India has never accorded due respect to its soldiers, and has paid the price
As India celebrated 62 years of independence, one pondered the question of what makes nations great. Why is the US an undisputed world power? Why has Britain remained undefeated for centuries? Why has India succumbed to foreign rule so often? And why is India still struggling with internal dissensions and fissiparous forces?
A chance meeting with a British Army veteran in a train from Edinburgh to London proved highly revealing. According to him, the secret of British success lies in the public support and respect extended to soldiers. “Soldiers’ loyalty to the nation and readiness for the supreme sacrifice are driven less by material considerations and more by an overwhelming urge to earn the love and respect of their countrymen. A grateful nation’s recognition of their contribution to national security acts as the strongest motivator,” he said. He recalled, “Before World War II, it was not uncommon to see placards hanging outside some restaurants in Paris which read ‘Dogs, lackeys and soldiers not allowed’. On the other hand, even pregnant women used to get up and offer seats to soldiers in London buses. When the war broke out, France capitulated in no time while Britain remained undefeated.”
In an article written two days before the swearing-in of Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, devoted 515 out of 863 words to soldiers and their families – “So as I watch Barack take that oath, I’ll be thinking especially about those members of our American family who stand guard across the world and the loved ones who await their safe return.…My husband and I are deeply grateful for the sacrifices that these families make to protect all American families. And we join them – today and every day – in praying for their loved ones and their safety. They don’t ask a lot in return, just a Washington that understands the challenges they face as part of their extraordinary commitment to our country….My husband understands that commitment, and he will ensure America lives up to its end.
“On Tuesday night, my husband and I will tuck in our daughters like we always do. Their bedrooms will be different, their home unfamiliar. But they will drift off to sleep protected by that same sacrifice that has kept all of our families safe and safeguarded our freedom for generations – the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and their families….For that, we could not be more grateful – or more proud.”
Now let us compare this with the state of affairs in India. Can anyone recall a similar expression of sentiments by a national figure? Except for perfunctory platitudes on Independence Day, the government has singularly failed to show compassion for soldiers or tried to redress their genuine grievances. Apathetic political leadership and bureaucracy have failed to understand the intensity of the sense of hurt of our soldiers at their continued neglect and deliberate degradation.
Despite repeated representations, India still does not have a war memorial in the capital to honour independent India’s martyrs. India wants to ape the West in sundry aspects but not in matters that affect the well-being and morale of the armed forces. The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington in Washington, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Cenotaph in London are admired by all Indian visitors. Yet, the absence of a suitable war memorial in New Delhi does not appear odd to them. Surprisingly, it does not even hurt the conscience of the nation. There is no other country that can be so apathetic to the memory of thousands of soldiers who have laid down their lives for its security.
The Urban Development Ministry is more concerned with preserving the vestiges of British rule and opposes a war memorial near India Gate in the name of preserving heritage. India Gate was built in the memory of soldiers who died in World War I during British rule. India has fought five wars since Independence and over 40,000 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice. Opposition to a war memorial on frivolous grounds is an affront to the memory of martyrs and displays a shameless insensitivity to the feelings of those who have lost relatives. But then, no political leader or bureaucrat can be faulted for their inability to appreciate these issues as they never send their progeny to the military.
Look at the treatment meted out to India’s greatest military leader, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the architect of India’s greatest victory ever. It took the government decades to determine and release his dues. India has not found him worthy of its highest national honour, the Bharat Ratna. No political leader thought it necessary to attend his funeral. In Britain and the US, the heads of state with full national leadership would have made it a point to be present to pay a nation’s grateful respects.
Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square occupies pride of place in London. London boasts of numerous statues of military heroes. No statues of political leaders are seen in the developed countries. India has failed to honour Manekshaw’s memory in this way whereas statues of political leaders (even with suspect credentials) dot New Delhi.
In the recent past, India was witness to the most unfortunate sight of numerous military veterans returning their medals to the President to register their protest against the government’s indifference to their pleas. Medals earned during active service are the proudest possessions of soldiers and their being driven to surrender them should have made the government sit up and take note. But, true to its wont, it remained unconcerned and unmoved. Not a single government leader or official considered it necessary to talk to the protesting veterans to resolve the issues. This episode will certainly go down as a dark chapter in the history of independent India.
India won the Kargil war of 1999 at a huge cost – 527 officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives while over 1,000 sustained battle injuries, many maimed for ever. Yet, a senior Congress leader, Rashid Alvi, had the impudence to state that commemoration was not warranted as the war took place due to an intelligence failure of the BJP government. Every Indian soldier, both serving and retired, was aghast at this brazen logic.
A notion has been deliberately perpetuated that the military must be kept under control through the bureaucracy lest it acquire political ambitions. The examples of Pakistan and Bangladesh are cited to implant fear of a military takeover in the minds of gullible and ignorant political leadership. A systematic and planned strategy has been orchestrated to downgrade the military’s standing. The Sixth Central Pay Commission was the latest master stroke.
Historically, India does not have a culture of valuing its military. That is the reason that every invader succeeded in defeating and enslaving the sub-continent. If India survives today despite inept political leadership and a self-serving bureaucracy, it is due to the unquestioned loyalty of the military and enormous sacrifices of soldiers. India will do well to remember the advice offered by Kautilya to Chandragupta on the treatment of soldiers. He warned, “The day when the soldiers have to plead for their dues will bode ill for the State and will also mark the beginning of the end of the Mauryan Empire.”
Great nations are distinguished by the esteem in which they hold their soldiers and care for them. Denigration of the military always proves fatal in the long run. A country that does not honour its soldiers and discredits their status loses the moral right to expect them to die for its security.
Despite repeated representations, India still does not have a war memorial in the capital to honour independent India’s martyrs. India wants to ape the West in sundry aspects but not in matters that affect the well-being and morale of the armed forces
Great nations are distinguished by the esteem in which they hold their soldiers and care for them….A country that does not honour its soldiers and discredits their status loses the moral right to expect them to die for its security
