An epitome of secularism

Is Any one more secular than the army?

As a serving army officer, I never stop marvelling at the gullibility of our countrymen to be provoked with alacrity into virulence in the name of religion. I have never heard the word 'secular' during all my service -- and yet, the simple things that are done simply in the army make it appear like an island of sanity in a sea of hatred.

In the army, each officer identifies with the religion of his troops. In regiments where the soldiers are from more than one religion, the officers -- and indeed all jawans attend the weekly religious prayers of all the faiths. How many times have we trooped out of the battalion mandir and, having worn shoes, entered the battalion church/Gurudwara/ Masjid next door? A few years ago it all became simpler -- mandirs, masjids, gurudwars and churches began to share premises all over the army. It saved us the walk.

Perhaps it is so because the army genuinely believes in two central 'truths' -- oneness of god and victory in operations. Both are so sacred we cannot nitpick and question the basics.

In fact, sometimes the army mixes up the two! On a visit to the holy cave at Amarnath a few years ago I saw a plaque mounted on the side of the hill by a battalion that had once guarded the annual Yatra. It said, 'Best wishes from -....- battalion. Deployed for Operation Amarnath.

On another instance, I remember a commanding officer ordered the battalion maulaviji to conduct the proceedings of Janamashtmi prayers because the panditji had to proceed on leave on compassionate grounds. No eyebrows were raised. It was the most rousing and best-prepared sermon on Lord Krishna I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

On the Line of Control, a company of Khemkhani Muslim soldiers replaced a Dogra battalion. Over the next few days, the post was shelled heavily by Pakistanis, and there were a few non-fatal casualties.

One day, the junior commissioned officer of the company, Subedar Sarwar Khan walked up to the company commander Major Sharma and said, "Sahib, ever since the Dogras left, the mandir has been shut. Why don't you open it once every evening and do aarti? Why are we displeasing the gods?"

Major Sharma shamefacedly confessed he did not know all the words of the aarti. Subedar Sarwar went away and that night, huddled over the radio set under a weak lantern light, painstakingly took down the words of the aarti from the post of another battalion!

How many of us know that along the entire border with Pakistan, our troops abstain from alcohol and non-vegetarian food on all Thursdays? The reason: It is called the Peer day -- essentially a day of religious significance for the Muslims.

In 1984, after Operation Bluestar there was anguish in the Sikh community over the desecration of the holiest of their shrines. Some of this anger and hurt was visible in the army too.

I remember the first Sikh festival days after the event -- the number of army personnel of every religious denomination that thronged the regimental gurudwara of the nearest Sikh battalion was the largest I had seen. I distinctly remember each officer and soldier who put his forehead to the ground to pay obeisance appeared to linger just a wee bit longer than usual. Was I imagining this? I do not think so. There was that empathy and caring implicit in the quality of the gesture that appeared to say, "You are hurt and we all understand."

We were deployed on the Line of Control those days. Soon after the news of disaffection among a small section of Sikh troops was broadcast on the BBC, Pakistani troops deployed opposite the Sikh battalion yelled across to express their 'solidarity' with the Sikhs.

The Sikh havildar shouted back that the Pakistanis had better not harbour any wrong notions. "If you dare move towards this post, we will mow you down."
Finally, a real -- and true -- gem....
Two boys of a Sikh regiment battalion were overheard discussing this a day before Christmas.

"Why are we having a holiday tomorrow?" asked Sepoy Singh.
"It is Christmas," replied the wiser Naik Singh.
"But what is Christmas?"
"Christmas," replied Naik Singh, with his eyes half shut in reverence and hands in a spontaneous prayer-clasp, "is the guruparb of the Christians."
Maj (Dr) T C Rao (Retd)

No Communalising Armed Forces

No serving military personnel can have truck with a political party, leave alone a radical group. Therefore, the alleged involvement of a serving military officer of the rank of a Lt Col in the Malegaon bomb blasts and possibly association with a radical organisation, have not only sent shock waves within the military, but in the entire country, as well. Both as a rule and tradition the Indian military has always operated above and beyond the political and communal boundaries. Therefore, this incident is too serious to be overlooked. Military will have to carry out detailed investigations to determine if the concerned radical group or any other communal element has made any inroads into the rank and file. Commanders must remain alert and be on the lookout for signs of disaffection against any community amongst their officers and troops. They must act with the greatest promptitude and vigour to firmly put down any such tendency or inclination.

