User:Gautamkaulips

Gautam Kaul ( pronounced Gau as in ‘all’-tam and Kaul as in German ‘kholl’), was born on 26th March 1941 in Cheltenham, Gloustershire, England, to Kashmiri Pandit parents whose ancestors had moved out of the Kashmiri Valley some three centuries ago. He was a professional senior police officer, now leading a retired life and known as one of the most multi-talented officers alive, of the elite Indian Police Service. Gautam Kaul’s father was Prof Kailas Nath Kaul, a Padma Bhushan awardee(1977), and a world renowned botanist, naturalist, herbalist, herpetologist, authority on Arcaesae, founder Director of the National Botanic Gardens and Research Laboratory, Lucknow (1949-65). Prof Kaul was also the first Incharge of the Indian Section of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew England (1939-46) and the first Vice Chancellor of Chandrashekhar Azad Agricultural University, Kanpur(1974-79). His mother, Sheila Kaul, was a five times Member of Parliament from the Lucknow Lok Sabha Constituency (1971, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991), Minister of State, Education and Youth Affairs (Independent Charge), Union Minister for Urban Development and Labour Reforms, and Governor of Himachal Pradesh(1995-96). His brother is Vikram Kaul, Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust, New Delhi, sports administrator, Organising Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru Gold Cup Tournament, 1992, and Chief Coordinator of cricket game in UAE Dubai (1981-93). His sister, Deepa Kaul was an MLC in the UP Assembly and State Minister for Technical Education and Protocol, Lucknow. Gautam Kaul married in 1970 Rita Tikku  of Ajmere. They have two children, Siddharth Kaul an alumni of St Stephen’s College who was also a State swimmer in water polo team and recipient of the College Sports Colours for Swimming in 1992, and Juhi Kaul an alumni of Jesus and Mary Convent, New Delhi who held two national records in Air-Rifle and Sports Pistol shooting for the years 1990-92. Juhi Kaul also worked with the NDTV channel as a film editor (1994-2008) and a  trainer consultant in television journalism  with the  APeeJay Institute of Mass Communication(2016- ), and formally with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi (2014-16). She is presently the Controller of Programmes in the English TV Channel, ‘India Ahead’ (2018-   ) Education: Gautam Kaul did his initial schooling from the then Girls’ High School, Kanpur(later called Methodist High School), and then in La Martiniere College, Lucknow (1953-59). He did his graduation and post graduation studies from the Canning College, University of Lucknow(1960-64) in Arts and Western History, and on qualifying in the Union Public Service Commission Combined Services Examination for1965, in the Central Services and the Indian Police Service, selected the Police Service as his final choice. He was allotted to the Union Territories cadre, a name which periodically went through different nomenclatures and presently referred to as AGMUT(Andaman and Nicobar, Mizoram Union Territories) Cadre. Positions Held: In his professional police career of 36 years(1965-2001) and thereafter again on re-employment for five years as Member, Public Grievance Commission of Delhi Government (2001-006), Gautam Kaul held many important positions and did creative work which has outlived his in- service work. He held the post of Director General Indo Tibetan Border Police(1998-2001), Additional Director General Northern Sector and Administration in the  Central Reserve Police Force(1997-98), Dy. Inspector Genl. Of Police Personnel, and Inspector Genl of Police, North Sector, in the Central Industrial Security Force(1989-97). While working for Delhi Police (1965-76), and (1985-87), Gautam Kaul held the important assignments and braved many serious law and order situations, defended his actions in three judicial commissions, and one administrative enquiry in riot control, and twice ordered firings on unruly mobs. Among the important assignment held included Astt to IGP (1970-72), Senior Supdt of Police North Delhi District (1972-74), Supdt. of Police, Traffic, (1974), Supdt of Police Vigilance (1974-76), Additional Commissioner of Police New Delhi Range, Addl Commissioner of Police, Security and Traffic(1985-87). He also created the Delhi Police Electronics Museum(1971) with the assistance of K.P. John, the then SP Wireless, which is presently housed in the New Police Lines. He also founded the first Gazetted Officer’s Mess of Delhi Police(1967) with the help of Raghunath Singh of Rajasthan IPS cadre who was then posted with Delhi Police. Gautam Kaul is also recognized as the mentor to train the first women IPS officer, Ms. Kiran Bedi, when she was attached with him as a trainee(1973). Gautam Kaul was the Press Relation Officer of Delhi Police as additional charge (1972-74) and pioneered  Crime reporting in Doordarshan news(1972). Gautam Kaul also did very commendable work as the Police Chief (SSP) of Chandigarh UT during the period of Internal Emergency and beyond (1976-79), and on completion of his tenure was posted in the Bureau of Police Research and Development(BPRD) (1979-85) to work as Asstt Director Police training, and thereafter as Dy Inspector Genl. of