How to choose a General?

Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of army officers to select the first General of the Indian army.

Nehru proposed, "I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of Indian Army as we don't have enough experience to lead the same."

Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the men in uniform and civilians present nodded their heads and agreed

However one officer Nathu  Singh Rathore asked for permission to speak. Nehru was taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, he asked him to speak freely.

Rathore said ,"You see, sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation too,  so shouldn't we appoint a British person as first PM of India?"

You could hear a pin drop.

After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, "Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army ?"

Rathore declined the offer saying "Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us."

This is how the brilliant Gen. Cariappa became the first General  and Rathore became the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army.

My thanks to Lt. Gen (retd) Niranjan Malik  (PVSM) for this article.

The characteristic of courage with a sense of duty and honour displayed by Lt. Gen. Rathore, is increasingly rare to find, unfortunately even in our armed forces.

Most people in present day society suffer from bone problem, too much in the head and too little in the spine.

What can you do with Rs100 ?

Across the globe people are deeply dissatisfied with their governments and leaders. No one buys their glib talk anymore. Here is an example why;

In the lower house of the Indian Parliament called the 'Lok Sabha', a government MP (Member of Parliament) narrated a story to glorify his leader .....

"There was a father who gave 100  Rupees each to his 3 children and asked them to buy things and completely fill up a room.

First son bought hay for 100  Rupees but couldn't fully fill the room.

Second son bought cotton worth 100  Rupees but unable to fill the room completely.

Third son bought a candle for One  Rupee and lit it up and the room was filled with light completely."

The MP added "Our Prime Minister is like the third son. From the day he has taken charge of his office, our country is filled with the bright light of prosperity"

A voice from the opposition asked "Where are the remaining 99 Rupees??