DO NOT KILL MY SOLDIER
I was a young lad bubbling with youth in my college days. The adrenaline running on its peak, and energy oozing out in every action.The flowers fascinated, gardens sent their invite, chirping of birds and chatter of girls in the vicinity stole attention and made me conscious of my being alive and youthful.
It was this beautiful moment of my life, that presented me with the opportunity to join the prestigious Training Academy for my basic military training to be shaped into a personality called soldier and to serve the Nation and its people by assuring them to protect even at the risk of my own peril. I was excited and overjoyed for two very basic reasons, among many others at this stage ; First, I got the service to earn my livelihood and second, I got the service of reverence and honour as a SOLDIER in Defence forces. It was, then, seen to be a service of Pride by one and all. My joy was not for ill-founded reasons. Rather, it infused me with an unique feeling of confidence in my own self because selection for Defence Services is neither a cake_walk nor a privilege enjoyable/palatable to all.
I joined the Training Academy accompanied with mixed feelings of joy and curiosity with regard to mannerism and methodology I was about to be faced with, in order to mold me physically and mentally, including my thought, behavior, attitude, ethics and conduct post-training, to christen me as a soldier.
As is well known to all, the training of soldiers-to-be, is not a bed of roses, be it of a recruit or an officer. His training commences right from the time he opens his eyes in the morning. Unlike his erstwhile civil life, he has to leave his bed quite early in the morning to be ready and prepared for the day's tough routine and that too he can't afford to leave his bed and the room in a shabby manner. It has to be left in a very much presentable state that can be inspected by the members of the training team at any hour of the the day. If it is not found in desired/satisfactory state to an inspecting staff, the trainee boy, at least for few days, while undergoing the RAGDA, will regret his proud decision to become a soldier. This very statement stands good for any fault on his part, having being checked and pointed out by the USTAADS or any Officer of the Training team. It would suffice to say that you are under the scanner even without a CCTV camera at all times during your training period.
So now, "What is so different about a soldier ?" is the question that may bother the minds of many intellectuals as well as a common man. The answer lies here :- This is the only Government service where the employee is administered an oath or affirmation, with his hand on his religious and pious book that attests him to be a soldier. The oath reads as, "I, .......(Name), do swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of India as by the law established and that I will, as in duty bound honestly and faithfully serve in the regular Army of the Union of India and go wherever ordered by land, sea or air, and that I will observe and obey all commands of the president of the Union of India and the commands of any officer set over me even to the peril of my life".
(a) The soldier, in addition to the prevalent Law of the Land, is subject to special Act/Law that further binds him in the disciplinary rope, unlike the other citizens the country.
(b) The soldier remains isolated from the civil population within the bounds of the cantonment, thereby restricting his liberty in comparison to the privileges enjoyed by any other citizen.
(c) From morning till he hits his bed, the soldier attends countless number of parades where his attendance is verified, thus making him accountable to present himself at the designated time and place. Like others, he can not render excuses of being unwell to justify his absence. It implies that he is either On-Parade or in the Medical Inspection queue/room facing the medical attendant.
(d) A soldier is always under the scanner-eyes of his superiors who tick him off/point out his shortcomings and correct him, in his conduct and behavior, wherever and whenever visible. And mind you, that every soldier has a superior watching him in some form or the other. This makes him conscious, alert and vigilant about his mannerism and conduct at all times.
(e) The soldier is taught to respect the Constitution and its symbols, be it National Emblem, National Anthem, National Monument, National Government and finally, the National Pride in all situations.
(f) Above all, and to limit the story short, a soldier is bound and trained to obey the command even if it doesn't suit him or it pulls him out of his comfort zone.
The above said and many more differences of the soldier makes him strong, aggressive and a special individual who is fit, alert, vigilant, courageous, responsible, obedient, devoted and a highly disciplined dedicated Government servant. His aggressive attributes coupled with additional bindings empowers him with immense strength to execute even the impossible looking tasks and even risking his own life while guarding the National Boundaries and its people with a sense of pride, whenever the situation demands. It is very important to realize by one and all, that a soldier is called upon to be employed on a task when the other state agencies have exhausted their means and methods and the situations have already worsened and gone beyond control. Now, here is my question to all who matter, be it the political masters or those occupying opposition benches, bureaucracy, human rightists, media personnel and my dear citizens. As a soldier, when one is expected to do wonders and salvage a worsened situation to our favor, Should he not be allowed to exploit his full potential in a concentrated manner to achieve the desired goal ? If the answer is "yes" then, should any one be allowed to divert his attention ? Should any agency, whether political, apolitical, religious, secular, sectoral, casteist or a separatist, be allowed to inhibit his path? If the answer to these two questions is "NO" then my appeal is that irrespective of political, religious, regional or sectoral affiliation, every voice should be with the soldier and rise in his support.
Firstly, the soldiers mind should be kept free of worries on social issues and petty things like comparison of his status with co-workers from civil streams, his entitlements, perks and privileges sanctioned by the Government, to keep him motivated. In fact, it is the prime responsibility of the Ruler or the King to ensure that his soldier's pride is not compromised. The ambitions of other people should never come in the way of the soldier's interests. A soldier has a sacred status which is incomparable, not only in our country but also in most of the developed nations of the world.
Secondly, the action taken by soldiers in performance of their duty, should not, at any cost, be permitted to be dragged in the courts of law on the basis of flimsy complaints lodged by people with ulterior motives to malign or defame the soldiers in the hostile zones. Such actions makes the soldier conscious and biased and kill his initiative. It lowers his morale and weakens him which is akin to killing him by our own people. An action taken by a soldier in a crisis situation may seem non-prudent to some intellectuals sitting in their comfortable environs as they view the same only in retrospect, without having been physically subjected to the actual crisis and that too with imaginary or hypothetical contingent options. On the other hand, the soldier-on-ground has very limited time at his disposal to either kill or be killed. He doesn't have the luxurious option to deliberate upon, like the people seen debating on various media channels. Obviously, the soldier does not have the time to discriminate or identify an innocent and a rowdy among the members of a crowd which is pelting stones or firing upon them. His bullets are bound to, sometimes, deviate from the target which can not be treated as an intentional fault on his part. Let us not forget that he is also a human being.
I would like to ask any retro- thinker as to what would be his own reaction in such crisis situations when the pelted stones are heading towards their heads. Will they open the books on human rights, postulated in air conditioned offices or will they run away to save their life ? The agony is that the poor soldier has not been taught the lesson to run away like you. He has to face the situation and he will certainly do it.
Finally, so, I appeal to my people to support the mission to maintain your soldier's morale high. Do not kill his aggressive spirit. His aggression is his life that sustains him through the crisis. I earnestly request all those who think that they matter-DO NOT KILL MY SOLDIER. He is yours too, will always stand by you and for you, in times of crisis and in times to come.
~~~ Col AK Bharti (Retd)
