Recently a story published on NDTV read as under:
"Savneet Paul's husband, an army officer is fighting insurgency in Kashmir but back home in Patiala, she is fighting a different battle. She has decided to take legal action against her husband's superior officer Col D.S Loomba and his wife.This after Col Loomba made adverse remarks in her husband's annual confidential report (ACR) because of her non-participation in the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) activities during their posting at Meerut last year. Savneet says, she could not follow the orders given by the CO's wife since she was pregnant.
"I was pregnant and I was not well and I am not serving in the Army. My husband is in the army. Why should I? See I have married an army officer. I have not married the Army. I have not joined the Army. They are not paying me," says Savneet Paul, wife of Maj P S Paul.
The Annual Confidential Report showers praises upon Maj P S Paul but towards the end says: On the social front, nil AWWA activities. The couples' performance was found to be below average.
Savneet, claims she was under depression as there was a social boycott against them inside the Army campus once she refused.
Indian Army earlier had declared under oath that the AWWA is not a part of its functioning. If that was the case this case has surprised many. Now an officer is judged on the conduct of his wife.
"It is very surprising when Army is saying that it's a welfare organization, an NGO - how can working with an NGO affect the officer's career? It is surprising and shocking. AWWA has nothing to do with an officer's capability," said Major (retd) Guneet Choudhary, Advocate.
There is a saying that behind every successful man there is a woman. Savneet Paul doesn't want this saying to be proved wrong. She is working hard to get her husband's ARC amended. It may not be very easy but then there are many who believe it is not fair to mention the contribution of AWWA activities in an officer's ACRs."
It is also important to mention that Army had earlier disowned AWWA in a written oath to the court.Please reply to arouse a public opinion on this story.
AWWA is just wasteing all valuable resources, of ARMY on pretext of welfare for families of Army
ReplyDeletemore over it is more a kitty party for CO\ Cdr 's wife nothing else
maj R S Shekhawat
AWWA is a very active element in carrying out many social and welfare activities for the serving and retired personnel of the army....every lady should be a part and show active involvement in it voluntarily.....
ReplyDeletegkk
you should be hanged thats all i can say
DeleteMrs. Paul is right in taking up tje issue. In my opinion a professional carrier sholud not be mixed with social or voluntary activities, more so where the activity invoves a wife's particiaption who is not a professional member of the force.
ReplyDeleteIncase the contention of the lady is true then it is a case of avoidable controversy on the part of the CO. However, it must be appreciated that AWWA has a major role in welfare, comunity bonding and when used properly can act as a good support system especially for families of PBOR's. Problem arises when the focus shifts on number of heads attending rather than the content of activities/ meetings.
ReplyDeletei am sure u must be employed by army to write all this in army's favour or may be part of AWWA its most useless thing any officer can do
DeleteWHAT! Only PBOR's families have problems!!!!
Delete1. Wives of the senior most officers were made Presidents of AWWA at all levels respectively at all the stations. The prime cause of AWWA has been only one.... to satisfy the EGO of Wives of senior officers so that they can Boss around.
ReplyDelete2. The origin lies in the British India when their ladies were actually better educated and informed than that of Indian Ladies who happened to be the wives of Indian JCOs/ OR.
The cause was right THEN. But the final INTENT went wrong.
4. The Batallion Commanders & Senior Officers wanting to please their Superiors would divert not only funds for AWWA but the precious professional manpower for AWWA activities at the cost of important Training hours or the Rest hours of the Soldiers.
3. To say in short AWWA is the BIGGEST ever FRAUD in the Indian Army. It is said to be a welfare activity but factually it is the most hated and disturbing activity.
I agree with the contention of Mrs. Paul. The professional career should not be linked with social obligations. The practice would lead to endless complications to professional career of sloldiers.
ReplyDeleteIts certainly wrong for Maj Paul's career to be spoilt due to Mrs Paul's inability to participate in AWWA activities,Mrs Paul too must remember that when she married Maj Paul she automatically adopted the army way of life. AWWA no matter how controversial is very
ReplyDeletemuch a part of that.
So u r saying that a pregnant lady shud be pressurised & a young officer shud be pushed towards depression!
Deleteall of us who are serving or served in the defence have been tormented by this organisation misnomered as welfare organisation. though i m not contesting to the welfare work they do but thrusting it on people to do that is not right. i myself as a young officer ran from pillar to post to organise a band concert for NWWA. god knows when will this end, i hope some sanity prevails and these organisations get delinked from the army's activities.
ReplyDeleteDear Readers
ReplyDeleteDeductions on the above writeup:
1.If the Indian Army consider AWWA as a vital link officially,then it should have the moral courage to accept.
