भारतीय सैन्य आणि प्रांतिक सीमेचे शिक्के ...

बापू, आज रेजिमेंट ही काय संकल्पना आहे? कारण प्लॅटून,कंपनी, बटालियन, ब्रिगेड, डिव्हिजन या संकल्पना माहित आहेत. रेजिमेंट ही संकल्पना आज कशा प्रकारे वापरतात?

सेक्शन | प्लॅटून | कंपनी | बटालियन | रेजिमेंट | ब्रिगेड | डिव्हिजन | कोर | कमांड

धागाकर्ता मापं यांचे जाहीर आभार. त्याखेरीज असे "वाचनखूणा" प्रतिसाद मिळालेच नसते.. बाप्पू स्वतंत्र लेखमाला लिहायचं मनावर घ्याच जरा. बानकशी प्रतिसाद माहीतीने आनंदीत नाखु

बापूसाहेबांच्या ताजमहालाला आमची एक वीट THE WORD Regiment is derived from Latin word ‘regimen’ which means a rule or system of order, and describes the Regiment’s functions of raising, equipping and training of troops. Every Regiment has its own characteristic colours, uniform and insignia, and accomplishments in combat zone. They become a fundamental object of allegiance, pride and esprit de corps of its soldiers. In the Indian Army Regiments are of two kinds - battalion-sized units of arms like the Armoured Corps, Artillery, Engineers, and Signals, or a specific mixture of Infantry battalions. In Artillery, the complete Artillery mass in the order of battle is known as the Regiment of Artillery. The Infantry Regiments are identified by their distinctive individual names; they have a Regimental Centre for training and equipping of the staff for the infantry battalions of the Regiment. The Centre maintains records of each soldier till he retires and is out of service. The Record office and the Pay and Accounts offices perform these functions. These Regimental Centres send qualified soldiers to infantry battalions which are assigned to tactical units - Brigades and Divisions. The infantry battalions known by their individual Regimental number and name are active units fit to fight and carry out desired duties in the battle. The Regiments are headed by a Colonel, who is a high-ranking officer. The Colonel of the Regiment is the head of the family and is responsible for the protection of the best interests of the Regiment. He is almost always an officer of General rank who at one time served in the Regiment. The idea is that such a person would take personal interest in the well-being of the Regiment, its troops and its widows. The way the wounded and dead are handled in a battle is a powerful example of Regimental spirit. In the Regiments of Indian Army it is a matter of honour not to let a wounded comrade fall into enemy hands. Many a time special operations have been carried out to recover wounded soldiers. A major feature of the Regimental system has been to train young officers to ‘know their men better than their mothers do and care even more.’ Practically it requires officers to learn the Regimental language in the shortest possible time; not to eat till their men are fed; excel their men in physical fitness and handling of weapons; become epitomes of military disciplines in punctuality, turnout, and thoroughness; play games with their men, spend time in their langars and dining rooms, coach them to be the best in the unit in all soldierly activities, sports and behaviour. They are guided by just one ideal that is, their performance and that of their men must be worthy of the good name of the Regiment. This system gives them a sense of belonging and a cause bigger than themselves and acts as a crucible for promoting espirit-de-corps. Regiments provide a living example of how Indians, without abandoning their religious belief or ethnic pride can whole heartedly work together for the good of the country. It is a brotherhood in which Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians try to excel in their service for the good name of their Regiment, Indian Army and the Country. Battle Honour days have been devised to remind all ranks of a Regiment of the achievements and sacrifices of their predecessors. There is nothing better than the study of Regimental history to understand these traditions and inculcate pride in them. Every opportunity is taken to remind the members of those achievements and traditions so that a high standard of behaviour, courage and comradeship is set. This is done through the Part-I orders, evening roll call time, lectures, unit Darbars and Mandir, Masjid, Gurudwara, Church parades. It is with this repeated treatment that a soldier learns to practice unselfishness and find roots and pride in the traditions of a Regiment. Hence, we can say that the Regiment becomes the religion of those who have the honour to serve in it.

