THE SUBMARINE CALLS

Submarines have been an integral part of my life. My first brush with the Submariners was during the Mumbai riots of 1992, wherein, I and my venerable Course-mate Late Lieutenant Pravin Rana got waylaid by Mumbai Police whilst on our way back to Lonavala from Mumbai on a heady night and due to the non-recognition of a temporary Identity Card. The first encounter with the 03 Submariners held by the Mumbai Police in the Colaba Police Station and the grand entry of a Submariner Officer Lieutenant Debasish Saha to rescue his Submarine mates, got etched forever in my cranium's crevices. He finally rescued his sailors and along with them- me and Rana. The Submarines became my passion and all through my Naval Engineering College days and the follow-up phase of Specialization into Electronics and Communication at Jamnagar, my focus kept on diverting back to the Submarines. Finally, the opportunity came for me to join Submarines and I plunged into the Pressure Chamber to clear my aptitude for the Submarines. The first Pressure Chamber Dive to 30 meters was followed by a quick descent to 100 meters. It all felt exciting and soon I was shortlisted for the Submarine School at Visakhapatnam.

The 06 months at the Submarine School flew by and in no time I was appointed to the oldest Kilo Class Submarine Sindhughosh. Fresh from a well earned leave, I reported on-board Sindhughosh with my other Submarine School mates and by virtue of seniority, I was the senior most Officer under training on-board the Submarine. The majestic boat was under a long refit activity and 04 of us reported on-board whilst she was being rejuvenated at the dry-docks. To my utter surprise, I found the first of the 03 Submariners whom I had met at Mumbai, on the dry dock jetty. Holding a cigarette, he was standing with his one leg on the Jetty's Bollard (a strong post as on a wharf or quay or ship for attaching the mooring lines). He turned out to be Master Chief Petty Officer-II VPS Chauhan (MCPO), the Submarine's Coxswain (A person who usually steers a ship's boat and has charge of its crew). He met me with great warmth as I introduced myself and was taken aback when I reminisced the Mumbai events!! He then candidly admitted that the other two Submariners whom I had met on that fateful night at Mumbai were also on-board this Submarine. I happily stepped on-board after saluting the National Flag.

MCPO took us straight to the Executive Officer of the Submarine and soon we were trying to trace the pipes and cables inside the Submarine as the Executive Officer started our acclimatisation and training in the right earnest. The Executive Officer’s first advice was to be mentally agile and physically fit when on Submarines and to give the best energy to the boat. In the course of the first day, I also met Leading Seaman Satyadev and LEMP Gaikwad, the other two accomplices of MCPO at Mumbai. Satyadev was a stalwart of the Torpedo Systems on-board the Kilo and Gaikwad was a senior electrical mate on-board.

The destiny had its hidden plans and two days after my reporting on-board the Kilo, the venerable Electrical Officer of the Submarine fell sick and was admitted to the Naval Hospital for a surgery. The circumstances of the Submarine were tough and it is indeed a herculean task to rejuvenate the individual systems and then to integrate them into well oiled machinery which can withstand the rigors of the dark depths of the seas. Due to a shortage of the Electrical Officers in the Submarine Fleet, the Executive Officer decided to take the matters into his hands and appointed me as his able Deputy Electrical Officer. Thus, within two days of joining the boat, I was amongst the thickest of the action along with my primary job- which was to learn about the systems and engineering of the Submarine. I got onto the tasks of managing the Electrical Department and started putting in mid night hours to maintain my Training Journal. The days were hot and tough and the nights became longer, but that is what the life on-board a Submarine is all about. The sweat, the toil and the tempers- all ran high simultaneously many a times even as Sindhughosh continued to get bound together into a lethal war fighting machine.

