Promotion Exam - Part D

There is a misconception that once you join Army, you have no serious studies to undergo further. I am a victim of that. By the time I completed my Degree, I got fed up. Fifteen years of scholastic activity had been unbearable, except for the fact that both my School and College had vast playgrounds, which is where I spent my time.

Before the 60s, Army Officers underwent promotion exams from Part A to D! By the time I joined, Part A was done away with. Later, though after I cleared it, Part C, which was an interesting practical exam, was also taken off. If one does not clear Part B and D, one does not go beyond a Capt or Major, respectively. There are other professional courses by the dozen if you are the aspiring type. "Keen Kumars", as they were described.

The mandatory Promotion Exams have to be cleared by a certain number of years. So an early start is a good idea, for very few clear all the six papers of Part D in one go, what with all the operational, counter-insurgency, high altitude deployment and stuff like that.

In the Military Law exam, one is allowed to take the Manual of Indian Military Law (MIML) books into the exam hall. We flag many relevant sections, clauses and cross-reference and all for ease. At least that is what one thinks. In my first attempt, I too did all that diligently, studiously. And I failed.

Now, I had maintained and still maintain a view that Law is mainly common sense. Man is gifted with an ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Further, there are many other documents like the Army Act, Army Rules, Defence Service Regulations etc. All one needs to know is the exact rule, clause, section or whatever to be applied, with some cross-references. A reading like that of a novel of all those books should be enough. So next time I went to the exam hall with that view and cracked it. Casually, like an evening walk on the olden time's Marina Beach!

Then there was the Current Affairs paper. Around that time Mehdi Hassan had made a grand tour of India. I wanted to mention him in one answer and try as hard as I might, his name eluded me. I beat around the bush, hoping it will crop up, but didn't. It was proverbially at the tip of the tongue: the pen in this case. I thought the evaluator would be able to make out my struggle and would laugh. That struggle did not qualify as a failure, thank God.

Military history is a fascinating subject for those interested in it. We have to write about a Military Leader in that, apart from a particular war/battle. I chose Moshe Dayan, whom I had idolised, from among the choices. I used to admire anything Israeli, as also Spartans. They both seemed to have a character that I revered. Among other Military leaders, I studied Moshe Dayan too. The problem was when I wrote the plus and minus points of my hero, it turned out that the negatives were outweighing the positives! I could have gone on, but to balance out the issue, I had to put a stop to the negatives. So much for blind adulation versus knowledgeable exposition.

Special to Corps is a paper in which the knowledge about each one's Corps is tested. Surprised? No one knows all about one's own Corps or Regiment just because one is commissioned into it. One has to research. Now, these exams are for promotions, and one day you will have to be an Officer Commanding and later the Commanding Officer. In my paper, one question was, what all I would do as a CO, for the improvement of my Battalion. Yes, one had thought about it, dreamt about it, hoped for it - the Command of a Bn. My answer to that question went on and on. Much more than what I had in my mental "to do" list! I even had the crazy idea that as a CO, I would insist all my Officers and Ladies learn Ballroom dancing, which I loved. I thought it would instil some grace among the Officers and their "lady" wives (wonder why we mentioned them like that-must be grace!), elegant manners, dignified social conduct, get rid of ungainly postures and movements and what have you.

As an organisation, the Army keeps you on your toes all the time. (Ballroom dancing too does, but differently!). Whether you like it or not, they thrust various courses on you, and you are forced to study and pass the exams. Better the grade, better the career. They decide the courses for you. How wonderful. All you have to do is sit and study to rise to higher ranks. As some wit said in a Biblical tone, "Blessed are those who sit on pins, for they shall surely rise"!