against the soldier.But Ganesan conducted a summery of evidences and proved that the soldier was not at fault and hence no disciplinery action could be taken.

A recruit in his second year of training, at the Training Battalion,went away without permision and returned after about 40 days.Ganesan conducted a summery courtmartial and prooved that though physically the recruit had completed about two years training,mentally he is still a civilian on the road side.Mentally becoming a soldier is the personal quality of the individual where he has miscerably failed.Hence he is not likely to become a soldier and therefore dismissed as "un suitable to the Army " Many of the officers who had great ambitions and joined the Army were keen to claimb the promotion ladder.But for Ganesan,promotion is not a welfare but the right of the Officer based on his merit.So our distinction do not lie in the places we occupy but in the grace and dignity with which we fill them.

Ganesan served the Army with Pride and retired with Honour