Russian Intervention: Role of Russia in war of 1971

India and Russia have had such warm and extremely friendly relations that it often surprises me as to why this political and strategic warmth  in relations hasn't been able to instil a greater interaction between the Indian and Russian people in general. I mean we make everything from guns to supersonic fighter jets with the Russians but I barely come across an Indian who wants to go to Russia for higher education or who has a Russian girlfriend for that matter! But then, Britain and United States share good relations as far as military is concerned and how often do you see an American praising England? So, I guess it is nothing abnormal between us and the Russians.

Indian jets bombing Karachi Harbour during the war of '71

The world in 1960-70s was very different from what it is now. It was extremely bipolar - There were Pro US countries, and there were Pro Soviet countries. India was of course the founding member of the non aligned group, but then the rest of the world judged India to be inclined more or less towards the Soviet side. On the other hand, Pakistan was a close ally of USA, already a member of the American lead military pacts - CENTO and SEATO. So, India's declaration of war with Pakistan, put the entire pro-US section as unease.  During the first week of the war, US had restricted itself to supplying arms and ammunition to Pakistan and putting diplomatic pressure on India by sending numerous letters and calls to Indira Gandhi. Their view, however, was challenged when Indian forces restricted the Pakistan's Navy to the ports of Karachi and carried out totally successful air raids and land attacks deep Inside East Pakistan. It was then, that Nixon was forced to think that diplomacy was not going to be enough to stop India, and military force was considered. The plan was to move all possible military forces towards India and generate fear in Indian political command to force them into negotiations. One of the most potent forces in the United States, the Task Force 74 led by the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise sailed into the bay of Bengal. And why will the Britain, strong supporter  of United States, get left behind? A carrier battle group lead by carrier HMS Eagle was moved towards the bay of Bengal. The Turks were asked to fly jets over Indian soil. Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia too had either agreed, or were in process of surrounding India with whatever they had - ships, jets, anything. Nixon had been counting strongly on China. Many letters were addressed to the Chinese political top notch to intervene in the situation. United States wanted some sort of Chinese involvement in the war to build pressure on India. Desperation was clear in what he shared with Kissinger "All they've got to do is move something. Move a division. You know, move some trucks. Fly some planes. You know, some symbolic act. We're not doing a goddamn thing, Henry, you know that." But the Chinese didn't even warn the Indians. They decided it was not in their interest to be nosy. 

And what happened? India liberated Bangladesh, defeated Pakistan badly and established her regional supremacy. With 'almost' every nation criticizing India's decision to go on the war, United States and Britain moving their forces into Indian Ocean, hostile neighbour on the north eastern border and an ongoing war to deal with, how was India able to turn the table to its advantage? Because, we had a good friend. A really valuable friend who understood and shared the cause for which we had gone to war. Who said she'll take care of things and she did. Things could have been very different if China had entered the war. But Soviet Union had assured Indira Gandhi that if Chinese decided in favour of any misadventure, they'll intervene and contain China from the North. On December 10, Nixon instructed Kissinger to ask the Chinese to move some troops toward the Indian frontier. 'Threaten to move forces or move them, Henry, that's what they must do now.' China feared any action on India might attract Soviet aggression. At this, US assured China that any action taken by Soviet Union will be countered by US to protect China. Pakistani army had somehow maintained their position and resisted Indian advancement. They believed China is preparing to open the Northern front which will slow down or completely stop the Indian advancement. In fact, the myth of Chinese activity was also communicated to Pakistan's army to boost their moral, to keep their will to fight and hope alive. Lieutenant General A A K Niazi, the Pakistani army commander in Dhaka, was informed: "NEFA front has been activated by Chinese, although the Indians, for obvious reasons, have not announced it." But Beijing never did. Chinese could not risk a war with Russians. 

India's aircraft carrier 'INS Vikrant' in operation during the 1971 war. It effectively kept Pakistani Navy holed up in Karachi Harbour.

Russia had been with India all the way. In fact they were a step ahead of the Americans and the English. Remember HMS Eagle was moving towards the Indian coasts? Well the Russians had been tracking their movement already. Tee Hee. Confidential - The Commander of the Military Intelligence Service Gen. Pyotr Ivashutin. "The Soviet Intelligence has reported that the English operative connection has come nearer to territorial India, water led by an aircraft carrier “Eagle” [On December 10]. For helping friendly India, Soviet government has directed a group of ships under the command of contr-admiral V. Kruglyakov."

Vladimir Kruglyakov, the former (1970-1975) Commander of the 10th Operative Battle Group (Pacific Fleet) remembers:

"I was ordered by the Chief Commander to track the British Navy's advancement, I positioned our battleships in the Bay of Bengal and watched for the British carrier "Eagle".

