Dear Surjit Uncle,
First I want to apologise to you for taking so long to reply. Due to some personal business, It took me a while to write back to you. I liked both the write-ups. Especially the second one which is a life experience. Both the stories showed the pre conceived biases that we carry towards others and most of the time our behaviour is dictated by that. In Vanity that mooch wala sahib, i feel is the ego which we carry inside and sometime it makes us pay dearly. But both the stories have something to tell which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Hope u don’t mind my delayed response and keep sending me the stories.
And a Very Happy New Year to you.
Regards
Nita

My day is incomplete without remembering you. Yesterday, I was there in MDC & I was telling new manager & GET coordinator (like prasad) about you, Prasad & Anupal.
I am currently working with New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore as HOD automobile. All my faculties are familiar with you though they have not seen you (through my experience sharing).

Pradyumna is studying BE MECH in Bangalore. Currently, exams are going on. Once he returns to Hosur, I will send our photo.

I have read half moustache story. I recollected that you had told me the same earlier. Enjoyed it again. Clock tower – repair was also a good one.

Thanks for wonderful writing & sharing.

Regards / Dr. BV Prabhu

checks my
EGO CANCER
from spreading
thanks ji

Prakash.

1. I happened to visit your website an hour ago to read the folklore, ‘Vanity’. It was forwarded to me by our IMA batch-mates’ yahoo group, ‘doondec78’. The story is written in a very lucid style and it made a very interesting reading. Somehow the moral of the story seems rather far fetched and its connection to present OROP andolan is tenuous one.

2. Firstly, I talk about vanity. Vanity is a universal characteristic found in all human beings. In a varying extent, all human beings are vain. Shakesspeare made his famous statement about vanity of women. Nirad C Choudhury wrote a voluminous book, “Culture in vanity bag’’. Norman Dixon delved greatly into vanity of soldiers in his book, “Psychology of military incompetence”. In which profession do we find people without vanity? We find vanity among politicians, industrial and business class, academicians, sportsmen, bureaucrats, judiciary, legal profession, police, film personalities and even among so called selfless social workers and among sadhus. You name the profession and you find it full of vain people. I think, vanity or in other words, an exaggerated idea about one’s own abilities, virtues and achievements, is what makes people strive hard to succeed in their chosen fields. The problem is what is the accepted dose of vanity? How to differentiate between vanity, ego, jealousy, pride and self respect? I feel, it is the people in uniform, when they hang their boots, mature into having a justified pride about their jobs well done, during their younger days. Most of them hold a philosophical view about life in general. Most of them look at others’ vain behaviour with a smile and a chuckle. A study showed that after WWII, when most universities opened their doors for veterans to pursue study, large number had chosen philosophy for their study. Most had seen the wanton destruction of life and ravaging of earth, and wanted to find the deeper meaning and purpose of their existence on this earth. So, even if the story’s one of the characters is a fouji man portrayed in the backdrop of WW I milieu, I sympathize with ‘Khan’. Had the initial part about his spend thrift nature and vainglorious ways been omitted from the story, it would still have been equally captivating story. I feel it was added only for the desired effect.

3. Secondly, the moral of the story, could have been equally appropriate if the devious and deceptive ways adopted of business people were highlighted and how they play a game of ‘profit’ even with gullible foujis. It all depends on what one wants to prove! Here Iquote two sentences. The first is, “Business is the skill of taking money from other man’s pocket, without resorting to violence.” The other one is, “Behind every fortune, there is a crime.” I see a huge number of ex foujis being successful in business, industry, service sector, self employed work and even in social, political and co-operative fields. MBA is a recent phenomenon which began in late 60s. Who was running business before that? It was the forces officers, who ran the business conglometates. Good year is the celebrated example of it. The company was facing a massive recession and slump after WWII. It was the group of three officers who managed the company and within three years, they wiped out the losses and brought it in a healthy state. So let us not underestimate and run down the entrepreneurial skills of retired foujis. There is of course, a small number of foujis who waste their lives, but that number is much less than in other professions. Even foujis who decided to lead a quiet, retired life, have been leading more fulsome, wholesome and meaningful life, than many people from other professions.

4. Thirdly, connecting this story with the OROP andolan to partially and minimally compensate the enormous financial loss and consequent hardships faced by veterans since 1973. It is an effort to establish quite teneous relationship between the two. After having cheated by succesive govts for 42 years, after having shown immense patience by veterans if they do andolan in a peaceful, non-destructive and disciplined manner, what is wrong in it? It would be great injustice to andolak foujis to attribute them a greed of money as a motive. It is the andolan for restoring the honour and status of foujis vis a vis their civilian counterparts. Our honour, status and the standing has been systematically decimated during last four decades. How can Andolaks be compared with the ‘khan’ of this story? I earnestly feel, we all ex-foujis must give at least passive support, if not active participation in OROP andolan. In case, if some feel that the present method is not proper, they should suggest an alternative method and provide the leadership to the alternative method. Sitting quiet upon the issues of injustice would be a display of defeatist attitude.

5. Lastly, Please note that, I have only expressed my feelings and thoughts on this story ‘Vanity’ and its connection to OROP issue. I hold the general saab and other contributors with respect. There is no intention whatsoever to hurt any body.

With warm regards.
Major Prakash patil (Retd)