Scene this :
The Place : 19000 Ft above Sea Level
The Temperature : 0 Degrees (summer) / -40 to -45(Winter)
The Job : Manning an army forward post
The Person : An Unknown faceless Indian soldier.
It is in this Inhumane terrain that a handful of Indian Soldiers brave the enemy shelling ,sniper fire and worse Weather and hostile terrain than what we can dream of.
It is a one days trudge/Trot ,If he wants to get back to base camp where he can get hot food. Else he will have make do with the Frozen food packets by boiling it. The most natural processes and requirements are no less than a punishment here on the SIACHEN GLACIER .He cant Take more than a few steps at a time to walk, He cant run in case there is enemy fire. There is just not enough oxygen in case he gasps for breath. Attending Natures Call is yet another ordeal these guys have to endure !
He can lose a toe , a finger , or a limb to frost bite !
Scene This :
The Place : Rajasthan Border
The TEmparature : 45+ Degrees daily . 50+ inside a metal Battle Tank.
The Job : Manning an army forward post
The Person : Another Unknown faceless Indian soldier.
Another Extreme condition where an Indian solder has to go through unimaginable inhuman conditions.
The sand storms that are caused by winds blowing are lethal.
It takes 3 days for drinking water and supplies to reach.
Entertainment,TV,RADIO of any good quality is a distant dream.
24 hrs a day , 7 days a week , they have to be on their toes FOR US !
Things we take for granted , are a luxury for them.
So much pain, So much Trouble , So much Patience, so Much of power to endure ,So Much of courage to face the Unknown !
Our soldiers fight two enemies at the same time. The Enemy country and the brutal weather and hostile conditions.
I have always wondered WHY ?
Why would anyone want to go through so much. so much that I cannot even think of daring.
Where does the motivation come from ?
And I Have infact asked this question to many of my Friends and Acquaintances.
The most common answer I get is Unemployment :
Unemployed youth of the country instead of standing in the lines of the employment exchange get into the army as a Jawan.
This even though not highly paying , he is well fed , well dressed, And Most of all Respected back in his hometown.
So what if he is paid half of what a BABU gets in the Municipal corridors for not doing a single days productive work.
But Money and Job cannot be everything, Rarely can a man put his life through so much for money.
It has to be something else.
It has to be Patriotism and love for the country, Respect that the uniform commands.
In spite of doing and giving so much selflessly for the country , The Indian Army has often been at the receiving end.
They have suffered immense bad publicity for their role in the Kashmir valley from the Human right organizations.
This according to me has a very adverse effect on the Jaawans Morale.
When a Man is subject to so much of pressure and has to be alert every second of his life.
The soldier does not even know who or where his enemy is.
He is bound to do some mistakes.
Now before you think that I mean, whatever a soldier does should not be held against him !
No ! that is not what I mean, I mean That such incidents should not be given so much of publicity.
Then there was the TEHELKA scandal , though this was at the very top level. Many have branded the whole army as selfish and corrupt people. which is not at all true.
A Personal Experience
I was once traveling from Salem(Tamilnadu) to Mangalore(Karnataka) by West Coast Express. Was about 8 years back.
so cant recollect the exact details. If I would have known I would be writing on Ms then!, I would have collected more details !!!
There were 3 Army men next to my seat. A while later I got into the talking and getting to know each other phase.
I came to know that he is Keralite,from some village in kerala.In the army since 8 8 1/2 years. and was currently posted in Srinagar.Militancy was at the peak.
with Great difficulty he had managed to get himself leave for 15 days to go and visit his family. the day I met him on train was the 8th day of his vacation and he had not even reached his village.he had almost a day of travel still left. How Sad ?
He had infact explained to me in detail all the troubles he had go through to get this far from srinagar to mangalore.
It is really so sad that they have to undergo so many hardships which can be easily avoided.
If the army had arranged for a proper traveling facility for him.He could have enjoyed with his family,Isnt this what is called good HR policies in the corporate world !
Out of the 15 days of his vacation he had spent almost half reaching where he wanted to go !
And more or less need the same to get back on duty ,Effectively he would be spending a Day Max 2 with his family !
These people already have so many troubles in life, such kind of red tapisim should be removed.
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Indian soldiers have proved their worth even in peace times !
Flood relief. Earthquake Relief, civil disturbances, Peace keeping missions in war torn countries they have done a fantastic job whenever and wherever the country has expected them to.
Our soldiers are doing a great job against all odds. The least we can do is spare a thought for them and
Thank them from our heart. ''WE ARE WHERE WE ARE BECAUSE THEY ARE WHERE THEY ARE'
They are giving their present for our future !
Jai Jawan !
Jai Hind !
This write up is not to start any arguments on the faults vs merits of the Indian Army,
Just to remind everyone. No matter what we say or what we do ,we ought to be obliged to the soldiers of this country.
comments to improve this review Most Welcome !