But Soviet Union didn't have enough force to resist if they encountered the British Carrier. Therefore, to support the existing Soviet fleet in the Bay of Bengal, Soviet cruisers, destroyers and nuclear submarines, equipped with anti ship missiles, were sent from Vladivostok.

In reaction English Navy retreated and went South to Madagascar.

Soon the news of American carrier Enterprise and USS Tripoli's advancement towards Indian water came.

USS Enterprise

V. Kruglyakov “ I had obtained the order from the commander-in-chief not to allow the advancement of the American fleet to the military bases of India”

"We encircled them and aimed the missiles at the 'Enterprise'. We had blocked their way and didn't allow them to head anywhere, neither to Karachi, nor to Chittagong or Dhaka".

The Soviet ships had small range rockets (only upto 300 KM). Therefore, to hold the opponent under the range, commanders ran risks of going as near to the enemy as possible.

"The Chief Commander had ordered me to lift the submarines and bring them to the surface so that it can be pictured by the American spy satellites or can be seen by the American Navy!' It was done to demonstrate, that we had all the needed things in Indian Ocean, including the nuclear submarines. I had lifted them, and they recognized it. Then, we intercepted the American communication. The commander of the Carrier Battle Group was then the counter-admiral Dimon Gordon. He sent the report to the 7th American Fleet Commander: 'Sir, we are too late. There are Russian nuclear submarines here, and a big collection of battleships'.

Americans returned and couldn't do anything. Soviet Union had also threatened China that, if they ever opened a front against India on its border, they will receive a tough response from North. Russia made sure nothing distracted India from its goal. There were there for us when war started, and they were there until the wreckage of the war had been cleaned. Wreckage...well that wreckage was no ordinary wreckage it was wreckage made of 'gold', literally. But let me leave that story for some other day, some other post. 

Russia's contributions to India's security: FGFA, Sukhoi Su 30MKI, Brahmos, T90, INS Chakra, INS Vikramaditya.

Its 2013 now, things have changed. Countries once determined to destroy us are eager to do business with India, sign nuclear pacts and look at us to take care of things in the region. It is so funny. Americans once wanted the Chinese to contain India, now they want us to contain China. Iran readied its jets to hit India in favour of Americans, now Iran looks to India to keep its economy going amid sanctions imposed by United States. Selfishness drives the globe. But one thing has not changed. The friendship India and Russia share. Never once in so many decades Russia and India shared a bitter moment. So if 'others' ever wonder why we favour Russian equipment over theirs, they should understand that probably it is because Indians mean more than business. We look for people we can trust, count on. 

All I hope is that if someday Russia needs India the way we needed them back in '71, India should be able to do that just fine.      

           

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India's Date with Mars: Mangalyaan

Curiosity might be in for a little discomfort and jealousy as Mangalyaan, India's Mars probe, will try to woo the 'hot' red planet in this coming October-November. It is nothing as complicated or even as robust as the Curiosity of course, it is a basically a technology demonstration project which will see a satellite being placed into Mars's orbit. But when it comes to probing Mars, which is full of mysteries and possibilities, every achievement is a big achievement. Bringing you some information about this mission, happy reading!  

PSLV 

What is Mangalyaan? 

The Mangalyaan mission,  which will translate to "Mars Craft mission" in English, is a planned Mars orbiter to be launched in November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).The mission is a "technology demonstrator" project aiming to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. The Mangalyaan Mars probe will lift off using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket and will be India's first mission to Mars.  If successful, ISRO would become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after ROSCOSMOS, NASA, and ESA

How will it reach Mars? 

The launch will place Mangalyaan first into Earth orbit, then six engine firings will raise that orbit to one with an apogee of 215,000 km and a perigee of 600 km. A final firing will send Mangalyaan onto an interplanetary trajectory. The craft will finally reach the Mars Orbit in September 2014 and would allow the spacecraft to enter a highly elliptical orbit of 500 km x 80,000 km around Mars. The spacecraft's dry mass is planned to be 500 kg, and it will carry 850 kg of propellant and oxidizer. The main engine uses the bipropellant combination monomethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide for orbit insertion and other maneuvers.

What is it supposed to do after reaching there? 

Well I could sure tell you some over the top things like it will use Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer to study the atmosphere etc but then that feels boring even to me while writing this, so let me explain it in non-nerd language. It will carry with it five major probing components. One of these will help in recording the temperature variations on and near the surface of Mars, then it has a sensor will will study the composition of its atmosphere, a third sensor to study the radiations taking place off the surface, some device to map the surface, and finally my favourite of them all, a fancy color camera to click some good pictures and relay them back to Earth. 