Soon, we commenced our sorties into the sea after clearing the harbour checks in one go. I was extremely happy to clear the harbour checks of the Electrical Department without wearing the mandatory DOLPHIN BADGE as my sea qualifying board was not yet over. The Executive Officer stood firmly behind me and ensured that I carried out the duties of a Head of Department without being a qualified Submariner. We used to close up on the Submarine at 0630 Hours each day and the evenings stretched to 2300 hours on most days. Finally, the day came when we fired the first torpedo from the Submarine and she was declared fully operational to meet the designed commitments. I had also earned my DOLPHIN BADGE in between this phase and my Qualifying Exam went like a well rehearsed song. Each of my Qualifying Board Members had seen me operating on-board the Kilo and gave me a Thumbs Up report. My three Submarine Mates were very thrilled when I offered the mandatory Rum Punch to the Submarine's crew. The punch line of the MCPO was always a simple rhetoric- "Sahab, Pandoobi (Submarine) bhi sunati hai!!". This literally translates into- THE SUBMARINE TOO LISTENS!!

​Finally, one day, the night fell on the Bay of Bengal. It was 2000 hrs and Sindhughosh was snorting. The diesels were humming and the generators were rotating seamlessly to charge the juices of the Submarine's batteries for a deployment. Suddenly, I heard the Executive Officer's voice on the microphone system and he wanted me to come to the Control Room. I had finished a "Watch Under Observation" with the Submarine's Senior Engineer Lieutenant AB Mukherjee. I reached the Control Room and found the MCPO sitting on the Submarine's planes (Planes control the diving and surfacing of the Submarine) along-with Satyadev. The Executive Officer was on the Officer of the Watch chair (OOW Chair) and the Commanding Officer was sitting on his big Chair. The Executive Officer told me to sit on the OOW's Chair and carry out the evolutions as per the CO's orders. I sat down on the Chair and the CO, Commander BK Patnaik ordered stopping of the snorting and diving of the Submarine. MCPO turned back and shook his head in affirmative and I gave out the crisp order to Stop Diesels and Dive the Boat. As I went through the motions of the orders, I could feel the 3000 Tonnes Kilo respond to my inner self. Soon, the Depth Gauges started moving as the Engines stopped and the batteries took over the power control of the Submarine. The big main motor which LEMP Gaikwad operated 03 compartments behind the Control Room hummed and Sindhughosh glided down with ease as my successive orders and actions followed and MCPO on the planes executed them with finesse. I settled the Submarine to the Periscope Depth. The CO took a deep periscope sweep and soon I took the boat down for my first independent deep dive.
 

At deep depth, a glass of chilled sea water served by the Submarine's Steward LSTD Bheem Prasad went down my throat and the DIVED WATCH KEEPING CERTIFICATE was granted to me by the venerable Commanding Officer. This certificate still remains an integral part of my Navy Memorabilia collection and will be cherished till my last breath. The MCPO shook my hand and saluted me for a dive well executed.

The time is again ripe. I am into a school again, albeit into a B-School (MDI, Gurgaon) and without a Uniform. The learning phase is about to be over and the deep dive beckons. The old adage -The Submarine Listens is playing loud and clear in my mind. I am ready for the call and will again execute the mission with my best energies and intent.  My Executive Officer Rear Admiral Soonil Bhokare is now the FOSM, MCPO has peacefully retired , Satyadev is a successful entrepreneur and Gaikwad is sailing on the high seas with the Merchant Navy.

         

The call to the Control Room beckons as the clock ticks by and given a chance I shall dive again with perfection and finesse. The chilled sea water's salty taste has rekindled the taste buds- I am alive folks........  

MAINTENANCE- THE KEY TO HEALTHY OPERATIONS

Prologue

1.  The critical aspects of maintenance need to meet the challenges of future operational environment. It is an accepted norm worldwide to get maintenance right first, coupled with a robust logistics and to top it up with trained manpower. Maintenance of systems, therefore, comes right at the start of the ladder and cannot be by-passed by any other norm. The challenge, therefore, is to assimilate the maintenance norms correctly and avoid time lags in equipping the operational environment both with material and trained manpower.

2.       As, the Indian companies define their new roles and missions to meet the perceived challenges in their business environment, the article attempts to lay out a philosophy of Maintenance- The Key to Healthy Operations.

