Bravery of Indian Defence Personnel

I was touched by the piece on people who are writing about our military heroes. I wanted to inform the larger fraternity, that my son Aditya Bakshi has started a series on Indian War Comics which are based on the lives and exploits of our military heroes. He has started with our PVC and AC winners. The first one on Capt Vikram Batra PVC was released by the former Army Chief Gen Malik last Jul.

This year Aditya is publishing war comics on Col NJC Nair AC, KC and Maj Unnikrishnan AC. In the pipeline are war comics on H/ Capt Bana SIngh PVC, Ptr Sanjog Chetri, AC, 2/Lt Arun Khetrapal PVC and many others.

The intention is to create a new post- independence mythology based upon our military heroes and promote the values of DUTY, HONOUR, COUNTRY amongst our youth and children. Comics are a medium that can be used to target the impressionable minds of our children.

These war comics are being distributed by Om Books International and are available in all metros and big cities. The intention is to translate them in Hindi and spread them throughout the country. The aim is to restore the traditional respect and reverence in which war heroes were usually held in this country.

Today, unfortunately all we get to hear in the media are mostly false and trumped up charges of HR violations which are being used to hamper our operations. The likes of Arundhati Roy and now Chetan Bhagat are advocating that we give up J&K and outsource our security to the Americans as the Armed forces are too heavy an economic burden! it is extremely distressing as I have seen so many of our good men lay down their lives for J&K.

I do think it is time for ex- servicemen to stand up and raise their voice in defence of a simple but fast vanishing value: Patriotism.
Maj Gen GD Bakshi, SM, VSM (Retd)