This reflection has been received from Adm Arun Prakash, former Chief of the Naval Staff on the article, ‘Moral Courage, The Bedrock of Valour: A Retrieved Lesson’ written by Cdr Allan Rodrigues (Retd), published in the Spring 2022 Edition (pp 01-09).
Cdr Allan Rodrigues’ evocative account of the moral courage displayed by his contemporary, Arun Khetrapal, as a Squadron Cadet Captain caused me to pause and reflect. My cogitation was further stimulated by RAdm Shrikhande’s poignant editorial comment about 2nd Lt Khetrapal’s gallant conduct, as a tank-commander, in the 1971 Battle of Basantar: “What might we have thought of his moral courage as a cadet had he not fallen on a battlefield…Would he be less of a man if his hour had not come?”
I will not attempt to answer this rhetorical question, but having served as Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA), 33 years after passing its portals as a cadet, I offer a view from “both ends of the telescope.” I returned to Khadakvasla, in 1997, to find that the Academy – although it looked, superficially, as magnificent as ever – had undergone radical changes; some for the better and many for worse.
The good news was that the 600 or so teenagers, who entered the NDA annually, came from a much broader spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds, and with higher motivation levels than in our times. The academic curriculum had evolved over the years to become a far more intensive and focussed degree-course. Similarly, the syllabus for outdoor activities – PT, swimming and drill – had been expanded and was more demanding. While I was impressed to see that the boys seemed to cope quite well with the all-round, enhanced training standards in the Academy, I also made some unhappy discoveries.
It was obvious that few of the teenagers who entered the Academy had received the benefit of moral or ethical guidance, formal or informal, from home, school or any other source. The new entrants were, therefore, susceptible to persuasion by seniors, about how best to conduct themselves in the Academy. As a consequence, it was dismaying to see the range and scale of misdemeanours in which the cadets indulged on a regular basis. I discovered that the prevalent Academy ethos required a cadet to possess a basic “skill-set,” which included lying, cheating, manhandling, stealing, and even impersonation.
While I could understand that an impressionable young cadet could be misled by intimidatory seniors, what baffled me was the benign and tolerant attitude of Divisional Officers and Squadron Commanders towards such grave infringements of Academy discipline. When I happened to mentioned to officers, that such violations of discipline happened rarely in our times, I would, frequently, receive sceptical looks.
Having dug out a fat, dusty old file titled “Honour Code” from the Academy archives, I initiated a discussion on the concept. The proposal was supported by the Cadet Appointments, who were happy to give it a try, but faced stiff opposition from the officers. So much so, that a Squadron Commander sought an interview, and harangued me to the following effect. Many of these young men, he said, were likely to be deployed in counter-insurgency areas and, “What use,” he asked, “would be a subaltern, who was not resourceful enough to ‘manage’ a few things, or tough enough to give and take physical punishment?” This alarming interaction confirmed my resolve to institute an Academy Honour Code.
After a great deal of discussion and debate, an Honour Code system, was instituted in the NDA in March 1998. The text of the code was kept short and simple, with its essence contained in the words: “...I will not lie, cheat or steal; nor will I mislead or deceive anyone.” Giving due consideration to our cultural affinity for “team spirit,” we deliberately excluded any clause about reporting misdeeds of fellow cadets. The words, “or tolerate those who do,” used in the West Point and Annapolis Honour Code, were substituted by “...I undertake to faithfully live up to this code and to continuously encourage my comrades to do so.”
The Academy Order promulgating the Honour Code, also contained this message from the Commandant: “It is my hope and expectation that this Honour Code will remain with an NDA Cadet as his creed and guiding light throughout his service career and perhaps the rest of his life.” In the case of 2nd Lt Khetrapal, it obviously did and decades before the system was codified.
This Honour Code may seem appropriate only for youngsters because it mentions, seemingly, minor trespasses. However, if we were to examine the recent trespasses by senior officers which have earned the armed forces a bad name – be it for fake – encounters, involvement in land scams, wrongdoing in purchases or corruption in contracts and recruitment - they all boil down to the same transgressions: lying, cheating or stealing.
The root cause is the ability of an individual, to blur the lines between the “easier wrong” and the “harder right.” At the risk of annoying my fellow NDA alumni, I would suggest that the instincts which motivate a “smart” cadet to commit minor offences in the Academy, mutate into serious character flaws in later years and lead senior officers to show lack of integrity and commit ethical lapses.
Ethics is what guides an individual regarding the right course of action in given circumstances. It is an external set of concepts and rules which can steer us along the proper path. Integrity, on the other hand, is an internal system of principles which acts as a moral compass. People of integrity are impelled by an inner drive that makes them behave consistently to high standards, even when no one is watching and neither reward nor punishment is involved. The opposite of ‘integrity’ is simply ‘dishonesty.’
A strong moral-fibre implies a person’s ability to stand firm on his values, principles and convictions, regardless of consequences. It shows up best in the face of adverse circumstances. The willingness to stand up for one’s subordinates and even accept responsibility for their failures, marks a true leader. This would have confronted SCC Khetrapal with a moral dilemma which he readily overcame. He was obviously, blessed with a strong moral-fibre which saw its first test in the Academy, and its ultimate test on the battlefield.
There is an old saying: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” So, if the armed forces, seek to produce officers with a strong moral-fibre, fit to occupy leadership positions, they must start grooming them at an early age. But that is not all. A career-long Professional Military Education programme needs to be instituted, which will keep reminding them, at every stage, about the importance of ethics and integrity.