रेजिमेंटेशन चे फायदे आणि आवश्यकता यावर एक नजर कोअर कमांडर १५ कोअर श्रीनगर, लेफ्ट जनरल आटा हस्नेन यांच्या ब्लॉग वरून साभार A commentary on Indian society and the Indian Army's Regimentation; why this support system for soldiers is still the best The trigger for this piece is a question from a Facebook friend, to whom I am most thankful. The question alluded to reasons why Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is so rampant in the US and indeed other Armies operating in areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq and in the same light what is the experience of the Indian Army with PTSD in our operational areas. This is as good a question as any and why it never struck me to write on this earlier beats me. Perhaps I am just presumptuous and I take our Army for granted just as so many others among my countrymen do. A saving grace is that in 2011 while in command of 15 Corps in Kashmir I instituted a study to examine stress levels in my Corps which undoubtedly has the highest level of operational engagements anywhere in the Army. 7000 officers and men were given an instrument by my outstanding medical staff, whose contributions remain a little unsung in the world of machismo and a bit of 'ramboism'. The reason for this was the run of suicides we were hit with. The study did help the Army’s outstanding doctors to arrive at various reasons for suicides but that is not the subject of this essay although I do not wish to underplay the findings. The study helped me as an individual to arrive at my own reasons for the levels of stress or lack of it in operational areas all over the Army's vast deployment. Let me describe three scenarios from my own operational experience. The first is from Op Pawan, the IPKF's long drawn deployment in India’s first out of area operation (OOAP). The second is from the LoC where I take the case of a unit deployed in a mode to ensure the sanctity of the LoC (which essentially means, no change to its current status, which in turn means that not an inch of the territory in our control should change ownership) and prevent any infiltration of terrorists from POK. And, the third is of an RR unit deployed in depth but close to a forested area with population centres nearby in Kashmir. These are classic examples of the way Infantry and some other Arms function in operational areas. new_img After the blood and gore of the intense phase of operations in the Jaffna Peninsula in Oct-Jan 1987 the IPKF settled to more routine counter insurgency (CI) operations. There was really nothing routine about them because the LTTE's well-trained cadres fought almost like regulars and less like militants. Units were deployed in company groups at operating bases (COBs) with an area of responsibility. The LTTE could muster as many as 100-200 men at a given point and if ambushed could actually conduct counter ambush drills to break the ambush, quite unlike militants. Their own ambushes were well sited, in large numbers and almost always accompanied by IEDs. Patrols which went out could not let down their guard even within hundred meters from the gate of their posts. Units which remained inside posts without dominating their periphery suffered because the approaches were mined by daring young tigers that crept up as close as ten meters from posts. Trees were booby trapped as were bushes. On the coastline near the town of Mullaitivu an attempt to occupy posts with 20 men or so met with response from 50 or more militants, leading to the Army suffering heavy casualties. Leave parties left and arrived once in three weeks when the road was opened and there was no certainty about reaching destinations without an engagement. As a company commander, if I went on an operation with two platoons I always remained worried about the state of security at my COB where only 20 men were left. Equally when I was at the COB I was always ready to rush for reinforcement of any other company or my own men out on operations. So what can be expected in such an environment except a severe state of tension especially since failure meant loss of quite a few lives. The Indian Army takes casualties with much concern and a high loss of lives without commensurate infliction of higher losses on the adversary is hugely frowned upon, leading to even accusations of inaction and cowardice on part of officers. An entry such as this in your CR means the end of career. neww_imgt The LoC deployment is in posts and picquets and in some places can be as low as eight men. In the Uri sector is a high altitude area of height 14000 feet and more where snow levels top 35 feet and the area of approximately a company plus (functionally 120 men) is cut off for six months. Extremely difficult evacuation of sick soldiers or casualties by helicopter is possible only with severe risk. The evacuation of small posts to reach the mother post before heavy snow sets in is always fraught with danger and is a unit commander’s nightmare. That leaves routes open which terrorists could sneak through with risk only terrorists can take. Every year a few frozen bodies of dead terrorists are found. In summer, isolated posts can be attacked by Pakistan regulars mixed with terrorists (BAT teams). So can our logistics parties which carry out advance winter stocking for almost six months and move on predictable routes every day, be ambushed en route by shallow raiding Pakistan elements. By day it is essential to carry out snow clearance in winter. In summer there is the challenge of carrying water from sources which keep receding to a far distance (there is no system of bottled water in the Army). Then comes night and four to six man ambushes have to be deployed along the LoC fence from last light to well after first light. To ensure the right density a major part