Police. Within this period, the Government of India also availed of his services for the Ninth Asian Games being organised in New Delhi in November 1982. During his second tenure in Delhi Police, Gautam Kaul created the proposal and started the scheme to establish the first Delhi Police Public School(1986), and pioneered the work to start the training of police staff to finally introduce computer application to police functions(1986). The use of computers was first introduced in the Record Cell of the Traffic Police (1987). Some Achievements: While still under training, Gautam Kaul was attached to a detachment of the 9th Mahar battalion posted in December 1966, in Mendhar sector on the Line of Actual Control(LOC) during the Indo Pak War (1965-66). Earlier during the month of November 1966, he was part of a larger deployment for the Defence of Mount Abu which formed part of the defence deployment in the Western Sector. For his participation in the defence effort, Gautam Kaul was awarded the Samar Seva Star Medal. While posted in the BPRD, in 1981 the Government of India availed the services of Gautam Kaul and assigned him duties with the newly created Organising Committee of the Ninth Asian Games which were held in November 1982. He was sent to Moscow USSR (Nov.1981), for training in Stadii and Mass Game Managements and on his return was appointed as the first Chief Administrator of the IG Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. For the successful conduct of the games of Gymnastics, Volleyball and Badminton, and excellent stadium management, the President of India, Giani Zail Singh, conferred on Gautam Kaul the prestigious Asiad Jyoti Silver Medal 1982. While posted as the Police Chief of Chandigarh UT, Gautam Kaul successfully introduced the compulsory wearing of safety helmets for two wheeler drivers in the country (1978). He established the City Police Control Room and the Flying Squad, the police telephone exchange, created the Police Mounted Police, designed the layout of the new police lines, introduced the presence of women police players in the North Zone Police Shooting Competition(1978), created a police-press information bureau, revived the Chandigarh Rose Festival(1978), started a Dental Clinic for police families and also a police families welfare centre, helped form the Foreign Students Welfare Association in Punjab University (1978), became the co-founder of the Chandigarh UT Olympic Association(1978), revived the Chandigarh Film Society(1977-), revived the Lake Club of Chandigarh and also held the North India Sailing Regatta (1978) after an absence of 15 years on behalf of the UT Administration. He also helped Nek Chand save his now famous Rock Garden, from destruction by planned demolition (1977). While posted in the BPRD, Gautam Kaul conducted one major survey on the state of police training centres in the country(1982), supervised the first survey on Crime Against Women (1984)helped  start the holding of the National Conference of Woman Police Officers(1984), introduced the first postage stamp on the theme of Police (1983) and initiated the proposal to have for future  the All India Police Bands Competitions(1984) to bring improvements in police music. On Independence Day 1983, the President conferred on Gautam Kaul the Police Medal for Meritorious Services. While posted in the CISF, Gautam Kaul designed the Force Standard which the Prime Minister of India presented to the Force in 1985. He also proposed the formation of a separate Wing for Airport Security under the CISF, which scheme was accepted by the Central Government(1986) and  a detachment of CISF moved into the New Delhi International Airport for organizing the first parameter security which work expanded  later to cover over 140 airports in the country. Gautam Kaul helped the Central Government industrial establishments located in the State of J&K, to continue production despite threats of disruptions by militants. He helped in the successful completion of the power generation projects of Uri Civil on river Jehlum (1987) and the Dul-Hasti Project in Kishtwar (1987) on the river Chenab. In 1995, Gautam Kaul as Organizing Secretary of the All India Police Games conducted the biggest assembly of police sports persons through 12 sports disciplines and managed with his teammates the Sports Village of 6,000 persons residents in the open grounds of BHEL, Bhopal. After this event, mass organizing of the Police Games came to a close in the country. While posted in the CRPF on a brief tenure, Gautam Kaul started the tradition of holding the Silver Jubillee Reunion for CRPF Directly Recruited Gazetted Officers to be held in Neemach Training Centre(1997). He created the Standing Order for holding of the All India Police Bands Competitions and organized the All India Competition in CRPF Jharoda Kalan Centre in 1997. He was the expert consultant for the creation of the design for the first postage stamp on the Indian Police Service(1997) which marked also the Silver Jubilee of the founding of this Service (1947-97) On 1.6.1998 Gautam Kaul took charge as Director General, Indo Tibetan Border Police. He began immediately an inspection tour of all the deployment of this Force in the Himalayas and elsewhere and covered all the 29 battalion of the Force. He