Perhaps the first time in military history that two coursemates from NDA course and squadron will lead Army and Indian Air Force

General Dhiraj Seth assumed office as the 31st chief of the Indian Army on June 30, 2026. 

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will take over as the Air Force chief from Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on October 31.

But there is a a 1985 Viral Pic and 2 Young Coursemates, - will be leading two chief wings of Indian armed forces.

At NDA, the young cadets were in the Foxtrot Squadron, one of the premier squadrons where they underwent pre-commissioning training. 

This is perhaps the first time in military history that two coursemates from the same NDA course and squadron are assuming the roles of Army chief and Air Force chief simultaneously.

Air Marshal Dixit was later commissioned into the combat stream of the Indian Air Force. As a fighter pilot, he possesses over 3,500 hours of flying experience across various fighter aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG, Jaguar, Hawk, and Tejas.  

In the widely circulated image, the two young passouts of the 69th course are seen walking out of the NDA in December 1985. They were likely 19 or 20 at that time.

Back then, few could have imagined that over 40 years later, these two coursemates would rise to the highest ranks of India's armed forces. Today, one commands the Indian Army, while the other is poised to take command of the Indian Air Force.  

Over the years, Air Marshall Dixit has participated in military operations such as 'Operation Safed Sagar' and 'Operation Rakshak', and later held senior command and staff positions.

He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, and subsequently as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

His coursemate, General Seth, commanded units ranging from armoured regiments and brigades to counter-insurgency forces and high-level formations. 

Before becoming the Army chief, he headed the South Western Command and the Southern Command. 

He later served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

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“I am still a student” ::::: "I did not live for my Ambition ... I dedicated my life for my Mission" ::::: Top quotes from PM Modi's speech on 25th anniversary of his public service :::: ".... There will be a time when world will talk about made-in-India planes"

'Critics, those who brought me down taught me to rise again': 

"I did not live for my Ambition ... I dedicated my life for my Mission"

The Prime Minister gave a new call to achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047, become self-reliant, and propel India into the world’s top three economies, and giving a slogan --  “We will do it".

Top quotes from PM Modi's speech on 25th anniversary of his public service  

* The 2001 Bhuj earthquake, -- "taught me to remain steadfast in reconstruction"; 

** the Chandrayaan mission -- "taught me to rise from failure"; 

and *** the Corona pandemic, -- ".. made me realize the importance of the nation's collective consciousness." 

**** $$ Media -- inspired me to move forward amidst bitter-sweet experiences."

“World is talking about Indian pilots; there will be a time when world will talk about made-in-India planes".

“Trust of millions of Indians my greatest strength”  

Emphasising the role of people's trust in his governance, the Prime Minister said the support of millions of Indians and the efforts of party workers had been his biggest sources of strength. He further added, “I bow before people of India for their trust in me.” 

Namo expressed gratitude to the people of the country as he marked 25 years of continuous service as the head of a government. Recalling the day he took oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, Modi said he had never imagined reaching such a milestone.   

“For me, people are God; hardworking BJP workers are my strength”.

PM Modi says “everyone’s efforts and enthusiasm” are needed to take India to new heights, adding, “We are sevaks, servants of humanity.”

“I am still a student” 

"Today, when I look back, only a feeling of gratitude emerges. I am grateful to every person and every incident that has taught me something or the other," PM Modi stated.

"Ahmedabad conversations - Lal Darwaja" offered different explanations for BJP’s rise :::: One participant said - 2014 mandate had more to do with Congress party's corruption than Hindutva

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ram temple on August 5, 2020, fulfilling a longstanding BJP promise and marking a major symbolic moment for the party’s Hindutva-oriented support base.

The Ahmedabad conversations offered different explanations for the BJP’s political rise. One participant argued that the 2014 mandate had more to do with corruption of the Congress era than Hindutva, a view broadly supported by others. 

Some credited Modi with avoiding major economic scandals during his tenure, while others highlighted the role of religious figures and hardline campaigners in BJP electioneering. 

One participant offered a provocative explanation: “Many so-called Sadhus or even hardliner campaigners among RSS leaders are now money-rich and also time-rich.”

Others pointed to the Indian diaspora’s perceptions of national prestige, the political impact of criticism directed at Modi and the changing public understanding of India’s democratic institutions.  