of the sub unit remains deployed along the LoC Fence and the remaining personnel ensure the security of the post. A brief description of the functioning of RR units on the CT grid is outlined. Every RR unit has its peculiar area of operations. The threat is of standoff fire by terrorists or sneak attacks on posts and not large scale attacks of the LTTE kind. In today’s environment the RR unit’s source of tension is more from bandhs and stone throwing mobs which target their vehicles or patrols. Quick thinking independent decisions are required from junior leaders keeping propriety in mind and degree of response. Small vehicle convoys have been targeted by mobs leaving soldiers in quandary over the need to fire or not to save themselves and Government property. The pressure for results in urban areas and nearby forests is ever present and unit commanders drive their troops to ensure domination and control, gain intelligence and execute innovative operations while seeking contact. I would classify tension here as high but lower than the LoC where threat to life and possibility of adverse contact is far higher. The tour of duty for Indian soldiers is usually two to three years; that of troops of western armies is six months. Despite terrain constraints the western armies depend far more on helicopter support for logistics and even for bail outs in adverse tactical situations; not so in the Indian Army except for casualty evacuation. The Indian soldier as much as the western one does not fear for his life, but prevailing uncertainty and lack of rest are two major factors for stress. Climatic conditions in high altitude areas can be a major source of tension and if soldiers fear anything it is the effects of climate. Avalanches top the list. In Sri Lanka where operational conditions were far more life threatening I used to look into the eyes of my soldiers and draw solace from that; hardly ever did I find fear writ on their faces. If there was it was due to the possibility of being isolated or detached from the subunit. The necessity of buddy contact was essential. One does not fear for life but of being detached from the subunit or being taken prisoner. What is remarkable is the complete lack of emotions to losses of even close buddies in operations. Our soldiers take the disorder of battle extremely well as well as deprivation of comforts. I always emphasized on the need for ‘sleep/rest management’ of the soldiers because that is an area which is usually neglected by the leadership. Soldiers cannot be expected to function 24x7 but the demands of their responsibility expect exactly that. On the LoC night and day is the same in terms of alert. There are cases of suicides but hardly ever is this work related. The availability of the mobile phone acts as the biggest threat. In the tense environment of the LoC or RR related operations bad news from home can act as a trigger. In many such instances it is young soldiers unable to bear the additional tension of problems at home; problems as seemingly irrelevant as a newlywed wife unable to get along with the mother in law. Sitting far away on a remote post the immediate world around the soldier may be perceived by him to be within his control but not the world around his home where the problems affect him much more. In his post or on patrol he can still share his immediate concern about safety with his buddy or his superior but sharing home based problems is a greater challenge. Marital problems are one dimension, property problems in rural areas and absence at crucial moments when something legal is involved can be extremely stressful. While leave policy of units is always liberal and the government has sanctioned two free trips home with other trips at concessional rates it is a question of timing. Everyone cannot be away from duty at harvest time or during festivals and that is a problem which the units minimize through whatever they can do to compensate. The experience of western armies has been the inability of returning soldiers to merge in society; that is a form of PTSD or an effect. Loss of partners while they were away, inability to concentrate on jobs, fits of anger and regret due to unpalatable actions in dealing with aliens and innocents in way off lands, etc; all add to the terrible isolation that individual citizens feel in developed societies. That is the saving grace of Indian society where despite prickly problems of farmer suicides or rural poverty there is family and societal support for those who are away serving the nation. It may all disappear in due course and the mishandling of OROP may very well contribute to the soldier’s dwindling confidence in the support system which Indian society and family system continues to provide. More than anything else the psychological well-being of soldiers is contingent upon the efficient functioning of the Regimental system of the Indian Army. To a visiting DG of a CAPF(/CentralArmed Police Forces) I strongly recommended a day be spent with an RR unit. This was in response to his query as to what makes an RR unit tick and achieve so much. He was kind to take my advice, spent a day at Baramula and then rang me up to say that he had got the answer. Bonding of the cap badge and the lanyard has been taken by the Indian Army to such a high level that camaraderie is natural; a soldier’s problems, from womb to tomb (notwithstanding stray cases of neglect of widows reported once in a while) are the unit’s problems. There has been much talk of diluting the Regimental system; the British could not help it and had to compromise with theirs due to downsizing. They taught us what Regimentation means; today the Indian Army can teach them a few lessons in psychological strengthening of soldiers through the Regimental system.