even reached those outposts to check the strategic deployments which had not been visited by any DG ITBP since 1966. During his tenure in this department, Gautam Kaul provided to each battalion an officer’s mess if that was missing, constructed new barracks, new firing ranges for professional practices, upgraded the hospitals, created the first museum for electronic equipment at Shivpuri(1999), started a repair centre for field binoculars at Karera, designed and supervised the construction of  a new National Police Memorial at Hot Springs, Ladakh, revived professional procedures  which had gone in disuse and related to training in guerilla warfare and  commenced the creation of the department’s first set of Manuals  for standardized administrative functioning. He redeveloped the battalion headquarter in Dehra Doon, providing a new administrative building, a needed extension in the Officer’s Mess, reconstruction of the ‘Pioneer’s Hut’, and a new 5,000 seat stadium containing three helipads. Later after superannuation of Gautam Kaul, officers of the ITBP voted to name this stadium after the DG and it is now known as the “Pt Gautam Kaul Stadium”. Gautam Kaul also personally supervised the development and construction of a water-body within the campus which defied engineering skills to contain water, and today it is the cynosure of the Force. Gautam Kaul named this lake as “Watts Ka Talab” after K.N, Watts former DIG in ITBP (1974) who founded the battalion base. Gautam Kaul also created a new police colony in Bhatinda for ITBP (now named as ‘Gautampuri’ and  expanded  residential facilities in the ITBP campus in Bareilly, Pithoragarh, and Leh. He modernized the Central Library of ITBP  housed in the Academy in Mussourie, got the whole collection of books and magazines catalogued, staff trained and introduced library furniture. The Reading room of this Library is now bearing the name of  “Pt.Gautam Kaul Reading Room”. He introduced the use of satellite telephony for operational purposes in ITBP, started the first fortnightly multi-language newspaper for the Force called ‘Himveer” (now defunct), introduced the AK weapon series seized as enemy property, for operational purposes before this was formally permitted in operations against the militants in J&K. and  got the official  permission for the use of air flight for soldiers of this Force going to or returning from, home leave and working in operational areas. He also formally recommended the revival of the usage of the forward air strips at Chushul and Fuchse along the LOC in Ladakh to the Ministry of Defence for operational purposes. Gautam Kaul created the ITBP Group Housing Scheme in Greater NOIDA for the staff (2000) which was the first successful venture in any para –military organisation then. He financially supported the development of a primary school in village Dhoni in Pithoragarh district in memory of the ITBP driver Head Constable Dharam Singh Bora, who was martyred in Ludhiana by the Punjab militants. Gautam Kaul also got the primary school in village Kaura, near Khanna town, Punjab, fully renovated and added an assembly hall and additional class rooms, all work done as a gesture of gratitude to the villagers who had rushed to save lives of passengers of a train involved in a collision with another train on a cold winter morning of 26th November 1998, facing the village, and in which ITBP also lost two of its men as victims including the 212 other casualties. The remarkable thing in this rescue operation was that despite about 600 villagers involved in rescue work, there was no incident of theft of private property occurring from the accident site. On superannuation on 31.3.2001, Gautam Kaul was recalled to become Full time Member of the Public Grievance Commission of Delhi Government (2001-06). Of the 42 departments of Delhi Government he was asked to look after the work of complaints received against 22 departments. During his tenure he was successful to induct Delhi Police as one of the departments from which complaints would be looked into. Some More Achievements: Before  seeking a career in the civil services, Gautam Kaul worked briefly as a stringer with the Lucknow city’s English newspaper The Pioneer. His quest for becoming a working journalist ended after he qualified in The UPSC Combined Service Examination, but he did not entirely give up writing for newspapers. He shifted to writing on the subject of Cinema. He regularly contributed to film journalism in Filmfare, and Screen and occasionally in other national dailies. In 1992, Gautam Kaul was declared the Best Film Journalist of the Year in the National Film Festival for his collection of writings on cinema in The Hindu of Chennai,  and awarded the ‘Swaran Kamal’ Gold medal with cash, by the President of India. Presently he contributes regular articles in the journal Supercinema issued from Mumbai. In 1962, Gautam Kaul co-founded the Lucknow Film Society and later, on moving to New Delhi joined the Delhi Film Society. He became a film society activist and rose to hold offices in the Federation of Film Societies of India(FFSI), ending in 2014-16 as its national President of FFSI for a single tenure. In 2016 he wrote the Memorandum of FFSI to suggest a series of reforms in the Central Board of Film