Conversations over late-night chai near Ahmedabad’s Lal Darwaja explore the Ayodhya movement, the Gujarat riots, the BJP’s  political rise and the multiple factors shaping Narendra Modi’s public image.

A visit to Gujarat last week offered an opportunity to speak with people associated with the Ayodhya movement and those who witnessed the aftermath of the 2002 post-Godhra violence. Discussions over late-night chai near Ahmedabad’s busy Lal Darwaja turned into a debate on the Ram temple, Hindutva  politics and the factors behind the enduring appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One elderly Muslim participant from Saurashtra referred to the Liberhan Commission report, arguing that senior BJP leaders could not have been unaware of the Sangh Parivar’s intentions before the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992.

The discussion also revisited the legal aftermath. On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the disputed Ayodhya site for the construction of a Ram temple and directed that an alternative five-acre plot be provided for a mosque. 

The court had described the demolition of the Babri Masjid as an illegal act. 

On September 30, 2020, a special CBI court acquitted all 32 surviving accused in the criminal case, citing insufficient evidence to establish a conspiracy.  

A retired academician described the “Modi Model” as an extension of the earlier Gujarat Model, shaped by electoral victories, institutional countervailing powers and political power-sharing.Politics

The debate also touched on retirement, longer working lives and the need for opportunities to reskill older professionals.

For the writer, the evening eventually brought personal memories of his mother, Minati Deb, who died within 36 hours of the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict in November 2019. 

Recalling her advice that stories are most powerful when written with tears in the writer’s eyes, he reflected on the human costs and sacrifices associated with the Ayodhya movement.

The conversations offered no single explanation for Modi’s political appeal. Instead, they revealed how governance, Hindutva, corruption, national prestige and personal memories intersect in India’s political debate.

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We will do it, - says Modi

 "Today, at this stage of my journey, I respectfully salute every volunteer and every fellow worker. Friends, today is not just a day for memories. It is a day to fill our resolve with new energy. This is a day to repeat that promise, to express that intention which says, 'We will do it.' We will do it! We will do it! We will do it," said PM Narendra  Modi.

 It was 25 years ago that Modi was sworn in as the chief minister of Gujarat for the first time. He took the oath of office on October 7, 2001, succeeding Keshubhai Patel as the state's 14th chief minister.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tried to infuse renewed energy into the country's growth ambitions by giving a new slogan, "We can do it". Celebrating his 25 years as head of the government, Modi gave three big targets, with the huge crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi responding loudly to with "we can do it" every time.

The moment of the pledges and energy infusion come at a time when analysts say that the Modi government is facing one of its toughest phases.

 protest movement led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as a Union minister in July. Protesters are back on the streets, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Congress-led Opposition have tried to paint the BJP as being in cahoots with the CEC in rigging elections.

Then there is the now-withdrawn UGC equity guidelines, which have made the general category — the BJP's major support base — rise up in protest.

"Mia Musharraf" factor in political rise of Modi :::: In 2014, Muslims were "divided" .. an estimated 8 per cent voted for BJP ... but whispers said "entire Muslim community is not trust worth" ::: 9/11 had set the ball in motion for 'global war against terror'

During the peak of 2002 riots - Narendra Modi on a daily basis used a phrase "Mia Musharraf". It was not aimed at Pakistan's president in office alone. It also stigmatised Muslims. 

Looking back  ....

Modi should be considering himself 'lucky' as his swearing in as the chief minister and the post-Godhra carnage .... and all that had happened after infamous 9/11 of 2001.

Hindu nationalist groups, already skeptical of minority communities, found new energy in the “War on Terror” language. They argued that 

It became easy for the likes of Modi and his hardliner colleagues in the BJP and VHP to sell the line that the "Indian Muslims were a potential security risk and need not get any consideration as a religious minority". This is not to dramatise the reasons responsible for Modi's rise and in the ultimate to emerge as India's Prime Minister.  

A bare footed Modi with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad Masjid on Sept 13, 2017 

Of course, the BJP and Modi himself focused on development and good governance. He campaigned on promises of strong leadership ... every time, he said Mia Musharraf.  But beneath those promises ran a 'new deeper current' -- that Muslims should not be trusted.