Some quick facts about the mission:

• The launch mass of the spacecraft will be 1350 kilo grams. 
• The probe will be powered by solar energy, with its panels producing 750W of power while orbiting Mars.
• The journey from Earth to Mars will take about 300 days.

  

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An Arrow from my quiver of dumb-but-popular-these-days stuff!

   Guess what do Star Wars and Indiana Jones have in                  common?

   Eating Noodles? May the force be with you. 

   These are some precision robots!

    

   True...

   America needs oil!...hide yours! 

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Some Inspiring Quotes I Came Across On Internet

We all need some inspiration in our lives sometime or the other, after all, life is full of ups and downs. These quotes do not belong to me, but what better way can there be than to learn from each other? I read these and I felt better, so here're the same for you. Happy Reading!  

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Indian Defence: My Review For The Army - I

I do not know if I can classify 2013 as a good or a bad year for the Indian Defence, but for one thing, It sure has been an extreme year. One on hand lie the magnificent achievements like activation of the miniature nuclear reactor of INS Arihant, launch of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and approval or the all new Mountain Strike Corps, and on the other hand there were unfortunate events like blast and subsequent sinking of INS Sindhurakshak and crashing of Mi 17 V5 chopper during Uttaranchal flood relief operation. All these developments combined with the increased incursions and aggressions at the LAC and LOC make this a good time for a solid review of the Indian security scenario. 

M777 ultralight Howitzer

What's happened, has happened. It's time to look into the future. Army is getting the brand new Mountain Strike corps,going to get its critically low tank fired munitions replenished with the BDL making Invar missiles for T 90, testing the mk 2 version of Arjun tanks and Naag missiles, all set to receive the 145 ultra light howitzers and...well, this is quite a list. It looks all good to go but if you were to take a closer look, its not all that rosy. To start with, 145 M777s will not really give us any edge. LAC is 4000 Kilo meters long and the Chinese have a massive build up near the border both in terms or men and infrastructure. How much area can 145 howitzers protect with a range of 40-45 Kilo meters? Army ordered these guns just to fill the most crucial pockets the LAC. They will merely be tactical deterrents, and by no means will be able to add teeth to the offensive capabilities. Next, the decision to procure Invar ammunition for the T 90 tanks also doesn't seem to be very impressive. Invar is a 2nd generation missile and its range is limited. It may not b

e very effective against enemy tanks like the Al-Khalid from a long distance. I'm no expert, and correct me if you must, but something on the lines of LAHAT missile would have been a better choice.  And once again, we are only filling the gaps which should have not been there anyway, by buying these missiles. They are nothing new, nothing extra. They don't improve the army over what it was in any way. 

          LAHAT                                                Invar

Arjun, I must say is a very commendable tank as far as the theory goes, and the story of improved Naag anti tank missiles also looks good, but then they are merely in the testing phase. With every defence project being entangled in the red tape and clearances, who knows when they will actually reach the production line, and history tells us better than to have faith in DRDO deadlines. Same goes the story with the cherished new Mountain strike corps. What should have been done a decade ago is being done now and much has changed in these ten years. Although it is a welcomed move and will surely make the Indian presence on LAC underscored, let it be known that even after the formation of the corps, the Indian men will still be outnumbered in the ratio of 1:3 by the Chinese side in the event of an aggression. The Chinese have rail networks very close to the LAC, and we hardly have anything in the name of roads. And things in India take a long time to change. In a nutshell, most of the procurements are not enhancing the Army further, but simply filling gaps left in the past.

The new meaner look of the MARCOS in 2013 (Left).
Right: Old Look. Note the difference in the guns.

Not all is bad though, there are indeed a few things we can be happy about. Not very highlighted, but not any less important has been the quick induction of the Israeli Tavor 21 rifles with the special forces. And this brings the focus on how the Indian special forces have been modernized in recent years. With NSG and Marcos already taking the lead in adopting more sophisticated weapons, outfit and warfare techniques, it sure looks that at least the covert operations capability will be in place. Another positive development has been the nod from defence ministry to the army to raise its own air strike corps and just at the right time as the HAL Rudra is already set to join the Army now. Agni 5's second test launch is only days away now. One may criticize DRDO for any other project but when it comes to missiles, they are simply unmatched. Akash SAM, Prithvi air defence, Astra AAM - they are all doing amazingly well. 

So as with any road to development, there have been ups and down, some decisions have been delayed, while some have turned out to be just fine. Numbers aside, in war you never know if one man will take down five or if even ten men will be able take down one.                

