Justice & Discipline

I often wonder, Bharat is a cauldron in which all human virtues and vices, are put together to boil.The subsequent aroma generated is exotic and intoxicating.We have one of the best judiciary, criminal laws and common civil code in the world.However, crores of cases are pending in the courts and crime rates are in the rise in India. Procrastination is the bane of our social culture and common psyche. It plagues our lifestyle, crippling the holistic efficiency, punctuality and discipline of Indians. I was fortunate to have joined the Army as a youngster and the great Indian Army has groomed me, taught me to be a gentleman and a leader in life.

How ‘instant justice’ ensures enhanced efficiency of men and erases complacency – I learnt this basic lesson of leadership as a young Captain.

An interesting, though amusing episode etched into my memory, cemented this lesson.
We had a disgruntled recruit cook in our Officers Mess,who resented to have joined the Army as a cook.He used to, deliberately cook horrible food, just to get relocated to another duty.Cooks are a rare species in Army and we didn’t have the luxury of sparing him from Officer Mess. We, young officers tried our best to motivate and coax him to do his duties diligently, but miserably failed.

At last our 2 IC, the President of the Mess Committee, took the matter into his own hands.He was a terror in the unit and a paragon of military discipline. We thought he was going to give him exemplary punishment, as a warning to all other malingerers among the troops.

One evening, he placed two separate tables in the dinning hall, placed a glass with two pegs of rum on one table, and a haversack( Pittu) full of stones on the other. He called Mess Havildar with the young cook, and ordered:-

“ Listen, from today onwards you both will stand near the dinning table at the time of dinner. All officers will dine together. If the majority of us feel that the food is tasty, Mess Commander, you will immediately pour this rum for the cook as a token of our appreciation.If it’s the other way around, instantly you will take this chap out, he will wear the stone-laden haversack and will go for an hour-long “Pittu- Parade.”

( I hope you all guessed. That’s right ).

We youngsters felt the order was quite outlandish and bizarre. To my astonishment, after a week of dramatic dinner nights, the miracle happened. After tasting both, rarely reward and punishment mostly, our young cook approached me and requested me, time out. He wanted to get attached to the kitchen of the nearby ‘Oberoi Beach Hotel’ for training since he knew that the General Manager was my friend.

Rest is history. Our officers had the best exotic dishes right across the world cuisine, an extremely delightful treat to our taste- buds, thereafter; that too, served with happiness and pride.

Folks, instant delivery of justice produces unbelievable output.Justice delayed, breeds inefficiency, anarchy and clutter.