4A True Incident !!!!!!
Vivek Pradhan wasn't a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the First
Class air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi Express couldn't
cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and entitled to air
travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with
the admin guy, it was the savings in time. A PM had so many things to
do!
He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time
to some good use.
"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was
staring appreciatively at the laptop.
Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop
now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.
"You people have brought so much advancement to the country sir. Today
everything is getting computerized."
'Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a detailed
look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was
young and stocky like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out
of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep
school. He probably was a Railway sportsman making the most of his
free traveling pass.
"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office
and write something on a computer and it does so many big things
outside."
Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naivety demanded reasoning not anger. "It
is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of
writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."
For a moment he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development
Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is
complex, very complex."
"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.
This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence
came into his so far affable, persuasive tone.
"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we
have to put in." "Hard work!" "Indians have such a narrow concept of hard
work.
Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office doesn't mean our
brows don't sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and
believe me that is no less taxing."
He had the man where he wanted him and it was time to drive home the
point.
"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway
reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket
between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized
booking centers across the country.
Thousands of transactions accessing a single database at a given time;
concurrency, data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand
the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"
The man was stuck with amazement, like a child at a planetarium. This
was something big and beyond his imagination.
"You design and code such things."
"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "But now I am the project manager,"
"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life
is easy now."
It was like being told the fire was better than the frying pan. The
man had to be given a feel of the heat.
"Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder.
Responsibility
only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now
I don't do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far
more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the
highest quality. And to tell you about the pressures! There is the
customer at one end always changing his requirements, the user wanting
something else and your boss always expecting you to have finished it
yesterday."
Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with
self-realization.
What he had said was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was
the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.
"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to
be in the line of fire."
The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization.
When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that
surprised Vivek.
"I know sir, I know what it is to be in the line of fire," He was
staring blankly as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse
of time.
"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the
cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no
knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In
the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolor at the top only 4 of
us were alive."
"You are a..."
"I am Subedar Sushant Singh from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak
4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for
a land assignment. But tell me sir, can one give up duty just because
it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture one of my colleagues
lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding
behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety.
But my captain refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said
that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the
safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and
welfare of the men he commanded. His own personal safety came last,
always and every time. He was killed as he shielded that soldier into
the bunker. Every morning now as I stand guard I can see him taking
all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir, I
know what it is to be in the line of fire."
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of his reply. Abruptly he
switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a
word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a
daily part of life; a valor and sense of duty which he had so far
attributed only to epical heroes.
The train slowed down as it pulled into the station and Subedar
Sushant Singh picked up his bags to alight.
"It was nice meeting you sir."
Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This was the hand that had climbed
mountains, pressed the trigger and hoisted the tricolor. Suddenly as
if by impulse he stood at attention, and his right hand went up in an
impromptu salute.
It was the least he felt he could do for the country.
PS: The incident he narrates during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true
life incident during the Kargil war. Major Vikram Batra sacrificed his
life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was
within sight. For this and his various other acts of bravery he was
posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra - the nation's highest
military award
Jai Hind !!!!,
From India, Madras
People always tend to forget the past and move on... This is a good reminder to all busy people with busy schedule to salute the Real Hero's of our nation...
Thanks for posting such an wonderful message
From India, Chennai
Thanks for posting such an wonderful message
From India, Chennai
Only goes to reiterate what all wise ones say:
If one just keeps focused on his/her problems, there wouldn't be a bigger problem on Earth than his/her's. But when we begin to open-up to the world around us, that's when we get to know & realise how small is OUR problem compared to the problems of those around us.
Good Posting axsion.......
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
If one just keeps focused on his/her problems, there wouldn't be a bigger problem on Earth than his/her's. But when we begin to open-up to the world around us, that's when we get to know & realise how small is OUR problem compared to the problems of those around us.
Good Posting axsion.......
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Certainly an eye opener..........
A salute to all those hero's who sacrifice their life for our safety.........
From India, Aurangabad
A salute to all those hero's who sacrifice their life for our safety.........
From India, Aurangabad
Its a matter of pride to be an Indian but its a great pride to serve the nation as soilder. I had been in Indian Air Force for 20 years and can understand it more. Today we forget the real heros of our freedom and run behind the reel heros. A large number of real heros are struggling their life in front of our eyes. We must come forward and ensure that they must be given the due respect they actually deserve.
From India, New Delhi
From India, New Delhi
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Old one but will ALWAYS remain true.doc
True Friendship.pps