And the essential philosophy of the Sangh Parivar that India’s true identity was Hindu.  

Muslims take part in a religious procession in June 2026 at Ahmedabad 

The 9/11 did not just shake the west or New York; it actually trickled into neighborhood conversations and even the way people look at one another in offices and markets. 

It has been repeatedly emphasized by the BJP leaders that India was a 'victim of cross-border terrorism' for decades and that it would fight against the terror menace along with the rest of the world.

In later stage, PM Narendra Modi had called for global unity and a 'policy of zero tolerance' against terror in all its forms and manifestations, as well as against nations (like Pakistan) or groups that shelter and fund terrorists.

On anniversaries of 9/11, Modi has more often honored the victims, expressed solidarity with affected families, and recalled visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. 

At no time actually, American phrases like “Jihadi Islam” and “Islamic terrorism” offered new meanings to discussions and narrative buildings on Muslim separatism. Probably, people believed if someone is a Khan; he could be terrorist too. 

India was not alone. In Bangladesh, an explosion at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Baniarchar village, Gopalganj district, on June 3, 2001, had killed 10 Christians. Of course this was three months prior to 9/11. 

The banned Islamist militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) claimed responsibility for the attack, highlighting the presence of Islamic radicalism in Bangladesh well before 9/11.  

Tombs of 10 Catholics killed in the June 3, 2001, bombing in Gopalganj district, Bangladesh 

For many Bangladeshi Christians, the Baniarchar bombing was more than an isolated act of terror.

It was a grim precursor to anti-Christian violence Bangladesh would witness over the next 25 years.  Father Mimmo Pietanza, now 72, an Italian Xaverian missionary who served at the Baniarchar parish when the bomb exploded, said Catholics have repeatedly pressed authorities for a fair investigation, with little success, as per UCAN.

PM Modi addressed the Maldivian Parliament (People’s Majlis) on June 8, 2019 shortly after his re-election in the general elections and declared that the state-sponsored terrorism was the biggest global threat to civilization.  

With regard Bangladesh, it can be stated that the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was founded in April 1998.

After 9/11, it expanded its networks and on Aug. 17, 2005, almost four years after 9/11, JMB demonstrated its capability by coordinating as many as 459 small bomb blasts across 63 of the country's 64 districts within 30 minutes. 

Many say across nations; the social leaderships and government authorities have not seriously grappled with what inter-religious dialogue actually should aim at.  

Terrorism is a type of warfare waged by people who resort to any means possible to achieve a political, economic or religious agenda. 

It is toxic and highly volatile when mixed with extremism.

On Sept. 29, the Govt of India's high-level committee on demographic changes (HLCDC) sent a questionnaire to 28 Indian states and 8 union territories, seeking district-wise data regarding “visible changes” in religious demography in the past 15 years.  

The panel constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and headed by retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, issued a sweeping 35-point questionnaire to all states.  

"Reports from the states where it is undertaking the exercise indicate that its questionnaire seeks religion-wise data and data on various issues that include: the increase in school enrollment, conversion of STs, land ownership changes, enrollment as voters and issuance of Aadhaar cards. 

These have only confirmed our apprehensions that this was being done with a predetermined focus on RSS/BJP’s pet agenda of minority bashing," the CPI-M said.

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25 years of Moditva :::: Kingmakers and the King --- Story of a Chai-wallah's son ... who happened to be a RSS Pracharak --- A Hindu chauvinist and a Catalyst of Change

Life can be a whirl of success and happiness. It is also a whirlpool of challenges. These hurdles bring in changes. And then the transitions would redefine a man's roadmap and fate.

Narendra Modi's story is a complicated one. 

Born - Sept 17, 1950; Modi first became chief minister of Gujarat on Oct 7, 2021.   

At the time of his swearing-in, he was not yet a member of the state assembly; he later contested and won his first-ever election from the Rajkot-II constituency in February 2002.

 

In a Big Picture scenario - Development and Democracy have rarely been good associates. If one has to make a detached and objective analysis of 25 years of Modi's rule, the politics of Moditva and his share of credits and brickbats -- we may talk about three broad features. - 

--

* One, The 'Modi Model' has shown that a determined assault on obstacles to economic growth through investment, infrastructure building and leadership can ensure a sustained growth rate. Secondly. India may have to make a closer study (or a larger debate) on the nature of modernity and national identity. 