Yet the military cannot remain completely isolated and unaffected by the goings on in the country. Though terrorists have no religion, for they kill people of all faiths, including women and children, yet the media has been painting only a particular community in black colours. Often the investigating agencies to cover their own failures and to show quick results pin the blame on the community whom the public already perceives as the culprit. This creates heightened feeling of distrust and hatred against that community. In such conditions military personnel cannot remain completely isolated and not get influenced by prevailing feelings of animosity against the targeted community.

To protect military officers and troops from the virus of communal contagion and the dangerous fallout from this disease, good leadership and firm handling is necessary. Any signs of communal, regional or community bias surfacing amongst the troops and officers must be put down with a heavy hand. Loyalty, commitment and involvement of officers and troops with the national cause and country’s well being must transcend caste, regional and religious barriers. During periods of civil disorder officers and troops operate without any regard to the religion of the miscreants.

It would be relevant to recall just three incidents in the military, which relate to the manner of handling of such cases After Operation Blue Star, mutiny by few Sikh soldiers, incidents in Punjab and the killing of the PM coupled with the manner of coverage of these events by the media had led to a feeling of animosity towards the Sikhs. In this some of the military officers and troops too developed communal bias against Sikh troops.

At Kota two Sikh jawans and their wives were severely beaten by troops of another unit for no valid reason, what-so-ever One of the men had to be placed on dangerously ill list (D I list) while the other on the seriously ill list (S I list). This led to the court martial of the concerned officer (OC advance party) , dismissal of the Subedar Major (an Arjuna award winner) two other JCOs and three ORs. When some Principal Staff Officers at Army HQ recommended disbandment of ‘ class units’ (with the Sikh units in mind), general Sunderji would not hear of it and firmly put an end to this move...

The third incident relates to a senior officer (a Maj Gen) inflicted with communal virus On noticing that the guard at the army commander’s residence was from a Sikh unit, he ordered that it be replaced immediately. So a new guard was posted. The abrupt removal of guard escaped the army commander’s notice.

A few days later the Subedar Major of the battalion whose guard had been prematurely replaced arrived at the flag staff house to meet the army commander. He told the army commander that he had come to meet him without the knowledge of his commanding officer. He sought the reason for the removal of guard from his unit so abruptly: within few days of its duty at the flag staff house! He wanted to know if the army commander had lost faith in the troops of his battalion.

The army commander expressed concern at this abrupt change of guard It was without his knowledge and that he had failed to notice the change. He told the Subedar Major, that he did not want to prematurely replace the guard presently on duty, but once it’s tenure of duty of one month was over it would be replaced by the guard from his battalion. He thanked the Subedar Major for bringing this occurrence to his notice.

Then the army commander (a Coorgi officer) enquired as to who had ordered the removal of the previous guard and the reasons for the same. The concerned Maj Gen, presumably gave his reasons for the change. Those reasons made the army commander put an end to this officer’s otherwise promising career. There is no room for complacency in dealing firmly with such matters in the military.

The Indian military is the very epitome of national integration It’s strength lies in its cohesiveness, the quality of its officers and their ability to build on this unity and pan India character. Military is the country’s ultimate instrument to defend its survival. If it fails then there is nothing but Nadir Shah.

Lt Gen Harwant Singh (Retd)

Acknowledgement: We thank Gen Harwant for sending us the transcript. Good lessons of military traditions to be inculcated in our young officers.

SCPC Debate: The holy warrant of precedence
Why is the State unconscionably shoving its boots on the face of the military? What explains its downhill journey in the warrant of precedence?

Lately, in an article, retired Lt Gen Harwant Singh cited why the defence officers were being hard-bone-by. The bureaucracy, taking advantage of political corruption, kept the pot stirred by raising the odds of a military coup, and worked up this fear to emasculate the status of the top echelon, at the cost of the nation's overall strategic disadvantage.

A committee of secretaries revises the warrant of precedence periodically. Gen Harwant Singh writes that as the chief of defence staff in 1981, Gen O P Malhotra raised the issue of downgrading of service officers in the warrant of precedence (this has direct bearing on the pay).

In response, the committee of secretaries recorded, "Military officers were placed unduly high in the old warrant of precedence, presumably as it was considered essential for officers of an army of occupation to be given special status and authority. Mind you, it is not Mirwaiz Umar Farooq but the bureaucrats that called the Indian Army as an army of occupation!