2.If not, AWWA should be delinked from all official associations & should be treated like a normal NGO.
3.If that is so,it should function in full transperancy.
4.Husband's rank of army wife can never be the parameter for any appointments of AWWA.
5.It should be open to all kinds of public scruitney & should never be allowed to become a state within itself.
6.Military resources should never be allocated to AWWA at the cost training.
7.The ball is finally in the army's court.
IT IS SHAME FOR OUR INDIAN ARMY TO ASK FOR WIFE OF AN ARMY OFFICER TO BEHAVE LIKE MILITARY SERVANTS
ReplyDeleteOne can see the frustration and anger in the wives, from the recent incidents and above comment. Well we can keep on doing this 24x7 but it wont make any difference and the wrong practice will keep continuing. Its a very similar situation to saas-bahu problem in India. The saas thinks that she has done this so she deserves it. well the smart younger generation has smartly avoided this without disrespecting the elders. STAY AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY FOR THE INITIAL FEW YEARS TILL YOUR MARRIAGE SETTLES. We being in the army must do something similar. the younger generation understands that they don't have to satisfy the EGO of senior officers wives. SO WHERE IS THE SOLUTION. I suggest everyone who feels this must snail mail one letter per day to the Chief of army staff till these ladies meet (the sole culprit of frustration)(not regiment level welfare) is officially shut down. Trust me if we start a movement against it will work but we need to put the word accross. MAJOR SURENDER, you can help us in this by giving wide publicity to this movement. You are the net savy guy!!! BRING US ALL TOGETHER!!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDelete1. The issue of saas bahu can only arise in a family , whereas , AWWA has publicly been disowned by the INDIAN ARMY.
2. The point of frustration is well understood, even the senior ladies know that.
3. The larger issue hovers around the rising frustration level against the careerists.
4. This breed is really sucking this organisation & we must target this root.
5. All this mess of AWWA,etc are incidental to this.
6. Therefore, let us work for the real pride of INDIAN ARMY.
Ive even sacrificed living with my husband just to steer clear of all this controversy. Im married to the man and not to his profession! Cant i live my life the way i want to? Why do i have to be judged based on how well i socialize?! ridiculous indeed.
DeleteEven if AWWA is an NGO there can't be any denying that it plays a crucial role in the welfare of the jawans' families and whosoever feels that these activities are not required keeping in view the raised standard of the education amongst them...should come and see the ground realities.
ReplyDeleteAs for Mrs Paul..she should understand that army is not your regular MNC. Its an organization which takes pride in its family ethos and its required also..and feel the onus lies on the officer getting married to a civilian to tell their prospective spouse about the way army functions. One of the ethos is to take care of the your subordinates. As the wife of an army officer,that becomes a duty for her as well...but ofcourse this can be achieved only through right spirit and and not by force.
From ur "civilian" comment, i guess u r from an army background. Please keep in mind that army works for these "civilians" & u r also one, unless u r working for the army. U cannot claim to be anything depending on ur husband's or father's ranks. But what AWWA & people like yourself shud remember is that, u cannot push people into doin things they dont want to do. I hav never heard about any other NGO that decides the promotion prospect of an officer. Do u think that today's young women shud b happy arranging dance programmes & beauty classes? I read som where about a "senior" lady saying that her daughters r smart bcoz they refuse to marry army officers, as they want to hav a career!!!! So all those girls, myself included, who marry the young officers r idiots!!! What right does these "seniors" have, to order others to quit their jobs & serve AWWA?? They dont want their children to marry army officers but others shud suffer to boost their ego. When i read this article i got veri scared. I am in love with an army officer & is due to get married to him. Yes, im goin to quit my job after our wedding so that i can be with him. But i do plan to take up som internet jobs. From reading the comments of Ms.Mishra i feel veri anxious. I think people from defence background shud change their mindset. This is the modern age & women hav aspirations. And whose welfare r u talking about ?? Jawan's wives r all well educated. So kindly stop patronizing others. You talk about army's family ethos. so army's family ethos is about creating marital discord, destroying the meritorious service of honest officers bcoz their wives didn't danced or socialised!!! GROW UP LADY.
DeleteAWWA is all time terror organisation. If u r married to an army officer u have not commited a crime, but AWWA will definetly make u think that and make u repent ur decesion. They want every wife to be as stupid and senseless as they are. welfare.. ha..ha.. they get to welfared themselves. they have no knowledge of any subject in life, the senir ladies pass over their ignarance in the name of welfare to others. Today jawan's wife is better educated than a general.s wife...