Introduction

3.       Planned and correct maintenance at the right time is bound to ensure ticking platforms. The coupling of maintenance by skilled manpower and a robust logistics network can ensure achievement of operational goals. Companies worldwide have established various internal sub-departments/agencies which maintain a vigil on various aspects of maintenance and also are a repository of vital information.

4.       Due inputs from OEMs are to be incorporated and relevant maintenance documents are to be in place for equipments sustaining operations. The beauty of every production unit is the amalgamation of various equipments from various OEMs. Most of the OEMs lay tough stipulations in their maintenance recommendations and it is difficult to achieve operational synergy if those regimes are to be followed in principle. Moreover, the preliminary repair pattern of machines revolves around refurbishment and cannibalization as a major component of upkeep and maintenance policy. This is a but natural concept and hinges on the bare fact that most of the equipment is sourced from OEMs abroad and logistic backbone is always in a learning and procurement curve as the spares requirements are arbitrary and all the spares cannot be made available off the shelf. Another vulnerability of Indian scenario is that concepts like JIT even in their improvised forms cannot be practiced unless financial powers are divested further to enhance over night fast track procurements from the foreign OEMs.

5.       The above lacunas bring us to the core issue of what type of maintenance is required? Do we cater for maintaining the functionality of the manufacturing line or maintenance of individual systems? It’s a tricky choice as it involves certain crucial decisions involving a matrix which looks at whether the consequence of failure affects the safety, operational factors, non-operational factors or cost. It does lead towards the concept of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Methodology. However, the cascading effect is that RCM can only function if it is derived and delivered coherently.[1]

6.       The first line of defence in the maintenance field is the ground crew. All defects and their remedial measures are to be noted in the relevant equipment passports. The passports offer a vital clue to the overall system health and the methodology and spares consumed to maintain the system. These details can be recorded in this document. The promulgated safety returns can be easily prepared based upon the data available in the passports. The returns can be then utilized by the nodal agency to prepare a coherent and focused maintenance information acquaint for each system. It is a well known fact that information regarding defects should be shared between all the stakeholders so as to forecast the maintenance scenarios. This would also help to generate an End to End Maintenance Strategy.

7.         The usage of the equipment is crucial to derive the correct maintenance. This data base can be developed and the required level of maintenance schedule can be followed. For example, considering the vintage of the equipment, the rotating machinery would need a thorough maintenance after fixed operation hours and not merely a passing glance or waiting for the next big routine maintenance. The older the equipment, the more would be the maintenance.    This eventually leads us into the realms of Reliability Engineering which is sub-discipline within Systems Engineering. Reliability Engineering focuses on costs of failures caused by system downtime, cost of spares, repair equipment, personnel and cost of warranty claims. Eventually this should strive to produce greater safety and environmental integrity coupled with improved operating performance and maintenance cost-effectiveness.

8.       There has to be a careful blend of both corrective and preventive maintenance to achieve operational synergies. It is so because in a pure corrective environment, the operator has the key to the equipment. In the pure preventive environment, the maintainer holds the key of the equipment. Hence, a middle path has to be followed to achieve the maximum system stability and availability. Also, the maintenance pattern has to be user and maintainer friendly and provide maximum bang for the buck spent.

9.       However, the over arching factor would be that maintenance should not be deferred. In today’s systems, majority of software driven modules are not inter-changeable. Any shifting of modules between systems is neither prudent nor advisable to maintain system integrity. The systems would need to be tackled by properly trained personnel and with proper documentation. The inventory of spares can never be complete and this would continue to put systems at a disadvantage.

10.     The optimum maintenance needs to be delivered in a coherent manner and it is directly coupled to strong logistics. Every demand needs to be chased in a pro-active fashion and Minimum Spares have to be maintained. The software based systems and modules sourced from foreign OEMs would continue to pose a series of maintenance/upkeep issues including system tuning. It would be imperative that the foreign trained personnel are carefully nurtured and ensure that their knowledge is disseminated. The envelope for system maintenance is expanding fast with the new technology. There is a need to stress upon the new generation concepts of maintenance and evolve a careful strategy wherein correct maintenance can be imparted.  

