Page 30 - Leadership in the Indian Army

he felt that the ‘O’ (open entry) cadets were much better than the other two
—the ‘A’ cadets who came from the ranks, and the ‘S’ cadets who came
from State families. The latter provided a backdoor entry to those who

could not get admission through open competition and resulted in the
induction of officers of lower quality and higher age group, who would
have to be wasted out, and could not aspire to command a battalion
someday.
Cariappa was also against the Eight Unit Scheme, which he felt was
segregative. The units were top heavy, with the British officers being very
senior and the Indians all very junior. This precluded the development of

camaraderie and harmonious relations between officers. Worse, these units
were considered inferior and looked down upon, not only by those within
the army, but also by civilians. He remarked:

There are too many critical eyes set on these units, and naturally so—but is it fair on the young
Indians? In these circumstances, they will have to be 100 per cent perfect to be considered
average—quite an impossibility.

When questioned about the paucity of good cadets, Cariappa suggested that
this was because people lacked education about career prospects in the
army. When asked what could be done to improve matters, he said, ‘…no

Indian has as yet been placed in a position of responsibility to demonstrate
whether he can run the show properly or not.’ Another point to be discussed
was the use of ICOs to replace the Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers
(VCOs) as platoon commanders; the KCIOs, on the other hand were
appointed company officers. Cariappa likened this to using a Rolls Royce
instead of a Ford car. He also had very strong feelings about the difference

in the KCIO and ICO salary scales. Other anomalies related to the overseas
and marriage allowances, to which only KCIOs were entitled. The ICO,
who was drawing less than half the pay of a KCIO, had to dine in the same
mess and pay the same charges as a KCIO, which put a severe strain on his
finances. All this, coupled with the fact that ICOs were made to carry out
tasks which only VCOs performed in non-Indianised units, made them feel
that they were inferior to KCIOs. The Skeen Committee adjourned on 24

August 1939, but could never reassemble due to the outbreak of World War
II. However, the records of its deliberations make interesting reading and
provide an insight into Cariappa’s mind and the opinions he held at that
time.