Fatigue in Fatigue
In India, nationalism has taken on many meanings. During the freedom struggle, it was about independence and self-governance. In free India, it became about unity in diversity. Somewhere along the way, it also took on hues of caste, religion, language, rights and honour.
Needless to say, Indian Nationalistic views have undergone some radical transformations in the past decades. Nevertheless, one steadfast symbol of nationalism which has never failed to evoke pride and respect in the minds of the most defiant dissenter of Indian Nationalism have been the ‘Uniformed Services’ of our country.
A soldier has always been held in high regard by society. For the common person, a soldier symbolises an ideal son of the nation. He is someone who has pledged his life for the well-being of its citizens. A soldier’s job is not viewed merely as a profession; rather it’s a service of the highest order.
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Recently a young BSF Jawan posted videos on social media claiming that the food being provided for him was insufficient and of substandard quality. This he alleged was because all the supplies received in stores were being sold by officers and higher authorities to civilians. This viral video evoked a myriad of responses.
Many traders living in the same town as the Jawan claimed to have purchased these provisions and even fuel at half the market price. Other diffident soldiers who had been holding back their views found inspiration in his brave attempt and posted videos of their own. One such video cried out that officers in the army were using jawans as personal servants to do their household work. Chores as menial as polishing boots, feeding children were commonplace.
While society at large has broken out in outrage at the way its ‘warriors’ are being treated within the sacred armed forces, the services themselves have chosen to toe the lines of procedure and protocol. The Army chief has implored to his ‘men’ to come directly to him with their grievances rather than making very public appeals on social media.
From his point of view, it is most disgraceful that a soldier has broken rank to voice his personal opinion. It is in stark contrast to the very fibre of the defence forces where discipline is taught first. A sector where unionism and cheap politics has not been visible till date is showing gaping cracks in its core. The gentlemen are behaving in a very ‘un-gentlemanly’ manner.
On the other hand is the even more horrifying reality that the last standing bastion of pride and honour has suddenly ceased to exist. For the common man, the soldier represents selflessness and sacrifice. Now with these revelations, it has become evident that people running these services are not unlike their civilian counterparts. It would seem that for the average officer, his work is a job and not a service.
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The ground reality is that our soldiers are fighting on many fronts. They are standing tall against enemies along our borders. They are rescuing helpless fellow citizens stranded in remote inaccessible parts of the country when disaster strikes. They are braving the wrath of locals in many states where insurgency and rioting are commonplace. They are doing all this with ageing and insufficient equipment and safety gear. Add to all this, the need to render servitude to their superior officers. The picture that emerges is far from rosy. Clearly, all is NOT well with our defence forces.
While it is most embarrassing that young men are making a public mockery of their sacred creed by their public complaints, it is equally disheartening that they are being driven by the deplorable actions of officers of this very establishment. Which is the gravest problem, that of indisciplined soldiers washing their dirty linen in public or the officers of the same forces who are the cause for these allegations?
The answer is simple. A good leader is one who leads by example. How can autocratic officers who treat subordinates as menial servants expect to win their trust and allegiance? Instead of seniors asking these tech savvy dissenters to reroute their grievances, it would be better if these very seniors took some visible and corrective steps to remove the draconian practices being followed unofficially.
Will the current leaders of these forces show the mental strength necessary to bring forth the reforms needed in our Armed Forces to make it the elite force it claims to be? Or will they choose to suppress these irritating voices and ignore the underlying chronic disease? This is the greatest challenge that our Armed Forces have ever faced. The path they choose now will determine whether future generations will continue to behold our soldiers as national pride. It will either immortalise our Jawans or the Amar Jawan remain just a Jyoti at India Gate![image error]