ReplyDeleteEvery organisation has its peculiarities.So does Army. The nature of work the Army has to undertake, demands close cohesiveness between the families of Officers,Jco's and Jawans.AWWA provides this forum for sharing experiences and built better personal relationship among the families. It is time tested and quite successful.Maj and Mrs Paul is probably viewing half a glass empty, instead of half a glass full.It is a pity when other organisations are copying the Defence Forces ,some of its own officer are trying to malign it. May be SSB needs to take a closer look in its selection procedure of officers!!!!.
ReplyDeleteMalign it? Ha ha ha. Yeah ssb pls look for officers and their wives who can party, socialize, lack common sense and be slaves. DO NOT look for strength of will and character, physical ability and intelligence. How do all of these matter anyway?
DeleteWOW!!! That is brilliant. Now SSB shud also select & train new/aspiring army wives.
Deleteits the worst and most useless organisations working on whims and fancies of senior lady wives who boss around because of their husband's seniority. it should be completely done away with.
ReplyDeleteThe complete lot army officers are divided in two parts. COLs and above and Lt cols and below. both are totally against each other. AWWA is always used assauge the ego of the upper part of the army and lesser one are forced to follow them. The lady who has taken up the issue may not be aware that the orders were direct from the SRO who passed the instructin that if a lady wife does not participate in AWWA endoresement should be done in the ACR of the officers so the CO did not have any choice. All this nonsense of army should be advertised and told well before any one who joins army and also to the ladies who marries an army guy.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that. We should better learn from modern militries around the world on the values of an organization. You wont find a protocol difference between the wife of a General and that of a Sergeant.
All those who have posted above posts are sealed or their wives haves sealed them - mentally weak - keep cribbing you or ur hubby wont b promoted by thjis - plzzz t6hink positive and njoy army as career
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDelete1. Could you pl answer the logic behind diverting military resources to an NGO which army publicly disowns?
2. If at all it is an NGO, under what rule the senior most wife becomes an ex-officio head?
3. Which are the other NGOs in India where army officers are attached?
4. How come an officer's association to an NGO becomes a basis for his promotions? Is there any other NGO of similar repute?
The questions are endless but the larger issue is that the Indian Army is still living under the colonial hangover.
maj paul is in army hospital jammu for acute depression due to martial discard...mrs savneet paul has left her husband few months ago.
ReplyDeleteawwa is meant for welfare cause not for sending someone to hospital due to acute depression and to break marrige.when a soilder is in feild he is fightin for our country..........it is really shame for army.....awwa......to torture someone to that extent...........awwa should be completly disowned by army......
ReplyDeleteAll I wan't to Say "Mrs Paul, Tussi great Ho"
ReplyDeleteStill we are living with rules of British Army ,
ReplyDeletethat means we being in Army are still gulam of Britishers. No body is bothered to take care of todays generation in Army ....today in school and colleges we learn about rights our human rights but here no human rights , I am forced to obey my senoir lady as if I am working under her not my husband or I can say she ordering as if she is working for Army .
Hierarchy should be there only for the men. I agree to the extent men are supposed to respect ladies that doesn't mean senior ladies
start taking undue advantages of all this.
AWWA is meant for welfare but nowadays we feel we are diverting from our actual mission .
ReplyDeleteThere are few activities which are really good but on the other hand all these things should be voluntarily .
Please answer my few questions---
Why our freedom is taken away from us after getting married to armyman? Why I cannot my life decisions? Why I have to neglect my child for all these activities? Why I cannot take care of my health ?
I am lacking everywhere becoz my top priority to work for AWWA ..I cannot say no to it .
My child is suffering in health and education, becoz my health does't allow me take so much of exertion. Why I cannot concentrate on my family.
Or the solution for this is to struggle other way to keep my child away from father ,my child is also paying cost of staying with father.
A lot of senior ladies think that AWWA is of great service to the OR wives. That they are pleased to arrive at the venue in "dhai tons" to attend welfare meets at 3:00PM in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThe Army is used to circulating circluars for every petty thing. We all have signed many such circulars, haven't we? So let such a circular be drafted and circulated to every Army wife, be it a OR, JCO or an Officer and let them speak for themselves if their problems are being taken care. I can assure you, majority of the ladies would like to avoid AWWA if given a chance. I know this because i had conducted a similar exercise in my last station
A lot of senior ladies think that AWWA is of great service to the OR wives. That they are pleased to arrive at the venue in "dhai tons" to attend welfare meets at 3:00PM in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThe Army is used to circulating circluars for every petty thing. We all have signed many such circulars, haven't we? So let such a circular be drafted and circulated to every Army wife, be it a OR, JCO or an Officer and let them speak for themselves if their problems are being taken care. I can assure you, majority of the ladies would like to avoid AWWA if given a chance. I know this because i had conducted a similar exercise in my last station
I always felt good about being part of the welfare activities for last 13 years but since last few months certain characters ve made me realise that most of us are being used by so called senior ladies for satisfying their ego.