Of course, Gen Malhotra riposted that the pliant colonial bureaucracy (civil servants and police) was the tool of oppression wielded by the Raj to quell the freedom movement, not the army. In fact, the strike of naval ratings in Bombay on February 18, 1946, that spread to major cities was what signalled to the British that it was time to pack their bags and decamp.

Gen Harwant Singh rightly concluded that it was highly malicious for anyone to decry the Indian Army as an army of occupation.

Once the political class colluded with the bureaucracy, there was no stopping the descent down the warrant of precedence. Perhaps the mandarins still see the military as an army of occupation, which should explain why they are pulling out all the stops to belittle it. Hence their effort to further throttle the services through the SCPC.
Heed the cry of the armed forces
Tailpiece: Henderson- Brooks report will spill the beans and belie if there is any truth to brand Indian Armed Forces an as "Occupation Force". The report after 40 years is still classified SECRET. The bureaucrats do (not) want the citizens to know the truth about the onslaught inflicted on the Indian Armed Forces?

The Indian Armed Forces Secular Fabric is Steadfast

Indian Armed Forces Secular Fabric Intact
November 8, 2008 by Deepak

Vikas had traced the history of the Malegaon blasts accused in an earlier story. That blogpost ended with a very pertinent question about the public image of the Indian Army. While the answer to that question lies in the realm of the future, the events related to involvement of certain Army Officers in terrorism have grabbed the headlines in the mainstream media.

Most of these stories are asking one big question— whether the secular fabric of the Indian Army has been eroded. For many service officers and veterans, this event unfolds at an inopportune time, when the three service chiefs are battling hard to restore the status of their officers.

An article appearing in Rediff.com attempts to get into the DNA of this undesirable happening.

The arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Purohit in connection with the Malegaon blasts has come as a shock because it involves a man from the defence forces.

Major O A M Tims, who was secretary to Field Marshal K M Cariappa, says that there is a perception that everyone in the army lives together in harmony. “While on the surface it appears so, below the surface there is this hatred among communities which is growing. This trend has been around since the 1980s and here I want to quote what my commanding officer had to say on this trend. He had said that if such a trend continues in the army where communal hatred is growing, I am sure that there will not be an India very soon.”

Major Tims said that the arrest of Purohit was shocking but deep down he realised that this was something that was waiting to happen. “There is a general perception that the continuous battle with both Pakistan and Bangladesh has made several persons within the army communal, which is not at all true. We have been in war with Pakistan since 1948, but when we fight them there is no such thing as Hindus and Muslims. It is just another enemy country,” Tims said.

“However the secular fabric of the army has started to erode thanks largely to the political equations in the country. Politics is being mixed with the army. There have also been instances of close contacts between some army personnel and politicians, which has contributed to the change in mindset, which in turn has turned them communal,” Tims said.

“In my opinion there are two factors that may have pushed them to take such a step. One is the feeling of communal hatred and also I am sure that these chaps would not have done it without there being a monetary consideration.” Tims said.

“What I foresee is that this will not end here. The arrested man is bound to come up with more names and I predict only harder times ahead for the Indian Army. If found guilty I demand that these men are hanged because the very secular fabric of this great institution is being eroded by the madness of a few,” the major said.

Indiaid.com chips in with views of some renowned defence analysts.

“Having somebody in uniform involved in terror charges is a very serious issue. On the face of it, it seems to be a one- off case but there may be many others who would be ideologically inclined,” says, Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, former director of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). Bhaskar said even if it was an isolated case, it would set a bad precedent. “It may be in isolation but I will not be complacent about it. The entire system needs to be alert,” Bhaskar said.

Major General (retd) Ashok Mehta said, “The kind of people who have been joining the army is a reflection of society. There are many people in the army who feel the same way. People have to be educated on secular values, especially in the army.”

“The Indian Army never had such a case when a man has become a terrorist accused. It is a question of the infiltration of radical groups in the Indian Army. The groups have been trying it for long,” Major General (retd) Afsar Karim said.

Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. S.S. Dhillon, however, termed it a ‘freak case’. “We are alert but it is one-off case. Even though it is a setback for the Indian Army’s image, it should not be thought that the whole army is such,” Dhillon said.

Has the secular fabric of the Indian military been eroded? One hopes that the answer to this question is a big NO!
Has the secular fabric of the Indian Military eroded?

