Sunday, January 15, 2017

Army Day Musings – Part 2 – Military Celebrations

Today is Army Day.

There will be Army Day Celebrations with Pomp and Show, Impressive Parades, Military Ceremonies, Social Functions for VVIPs VIPs and Civilian Elite, Bara-Khana Feasts, Cocktail/Dinner Parties etc 

In the midst of all this celebration – does anyone pause and introspect: “What does the soldier think about this…?”

Has anyone asked a Soldier what is his perception, what he thinks is the reason, as to why Army Day celebrated…?

Well – many years ago – a Sailor told us his candid views on Navy Day (and Navy Week).

The Sailor said – that  in his opinion: 

The Aim of Navy Week Celebrations was to “impress civilians”…

Read on… 

MILITARY CELEBRATIONS
A Sailors Perspective
Ramblings of a Retired Navy Veteran
A Fictional Spoof
By
VIKRAM KARVE


NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK – The Navy Perspective

Every year  the 4th of December  is observed as NAVY DAY by the Indian Navy.

In the Indian Navy  the Navy Day celebrations actually extend across the entire week in which the Navy Day falls  and this week is called the NAVY WEEK.

The Navy Week celebrations are held mainly at Mumbai  and on a smaller scale in other Naval Stations like Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Goa etc  and in landlocked New Delhi too.

In Mumbai  the Navy Week Celebrations culminate with Beating the Retreat Ceremony at Gateway of India  and the grand finale is the spectacular Navy Ball at the end of the week on Saturday.  

During the Navy Week the Navy tries to showcase its capabilities to the civilian public by holding a series of combat demonstrations, live displays, parade drills and events like band concerts. 

Sometimes  Naval Families, Navy Veterans and prominent citizens are taken out for a day at sea to observe “shop window” exercises which demonstrate salient aspects of the navy at sea.

In a nutshell  as far as the Navy is concerned  the Aim of Navy Day and Navy Week is to showcase the Navy to Civilian Citizens (and VIPs/VVIPs)


NAVY DAY and NAVY WEEK – A Sailors Perspective

This happened many years ago  in the 1970s.

A few weeks before Navy Week  responsibilities were allocated to various ships  and our ship was required to present the “continuity drill” display to be held at the Gateway of India 

The sailors on our ship started their drill practice one month earlier – and they practised very hard at least twice a day – even when the ship was at sea.

As Navy Day approached – the sailors rehearsed day and night for the “continuity drill” display to be held at the Gateway of India during Navy Week.

continuity drill is a most precise and difficult parade drill since the entire parade drill sequence and movements are to be performed without any words of command.

That is why it requires rigorous practice and repeated rehearsals before it can be perfected.

The sailors were practising without break for over a month  during working hours  and also in off-working hours  including on Sundays and holidays  in order to perfect the continuity drill.

The sailors long hours of painstaking efforts paid off.

The continuity drill” event was a great success.

The Navy Top Brass congratulated our Captain on the excellent performance of our ships sailors.

After the event  I came across one of my newly recruited sailors who had taken part in the continuity drill.

I congratulated the young sailor on his performance and I asked him:

“Do you know why Navy Day and Navy Week are celebrated...?”

“To impress the Civilians...” the sailor said.

“What...?” I asked surprised.

The Sailor looked at me and said: “Sir – this whole Navy Week Tamasha is just to impress Civilians and they make us sailors slog so much for it – we have been practising this continuity drill day and night – even our shore leave had been stopped because of Navy Week Continuity Drill practice  I am so happy the whole Navy Day and Navy Week Tamasha is over...

At first  I was surprised  and taken aback by the sailors answer.

Then  I saw that there was wisdom in what the raw young sailor had said.

The entire Navy  all of us  were slogging away for weeks  to put up a show for civilians.

Yes  we uniformed Navy Officers and Sailors were desperately trying to impress civilians – the same civilians who frankly did not give a tinkers damn about us  although they seemed to be enjoying the spectacle we were putting up for them.

I remember a friend of mine  who was in-charge of organizing Navy Week Activities  heave a sigh of relief once it was all over.

The Naval Officer remarked in disgust: 

“This Navy Week Tamasha must be scrapped. We screw ourselves for many weeks to put up a show for these bloody civilians who just don’t care for us... 

Sometimes  I wonder whether it is worth in putting in so much extra effort to try and impress Civilians who don’t care two hoots about the Navy and Naval Sailors.

I wonder whether Civilians understand the sanctity of Navy Day and similar Military Occasions, Parades, Combat Demonstrations, Ceremonial Events and Displays...?

Or  whether they treat them as spectacular extravaganzas and gala spectacles for entertainment and enjoyment...?

Be that as it may  do spare a thought for our Navy Personnel on Navy Day  and during the Navy Week.

Today – on the occasion of NAVY DAY  do think of all the Navy Sailors slogging it out on Ships and Submarines guarding the Oceans, Seas and Coastlines  so that you can sleep in peace. 

Rather than trying to impress Civilians – how about trying to impress our Sailors on Navy Day...?

Similarly on the occasion of Army Day – let’s hope that the powers-that-be and Military Top-Brass introspect on how to impress our Soldiers on Army Day by doing something tangible to improve their service conditions and morale.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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Disclaimer:
1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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This is a revised version of my story posted online earlier by me Vikram Karve on November 28, 2014 in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve Blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/11/navy-day-and-navy-week-sailors.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/12/navy-day-musings.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/12/navy-day-sailors-perspective.html

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