India's martyr: Killed in war, lost in memory

Ten years ago, brave men from the Indian armed forces battled a crafty enemy, against the forces of nature to not just defend the country’s borders but also give it a resounding victory in one of the toughest wars India has ever fought.

In return, they asked for little else but a place in people’s memories. Not that they, in life or death, have been given much anyway by the means of material compensation.

Apart from the odd petrol pump or a gas agency, their hunger for acknowledgement that they are special for India is still unsatisfied.

It’s been a decade to the Kargil war but this battle for recognition and more importantly for remembrance continues – against the Government that was satisfied paying floral tributes, against a system that’s comfortable delivering gratitude on paper, against a nation that’s content with just tucking away memory.

The brave soldier wants to know – do we really care? CNN-IBN decided to take up this sensitive question with the youth of the country, with the families of those who lost their brave loved ones, with the powers that were and the powers that be.

In a special show Lest We Forget, Anubha Bhonsle put these questions to a panel comprising Col VM Thapar, who lost his son Capt Vijayant Thapar to the Kargil War; Rajni Devi, who lost her husband Hawaldar Anant Kumar; Col Kanwar Bharadwaj, whose son Umang was killed in the counter-insurgency operations in J-K; Capt Akhilesh, who was injured during the Kargil war and General VP Malik, the Army chief at the time of the war.

The audience comprised family members of war martyrs and youngsters.

HAS INDIA FORGOTTEN ITS BRAVE MEN?

It’s a fickle nature of public memory that it fades out no matter the cause that kept it alive. Col Thapar agreed that grieving for his martyr son was now a personal affair. “I am disappointed that on the golden event of Indian history, even PM and Defence Minister have disassociated themselves with the functions. It’s heartbreaking`,” he said.

He also expressed his disappointment at the politicisation of the issue.

Rajni, who hails from an economically weaker section of the society, said her efforts to get a compensation for her family fell on deaf ears.

General VP Malik agreed that while stories on soldiers made for great celluloid, once the lights come up, the audience’s engagement with the Indian soldier ends. “God and soldier are remembered in times of crisis. As soon as that is over, God is forgotten and soldier slighted. If you don’t remember the bravest of the brave, obviously we’d think the soldier is being forgotten,” he said.

A member from the audience agreed partly with Malik’s statement. “India is proud of the soldier and vice-versa but politicians – do they care? They are the ones who have forgotten. 527 killed, thousands maimed – it was a nation’s war nor a political party’s,” he said.

PAGE_BREAK

UNEQUAL HEROES?

There’s another side to the story too. There are many who believe Kargil deaths are hyped and that there are hundreds of soldiers dying everyday in counter-insurgency operations, unknown, unmentioned.

Col Kanwar agreed somewhat. He said his son died in a counter-insurgency operation and everyone’s forgotten about it. “It’s not treated at par with battle casualties. Besides some money, no respect is given to soldier and no care is taken of the next of kin,” he said.

Another member of the audience highlighted the plight of the next of kin and lashed out at the corruption in the system. “My sister, who lost her husband, is a war widow. She did many rounds of the Soldier Board but was asked for bribe for petrol pump allocation,” he said.

He also alleged that victims from the different wars that India has fought are looked at differently and not treated at par with each other. While a war widow of 1962 and 1971 gets Rs 7,000 as pension, a Kargil widow gets Rs 15-Rs 20 lakh, he alleged.

A war widow among the audience said she gets only Rs 2,500 per month as pension and she was having to bring up her three children on it. She also said the officials did not help her and that she would not send her son to the forces.

Malik agreed that while there was no justification for such injustices, it was tough to get these checks in place.

POLITICS OF BRAVERY

Another member – an army officer – in the audience drew a parallel with the policemen and NSG commandos killed during the Mumbai terror strikes and said the same yardstick – both in terms of recognition and awards – must be applied to the Indian jawans. “Why these double standards for faujis (armymen)? Are we children of a lesser God just because we don’t have a political lobby? Nehru and Morarji Desai were never in favour of the Army and it’s sad we had political leaders who had no vision,” he questioned.

PAGE_BREAK

Malik disagreed with the gentleman on the politicisation of the Army and opined the armed forces should stay apolitical. “But having said that, it doesn’t mean that political leaders aren’t responsible to look after the armed forces,” he said.

When CNN-IBN contacted some friends of Manoj Pandey (1/11 Gorkha Rifles), a Paramvir Chakra awardee in the Kargil war, to be a part of the show, many of them were cynical and said, “Obviously you will remember us now. It’s Kargil’s anniversary after all”. Why this apathy and cynicism? One of them read out an excerpt from Pndey’s last letter and said people have forgotten him in a decade.

Officer vs soldier is yet another issue said to be plaguing the armed forces. But is the rift for real or is it politically motivated? Another member of the audience said politicians were responsible for stoking such fires. “It must be compulsory for anybody entering politics to have served fives years in armed forces,” he suggested.

Capt Umang Bhardwaj’s mother, Shiksha Bhardwaj was also among the audience. She strongly voiced her opinion and said she would never let any member of her family ever join the armed forces again. “The young martyrs of Kargil did not even have shoes when they were battling the enemy on the snowy, sub-zero degree terrain. They did not even have uniforms. Why were untrained officers sent to the war? Why don’t politicians send their children to the Army,” she demanded.

WHEN WILL A GENERATION AWAKEN?

To this, a snap poll was conducted among the audience and the younger members was asked if they would join the armed forces. None of them raised their hands, to which the families of martyred Army officials shouted, “Shame on the country”.

“It’s extreme honour to save your country and toil while the country is sleeping in peace but as the lady said that situation is so bad that you have to be realistic,” one of the youngsters said. “If the Army gave recognition, I would definitely like to join,” said another.

Yet another member of audience suggested the Army underwent a style overhaul to make it attractive for the youth. “Media must take this up,” he said.

PAGE_BREAK

Capt Abhishek – who was injured in the Kargil war and has now joined corporate sector – said a career in Army required passion, nothing else. “ Why I joined corporate sector was because the Army did not respect me as a war hero and I cannot do administrative jobs for them. I was injured in the war and army does not need injured soldiers,” he said.

But both Malik and Thapar did not agree with that and said Army does not stop promotions of the injured soldiers.

However, despite talks of money not being the driving force, the Sixth Pay Commission’s treatment to the armed forces is embarrassing.

So is soldiering part of India’s national culture or is it just a romanticism that exists in the minds of youngsters who just don’t care. Malik explained what it meant, “My wife is in the Army, my daughter is in the army and so is my daughter-in-law. It’s a fact that children pick up from the background of parents. But unless government starts respecting soldiers, others won’t either,” he said.

Malik also confessed that Kargil war was the toughest time of his life. “Every morning when I heard that boys had died, it was very tough. But you can’t express it outside and have to control your emotion,” he said.

Col Thapar said the best tribute that could be given to his son and the many who die every day is to make leaders, politicians, teachers and elders more aware of matters military. “They are blank about it. They don’t know the ethos. For the well being of the society, it should be more aware,” he concluded the show on that note.