---

[1] “Where Does My Maintenance Come From? David Webb, RCM Technical Analyst, Maritime Maintenance Support Group.

OPERATIONS-THE CHALLENGES FOR THE DECADE 2015-2025

"What matters is not the idea a man holds,but the depth at which he holds it" –Ezra Pound

1.       Introduction.    The arrival of new technologies heralds a new era for any industry. The induction of new technology has to be a smooth process to maintain and subsequently enhance the operational imperatives of the industry. The decades post World War-II has seen exciting developments and many new milestones have been achieved. The time has come to ponder over the future of the operational imperatives for organizations and the challenges that would keep our imaginations locked on to them for the next decade.

2.       The article takes a broad-look at the critical issues which would be required to be handled to sustain the operations till the new operational capabilities are developed and become mature to replace the existing operations. The aim of the article is to induce a debate within the generation which would be handling the multifarious issues of the next decade.

3.    Old Equipment Challenges.    The biggest challenges for the industries and organizations in the next decade would be offered by the material shortages. Many industries are of vintage nature and the spare support for the equipments which have not been modernized is poor. By 2020, we would be forced to look at innovative and fast track solutions to keep the old generation equipments operations worthy. Thus, there is an urgent need for the industries to to look into their indigenization philosophy and involve more actively with developing equipment support base through their own indigenization cells. Also, it would be ideal to carve out an industry specific Indigenization Vision and implement it within definitive time frames and with an all inclusive industry partnership that can deliver the results.

4.       New Equipment Challenges.  Many existing industries have been retrofitted with modernized equipments. The modernized equipment’s transition onto the operational paradigms is a major challenge. The most vital aspect for sustaining the equipment is the availability of the correct spares inventory. It is crucial that the relevant spares are held in stock and Off–the-Shelf availability is accurate to keep the MTTR low. The pro-active following up of the demands with equipment OEMs is also an activity in itself and a dedicated review by the Operations Managers is a must for keeping the turn-around time to minimum value and streamline majority of the demands issues. The logistics support has to be ruthlessly accurate to sustain the equipments.

5.       The induction stage of the new equipment is preceded by training. The training of personnel cannot be a routine affair and it has to be ensured that the trained personnel are available to maintain the systems/equipments for a long time till the next generation is confident of taking over from them. Also, no modifications are to be carried out into the systems till an independent repair capability is not available. This is a crucial factor and would continue to be a grey area till the repair infrastructure is not in place either with in-house efforts or in collaboration with the OEM.

6.       Training Issues.     The training of the existing manpower is another critical issue for the next decade. With a sizeable lot of experienced manpower getting diversified on to new projects, a handful of old hands would be left to train the next generation. Also, the continuous availability of equipments is a crucial factor to train the new manpower to handle operational complexities. Merely spending time in classroom training and low hands-on-job training may not yield the desired results. Along with the training, the new generation workers would have to learn the subjects such as material management and repair management well within the stipulated training curriculum.

7.       It is a known fact that humans tend to hide their lack of knowledge due to basic fears and this trait can be the waterloo for any industry. It would be prudent at this stage to review the induction policies for next generation workers and managers. Training can be imparted suitably to an individual who can understand the bare minimum terminologies. The induction of certain number of workers with a minimum experience of a mandatory tenure on a similar job profile can be a suitable beginning. They would be armed with a certain amount of exposure in the aspects of material and repair management and can help the fresh ‘out of school’ personnel whilst they undergo the basic training.  

8.     HRD/HRM.   The issues of HRD/HRM need no elaboration. This area would be extremely vital for the industries in the next decade. The HR managers of the industries would continue to grapple with the unusual situation of choosing the future flag. Gone are the days when trends of HRD/HRM were not understood by the individuals. The personnel of today are much more alert and tell-tale signs of career progression are read faster and more accurately.