Certification, Govt. of India. Many of the suggested recommendations made were also accepted finally. In 1998, Gautam Kaul published a seminal work Cinema and the Indian Freedom Struggle  which was reprinted in 1999. Gautam Kaul is held in high estimate as a film critic, historian and author and has worked in the film juries of Preview Committee for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), and juries of Indian Panorama, and National Film Festivals. He has also been invited to be a panelist in seminars marking the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema held in National Film Archives of India in Pune, and Bangalore (1996-97), and again in 2015 in Jodhpur. He is now the member of the Film Critics Circle of India(2018--). Gautam Kaul was also a member of the Film Policy Group of UP State which convened in 1999. Nearly forty percent of his recommendations in this Group were incorporated in the final document on film policy Gautam Kaul has been a devoted promoter of music. He joined the Delhi Symphony Society as a lay member in 1969 then took over its management as Honorary Secretary in 1983 and developed its community Orchestra to good health. In 1990 he send a contingent of musicians from this Orchestra to Colombo to play with the newly created local Orchestra and on a request moved by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Council of Cultural Affairs(ICCR). In October,2007, he took the Orchestra to Japan to perform in the Tokyo Opera House on an invitation from the National Government of Japan. This journey marked the first ever concert on a foreign soil by an Indian Orchestra in the world. In 1999, the Delhi Symphony Orchestra joined hands with the Neemrana Music Foundation to revive the tradition of Opera concerts in India and held concerts in New Delhi and Mumbai. The Society also supported the visits of foreign artists and groups from Uzbekistan, Israel, Italy, USA, Yugoslavia, Japan and Austria to perform in the National Capital. In 2005, the National Government of Italy recognized the efforts of Gautam Kaul in promoting various streams of renaissance arts in India, and awarded him the “Order of the Star of National Solidarity”. Following the successful holding of the Ninth Asian Games, the Government of India, launched schemes for the promotion of sports and games in the country. A new Ministry of Sport was created to look after the newly created sports infrastructure and to look for new emerging sports talent. Existing sports federations were asked to become active in their respective spheres of interest. Gautam Kaul and some of his local associates in sports, discovered a dormant game federation created in 1958 to promote the indigenous game of Tug of War. The group took over the management of this federation, revived its activities and  in  1999 after achieving the benchmark for official recognition, was accepted by the Ministry of Sport as the official game federation to represent the game in India. Gautam Kaul was elected as its President in 1988 and he continued to hold office until his elective office attracted the new provisions of the National Sports Code. In 2013, and he demitted from the post of President of the Tug of War Federation of India. He was thereafter appointed to the non elective office of Chairman of the Federation. Gautam Kaul also got the Indian Federation to be re-accepted as the official member federation in the international body of the game(TWIF). In 2012, Gautam Kaul was elected as the Senior Vice President of the Asian Tug of War Federation(ATWF) and from 2018, he  was elected as the President of the Asian Tug of War Federation, a position which he still holds. In 1976, while posted in Chandigarh UT, Gautam Kaul was elected as the President Chandigarh Gymnastic Association, Vice President of the UT Cricket Association, Vice President of the Chandigarh UT Olympic Association. In 1978 he was elected as the Vice President of the Gymnastic Federation of India and was sent to Bangkok in 1977 to participate, representing the national game federation, in the preliminary meeting for participating in the game of Gymnastics in the Eight Asian Games of 1978. When posted in Delhi UT, he was the president of the Delhi Gymnastic Association, Senior Vice President of the Delhi Olympic Association(1981-99), Chef-de Mission of the Delhi Athletic and Sports contingent to the First National Games, Trivandrum,1981. He also founded the Delhi Police Cricket team (1970). Gautam Kaul is well known as a police Service activist. He is arguably the only IPS officer in the country to face two serious police agitations successfully, those of Delhi Police in 1966 and then in 1979 in Chandigarh. In 1970 he founded the UT Branch of the IPS (Central)Association and waged a campaign to bring the Commissioner of Police system to Delhi, which came in 1978. He was elected as the next Hony Secretary of the  IPS (Central) Association for the longest ever term  (1981-87) and wrote the memorandii of the Service for the Fourth and the Fifth Central Pay Commissions and acted as  advisor for the Six Central Pay commission for some police associations. Countries Visited: England, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Japan, UAE, South Africa, USSR, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. Hobbies: Philatelist, Numismatist, collector of old maps, old cameras, film journalism, travels and tours, sports promotion. Authorship: Book published –1. Cinema and the Indian Freedom Struggle (1998), Reprint in 1999. 