War? Just think about this....

A lot is being covered in the media about a possible war in the near future. The question being repeatedly asked in all the channels and news papers is whether we are ready for war. But to me the real question is- are the soldiers, their families ready for the war? I have a friend who is a new army wife and if we go to war her husband being the infantry man would be the first one to leave along with thousands of others. This would leave an equal number of spouses back home. So what is being done for them? There is a saying that God handpicks special girls to be army wives so where does a war leave a girl who very proudly wedded the olive green.

They experience loneliness, lack of communication, routine emotional upheavals on a regular basis. For an army wife the presence of the military is so strong it is almost like a third partner in the marriage. But in many cases this third partner is the quickest one to leave her in case of some mishap. Once, the then Minister of Defence Mr O Rajagopalan said that the military wives are a national responsibility. I really appreciate his comments. But comments take us nowhere. Standing firmly behind our nation’s heroes these wives do also need a firmer back support.

With so much of media hype I know a lot of military families feel a bit lost right now. They quite honestly don't know what the future holds for them. There are hundreds of issues that are important to the all the army personnel and all of their dependents which need immediate attention. These having been gathering dust in the files and may never even see the daylight.

And lastly whether or not there is a war what is actually needed is a rock solid plan A and plan B for the families to fall back on. Is anybody listening? Rahul Gandhi? We need you here….

The Great Divide

We organised this high profile seminar on Women and Terrorism day before yesterday. It had in attendance the leading female dignitaries of the city. We also ensured that the highly educated ladies from all walks of life came. A leading lady police officer of IG rank and other police wives were also in attendance along with some other ladies like doctors, army wives, dieticians, psychologists, teachers and so on. As the evening progressed and the seminar got in full swing, one of our army wives was recounting her first hand experience of terrorism while posted in Assam. Her husband had suffered serious injuries during an encounter and then this lady police officer recounted and shared her experiences. Everybody just listened to the both of them in stunned silence. The lady further said that though she respects all of the India’s armed forces but feels that there is a great divide between the respects people hold for the army personnel. While a great majority of our population holds negative opinions about the police personnel it is not the same, in case of the Indian army.

She said such are a strong sentiments for the Indian army that a common man is just not ready to accept them as corrupt or criminals even if it is proved legally. These sentences actually got me thinking and this is a FACT!! So however discriminatory is the sixth pay commission report and whatever may be the attitude of the governments, the truth remains we are indeed the most respected ones. The janta loves us…………. All we need is a platform where the love of our countrymen is directly conveyed to us.

There are number of ways we can make a difference not only to the life of a soldier, but also to their families. With so many years of military lifestyle with me I can truthfully say that the soldiers need our support now more than ever before. There has been enough of political drama, far too many debates and just too much of hypocrisy. I feel that let’s now for once take the reigns in our hands and make them all feel special and loved. And why only the faujis lets for once love all our forces like the defence, the police , the paramilitary and so on……………….The too deserve it!!!

A Call to honour....

So they called us again. Whether it’s a high profile shootout, a child in a borewell, a terrorist attack, floods, earthquakes army is called. Army is no longer meant for protecting the borders, of late, the country needs us everywhere. We clear up the mess and in the bargain lose our soldiers too, but what after that? Once the crisis is solved we are again lost in the oblivion. But, why? Why is the government, the politicians and the common man so afraid to come out in the open and acknowledge that in the current terrorist turmoil our defence forces are their safest bet?

In times like these, what the country need is a deeper and more meaningful alliance between the civil administration and the army of the area even of the smallest of the city. This will help immensely in nourishing the now heavily tattered soul of India. Now they call us when the situation is completely out of their hands. If we have a better association then any crisis would be solved in a much simpler way without losing so many lives. These simple steps will make the atmosphere conducive and the citizens secure. Further it will also help in us attaining our most basic right to leave in peace.

How much our politician may differ but what a common Indian needs today is a safe today. I spoke to a very senior retired army officer and he said “Army is supposed to be non-partisan; national in character, patriotic, professional, and disciplined how it relates to civil society in general will help immensely in the civilian set up. Obligations on both the sides will contribute to the common good by performing duties to benefit the community as a whole. This association I believe will complement each other.” During a time when every citizen of Indian is thinking of the corrective measures to be taken, I think this is the best we can do, right now…….

All Things Fauji and Fantastic

Tears swell up my eyes every time I watch a movie on the armed forces. No I am not weak; it’s just that I feel a connection, not only with the characters in the movie but also with that lonely soldier walking on the streets unaware and unsure of the largely civilian world. But for some reason, I love these movies, no matter how pathetic the plaot or the acting is. Why? That’s because I am a little crazy and love all things even remotely attached to the military world.

The craze started long before I got married to the olive green, with our very own Fauji, the famous serial of Shahrukh Khan. But my actual brush of real army movie was( on my husband’s insistence) with Saving Private Ryan, though the plot is great I loved it for Tom Hanks didn’t you? It has that old world military charm of risking your own life to save another. I simply loved the sheer intensity showed by the soldiers in actually saving Pvt Ryan and helping him finish the battle. The other military movie I like is From Here to Eternity, only for the purity of emotions. Uncle Sinatra you still make us swoon…..

Border was the first indian movie on the war I watched and simply loved it. I loved it for Akshay Khanna and Rakhi. Never saw better mother-son emotions on screen. Even when the movie ended I kept thinking about this blind mother and her life without her son. But I am still waiting for that rocking hindi movie on faujis which captivates the real essence of an Indian soldier.

Schindler’s List also holds a special place in my heart for a cinematic brilliance. Set in a military backdrop it depicts a human side in the not so human times. Next on my list to watch war movies is Apocalypse Now, have heard that it is a great piece of work on Vietnam War. Do share if you have seen some other great military flicks…