Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Names have not been changed to protect anybody8217;s identity, and there is no question of characters fictitious, bearing resemblance to those dead or alive, etc, etc. The events recounted are as true as can be, and there is a lesson in this for all of us.
Naik Ramesh Kumar was one of the most decent souls I have come across, and in the company he was by far the quietest and sincerest chap. The was8217; is deliberate, for Ramesh Kumar died under tragic circumstances. In the conditions we were in it was quite a task, but the unit did a remarkable job in making arrangements for the cremation. With everything in place and the unit Panditji having begun the rituals, there was never any doubt as to who would perform the last rites for Ramesh Kumar. Nothing was ever said, and names were never mentioned, but when the time to come forward and perform the traditional rites arrived it was Lance Naik Shamsudeen who undertook the responsibility. They were from the same district, and they happened to be good friends. They wore the same uniform, and above all were paratroopers, which makes for a bonding that is indescribable. But nevertheless, it was Shamsudeen who cremated Ramesh Kumar, supervised by the unit Panditji, according to all the ancient Indian traditions.
In the Army, the only sections are the smallest combat sub-units composed of nine fighters from any and every corner of this country. There are no questions asked, and none entertained. Sometimes I wonder if this Army really belongs to this nation, ungrateful as it is, which even refuses to learn from its soldiers about diversity and unity. There are certain rules in the armed forces regarding all these matters, just as there are in civil society. The difference is that in the Army they are enforced. Over the years, transgressions have virtually dried up, but in pedestrian India they are happening all the time and nobody is getting the stick for it. Why does it seem that the responsibility for the security and the well-being of the nation and its republic are concerns solely of those in uniform? In a couple of months there are going to be ritualistic processions displaying nationalism, but having seen the abominable behaviour of this cast over the years, their candour is highly suspect.
Which is something you cannot accuse the armed forces off. What is in the rulebook is practiced, for there cannot be any compromises on integration. I only hope nobody thinks that religion is taken lightly in the armed forces; it8217;s quite the reverse actually. It is taken very seriously and time is devoted to prayer, but the difference is that the prasad is shared by all equally. For some, it might seem that either the late Ramesh Kumar, or Shamsudeen, is going to suffer from a dharam bhrasht syndrome. Nothing of the sort, for Ramesh went in the midst of all the mantras and rites as dictated by his gods, and Shamsudeen lives in peace with his, and he also has no qualms in partaking in rituals to please his late friend8217;s gods. Try that for national integration. In the Army, there is no word for it, and just as well, for that would only result in labels and such other cosmetics. It is the absence of such lipsticks of make-believe that allows our mixed battalion to have Bajrang Bali ki Jai8217; as the battle cry; he was, after all, the world8217;s first paratrooper.
