The brass tacks General gets to work

It’s a month since General Bikram Singh took over the command of the Indian Army from General V K Singh. Since then the general, fondly known as ‘Bikki’, has remained under the radar and is working even on the weekends to get settled at the earliest.

Like his predecessor, he is very religious while being at the top of the merit lists in whichever course he ever attempted. Both are also known as very calm people. However, the similarities end there. According to sources who have worked closely with both, while General V K Singh was a bit “impulsive”, and was known for his “quick decision-making”, General Bikram Singh is “patient”.

Unlike his predecessor, the 27th Indian Army Chief, General Bikram Singh has maintained distance from the media. He has not given single interview so far and has refrained from commenting on the various controversies involving the Army that erupted in the last one year. According to a source close to him, “The media will see less of the Army Chief now. Even though he handled the media during the Kargil conflict, this Chief will be concentrating on his primary job.”

The results of this restraint, say officers around him, is that he is putting all his energy into chalking out his vision to be implemented by the force in the next two years or so. He is already in the process of putting final touches to his vision for the contentious Kashmir situation. “Even though the new vision will not alter the Indian Army’s stand on Kashmir drastically, it will have a touch of his thought process,” sources said.

“Since his taking over, the General has been working even on weekends. He schedules all outstation visits only on Saturdays and Sundays. On weekdays, he holds back-to-back meetings at his office,” the source added. General Bikram Singh’s first visit was to Kashmir, where he met the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to discuss the latest situation in the Valley.

His assumption of charge has brought a great deal of difference to civilian-military relations as well. Unlike the former army chief, General V K Singh, who had never served in the Army Headquarters even once, before he was selected to head the force—General Bikram Singh is well versed with the ways of South Block. “The Chief has served five postings in the Army Headquarters in Delhi, that too in important branches like Directorate of Military Operations. He knows how to make the system work,” the sources added.

All eyes are now on his first modernisation review meeting with Defence Minister A K Antony in the first week of July, when he will assess the progress of various defence acquisitions and work towards fast-tracking crucial ones. “He understands that at times, we in the armed forces do not project our requirements appropriately and on time. He has been working in this direction to fine tune this anomaly,” said the sources.

The two year-tenure of General V K Singh has been very eventful, and many incidents—like going to the Supreme Court over the row over his age, and sending a censure notice to a Lieutenant General during the last week of his tenure—reflected his predilection to arriving at a decision fast. However, General Bikram Singh is known to consult everyone before taking a “well-considered decision”. He is known to encourage all officers participating in any meeting to put forth their opinion. “He (Gen. Bikram Singh) knows how to take everybody along, even while taking a decision, which is a very good quality in a leader,” said the source.

Since the General took over on May 31, his schedule has been choc-a-block. “He has a contemporary vision on every issue, and often tells all around him to shun archaic views,” the source added, while rubbishing suggestions that he will stumble on issues like the Siachen glacier, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Kashmir.

The new Army Chief, a fitness freak, is a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and fasts on Mondays. Presently the general is staying in Delhi Cantt. He is known to surprise the troops often; during his morning walks in the cantonment area, he walks into nearby army units to see how things are functioning. For the soldiers, seeing their chief is a pleasant surprise.