खरंच वाखु साठवून ठेवण्यासारखा हा धागा आहे. सगळेच प्रतिसाद केवळ अप्रतिम. सोन्याबापु, चलत मुसाफिर, सुबोध खरे आणि इतर, कृपया या विषयावर सविस्तर माहिती द्या हि नम्र विनंती. सैनिक आणि डॉक्टर या लोकांपध्दल मला कायम अतिशय भितीयुक्त आदर आहे. एक आपल्या सीमेचे रक्षण करतो आणि एक आपल्या शरीराचे. फक्त हेच दोन लोक '२४ तास कामावर' असतात.

धागा, वाचते आहे. वाखुसा स्वाती

खूप छान आणि मोलाची माहीती.

वा.खु. साठवण्यासारखा धागा आणि विशेषतः काही प्रतिसाद. तसेच विनाकारण जातीय पिंक टाकण्याचा प्रयत्न, वाद न घालता, अभ्यासपूर्ण प्रतिसादांनी कसा झाकला गेला, याचे हा धागा हे उत्तम उदाहरण.

सोन्याबापू, गुरखा रेजिमेंट आणि पर्यायाने गुरखा ह्या समूह बद्दल माहिती देऊ शकलात तर उत्तम. हा समूह अतिशय कडवा असतो असे वाचले आहे. तसेच प्रचंड चिकाटी आणि शौर्य ह्याबद्दल कथा ऐकल्या आहेत. हे सैनिक परदेशातील (नेपाळ) येथील असू शकतात का ? तसे असल्यास भारतीय सैन्यात त्यांना कसे सामावले जाते ?

खुप छान माहीती मिळत आहे..

खूप माहितीपूर्ण प्रतिसाद आहेत.

भारतीय सैन्य आणि प्रांतिक सीमेचे शिक्के ...

हे शीर्षक वाचून दचकले होते. पण प्रतिसाद वाचून जीव भांड्यात पडला.

सोन्याबापू यांचा प्रतिसाद दिलासादायक आहे. निदान सैन्यात तरी जातीपातीवरून उच्चनीच मानसिकता नाही. तरीदेखिल सामान्य नागरीकांचा समज हा दिसणार्‍या रेजिमेंटच्या नावावरूनच होतो (जसा माझा आणि इतर वाचकांचा या आधी होता). लोकांची जातीबाबतीतची मानसिकता बदलणे हे फारच कठीण आहे, त्यामुळे ही नावे बदलून सैन्याकडे बघण्याच्या दृष्टीकोनात थोडासा फरक पडणार असेल तर ह्या जातीच्या नावांना चिकटून रहाण्यात विशेष हशील आहे असे वाटत नाही.

Short Service Commission बद्दल अधिक माहिती मिळेल का ? माझ्या अपुर्‍या माहितीनुसार यामधे १५ वर्षेच सर्विस असते आणि नंतर रीटायरमेंट असते ( काही लोकांनाच पर्मनंट कमिशन मिळते)

सैन्यात आरक्शण का नाही ?

माहितीपुर्ण लेख .

हाच निकष लावला तर कधीतरी होणार्या लढाईसाठी सैन्यतरी कशाला? शत्रु आला कि भरती सुरु करावी.