Soldier's God

[Guest guest]

Colonel Neeraj Bali, SM

As a serving army officer, I never stop marvelling at the

gullibility of our countrymen to be provoked with alacrity into

virulence in the name of religion. I have never heard the

word 'secular' during all my service -- and yet, the simple things

that are done simply in the army make it appear like an island of

sanity in a sea of hatred.

 

In the army, each officer identifies with the religion of his

troops. In regiments where the soldiers are from more than one

religion, the officers -- and indeed all jawans – attend the weekly

religious prayers of all the faiths. How many times have I trooped

out of the battalion mandir and, having worn my shoes, entered the

battalion church next door? A few years ago it all became simpler --

mandirs, masjids, gurudwars and churches began to share premises all

over the army. It saved us the walk.

 

Perhaps it is so because the army genuinely believes in two

central 'truths' -- oneness of god and victory in operations. Both

are so sacred we cannot nitpick and question the basics.

 

In fact, sometimes the army mixes up the two! On a visit to the holy

cave at Amarnath a few years ago I saw a plaque mounted on the side

of the hill by a battalion that had once guarded the annual Yatra.

It said, 'Best wishes from -- battalion. Deployed for Operation

Amarnath.'

 

On another instance, I remember a commanding officer ordered the

battalion maulaviji to conduct the proceedings of Janamashtmi

prayers because the panditji had to proceed on leave on

compassionate grounds. No eyebrows were raised. It was the most

rousing and best-prepared sermon on Lord Krishna I have ever had the

pleasure of listening to.

 

On the Line of Control, a company of Khemkhani Muslim soldiers

replaced a Dogra battalion. Over the next few days, the post was

shelled heavily by Pakistanis, and there were a few non-fatal

casualties.

 

One day, the junior commissioned officer of the company, Subedar

Sarwar Khan walked up to the company commander Major Sharma and

said, "Sahib, ever since the Dogras left, the mandir has been shut.

Why don't you open it once every evening and do aarti? Why are we

displeasing the gods?"

 

Major Sharma shamefacedly confessed he did not know all the words of

the aarti. Subedar Sarwar went away and that night, huddled over the

radio set under a weak lantern light, painstakingly took down the

words of the aarti from the post of another battalion!

 

How many of us know that along the entire border with Pakistan, our

troops abstain from alcohol and non-vegetarian food on all

Thursdays? The reason: It is called the Peer day -- essentially a

day of religious significance for the Muslims.

 

In 1984, after Operation Bluestar there was anguish in the Sikh

community over the desecration of the holiest of their shrines. Some

of this anger and hurt was visible in the army too.

 

I remember the first Sikh festival days after the event -- the

number of army personnel of every religious denomination that

thronged the regimental gurudwara of the nearest Sikh battalion was

the largest I had seen. I distinctly remember each officer and

soldier who put his forehead to the ground to pay obeisance appeared

to linger just a wee bit longer than usual. Was I imagining this? I

do not think so. There was that empathy and caring implicit in the

quality of the gesture that appeared to say, "You are hurt and we

all understand."

 

We were deployed on the Line of Control those days. Soon after the

news of disaffection among a small section of Sikh troops was

broadcast on the BBC, Pakistani troops deployed opposite the Sikh

battalion yelled across to express their 'solidarity' with the

Sikhs.

 

The Sikh havildar shouted back that the Pakistanis had better not

harbour any wrong notions. "If you dare move towards this post, we

will mow you down."

 

Finally, a real -- and true -- gem. Two boys of a Sikh regiment

battalion were overheard discussing this a day before Christmas.

 

"Why are we having a holiday tomorrow?" asked Sepoy Singh.

 

"It is Christmas," replied the wiser Naik Singh.

 

"But what is Christmas?"

 

"Christmas," replied Naik Singh, with his eyes half shut in

reverence and hands in a spontaneous prayer-clasp, "is the guruparb

of the Christians."

[Guest guest]

>

> Soldier's God

>

 

Jai Ramji Ki!

 

Dear Friends:

 

After reading this article, I once again wonder whether the rejection of the

first British proposal of making India a British dominion, a mistake or not.

 

 

Here is my reason: Hindus and Muslims never lived as equals in India before

independence. Muslims were the rulers of India before the British. And they

fully expected to return to power and continue to rule over the Hindus.

Bahadur Shah is one example, Jinnah is another.

 

 

Perhaps as a British dominion, Hindus and Muslims in India could have had a

weaning period (before becoming fully independent), an opportunity to live as

equals, before being thrown to the unsettling events soon after partition. The

deep scars of partition have still not healed.

 

Regards,

 

Dhruba.