And thirdly, the combination of popular elections, firm leadership -- free of cronyism and corruption can bring in unexpected results. 

We may also say that in other words; Narendra Modi's life and works deserve a serious scrutiny by those - especially who disagree with him. 

On a different plane; by 2012 in a decades time - since coming to power first on Oct 7th, 2001; Namo brought about a visible transformation of Gujarat. The 'Gujarat Model' is a phrase - perhaps used by others. He turned himself into a catalyst of development and change. 

We may at this juncture easily attribute this to a lethal combination of Hindutva politics, the development image of Gujarat and not ignoring Modi's sheer pragmatism.

Kingmakers :

After many years, apparently, L K Advani had to lament about his primary decision to nominate Narendra Modi as the state chief minister in October 2001 and later to defend him despite the post-Godhra mayhem. It is said he told a group of BJP leaders after September 2013 - when Modi was already selected as PM-face of the party and the NDA -- that -- "we thought Modi had no mass base unlike Keshubhai Patel, and he could not harm anybody. 

The truth maybe was 'different' -- at least for Advani himself. 

Modi had replaced his 'former guru' as the face and the strongman of the BJP in 2013 and in 2019 - the Gandhinagar parliamentary seat was given to Amit Shah. 

 

The Magic Mandate:   

In 2014, the BJP's electoral success exceeded all predictions. It actually shattered Congress grip on Indian polity. 

As many as 550 million votes were counted.

Modi then 64 - said : "Brothers, sisters, you have faith in me and I have faith in you ... The people of this country have given their verdict. This verdict says we have to make the dreams of 1.25 bn (125 crore) people come true. I must work hard."

World leaders rushed to telephone the new victor. Nawaz Sharif, the PM of neighbouring Pakistan, with which India fought four wars, arrived Delhi for Modi's grand swearing in ceremony. US President Barack Obama also made right noises and later that year in September received Namo with the salutation 'Kem chho'. 

In 2007; Washington had declined him US visa. Indian students would have read somewhere ... that Bharat had a rich legacy of dealing with foreign powers. Modi has proved that he actually can. Since 2014 - there have been multiple occasions, Modi has upset international calculation. It reached its own climax in 2025 when New Delhi repeatedly defied US President Donald Trump's claim that the latter had intervened to bring in the ceasefire with Pakistan. Modi's handpicked foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar even said - when the ceasefire was announced between New Delhi and Islamabad; "the US was in the US". 

It did not stop at that. In October 2026 - Jaishankar told an international function in Delhi that lately the US in effect stands a "lonelier power". 

"No one in the room would disagree with the fact that the landscape today is primarily marked by a radical repositioning of the United States. A repositioning which is a posture of choice," he said, suggesting that, in a way, the US has "deliberately" become a "lonelier power".

This is New India. 

The clear admission that New Delhi is working to bring an halt to Ukraine-Russia conflict is a big message in itself. The transformation of Bharat is clearly visible in the uncompromising firmness shown on issues related to the nation's prestige and integrity. 

India's past continues to reverberate under Modi or otherwise. The present and the domestic politics is full of challenges. But there are proponents of 'neo-Bharat' theory -- who would like to ask -- 

How should a rising India under Modi and after him interact with the rest of the world ?

There are still more unresolved issues.

The contradictions between job scenario and India's high GDP growth, and the stock market do stem from a fundamental mismatch between macro statistics, corporate profitability, and employment realities.

The Indian economy grew at nearly 8 per cent in the April-June 2026 quarter. Yet equities have struggled to deliver the kind of returns.  

Blogger 

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Naga veteran S C Jamir wins 'mega battle of nerves' : NSCN-IM top guns V S Atem (deputy PM) and senior functionary Rh Raising "RETRACT" their Sept 16 statement

 It's a very old battle.

Old man had sustained bullets on his body. His detractors remained unrelenting. 

Time Zone has changed. 

Breaking News : 

In a dramatic development and realising that they had crossed the 'border line' -- in a rare gesture perhaps in their entire career ... #NSCN-IM top guns - deputy Ato Kiloser (vice chairman) V S #Atem and Spl emissary to Collective leadership Rh Raising retracted their Sept 16 statement against S C Jamir.   

