CAREER CHOICES

CAREER CHOICES -   By Col Deepak Kher

       I was born in a fauzi family and later went on to join the Sainik School at Satara. These two events sealed my career choice even before I realised that there could be other careers as well. Joining the armed forces alone became the goal in life; after all getting ones name on the roll of honour at the School was and probably still is a major achievement.  Having now retired after serving in the Army and later in a public sector undertaking, one looks back with nostalgia at some of the career choices that are available in the Govt.

Armed forces will remain at the top of the choices for the simple reason that it was the chosen profession. Life in the Army (similar aspects would hopefully apply to other two services) is challenging yet enjoyable. One forms strong bonds which last a life time, with coursemates, units and formations served in or even places as small as Gachham. Life in the services is unique in that one has to work hard and serve in all sorts of places, in peace stations or field. The wives  and the children bear the brunt of it especially when the person has to go to the field station leaving them behind, but then the organisation looks  after the members all the way, even after retirement. . Having recently attended two get togethers, the feeling of nostalgia about the time spent in the unit and enjoyment of meeting long lost friends was really to be seen to be believed. Army is not all about playing and partying though, there is plenty of training to be undergone as well as to impart. There are also a variety of jobs that one is required to undertake with meagre resources and time constraints and all this keeps one on his toes. The move up the chain is very competitive since its a very steep pyramid out there and if 9 is not your boss’s favourite number and not your lucky number as well, your professional competence alone may not be of much help. But the respect that Fauzis still command in the Society proves that at the end of it all, armed forces remains the preferred choice of many.

All India services like the IAS, IPS etc were earlier quite prized careers. Although the selection process is similar, albeit with a higher educational requirement, their service graph is entirely different to the Fauzis. Earlier, they had to deal with the vision of the politicians and ensure its delivery to the citizens. Somewhere down the line and with the passage of time, there was and is no vision and the all India services people have become the servants of the political masters. Imagine being posted to states ruled by some of the regional parties who know they cannot last more than one term in office and one can imagine the plight of such govt servants. One thing in their favour though, they have a hand in all the decision making and get the best of the deals for themselves. Also their move up the chain is guaranteed and they have great prospects at post retirement placement within the govt, enjoying even more perks and status than they did while in service. And if they land up in lucrative ministries, who knows, even the likes of ambanis pick them up.. One may never see an all India services person settle in the neighbourhood after retirement since they are the chosen ones and get land and housing at subsidised rates along with the politicians. And when they decide to join politics, there is not much of a hue and cry unlike when a Veteran does.

  

 A small note about PSUs, I happened to get in to one in 2003 but could never understand the need for the kind of politicking and the rivalry between various cadres that existed. Working there, one realised that one is expected to go with the system, not work too hard and let matters be. On the contrary, trying to work hard was looked down upon and got one in to trouble. Going up the chain there too is much easier, its getting the prize postings where knowing people got better dividends. People are good too but there is no incentive to work hard, do I sound like a person for free enterprise?

That brings me to the politicians who are there to “serve the people.” Immediately after independence, most leaders were visionaries, had given up lucrative careers to join the movement and their lives were full of sacrifices for the cause of the nation.

They are the ones who laid the foundations of the country. Two or three decades down the line, things changed so very much that being a politician became a dynastic right of the privileged few,  starting at the very top. We now know who the next MP/MLA/Corporator will be because the choice sare limited to families on either sides. Success is no longer measured by how many institutions/facilities have been created but by how much the wealth has grown from one election to the next. When reservations of seats for women was announced, the ladies of the house also came out but we all know who continues to wield the power. Politicians get to establish Universities and Schools, sugar and other cooperatives and also win contracts for their near ones. Now in the age of visibility, the birth days of all members of the family are well known since huge billboards with photos announcing the dates and good wishes of other hopefuls are put up all over, without caring for rules and regulations. Apart from all this, the politicians get to make rules for themselves and get their pay, perks  and pensions enhanced from time to time without much discussion, after all jiski lathi usiki bhains!  If a person really wants to look after generations to come, politics in India provides the one real choice. Of course life in that field too must be tough and then people like Arvind come along and spoil the fun.

So at the end of it, when I look back I know I made the correct choice of leading a life of dignity, living by the rules and ensuring that, one served the Nation and ensured that the persons who served in the units and formations got what they deserved and needed to carry out their tasks. And I continue to enjoy life as a Veteran.

Col Deepak Kher (Retd)

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