ReplyDeleteI know most of you would not agree with me but these welfare activities are a big show off.Most of the activities are being forced upon the families and they all do it because they want to stay with their husband. For heaven sake we need to give them breathing space....
Most of the army wives feel proud about being part of awwa but pl...pl...live and let others also live in peace
Why blame Awwa only?
ReplyDeletenow adays, personal interests and vengence of commandants add up to senior offices ego and they take it out through ACR to spoil the promotion of the officer,there by causing mental trauma to the entire family.
my husband while commanding a unit did not support the previous co of the same unit to miss use mess property for the personal use, one way to steel away govt property, while this person was side stepped nearby only.
unfortunately he had to serve under htis particulor officials close friend's command.
Just because my husband did not support these illegal activities, this present commandant, who has no other encounter wiht my husband, keep tourturing my husband verbally, whenever he meets and provokes, sothat he reacts. My husband is unwell now, not able to dedicate himself fully to other activities other than his duties, where he used to be a active member in his healthy days.
I being his wife do not understand how to react to this injustice and the mental torture by such officials. They are so small in their thoughts, and narrow minded, and inhuman. Such Army personals put the Army down and bring shame to the Indian Army.
It is like; mere dost or hamare gaowale ko tum ne manmani nahi karne diya to tume bhi ACR kharab karke, mentally tourture karke aage badne nahi dunga.
Sachai dedicated service, aur true desbhakti ka ehi inam milta hai. this makes me feel fraustated, how senior officers can be mean, unreasonal, selfish. I know no AWWA can help me to come out of htis frustration.
MOST STUPID PEOPLE ARE ARMY WIVES
ReplyDeleteI am agree that awwa is nothing but wasting of time and man power of army. It is very painful towards families of pbor.so Mrs. paul is very very correct in her view. .
ReplyDeleteI feel AWWA has not a useful role rather than to fraustating specially PBOR families. It must be closed.
ReplyDeletei appeal to all offecer wives....
ReplyDeletemove byond this show off.... mrs paul is right. we have not joined army... do not try to controll us! let us live happily as we want. dont try to define our happiness. participating in some silly gossip and uselessly praising jwellery of my husbands boss's wife is the last thing in the world i wish to do. what welfare are we talking about? ignoring your family and attending these silly parties wont bring any welfare. and the hierarchy is disgusting. i am a doctor,why should i be a 'chamcha' of a lady educationally much below than me,just because she is my husbands bosses wife. is this not like bonded labour?
Well even though i feel that at times awwa is doing its job for which it was formed but more often than not now a days ladies just dont wish to be a part of it for reasons well known to all of us out here.
ReplyDeletei support you mrs. paul
kapri
dear all,
ReplyDeleteit seems we all here are thoroughly concerned with the problem. please understand, that to get rid of this issue will take a lot of time. unfortunately we are so damn meticulous "paper tigers" to fool the world outside by justifying them in some good "angrezi". no doubts, army is an amazing way of life, but sadly the real spirit has been murdered, by idiotic present day social setup in organistaion and vested interest's. sorry frnds really cant help, but we all got to live with it, by whatever face.
good luck
@ the many anonymous (or one posting as many)
ReplyDeleteyou may think you have jst married an army man but you are also married into the army coz you are looked after at every point of your life by the army and that includes your children too when they are with you. you cant pick and choose - either you take all your privileges + duties or dont take anything at all. you cant hog all the privileges but have selective amnesia about your duties.
and@ all the other ladies who are cribbing in public-
if your husbands feel so wronged let them complain in the normal service channel for redressal - why are you people trying to complain on behalf of them? are they so spineless that they cant speak against their bosses? is their boss going to kill them if they do??? they are keeping quiet because they want to be "good boys". there are many "not so good boys" who have the spine to speak against their bosses if any wrong things are done. we dont need our wives to complain in an open forum about the wrong doings of our bosses. we can handle it ourselves.
complaining about the army after enjoying for so long in army comforts - is a proverbial"stab in the back". please do not resort to cheap tactics!! if you dont like the conditions you are free to leave - i am sure no-one is holding you captive in the services!!!!
Its is easy to write in a BLOG but difficult to put it in practice...for starters why don't so called all the ladies who have agreed with grievence of Mrs paul...so no to AWWA where ever they are and let there husbands stand with them.
ReplyDelete