Kalam146;s salam

It is easy to scoff at President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam8217;s visit to the Siachen Glacier as just another high-profile tourism exercise. That would, however, be unfair to a president who has redefined his role as first citizen from formalistic and ritualistic to one defined by the human touch. In a sense, Kalam has now displayed the same attributes in his other role, that of supreme commander of the Indian armed forces. As such his visit to Siachen, the first by an Indian president in the 20 years of conflict on the world8217;s highest battlefield, is packed with symbolism. Like Defence Minister George Fernandes8217; numerous trips to Siachen, it is a reassuring reminder to the troops there 8212; 8220;icons of the country8221;, as Kalam called them 8212; that the rest of the country has not quite consigned them to the comfortable recesses of public amnesia. Symbolism may often be no more than an empty gesture. But in moments such as these it is almost invaluable. President George W. Bush had attempted a similar exercise with his unannounced Thanksgiving date with American soldiers in Iraq last November. Kalam8217;s visit had a message for the men he met: The nation understands the worth of your effort. A presidential visit to a war zone inevitably sends different signals to domestic and foreign audiences. Unlike the braggadocio of, say, a president who threatens to prejudge peace talks because he doesn8217;t want to appear weak, a democratic president can be both authoritative and subtle. In emphasising Siachen8217;s strategic importance, Kalam has corrected any misgivings about India8217;s quest for South Asian peace. As a summer of negotiations with Pakistan beckons, the Siachen visit conveys that India is ready to talk detente, but as ready to defend its position.

To just so many Indians, civilian or uniformed, constitutional figures such as the president are distant, stiff figures, who sermonise rather than speak. To the soldiers at Siachen, then, Kalam must have been something of an eccentric VIP. Certainly, no president have ever lectured his troops before on India8217;s economic potential or, more so, on technology augmentation of radar systems. That Kalam had visited Siachen in 1998, as scientific adviser to the prime minister, must have added to his knowledge of the area. Clearly, this man doesn8217;t need aides to write his briefs. In a time when the country is preparing for the world8217;s biggest electoral exercise, it is perhaps right to celebrate this other aspect of India8217;s diversity and democracy. When the Indian president goes to the front, he needs to demonise no enemies, produce no political rhetoric to make his point. He just has to be himself.