Secret Seven Formulas to become a GENERAL

My soldiering on the formulas started when I first joined my husband in his field area posting. Both of us were brought up as civilians – no clue of the army life. One fine morning, while relaxing in front of our basha with the latest edition of India Today, I saw my neighbour passing by. Now this neighbour’s husband was senior to mine. And in the Indian Army because we are immensely in love with our spouses, we start behaving like them as well – and hence she became my senior too. 

This senior lady was heading towards the hut of the senior most lady. After an awkward eye contact, sheepishly she asked me if I was interested to accompany her. I asked her to carry on – but I got my first clue!! Wherever you are, whoever you are, in the Indian Army, the First Lady is important. 

After being in field area for two years, it was our time to come to a peace station. It was also our time to get our first ‘married accommodation’. It was our time to begin our magical journey of parenthood. But it was also our time to work on few more formulas. 

Formula no. 1 – Compete in Staff College

And in his first attempt,my brilliant husband sailed through. Seniors started acknowledging me. Juniors started admiring me. I got all respect without even appearing for staff college! Few seniors out of exuberance even shared their secret formulas. 

Formula no. 2 – Join a golf club

They encouraged my husband to join golf club. But my husband was more of a runner…

Formula no. 3–Get a pet. A dog

We did get a pet. Actually, a lot of pets. I think we went a little overboard with pets. First we got blessed with them – a turtle who crawled from Chenab river to our house and then later few budgerigars, parrots, some fishes and most importantly 4 rabbits who multiplied to 64 in 3 months. But never a dog…

Formula no. 4 – The hairy one

Something short or pixie or floppy or bob for the Mrs, they said. But something long, I said…

Formula no. 5 – The most open secret one – become a STAR

In the Indian Army, the most open secret formula is to become a STAR of Family Welfare and also relentlessly work for Ladies Club. Family Welfare naturally nurtures you, Ladies Club glamorously grows on you. The former gives you an opportunity to stuff your wardrobes with cottons, the latter gets you to explore chiffons and silks. 

Unlike modern days, mine were the days when housewives didn’t know that they were home engineers. If someone asked us, “What do you do Ma’am? Shyly we would reply, “NOTHING”. To remove this tag, I qualified for B.Ed and was also called for PGT Physics in Kendriya Vidyalaya. But seniors advised me to focus on the formula, and I obliged. But not because I wanted to work on the STAR formula but because I didn’t want to part with my newly born child. I did start teaching professionally, but after my second child. I had become a smart housewife who would manage her profession and also be a STAR of Family Welfare and Ladies Club. 

With every passing day, we became more and more learned. And just after my husband’s approval for Colonel rank, there was another aspect brewing up. 

Formula no. 6– The ‘field’ one

For the next rank, it was safe to command a battalion in ‘field’. Just after five months of his prized posting at Kupwara J&K, sadly he had to transfer his battalion to Jaipur. 

Formula no. 7 – Back to course

Fighting all odds in deserts and looking after the aspirations of his thousand men and their families he was nominated for another prestigious course HDMC. 

In 2017, the GENERAL word got attached to us when we were no more general. We never got a dog, my husband never played golf and I never cut my hair shorter than 50 cm.

We never really worked on any formula, we just were.

Which gets us to the most important bonus formula – Formula no. 8

When the promotion structure is pyramidal, the only formula that works is to be at the right place, at the right time and most importantly under the right person.