Lt. Cdr. Kapish Muwal Ideal son, perfect brother, exceptional student, phenomenal athlete. But above all, he was an Officer in the Indian Navy. Today a Martyr- Bringing to life, the idea of the Ultimate Sacrifice.





Two Brave soldiers, Lt. Cdr. Kapish Muwal, and Lt. Manoranjan Kumar gave up their lives without a thought of the consequences- because it had to be done. Their actions directly resulted in saving not just the Submarine vessel (and God knows how few of these we have and how desperately we need whatever few we have) but also the lives of 92 personnel on board that day. The Kilo Class submarines do not have an escape vessel, so if an accident happens under water, the chances of survival are bare minimal. At such short notice, what these men did, made sure this tragedy did not become a catastrophe.





th of February,2014. But some facts cannot be denied. No one knows what exactly happened on board the ill fated INS Sindhuratna on the morning of the 26of February,2014. But some facts cannot be denied.





INS Sindhuratna along with every other submarine (and a lot of other ships) in the Indian Navy are living on borrowed time. Add to this, an extremely limited supply of spare parts. But the country needs to be protected at all costs- so how can any defence personnel say no to sail in these vessels? The duty of a soldier is to obey commands and serve the nation. ‘Do your duty, do not think of the consequences’ this is what my father always told me, and this is what my elder brother recapitulated.





With regards to our Navy’s firepower, some may say that we have enough vessels to ensure the safety of our seas. This might be true if all the vessels we have are in an optimal, fighting fit condition. Sadly, we are forced to remove parts from ships under repair to fix the faulty. If we have 4 ships, why do we break up two to make the other two operational? Why can’t they all be operational? After a news report by a leading news channel, It is now no secret- the Navy is forced to cannibalize spare parts. When the batteries on board INS Sindhuratna could not be used anymore, used batteries were salvaged from INS Sindhukesari (as it was currently under repairs) and put into Sindhuratna. Tomorrow, when Sindhuratna would be undergoing repairs, its parts will be used to functionalize other vessels. This cannibalization of spares needs to stop. We are presently operating with a functional capacity of around 50- 60%. This needs to be improved sooner rather than later. And the only way it will improve will be when the designated funds are actually used to arrange for spares.



Let me demonstrate how important a submarine is- If India were to be threatened by an enemy under sea using a submarine (Diesel or Nuclear), how effective is a surface ship? How effective is an aircraft carrier and its many planes? The answer is- almost negligible. We need submarines to be operational at all times to protect our great nation from threats underwater. Despite being aware of the fact that they are serving on board the most dangerous ships. They would still report well ahead of time on sail days. Their support was not the vessel they reported in- but the people they reported with and the people they reported to, and the people who reported to them. The Keyword being- ‘PEOPLE’.



The Indian ocean is huge, so are our waters. Today, India has 13 submarine vessels. Are these truly enough to guard our seas? Some might still say yes, but then let me tell you- at no point of time are all 13 of these war ready. So what good is this number?



Commission reports might show the multiple fails on board INS Sindhuratna- I cannot talk about this. There are people far more qualified than me, and in a much better position than me to address this matter. All I can say is, despite the crew being aware of the flaws on board- They never said no. Because if not them, then who will do what needs to be done?



This great nations armed forces are extremely ill- equipped. This is finally not a secret any more. The only thing that keeps our forces ticking are the brave men and women who serve our nation. The shortage of arms/ ammunition/ vessels/ planes and most of all- Spare parts, have crippled our forces. They have become the blind. And it is very easy for a one eyed king to rule the blind. But what does it take for the people (in power to rectify this) to actually understand the dismal state of our forces. How many more lives can we afford to lose before we can say- “We have taken all the steps to make sure such an unfortunate incident does not re-occur.”



Every defence/ armed forces personnel has already decided (on the day he joins the forces) that his life is now not his own, but it now belongs to this Great nation, and his comrades who hold the same intention at heart. But it is extremely unfortunate to see that these forces are governed almost like a business- Cost cutting in these forces are directly exposing the lives of these brave men to constant discomfort and harm. This cost cutting is creating circumstances of emergencies where none should exist.



The Naval Dockyards across the nation are the most important repair facilities for our Navy. At present, more civilian contractors than defence personnels and dedicated permanent technical civilian staff are operating in our dockyards. Is this directly responsible for the poor maintenance of crafts and equipment? Or is this just a case of miscommunication between the civilian contractors and our Naval personnel. Maybe it's neither, but if at all so- then what is the reason for these 'failures/ operational deficiencies'?