9.       The loss of experienced hands cannot be compensated and the void created looms large in the form of complex issues. This is a peculiar scenario which hits any organization as it undergoes a transition and the industries of today are witnessing the unfolding of this scenario. The need of the hour is to take measured and careful steps to nurture the talent and enable hiring of capable individuals. The profile pictures of personnel are readily available and a concerted mechanism has to be instituted to retain the talent and ensure their progression. Only knowledgeable men would ensure ticking operations.

10.   Conclusion.   The Organizations/Industries need to take a concerted decision regarding their lifespan and growth patterns, the methodology to rejuvenate them on time and retention of the best men. This is the time to firm up the requirements and work towards the same with a concerted vision. The efforts need to be continued vigorously and it is critical to understand that change is a constant subject. Any organization that develops its future vision with a firm look on diverse factors would have a better chance to survive.

11.     The aim of the article is to re-examine future circumstances for the today’s organizations and industries. Any further suggestions/comments on the article to induce a further fruitful dialogue on this subject are most welcome.

THE 40 MILES- A TRIBUTE TO THE WORLD WAR-1 INDIAN SOLDIER

It was a hot and humid morning in July 1979 in village Bahadurpur of Meerut district. Subedar Major (SM) Hukam Chand was ready to undertake a journey for the one last time. Hukam Chand was a frail man ,81 years of age and knew that his end was near. His 4th son Lt Col Suresh Kumar had come to the village on his annual leave along with his 09 year old son Subodh Kumar. SM Hukam Chand wished to show them his legacy of World Wars that he had fought for the British Empire. The three boarded the twice a day bus to the village Mubarakpur which lay 40 miles away from Bahadurpur. Young Subodh Kumar was excited about this journey as he clutched his grandfather's hand all through the dusty and bumpy ride to Mubarakpur.

 Hukam Chand was born into a peasant family and left his house to join the Royal British Artillery in 1913 at the age of 15 years. His father wanted him to be a teacher but Hukam Chand had a dream to become a soldier. His induction into the Indian Army was at the time when the World was coming under severe Geo-political crisis. Hukam Chand soon found himself on a ship to France. The World War-1 erupted on 28 July 1914. Although a resurgence of imperialism was an underlying cause, the immediate trigger for the war was the 28 June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia, and international alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked. Within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. Hukam Chand became one of the over one million soldiers that India contributed to the European, Mediterranean and the Middle East theatres of war. Hukam Chand soon converted into a tall strapping young man even as his Artillery Regiment saw first action in France. He transformed with his rich experience during the War and traveled extensively to various theatres of War.

Hukam Chand came to be regarded as a Gunner of repute and soon was a master handler of the 10 pounder guns, 15 pounder guns and 3.7 inch mountain Howitzers. He rose in ranks and within World War-1 scenario, traveled extensively to various Indian Army locations to train and qualify the troops. At the end of the WW-1, Hukam Chand returned to India and continued his trysts with the Royal British Artillery. He got married and raised a large family of 04 sons and 01 daughter. Hukam Chand saw difficult and tough action during the War. Setting off on a British cruiser with land legs, he saw men around him huddled together as the steam Ship tossed and turned in the sea storms and narrowly escaped prowling enemy Submarines. The food habits had to be altered to withstand the rigors of new climate in France and other foreign destinations. The only connect with his family back home was an occasional letter, whose contents would outlive their relevance by the time the letter arrived to New Delhi from Meerut. Almost 60,000 soldiers around Hukam Chand lost their lives in WW-1 and many were grievously injured. Hukam Chand kept his nerves as many around him perished and as the "Chief of Smoke", he would ensure obscurement of the battlefields with his mastery on his guns fire power.

Hukam Chand did not rest after the World War 1 was over. Soon he saw himself leading his men onto World War-2. The Royal British Artillery had come to be known as "The Indian Regiment of Artillery" in 1935 and Hukam Chand by then was a respected Subedar. He fought valiantly at every front in World War-2 and finally rested his uniform at the end of World War-2 in Egypt when the Indian artillery was christened as "The Royal Indian Artillery". For one last time, Hukam Chand began his journey again on a Steam Ship back to India. He was by then a Subedar Major. His eyes welled with tears when for one last time he looked at his favorite powder and guns and his battery men saluted him for his love, affection, tutoring, mentoring and guidance.The British Empire honored Hukam Chand with a 300 Bigha Jagir 40 miles away into the Village Mubarakpur!!