2. Geographical references in The Valmiki’s Ramayan  (1996) Unpublished MSS 3. Dalit Cinema (2018) in final stages. 4. Prem Adib: The Unknown Hero of the 40s (2018) Ready for publication Pamphlets – 1. Life and Times of Maj. Genl Claude Martin (1964) Published. 2. Service Memorandum of IPS for the Fourth Central Pay Commission, 1984. (Issued) 3. Service Memorandum of IPS for the Fifth Pay Commission 1994.( Issued) 4. Memorandum of Federation of Film Societies of India for CBFC ,2016 (issued) Drafts:           1. Draft Constitution of Delhi Olympic Association 1981. –(adopted) 2. Draft Constitution of the Asian Tug of War Federation 2013, (under discussion) Social status: Gautam Kaul’s father(Prof Kailas Nath Kaul FLS) was a freedom fighter and an associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a world known botanist, horticulturist, paleobotanist, herbologist with at least three new plant species which bear his name in botany. He was an authority in the study of palms and founded the 14th National Laboratory, National Botanic Gardens, Lucknow (1949-65). He was the first Vice Chancellor of Chandrashakher Azad Agricultural University, Kanpur(1974-79), Director Parks and Gardens, Govt of J&K 1968-74, founded the Jawaharlal Nehru National Alpine Botanic Garden, Srinagar also known as ‘Mamji Ka Bagh’ (1971) In-Charge, Indian Section, Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London (1940-46). Gautam Kaul’s mother(Sheila Kaul) was a social activist, She was the Working President of the MotiLal Nehru Memorial Society, Lucknow which maintained an ITI, a Children’s Homeopathic Hospital and a Children’s Library (1956-65). She was a Corporator in The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (1959-65), an MLC (1968-71) in the State Assembly and a five times elected Member of Parliament from the Lucknow City Lok Sabha Constituency. She was also a Governor of the State of Himachal Pradesh (1995-96). Gautam Kaul’s senior aunty was Kamala Nehru (elder sister of his father ), which made Gautam Kaul a first cousin of Indira Priyadarshini Nehru and maternal uncle of late Rajiv Gandhi. Prem Adib, a super film star of the 1940s era of Hindi cinema, was his uncle. His ancestors included three prime ministers of the princely State of Jaipur in the 18th cent. known as the Thullal-Atal family. Social Work: In November 1962, Gautam Kaul organized a one month camp at the Lucknow Railway station, with the help of his University friends to feed the troops moving to the North East to engage with the Chinese army. He also joined the newly created city Civil Defense and Home Guard organisation as a volunteer and underwent training. Briefly he joined the ‘Experiment in International Living’ organisation to work as a local host in student exchange programme(1960).In 1973 he became the Chief Patron to a city youth club  promoting the training in long distance running and called the Friends Youth Club. This club finally discovered one of its promising woman distance runners, Asha Agrawal who represented Delhi State in marathon races (1973-77). He is the President of the Kaul Science Foundation,(1998- ), Lucknow, Chairman of the Vitasta Healthcare Trust, Jammu(2014- )which administers a major dispensary in the refugee camps in Jammu,  and Member of Maj. Genl. Claude Martine Memorial Trust, New Delhi (2004- ). He has also founded the Delhi Chapter of the Old Martinians Association(1983-) which is an alumni of his school La Martiniere Collage and which has nearly 800 ex students on its register. He is one of the founding members of the General Body of the India Habitat Centre New Delhi (1992- ) and  a member of the Press Club of India, New Delhi (1992- ). He is a life member of the Kashmiri Samiti, Delhi (1991-), Kashmiri Pandit Association, Delhi, (2000--), and All India Kashmiri Samaj (1992-). In 2014, he was also its working President and otherwise between 1996-2014 its senior Vice President. He was a member of Governing Council of the Indira Gandhi Physical Education College, Delhi Government(2009-12). He has been a member of several film juries of The Indian Panorama, National Film Festival, and lesser film selection bodies of Delhi Doordarshan, and Federation of Film Societies of India. He  is called in work several times to work as a member of the Preview Committees to select films for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) since 1972. Since 2015 he is associated with some leading Tutorial organisations to work as Chairman of Mock Interview Boards, exercises for aspiring students to sit for the UPSC Entrance Examinations.

Prizes and Awards: -

Indo-Pak War Medal('Samar Sewa Star Medal'--1966 (awarded in 1983) Silver Jubilee Medal on India's Independence--1972 'Indian Police Medal For Meritorious Service'--1983 'Asiad Jyoti' Silver Medal for Excellence in Game Management-- 1983 'Swaran Kamal' Award for Best Film Journalist  of the Year (Gold Medal of Govt of India)--1992 'Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity'( National Govt. of Italy)--2005 (Silver Medal and Citation)