Outrage as Lt Gen betrays uniform

New Delhi: All through their stay in the Army, soldiers defend their land and vow to lay down their lives for it. But what happens when they decide to betray the uniform and sell it?

In what comes as a first of its kind incident, an ex-General of the Indian Army is making a sales pitch for a Bangalore realtor.

While it's still too early to tell if Lt General (Retd) Arjun Ray, a former corps commander in Ladakh, has caused a stir in the market, the impact in the military to the General hawking homes has been immediate.

"Before demeaning the uniform in this manner, he should have given it some more thought. No matter for whatever gains he did this," says ex-Ladakh Division Commander, Major General SV Thapliyal.

But General Ray is unfazed by the strong peer disapproval of his use of the military uniform as a tool of salesmanship. "I've never been ashamed to put on my uniform," says Lt General Ray.

So, why the fuss over an ex-General's flamboyantly using his uniform to hawk homes? The problem, which General Ray seems to have forgotten, is that uniforms are sacred to soldiers.

These are symbols of their professional pride and their use for commercial benefit makes them reach for their rifles and bayonets.

Rules forbid the use of uniform by ex-servicemen, except on rare ceremonial occasions. But the real objection of the military community here is to the message that the uniform is up for sale.

"It creates the impression that you're trying to use the uniform to your advantage for personal gain," says Major General Thapliyal.

If all the criticism is affecting Arjun Ray, he is not showing it. "I think it's a very minor issue. I don't think anybody should feel bad about it. On the contrary, people in uniform should feel proud of it," says Lt General Ray.

But the bottomline is — for the new breed of soldier-salesmen, there's a whole new world to be conquered.

(With Shwetal Kamlapurkar in Bangalore)

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