Defence Forces Contribution to India's National Asset twenty lakh Ex- Servicemen

Debt of Honour. Do we have a National War Memorial?
Indian Army by its grit and dedication to the Indian Republic thwarted Pakistan in four wars. The only time it went under was against China in 1962, not because it lacked valor or leadership but because of the political leadership of Nehru who was found wanting both in terms of misreading China’s intentions and not allotting adequate resources for war preparedness to the Indian Army in the preceding period.

In the last nineteen years the Indian Army has faced the onslaught of Pakistan’s proxy war and terrorism and losing hundreds of lives and others maimed. In combating this threat the Indian Army has had to fight with one hand tied due to the political considerations of successive Governments, either due to electoral considerations or external pressures.

Whenever the civilian machinery fails whether it be law and order, natural calamities or disasters it is the Indian Army that steps in for relief and assistance. The relief assistance provided by the Indian Army during the Kashmir and Maharashtra earthquake won not only the gratitude of the average citizens but also of the international community. The Indian Army has also done India proud in the many UN peacekeeping operations all over the world for which it has been highly praised by the United Nations.

A glorious record of such services and sacrifices of the Indian Army surely deserves the nations gratitude not by rhetoric on every Republic Day but by more meaningful manifestations which surely every Government is aware of but does not concede. The average Indian citizen can contribute by being more aware of India’s defence preparedness and monitoring the Government of the day in terms of allotment of adequate financial resources for war preparedness and that extraneous political considerations do not delay defence acquisitions. More importantly, they should ensure that the political leadership of the day provides realistic political component of national threat assessments of actual, potential or adversaries in the making so that like 1962 the Indian Army is never again has to face a military humiliation for no fault of its own.

India will once again celebrate its Republic Day on January 26, 2009; it’s fifty-ninth. Indians will once again look forward to witness the grand spectacle of the display of India’s military might by the Indian Army and the other two Services on Rajpath in New Delhi and beamed across by TV to millions others. It is preceded by the Prime Minister laying a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate (memorial to the Unknown Soldier) paying a national tribute to the thousands of Indian Army officers and soldiers who since 1947 have laid down their lives to defend the Indian Republic against external and internal threats.

Can the Nation utilize the twenty lakh ESM Asset so created, with dignity and honour, towards enrichment of its citizens?

India's National Debt of honour to The Indian Armed Forces

Towards Better India

Leadership
Retired Officers can do a lot for the benefit and progress of the Nation. This is where our retired Generals can lead the way. However, sadly, many of them are in the money spinning business even after retirement and forget what they have been taught in the Academy as Military Leaders. I remember a civilian tell me sometime back that a retired general who was appointed chairman of a state Public Service Commission was more corrupt than a civilian. Really I was saddened and could not reply to his observations.

Inherent Strengths
One of the strongest positive aspect of our Defence Forces: totally impartial, non-communal, apolitical force. I feel one must capitalise on this unifying concept and spread the message. For the last 60 years none of the Political Parties have been able to make inroads into our secular armed forces or sully its name and traditions.

Setting Values
ESM must cherish the values, duties and responsibilities as an concerned citizen.

To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;

To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;

To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;

To defend the country and render national service in whatever small feasible way;

To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic or regional diversities;

To renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;

To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;

To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;

To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;

To safeguard public property and to abjure violence;

To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.

Message from Chief of Army Staff

On the occasion of Army Day, I convey my greetings and best wishes to all ranks of the Army, ex-servicemen, civilians and families.

The Indian Army has passed through yet another significant year that has added glory to its magnificent past. This has been possible due to your high standard of professionalism, sense of selfless service, bravery and commitment towards the organisation. The year gone by abounds with your bravery and unwavering sense of duty. You epitomize secularism, national integration and harmony.

I compliment all those deployed along our vast borders for their colossal contribution in improving the proxy war and internal security situation. I would also like to compliment our Officers, JCOs and men who are keeping peace in several countries of the world as part of United Nations Peace Keeping Force. In performance of our duty we have earned the gratitude, respect and appreciation of our countrymen.

There will be many challenges ahead in the year to come. I am sure we shall surmount these too with the same zeal, gusto and confidence, that has been the hallmark of our great Army. Our efforts to upgrade the Army and make it technologically uptodate are beginning to bear fruit. Once completed these will go a long way towards making our Army stronger, vibrant and dynamic.

On this occasion, I call upon all ranks to rededicate themselves to the service of our motherland.

May God be with you in all your endeavours.

JAI HIND

DEEPAK KAPOOR
General

New Delhi, 15 Jan 2008