Dismissing the Batman
By Air Marshal (Retd) Ayaz Ahmed Khan
Los Angeles, California
Going through my articles on www.google.com , I came across an article titled "Dismissing the Batman" by Atul Sethi (dated 9 Nov 2008), a not so well-known Indian writer. His comments should be of very great interest to the rank and file of the Pakistan Army: " Orderlies" in the homes of married officers and JCO’s, was an accepted norm in Pakistan Army, which no one, including the federal government dared challenge. The "Orderly" was a hundred fifty years old institution, and continues in the Indian Army even today. A uniformed fully trained soldier, doing domestic chores in officers and JCO’s houses was not only gross waste of trained combatants, it was demeaning as well. No doubt the other ranks in the Pakistan Army and the Indian Army have been so well groomed and in fact brainwashed, that being an ‘Orderly’ or a batman is a matter of pride and not of humiliation to them. Serving a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in his office or home is an honor. However the commentary by Atul Sethi reproduced below, does evoke sympathy for the Indian Army jawans for the reasons narrated by the Indian author.
"Lance Naik Om Prakash is a soldier in the Indian Army. His profile is that of a combatant, but he performs many other duties in his role as sahayak (batman) to the officer he's assigned. In addition to assisting his officer, maintaining his uniform and military kit and acting as his ‘buddy’ in times of combat, Om Prakash says he also does domestic chores such as chopping vegetables, cooking, dusting, walking the dog and taking the children to school.
This might end soon if the defesce ministry accepts recommendations from the standing parliamentary committee on defense. Last week, the committee suggested the Indian Army abolish the sahayak system. In the report it tabled in Parliament, it pointed out that ‘jawans are recruited for serving the nation and not to serve the family members of officers in household work, which is demeaning and humiliating.’
“Veteran MP Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, who headed the committee, says the misuse of the sahayak system by some officers has resulted in low morale in Army ranks. ‘We have recommended that this practice be stopped with immediate effect, as its misuse is contributing to emotional distress among the jawans,’ he says.
In fact, calls for the 1.1-million strong Indian Army to end the Sahayak system are not new. A few months ago, defense minister A K Antony asked senior officers to take a call on the issue. Since then, there has been a clamor to end a system that has been referred to as ‘an anachronism’ and ‘a feudal practice’, which has no place in a modern army.
Incidentally, most armies around the world have done away with the practice. The British Army, for instance, phased out the batman after WWII. And so has the Pakistani Army, recently.
Defence analyst and retired Major General Dipankar Banerjee agrees there is a case for the practice to be abolished, but says it should be applied to all government services. "Why single out the Army? A similar number of operatives function as domestic servants in paramilitary forces, as well as civil services. It should be stopped there too."
Many Army officers agree. "Misuse of manpower should be addressed across the board in every government service and not just in the Army," says a senior infantry officer. He recalls being the guest of a Superintendent of Police, whose home was fully staffed with policemen. "I was amazed to see that everybody in his house, right from the gardener to the cook to the person who was serving us, was a policeman. Needless to say, when the SP's wife went shopping, there was another posse of policemen accompanying her, and making other shoppers' lives miserable by pointing their guns at them so that memsahib could shop in peace."
Adds another serving Army officer, "In our country, unfortunately, we have a tendency to misuse any facility that's provided by the government. However, because of a few black sheep, we should not question the efficacy of the Sahayak system itself. The bond between an officer and his Sahayak is a unique one. There is friendship, camaraderie, respect and even an emotional connect. Almost 99% of officers genuinely care for their Sahayaks," he adds.
So, is there a case for the Sahayak to stay on? "There is justification in continuing it as long as it provides support to officers in the field, where Sahayaks have operational responsibility. However, there's no justification for continuing it in peace stations," says Banerjee.
This might make sense, but it could be counter-productive. Explains an officer's wife, "Many Sahayaks have a strong personal relationship with their officer's families and are often quite attached to his children. They look upon his family as their own extended family and share their problems, which they couldn't have otherwise, given the strong hierarchical structure in the Army. In fact, for many soldiers, it's a coveted posting, since it gives them a chance to stay with their own families, which they can't do in a field station."
Some experts believe that the solution to the problem may lie somewhere in the middle. This could include engaging civilians to help officers or making it optional for soldiers to serve as Sahayaks. Whatever it is, it has to be done fast because the Army is already facing a manpower shortage and morale is down, especially after the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. Spiraling numbers of suicide and fratricide by soldiers also point to a growing sense of frustration. In this context, solving the Sahayak issue in a way that boosts the morale of officers and soldiers, is a challenge the Army will have to combat soon.
