JAB SHAHEED KI CHITA JALI THI
SARA GAON WANHI THA
SEENE PAR THE GHAO SABHI
PEETH PAR EK BHI NA THA
EK GHAO MATHE PAR BHI THA
JO ANTIM GOLI THI
JISEY DEKH SHAHEED KI MATA BOLI
GHAO MAT KAHO ISE
TILAK HIMGIRI NE LAGA DIYA
SOYA MERA LAL HAI LEKIN
SARE BHARAT KO JAGA DIYA
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Letter of CDR (IN) HARPREET SINGH
ReplyDeleteMorristown NJ USA
Dear Col Siddhartha Bose,
Nice to read your mail re IESL/IESM and the ongoing effort to get a better deal for pensioners. I think you are quite right to point out the qualitative change in our military ethos after the mid-1960's - I left the NDA in Dec'56 (Chou en Lai, Chinese PM) was the Chief guest at our POP, 40 cooks were imported from Bombay to prepare the magnificent Chinese food for the banquet in the evening - Maj Gen Habibullah made an extremely polished speech, a pretty chinese interpreter, made an adequate translation of the chief guest's reply, and we all felt proud to have been present.
The 1962 debacle caught many of my Army colleagues in its tentacles, but we did not hear any whining/complaints to the Press. One coursemate Air Cmde(Retd) Hardas and his fully combat ready Hunters remained awaiting orders at Jorhat, for the IAF to interdict the enemy at Sela and other areas - the orders never came!
I was on a frigate in 1963 lined up for a far east goodwill cruise, but orders were received at Vizag to carry on to Port Blair (Andamans) and await further directions - we ended up patrolling the islands for 3 months! However, that was all part of the game. We enjoyed our dinner nights and toasted the President in style!
Life in the armed forces requires a certain temperament, which I daresay our babus cannot comprehend - not their fault, they have been brain washed differently!!
Harpreet Singh, Cdr IN(retd)
While the average age of the army man is around 30 years, at the time of enrolling / commissioning he is around 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.
ReplyDeleteHe's a recent school/college graduate; he was probably an average student from one of the Kendriya Vidyalayas, pursued some form of sport activities, rides an old mo'bike / scooter, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He may listen to bollywood music or ghazals or rock & roll or hip-hop or country or swing …. ………. but certainly hears a 155mm howitzer.
He is 5 or 7 kilos lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting insurgents or standing guard on the icy Himalayas or the jungles of the North East from before dawn to well after dusk or he is in Mumbai engaging the terrorists. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs trenches and weapon-pits and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. His pride and self-respect, he does not lack.
He is self-sufficient.
He has two sets of combat dress: he washes one and wears the other.
He keeps his water bottle full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
Col Siddhartha Bose
contd....
ReplyDeleteIf you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humour in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the Jana Gana Mana vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hands from their pockets, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He is your nation's Fighting Man that has kept this country free and defended your right to Freedom. He has experienced deprivation and adversity, and has seen his buddies falling to bullets and maimed and blown. But, he has asked nothing in return, except our acknowledgement of his existence and understanding of his human needs.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. . ..
A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.
Prayer wheel for our military... Please send this on after a short prayer.
'Lord, hold our the Indian Armed Forces in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need.
Amen.'
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our soldiers, sailors and airmen, on all frontiers and wherever else they are needed.
Pray for the Indian Soldier. Unlike your 'Babus' or 'Netas' He will always do you proud.
Col Siddhartha Bose