Arun Prakash The formidable reputation earned by the Indian military in two great wars and many post-Independence conflicts owes much to the unquestioning obedience and loyalty that the Indian soldier, sailor and airman have traditionally rendered to their officer. Our young officers have returned the compliment by invariably leading from the front in battle, suffering unusually high casualty rates. Although a vast majority of our million and a quarter “jawans” (I use this term generically for the three services) come from rural backgrounds, a few years in uniform are enough to make them smart and worldly-wise. Therefore, even the least educated serviceman is, shrewdly, able to size-up a good officer when he sees one. How does he do that? Through gut feeling, instinct and actual observation, the jawan, essentially, seeks three traits in his officer — professional competence, integrity and loyalty. Loyalty extends upwards to the unit, service and the country and downwards to his men. The Army has encapsulated these sterling qualities in the nostrum “naam, namak, nishaan.”
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:33:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015