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Hotels You Ought To Be At: The Top 5 List

Here's a list of hotels which you ought to be at. Not that these are the most luxurious hotels, or unique either, but each one of them has something different to offer. If you were to visit all five of these hotels, they'll leave on your mind very pleasant, and yet very different memories. Each of these hotels have different view, hospitality and  culture to offer. A picture is worth a thousand words, have a look. 

   The Ladera Resort in St. Lucia, West Indies

    

An intensely blue Caribbean Sea dashing against the volcanic Piton Mountains and faintly scented tropical breeze cooling your skin is what you can expect here. The makers have tried their best to leave the nature undisturbed so you can enjoy a panoramic view sitting on a comfortable chair in your room. By the way, that is a 1200 feet above the mean sea level. 

    

Conrad Rangali Island Resort, Maldives

   

 The beauty and awe of  this underwater bedroom is self evident. There is absolutely nothing that I need to write to describe how  amazing this hotel  it. You have slept under the stars plenty, now try sleeping under the fish. This 12-seat restaurant - hotel, which sits 16 feet below mean sea level of the Indian Ocean, was converted into a private bedroom suite for two, complete with  a private champagne dinner and breakfast     in bed.

The Samling Hotel, Windermere, England

    

This one is my personal favourite  If you think this hotel is too mainstream to be getting into the top ten list, trust me you are underestimating the value of a good English morning. The hotel does everything to make you feel you're in England. There's something very classy about  this  place, and solitude, if you're looking      for it. Set in 67 acres of land, the Samling Hotel in Lake District, UK, looks onto Lake Windermere.

The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India

    

Wake up to a quiet Indian morning, and enjoy your tea with the view of Taj Mahal. I belong to India, so I know that quiet mornings are not something you would like to take for granted. The Oberois' are famous for their traditional Indian hospitality, so that's one more thing you should be looking forward to if you are planning to stay here. 

   

 The Chalet Zermatt Peak, Switzerland

    

                         

   Of course there are many resorts amid snow capped mountains in the world. But this one stands apart. For    one thing, it is in Switzerland, which has some of the most awe inspiring white peaks, and for the other, this hotel offers you an uninterrupted view of the mountains all around you, no matter which room you choose.    Imagine lying on that bed in the picture and looking at the glimmering peaks. O yeah. 

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Know Your DNA: Ten amazing facts

Some of our readers who take excessive pleasure in studying those slimy squishy things under a lens (bio-specialists) must already be aware of what a DNA is and how amazing it is! But for many others like me, a DNA is like a computer chip, which contains codes about how a program is to be developed. Or, we can say that a DNA is like a map, which contains the information necessary to build a house. A DNA, analogically, contains 'codes' which is used to make a human being! So if you ever wondered how come a single cell in mommy's tummy evolves into a full fledged baby, DNA is your partial answer. It is the DNA which has all the information about how the cells should split, which things should join together, so on and so forth. Note that a DNA is very very small. Only 2.5 nano meters! Following ten facts will tell you how weird this little molecule is.  

1. 99% of the DNA sequence of entire human population is same!

2. If you put all the DNA molecules in your body end to end, the DNA would reach from the Earth to the Sun and back over 600 times. Trust me even I don't believe it but I have cross checked this information from multiple sources. 

3.  Sigh!...98% of our DNA resembles with that of Chimpanzee. 

4.  How about storing your super-secret files in a DNA? A little too far fetched at this moment, but scientists are working on this. So, why in DNA? why not a CD or a drive? Because sooner or later, they will get  damaged. DNA, on the other hand, is almost indestructible. It can keep the information stored in it undisturbed for millions of years! 

5. You share 99.5% of your DNA with your parents. Were it not for this difference of 0.5%, we'd all look exactly like our mom and dad.

6.  Okay here's the big one. Each tiny molecule of DNA contains about 1.5 GB of information. So...given that a human body has about 100 trillion cells, the total amount of information stored in a human body is 150 trillion GB!! No offence to our engineers but I don't think any computer on Earth has that much capacity. 

7.  On October 12, 2008, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft flew a mission to the International Space Station orbiting around earth. On board, it carried a small memory device with the digitized DNA sequences of various (questionably) important people, including comedian Stephen Colbert, physicist Stephen Hawking, Jo Garcia, and shamed pro cyclist Lance Armstrong. The purpose of the drive is to provide the building blocks to resurrect humanity should an apocalyptic event destroy the planet. Oh the humanities...

8.  It would take a person typing 60 words per minute, eight hours a day, around 50 years to type the human genome.
   
9. The draft of map of the human DNA code was completed for the first time only recently in 2003.

10. Our genetic code is so long that it can fill 200  telephone directory sized books with 1000 pages each. And yet, scientists have not been able to tell the function of about 85% of the DNA sequence. They discard it as "junk".   

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