In another accident on Friday, March 07, 2014- we lost yet another bright officer, Cdr. Kuntal Wadhwa due to a CO2 gas leak on board of INS Kolkata. This destroyer ship was scheduled to be the pride of the navy upon commission.



My brother would often say, "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." How unfortunate is it that we are not at war, yet we bleed.



This might indirectly point to the lack of preparedness on the part of the Navy. But is this just the fault of the Navy- No. Making the Navy prepared is the responsibility of the Defence secretary.



The profile of a defence secretary is to act as a bridge between the defence ministry and the forces. This post is presently occupied by a civilian. This post under a civilian serves absolutely no purpose. No functionality and zero accountability is what this post has become symbolic of. This needs to be fixed. If at all we need this post, then why can it not be an ex- serviceman? At least the defence secretary will know exactly what state the forces are in and would actually care about its improvement.



Ex Chief of Naval Staff- Admiral (Retd.) Arun Prakash- through a leading newspaper has highlighted the importance of this post and has given some suggestions to help improve the functionality and accountability of this position. But what impact his suggestions will have, is yet to be seen. It is sad to see how people whose opinions actually matter either keep silent or when they speak, their opinions land on deaf ears. And the people in the position to govern have absolutely no connection with the forces and hence end up making bad decisions or make no decisions at all.



One of the first lessons we learn as kids is how important the armed forces are for our Nation and for all of us. Growing up, we all might not really give much thought to this- and often, we end up absorbed in our own lives. But how can the people directly responsible for these forces so easily forget this? This is a great disrespect to our forces. A person handling a ministry of Defence is directly responsible to answer to the woes of the defence forces. But sadly, this is not happening. If we do something, we must do it in the best possible manner- else don’t do it. If I were the head of a team, it is my job to make sure my team operates in the best possible scenario, and if I cannot ensure this- I mu st stop being their leader, because clearly I am not an effective leader.





In the past, we have lost a war because of this lack of respect. And, in every war our country has ever fought- regardless of whether we won or lost. We have suffered more damage pound for pound than our enemy. Simply winning is not enough- If India needs to become what we all want it to become- we have to minimise casualties. And unfortunately, the only ones who can do something about this are some Babus who sadly are more concerned for their personal images than the image of the Country. When will this end?



Don’t get me wrong- I guarantee, these Babus know that the life of military personnel is tough- Everybody knows this. My point is- Do they know enough? Do these Babus have any family in our forces, have they ever spent time in our vessels/ ships/ fronts to actually understand the discomfort, and threat to lives these men are dealing with every moment they breathe? The answer in one word is- NO.





My father has served in the Indian Navy for 41 years, he tells us of times when even the ministers were afraid of the uniform. If a defence personal raised a concern- it was addressed to immediately. Slowly, over time this respect has weakened. Today the situation is so bad- if an officer needs a file processed, even a clerk has got the audacity to reply by saying- this will not be done today, give me two/ three days to process this. What has led to this?



A very strong argument here is, the measure of character in defence personnel seems to have deteriorated. The rise in ranks for defence personnel is very predictable. It takes a certain amount of time before you can rise to a higher rank. So, some people with weak characters would suck up to babus. This would ensure they get a position in the services even after they retire.

Here is an example, an officer with a weak character would never say no to the secretariat- he knows if he keeps feeding the egos of babus, he will surely be appointed as a governor/ diplomat/ dignitary etc. Here, they forget about leading as an example, and become selfish. Although their actions might not immediately affect the nation- over time, it is weakening the system, the very moral fibre is getting corroded. And corrosion does not kill instantaneously, it kills over time. Today is a time when our armed forces are like old tigers. Their teeth have been blunted by lack of resources. We have the numbers (soldiers), but gone are the times when numbers would win wars. Today, equipment should take risks humans need to, and the only reason behind this (evolution of technology) is to minimise casualties.





Speaking to a lot of friends and relatives, I can’t help but make note of one thought… If incidents/ mishaps like the ones happening within our forces were to happen in Superpowers like the US or the UK or even China for that matter- fires would have been lit under the backsides of those responsible.

I feel sad on hearing this. I feel, my great nation has stopped valuing the lives of martyrs. The attitude- “What has happened has happened and its very unfortunate, but- lets now move ahead” is killing us like slow poison. Who is this great nation? Is it people like you and me and a hundred crore more. No- this great nation is no longer what the citizens feel, or want, this great nation has become what babus have made it and this great nation will become what babus will make it. But at the moment, I'm sad because I am starting to lose hope in the bright future I would like for my nation.



