Remembering

Remembering

Yesterday was Vijay Diwas. 

I wonder how many even knew what that was. For those who didn’t, it was a day of remembering; remembering events that took place a lifetime ago. More importantly it was a day to remember the people who made things happen during those fateful 14 days. 

We try to cling to memories, but the realities of life become all pervasive and memories of those eventful days begin to blur. I was a schoolboy then, and my only recollection of the ’71 War were the blackouts and the bold headlines in newspapers. It was the twilight of my father’s army career, and my elder brother was still at the academy, so the war was far away for me. It was only much later I understood that my father’s younger brother, at that time was leading a brigade into what became Bangla Desh, while a cousin was with his infantry battalion elsewhere. 

There were thousands of other families affected in one way or another, but I was simply too young to appreciate the intensity with which the war had pierced so many households.

During the intervening years, I went through my own career and began to see things a little more clearly.

With electronic and social media becoming penetrative, and with the impossible pace of life in all spheres, it is easy and convenient to place a ‘Like’ on a catchily captioned photo of a wreath laying ceremony at India Gate, and then move on. 

You have, after all, done your bit to ‘remember’ Vijay Diwas and the blurred picture of the surrender ceremony.

But let me describe to you in another way, how you can perhaps do justice to those hazy memories.

Spare a thought for those hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen who went out to do their duty unsure of what lay ahead and perhaps more than a little nervous with anticipation. Were they scared? Very likely. Did they think they would never see their families again? Surely many of them did.

Most returned, thanking their gods, to reunite with their families. But there were many who returned without a limb, or with horrible injuries, scarred for life, unable to carry on with their lives in the way they had just a week or ten days earlier. There were even many who never returned.

Spare a thought for their grieving families – lives cast adrift in the ruralscape of India, young widows forced to marry against their wishes, younger male members of the same family. Elderly parents barely able to care for themselves and now forced to look after a daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Uncertain, insecure wives with scared children.

Try to picture the hellish situation in which young Arun Khetarpal must have found himself, in a solitary, crippled tank with bombs exploding around him and no one to turn to for help. And now imagine how he must have gritted his teeth forcing himself and his crew to stand fast and fight on in a burning tank to certain deaths. 

Remember the stubborn determination of Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, as he struggled to hold his ground at Longewalla, desperately fighting with his meagre resources against a vastly superior enemy. Think of his cool professionalism and stoic leadership as he carefully used every piece of knowledge of fieldcraft to his advantage while praying for air cover knowing that he couldn’t hold out for ever.

Think of the single minded determination of Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, the dogged leadership of Hoshiar Singh and Albert Ekka and dozens of others who were ordinary soldiers – drivers, gunners, riflemen, signalmen, doctors, engineers, aircraft technicians, mechanics and others who simply did what was expected of them, praying for an end to the madness and their own safe deliverance.

Try to picture the sheer terror in the darkened engine room of the dying Khukri and the desperate struggle for the last breath of air as trapped men saw the water rise around them. Try to hear their hoarse screams as they struggled to breathe, till one by one they fell silent and the only sound was the sea rushing into their lungs.
Now try to imagine the steel in the eyes of their captain, as he struggled to get his men off the sinking ship, till he knew it was impossible with dozens of men trapped in the bowels of the ship. Picture him sitting there in the Captain’s chair in his peaked cap with a lighted cigarette literally looking death in the face as the ship sank under him. Imagine the courage it took to sit there while the sea swallowed him.

In those four minutes, Mulla taught generations of Indian soldiers not only how to live but also how to die. He showed by example that it was completely possible to live up to the Chetwodian motto of placing one’s life last.

Imagine the sudden silence of the dark night four minutes later with yourself bobbing in the vastness of the Arabian Sea, with perhaps a few faint cries for help from the darkness.

My dear friend, if you can stretch your imagination to picture all of this, however briefly, you would have done a great service to all those soldiers, sailors and airmen who went out to do their duty, and, their families who stayed back and prayed.

For that, is what Vijay Diwas is all about.
Remember them.

Security Of India’s Offshore Assets

Security Of India’s Offshore Assets

Challenges and Opportunities

By

Cmde Sanjay Tewari, retd, Business Head, CISB Technologies Pvt Ltd

(Article Written For A&S INDIA)

India’s land border on the western front is well demarcated, illuminated and fenced, where feasible. In contrast, the maritime border is neither visible, being only a line marked on navigational charts while another line 200 nautical miles seawards, demarcates India’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where India has exclusive rights to oil and gas exploration, drilling, mining for rare minerals, fishing and any other form of economic activity.

The EEZ covers a sea area of roughly 2.7 million sq km, which, in perspective is nearly three fourths of India’s land area. Within the EEZ various companies, both state owned and private have been awarded blocks for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons. These areas are collectively known as the Offshore Development Area (ODA).

In the Western ODA, the farthest field lies 160 Km into the Arabian Sea. There are 13 process complexes, 214 well platforms and 25 – 30 rigs or drill ships. In terms of economic investment, ONGC alone has pumped in close to $ 27 billion. The offshore fields currently produce 25% of India’s demand for crude. On the east coast, the offshore produces 75% of India's demand for natural gas. Clearly, the offshore is a vital area from the point of monetary investment and maintaining India’s energy security.

The threats to the Offshore are numerous and ever changing – apart from the possibility of infiltration and sabotage from inimical elements, and physical occupation of platforms, which are obvious, a vigil also needs to be maintained against hijacking of vessels, deliberate collision by ships against platforms, vandalism and damage to unmanned platforms, damage to pipelines at land-fall points and attack by hostile craft, among others. This requires that all ships and boats operating around platforms be observed closely.

In order to better monitor movement of ships and boats, a number of networked radars are installed on offshore oil platforms to provide a composite maritime picture of the entire ODA to the navy. This surveillance is backed up by armed patrol boats maintaining a physical presence in the area. The sea area of the ODA has been placed off limits to shipping, with general ship traffic being re-routed around the ODA. Vessels entering the ODA for legitimate purposes are required to obtain permission from the GOI before they are permitted to enter. This includes a physical verification of the vessel and crew by the Navy.

Vessels displacing more than 300 tons are required to have Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders installed, that provide essential ship identification information when interrogated. Thus at any time, the Navy is aware of the credentials of all ships inside the ODA. Ships that do not fulfill the security criteria, or are observed to be straying from their designated courses are visited by the prowling patrol boats. Backing up the patrols are Naval and Coast Guard aircraft and ships. While entry and movement of ships has been effectively controlled and monitored, security imperatives are complicated by the presence of numerous fishermen in their small boats.

During the fishing season, there are literally hundreds of boats, none of which have AIS transponders. Although a zone of 500m around the oil platforms and rigs has been designated as a no fishing zone, fishermen have been found fishing in the immediate vicinity of platforms, since fish are attracted by the lights of the platform and the gas flare at night. Many of these fishermen have no I Cards. While the GoI has embarked upon an ambitious program to issue Smart Cards to all sea going fishermen, only about 20 lakhs have been issued cards, which still leaves a number nearly four times larger waiting for Smart cards. Similarly smart card readers are also required in large numbers, with each patrol boat requiring at least one reader.

Vandalism by fishermen at night on unmanned platforms is a perpetual problem as they tie up their boats quietly and use the platform for cooking and sleeping and in the process help themselves to copper or other valuable materials. While it is feasible to install movement detectors and cameras, the information cannot be sent in real time as it is done on land. While on land it is feasible to use GPRS to transfer information in real time, SIM cards do not work beyond a few km out to sea. Similarly, the manned platforms need measures to warn them of approaching fishing boats since it is not possible for patrol boats to be everywhere.