S C Jamir, who has served under Jawaharlal Nehru and was also Governor of Gujarat when Narendra Modi was at the helm in the western state, has won a mega battle of nerves against the organisation -which hardly had sympathies and appreciation for him.  

He has in fact won a mega battle of nerves as the NSCN-IM (Hebron) leaders Atem and Raising (both Tangkhul Nagas and original inhabitants of Manipur state) had to "retract" their Sept 16 statement.

In a rare gesture - in a signed piece of paper - top guns said:  "If our comments on 16 September, 2026, on Dr S C Jamir have hurt the sentiment of the Ao Senden, it was never meant to do so and therefore we do RETRACT it forthright".  

However, analysts in Delhi the NSCN-IM leaders' 'ego' still stands reflected in their statement as they could have said "sorry to a 95-year-old elder" -- who are elder to them in age and perhaps all other respect too. 

Blogger and S C Jamir : 2022 

  

On November 19, 1992, the veteran Naga leader survived a major assassination attempt at Nagaland House (29, APJ Abdul Kalam Road) at a stone's throw from Tughlaq Road police station in New Delhi. 

At the time of the incident, the state was under President's Rule and the NSCN-IM was on a rampage in various parts of the state.

Only in September, 1992 - the armed gunmen had killed Editor of 'Ura Mail' newspaper and president of DLP - Chalie Kevichusa in a broad day light operation in Dimapur.

Two armed men, suspected to be cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), entered Nagaland House located in Delhi and opened fire directly at Jamir on Nov 19 (1992).

He was perhaps in room No. 9 and was understandably alone making some notes on his writing desk.

Jamir had sustained multiple grievous bullet injuries. 

Investigators later recovered five empty bullet shells from the crime scene. 

He was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he was treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and successfully stabilized. 

During that period two young Congress leaders had stuck to him - Neiba Ndang and K Therie. Both contested 1993 assembly elections; while Therie became his PHE Minister --- Neiba despite being a first time MLA became the assembly Speaker.

On Sept 10, 2026, S C Jamir created ripples in Nagaland politics when he held one-on-one meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Both the veterans discussed things in detail and Jamir briefed the Sanghparivar fountain head that the Naga peace talks are being deliberately delayed in an unholy nexus between NSCN-IM and the Rio government -- who ironically has ensured to survive in power in alliance with the BJP.

Jamir reportedly told Bhagwat that -- "we have seen the situation in Nagaland has reached rock bottom in the last decade. A day will come when people are going to blame the BJP and also the RSS for propping up the Rio Govt that has made a mess in Nagaland. 

Therefore, is it not time to review the stand ?"  

 

Rio - a former protege of S C Jamir 

The NSCN-IM leaders Atem and Raising on Sept 16 after a closed door meeting with Chief Minister Rio and few other NPF leaders including controversial A. Kikon --- told journalists that Jamir is/was "not authorized to speak on Naga issue".

Even after days there was a row on the statement -- Rio did not condemn the NSCN-IM leaders for showing disrespect to his former mentor S C Jamir.  

Raising is quoted to have said on Sept 16 : “He (Jamir) is not the advocate of the Naga people. We know from the very beginning”, adding ---

“He (Jamir) is out and out an Indian and he speaks Indian polity…he doesn’t have any right to talk on the issue of the Nagas.” 

Another report in a section of local newspaper said: 

“NSCN (IM) on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) questioned the authority of former Nagaland Chief Minister Dr S C Jamir to speak on the Naga political issue, asserting that he was neither authorized nor mandated to represent the Naga people in the ongoing negotiations”.  

***

On Sept 23, the apex body of Ao tribe - the Ao Senden condemned remarks by NSCN (IM) leaders V.S. Atem and Rh Raising questioning former Nagaland Chief Minister Jamir’s right to speak on the Naga political issue.

It had demanded that the statements be retracted within 15 days.

Jamir hailing from Ungma Village in Mokokchung district is himself a Ao Naga.

Jamir is the only surviving Naga leader who was among the signatories of the peace deal signed in 1960 that heralded statehood for Naga Hills.

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