Motivation: "The Nation Above All"

Theme of the Army Day 2009, ‘The Nation Above All’ is apt and timely. It goes as well for Other Indians, specially the elite Govt. Services. It could even be the declared credo of the Army / Defence Services for all time to come.

Let it also be a ‘motivator’ for all Indians.

The Defence Services for long have been following the credo of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in letter and spirit which instantaneously echoes the minds and the hearts of its alumni:

"The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time.
The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.

Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time."

This credo was part of Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode’s speech made by him during inauguration of the IMA on 10th Dec 1932, which is written in golden letters on the dais wall of the Chetwode Hall at the IMA. Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode was Founder of the IMA.

Though not caught by media for whatever reasons, the Chief has done the Army proud by ‘exhibiting’ the spirit of the credo of the IMA to the Nation, for all to see and emulate. Let it be the Nation’s Punch Line!

Brigadier (Retired) Sukhwindar Singh
http://www.defenceoffsetsindia.com/
http://www.indiandefenceindustry.com/

Digital India Programmes of the Govt.

e-Governance is the need of the day. Govt. of India has started a No. of projects under the Dept. of IT in the last few years. This would help e-Governance to reach Your 'door steps'. We learn as we use these facilities and update the Systems accordingly. Here is a brief:

State Wide Area NWs (SWANs): Started in 2004, SWAN aims to provide digital connectivity across the State. Provides 2 mbps connectivity within Districts and Blocks with wireless connectivity from Blocks to Villages. There is 8 mbps connectivity between District HQs and the State HQ.

State Data Centres (SDCs): Are as per the needs of the State(s) for e-Governance. These Centres help in aggregating services through common e-Platform for G2G, G2C, and G2B.

Common Services Centres (CSCs): In 2006, budget for setting-up 100,000 CSCs at the rate of one CSC in every six villages with equitable geographical spread has been approved. These will provide video, voice and data content for e-Governance. CSCs will be Kiosks.

National e-Governance Plan (NeGP): Approved in 2006, NeGP aims to provide various types of services in certain priority to the Nation based on e-Platforms. Certain Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) at State and Central Levels have been identified, and also integrated MMPs like, e-Biz, e-Procurement, e-Courts, e-Trade, NeGP Gateway, India Portal, etc, are underway. As of now, there are 27 MMPs approved.

e-District: It is MMP under NeGP for delivery at the District level.

Execution of these Initiatives is a great challenge for the ICT Industry and the Professionals. Certain projects related to e-Governance of India are well underway, and are showing promise.

Brigadier (Retired) Sukhwindar Singh

http://www.svipja.com/
Credit: Telecom Live, Jan 2009.

Motivation: Three Skills of an Ordinary "Genius"

I'm convinced that a great life is rarely built on a brilliant flash of inspiration or on profound insight. More often great lives are built by ordinary people, doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well.

Do you remember the old cliché that even the rich and famous "put their pants on one leg at a time?" I've always loved that insight. It gives me a sense of power and freedom and boosts my self-esteem. It gives me a chance to be "just like" my heroes.

This week I read Stephen Ambrose' biography of President Eisenhower. Obviously, "Ike," was one of the great heroes of World War II and arguably one of our better presidents. But he wasn't "brilliant" in terms of IQ. He was in the middle of his class ("average") at West Point, and no one saw him as a unique talent. Ambrose makes the comment that if one fortuitous promotion that sent him to work in Washington had gone differently, "the world would never have heard of Col. Eisenhower." How true! And, in a wonderful way, how inspiring!

Eisenhower did have three great gifts, but they were "ordinary" gifts that you and I can learn and apply in our lives.

First, he worked very, very hard. He was up early, stayed late, and immersed himself in each task until it was done right and on time. His "genius" was the "ordinary genius" of dedication, duty and discipline. I may not be able to copy that exactly, but I can certainly learn from it. I can do my best and appreciate the results of "out working the competition."

The second of Eisenhower's great skills was his ability to focus on things that mattered! Many of us work hard. In fact, I often argue that many of us work too hard because our time, our energy and our focus is on things that don't really matter. We "sweat the small stuff." Ike never did that. Even his critics acknowledged his gift for calmly assessing a situation and spotting the "leverage point" that would make all the difference.

Here's an example. For six months before D-Day, June 6th 1944, he made a point to meet with his chief meteorologist every single day. He knew that guns and ships and strategy were all important, but ultimately the invasion would depend on the weather and he wanted to assess the skills of his chief forecaster. In the end, on a stormy night with rain pelting against the windows, he made the decision to "go" because he trusted his weatherman. He knew he would get a 6-hour window of clearing weather and that was all he needed. The course of the war changed over-night because Ike focused on the weather and knew his meteorologists could be trusted.

Finally, Eisenhower insisted on choosing the right people and relying on them. He frequently refused to work with people if they were unreliable or ineffective. He wanted the best people around him. Notably, after giving the order to "go" on June 5th, Ike went to bed. There was literally nothing more for him to do! All the orders, all the staff work, all the plans were in capable hands and his work (for the moment) was done. He didn't try to do it all himself. He chose good people, delegated responsibility and trusted that the right things would be done, in the right way, at the right time.

For me, there is great hope in this! Eisenhower wasn't some unique genius beyond my ability to comprehend. To the contrary, much of his achievement came from knowing three basic skills that I (or anyone) can learn. He worked hard. He could identify the key leverage points. He chose to work and associate with the best people he could find, and he trusted them. I can do this, and so can you.

Courtesy: Lt General Harbhajan Singh (Retired), PVSM, Former SO-in-C.

Wisdom Slides for All Times

Our 'Teachers & Religious Institutions' have taught Us a great deal of values which ultimately lead to effective social engineering. The Slides above sum-up certain important aspects of Life -- as per the Originator these are Four Things that can't be recovered ; need high expenditure in energy for reasonable retrieval.

Brigadier (Retired) Sukhwindar Singh
http://www.svipja.com/
Courtesy: Lt General RL Magotra, PVSM.

Credit: Unknown.