Hukam Chand reached his village Bahadurpur in early 1946 and by then the winds of freedom were castling the air all over India. The Quit India Movement was at its peak. Hukam Chand by now was a tired man. He had left his home in 1913 and had spent almost 33 years away from his near and dear ones. He had responsibility to fulfill for his kith and kin. His wife Neelam Devi had toiled hard to bring up their children as Hukam Chand toiled away in the big Wars and he was now the big feather under whom she wanted to rest. The land decree arrived at his home in July 1947 and Hukam Chand had a look at the Jagir allotment orders. It was a hot and humid July afternoon and Hukam Chand had no strength to travel 40 miles to secure the land amidst the ongoing partition frenzy and then to travel to Meerut to claim the lands!! He signed a document and gifted the lands to his childhood friend Mehar Singh. He requested him to take charge of the lands if he could secure and claim them. Mehar Singh claimed the lands in his own name 40 miles away from Hukam Chand's resting abode and began his life afresh with his family.

The July's afternoon sun was at its zenith when Subedar Major (Retd) Hukam Chand arrived at village Mubarakpur with his son Lt Col Suresh Kumar and grandson Subodh Kumar. The three looked at the vast tract of land which lay ahead of them but for which they had no rights of claim. The gallant soldier survived both the World Wars and traversed miles and miles on land, sea and even air to meet the commitments of his Regiment but the last 40 miles proved to be much bigger and harder than any other distance.The Jagir was his but he was not the Jagirdar. As he clutched young Subodh's hand, he said," Promise me that you too shall serve the Indian Artillery and make me proud." The master "Chief of Smoke" had again fired his big cannon into the impressionable mind of his young Grandson. The Jagir was gone but Hukam Chand remained the true Jagirdar who had motivated countless men to fight for the Nation's pride.
          

Today, Subodh is a third generation Artillery Officer in the Indian Army. This July,Subodh and I traveled the distance of 111 miles from New Delhi to re-visit the Jagir of Subedar Major Hukam Chand. As the July sub reached its zenith, Subodh and I reached Mubarakpur. As we stood at the edge of the Jagir lands, Subodh picked up the soil from the lands that lay ahead of us and then let it go, As the soil fell back, Subodh exclaimed,"I am proud of my Grandfather, Sir. "

Salute the true Indian Soldier for his large heart, cultural values, moral courage and ethos. 

THE HAPPINESS QUOTIENT

Mario Gotze scored a solitary goal for Germany in the extra time during the Football World Cup finale at Brazil. The kick that he gave the Adidas's Football catapulted the 80 million Germans into a frenzy of happiness and unparalleled joy. The ball flew into the Argentinian Goal Post and the entire German population exploded. Their world came to a standstill and their happiness touched its zenith. The happiness of the German Team's Captain Philipp Lahm knew no bounds and he announced his retirement from the international football at the ripe age of 30 years to continue to soak in the joy of this remarkable victory. The now united Germans  further strengthened their bonds as 11 Men in their national colors swept the Globe's largest watched sport.

           

Happiness comes from within and surely has a large role to play in human lives. The happy humans keep the Numerator value high and always minimize their Denominator values. The quotient of happiness multiplies many folds with a big and strong numerator.

