Here is an old soldier who refuses to fade away, and I think I like him. And maybe this is also a lesson on how a little controversy can build a stronger brand. I have been following the General on the front pages like the rest of us and it all got rather confusing. He was a hero and a pillar of moral rectitude in public life just before he was appointed Chief of Army staff.
Then, his age created a controversy darker than a storm on a moonless night. Actresses and fading glamour girls through the ages have defended their youth with a steely resolve but none have fought as valiantly as the General. He is a soldier after all and his script read a like a potboiler. The academy, his fellow officers, the ministry of defence and the courts all had to take cover against his friendly fire.
Meanwhile, our masala brand of public life has weakened the constitution of almost every public institution - is it any surprise that the armed forces are leaking too? It just doesn’t help that the sprawling army cantonments, once the distant bastions of discipline, values, charm and style are now slam in the middle of the expanding Indian Urbana. And everybody seems to think that the Army should just convert itself into a large shopping mall.
So, if the neta- babu combo were to write the script, as they do, soldiers can be seen [on Republic Day parades], must die [on battlefields afar and at the Taj] but should never be heard. But, fortunately and unfortunately depending on whether you are the General or the Minister, our media can amplify even the sounds of silence.
Now, the General’s private plea to build a stronger army has just gone public and everybody is squirming like Sunny Leone’s movie just got accidental airtime at the school annual day.
In all this confusion I am clear on one thing – the General is a soldier and he just needs a good fight – and if you don’t show him the enemy without he will find the enemy within. The battle is finely poised and my predictions are that he will serve out his last 60 days in style and leave the army stronger. He may even become the Governor of a sensitive state in the next 3 years.
But the lesson really is that the General leads a jewel in our tarnished crown – let’s not smear that jewel in an attempt to make it equal to our venality. In a time when we bribe officials and politicians, change parties, mow down honest policemen, all in a day's work – let’s allow our soldiers to march to the beat of their own drum.
Maybe this is the one institution we should try and not fit on to the smutty gossip pages of our newspapers!
Then, his age created a controversy darker than a storm on a moonless night. Actresses and fading glamour girls through the ages have defended their youth with a steely resolve but none have fought as valiantly as the General. He is a soldier after all and his script read a like a potboiler. The academy, his fellow officers, the ministry of defence and the courts all had to take cover against his friendly fire.
Meanwhile, our masala brand of public life has weakened the constitution of almost every public institution - is it any surprise that the armed forces are leaking too? It just doesn’t help that the sprawling army cantonments, once the distant bastions of discipline, values, charm and style are now slam in the middle of the expanding Indian Urbana. And everybody seems to think that the Army should just convert itself into a large shopping mall.
So, if the neta- babu combo were to write the script, as they do, soldiers can be seen [on Republic Day parades], must die [on battlefields afar and at the Taj] but should never be heard. But, fortunately and unfortunately depending on whether you are the General or the Minister, our media can amplify even the sounds of silence.
Now, the General’s private plea to build a stronger army has just gone public and everybody is squirming like Sunny Leone’s movie just got accidental airtime at the school annual day.
In all this confusion I am clear on one thing – the General is a soldier and he just needs a good fight – and if you don’t show him the enemy without he will find the enemy within. The battle is finely poised and my predictions are that he will serve out his last 60 days in style and leave the army stronger. He may even become the Governor of a sensitive state in the next 3 years.
But the lesson really is that the General leads a jewel in our tarnished crown – let’s not smear that jewel in an attempt to make it equal to our venality. In a time when we bribe officials and politicians, change parties, mow down honest policemen, all in a day's work – let’s allow our soldiers to march to the beat of their own drum.
Maybe this is the one institution we should try and not fit on to the smutty gossip pages of our newspapers!
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