           

Way back in time, we were happy children. Our ancestral house had large courtyards and we had wooden toys. These toys had various shapes and there were moving variants also in the shapes of bus, carts and train models. The lack of pollution and simple food habits kept our energy levels high  and we stayed chirpy the whole day. Another happiness for us those days used to be ant fields in the courtyards. Most afternoons me and my friend would get around under the Guava trees and see the ants at work. We would keep a piece of bread in the middle of the ant fields and then see the various types of ants coming over to gather their food. The groups of ants which reached the food faster would swell early and try to move the bread piece towards their home. Soon it would be fight for survival and the bigger ants would invariably pull the piece away. We would then drop another piece nearby and see the amazing turn of events of these small creatures. Moving their antennas we would watch various ants carrying out multifarious activities and the common aim was to move the bread piece closer to their home. At the mouth of the ant home, they would give a massive push and the food would disappear inside. The work of these ants rarely finishes and they are always active and walk large distances to make their lives meaningful. Probably, they keep the Numerator Value (Food in their case) very high and Denominator Value (lack of will to work) very low and keep their happiness quotient at a high pedestal.

              

In the courtyard, the Guava trees were always under an attack from the chirpy parrots. These birds would keep attacking the Guavas and many a fruit crop was damaged by their sharp beaks. The parrots would only attack the guavas on trees and not which would fall down after their attack. We would keep an eye on these birds and use our Diwali guns to scare them away. Our happiness quotient used to be high playing and enjoying with the parrots, ants, crows and sparrows. We would excitedly look forward to the next day and the next noon time play after the school. The frenzy of the large happiness quotient is unparalleled. The Germans are basking in it and so did we all as young children. The quotient starts shaking as we grow big and when we start increasing the value of the Denominator in our lives. Our demands and desires are the first shake-up points for the small denominator of our childhood. The Happiness Quotient's graph plunges up and down as we fiddle away with its fragile values.

              

The 11 men kept their momentum up and met the challenges of Lionel Messi and his 10 men with grit and determination. The barriers could not be broken by both the sides for the first 90 minutes. The eyes watching these 22 men kept glued to their antics and waited for that miracle moment. The moment did arrive but after 113 minutes into the grand finale. Mario Gotze controlled a cross with his chest and in one fluid motion volleyed the ball past the Argentinian goalkeeper Sergio Romero and inside the far post from five yards out. Germany were world champs after 24 years!! The Happiness Quotient soared high as all the denominator values crashed and crumbled to almost zero. 

Our endeavor must be to keep the Happiness Quotient on an upswing. Keep the chin up and take the challenges head on with grit, determination and courage of conviction. Candor is the need of the day and is surely an add on for the Numerator of life.

THE BLACK FOX NIGHT

18 Jul 2014 witnessed yet another rocking night for Foxies. Foxies in dashing Black conglomerated at DSOI, New Delhi and raised the Fox Spirits yet again.

               

The evening began on a sombre note as Rudra Jadeja/61 led the remembrance for his venerable course-mate & CSM -61 Late Gp Capt AK Dwivedi. Foxies also paid homage to Foxies who have faded away in 2014.

                

The event then turned towards the Fox Release of VIRENDER KAPOOR/FOX/40's new book "THE WONDERFUL BOSS". The senior most Fox on Ground Zero was SP VERMA/FOX/29 and the youngest Fox was AMBUJ KUMAR/FOX/97. The book was released by the youngest Vixen SONIA FERNANDES w/o AMIT OSCAR FERNANDES/FOX/94.

                

Soon, the buzzing Foxies were narrating tales of the yore and immersed themselves in Fox Spirits.  Foxies from 40th Fox (Virender Kapoor, Subir Ahluwalia and Davinder Singh) met with a 43rd Fox (Rajiv Khanna) after 43 years!! Mates from 76th Course (BR Singh, JS Rana and Sameer Kanwar) met after 1989 when they had left the Fox portals!! Fox from 52nd Fox (Alok Bajpai) and the Fox from 53rd Fox (NS Bawa) met after 1977!! The event headed late into the night and in the end -THE FOX JOSH eclipsed the weather and Delhi did not witness any rains!!!
              

As Foxies melted into their dens for the night immersed in ever cherubic FOX nostalgia, the one slogan again rocked the mind- SODA, LEMON, GINGER,POP- FOX SQN ON TOP. 

              

Kindly click the link below and enjoy the nostalgia:-
  

https://plus.google.com/photos/101238588481972006061/albums/6037639205800786225?authkey=CM6OhrHlvoenWg