Thursday, November 10, 2016

MAJ GAURAV ARYA (RETD) REPLIES TO ANTI-ARMY AAKAR PATEL ARTICLE IN TOI ON 6.11.2016

Warren Buffet, perhaps the most successful investor of all time, with a piggy bank creaking under the strain of USD 64 billion, was once asked what the secret of his success was. Buffet said, “I buy when everyone else is selling. I sell when everyone else is buying”. Sound advice and solid judgment. No one can argue with that.
Now, take Warren Buffet’s advice and twist it to suit a narrow Indian context. What is the shortest route to fame? When every Indian is solidly behind the Indian Army, write an article abusing it. You set off a social media firestorm, gain instant infamy and suddenly everyone and their uncle knows you.
Truth be told, my first reaction to Aakar Patel’s article in the Times of India (6 November 2016) was one of dismay. Anger and hurt followed. Suddenly, there was absolute calm. The article was not the prey. It was bait. When you see something for what it is, you understand.
In his article, Aakar Patel accuses the pre-1947 Indian Army of being a mercenary army, of killing fellow Indians and a host of other imagined crimes. He then goes on to say that the sewage cleaner’s job is as dangerous as a soldier’s, and the soldier must not demand more in terms of parity. No data is given and no analysis is offered. It is just a few hundred words of rambling. Maybe an old wound. Who knows? It is surprising that The Times of India chose to publish such blatant hate mongering.
Yes, the British Indian Army was part of the British Raj. Yes, the Sappers defeated the Marathas at Assaye Ganj. On 14 August 1947 India was not the India that we know today. It was a loose confederation of 562 princely states, a veritable galaxy of Maharajas, Nawabs and other sundry rulers. The glue that held them together was the exploitative British Raj.
India, as a civilization, is more than 5000 years old. “Bharat Varsha” as we know it is older than most civilizations known to man. When the people of Bharat Varsha were poets, philosophers, kings and warriors, inhabitants of jolly old England were still in animal skins; there were no Roman Casers and Greek nation-states and the Egyptians has only begun settling in.
On 15 August 1947 India became an independent, modern nation state. And on that day, the Indian Army became a truly modern nationalist army. Since, Aakar Patel insists on splitting hair, it is important that he knows that in 1780 when the Sappers fought against the Marathas, there was no Pakistan. Lets twist logic on its head. Were fighting the 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999 (Kargil) wars also wrong? Because going by the logic offered by Aakar Patel, the Indian Army fought against people who were once Indian.
Most armies in the past were mercenary armies. During the Mughal period, Mansabdars were required to maintain foot soldiers and cavalry. These were contributions made to the Mughal Emperor in times of war. It was in 1857 that the East India Company almost lost India to the very soldiers that Aakar Patel calls mercenaries. It was then that Victorian England stepped in. Rebel soldiers were killed in their thousands, some hanged, some hacked to death and many blown from the mouth of cannon. There was disproportionate slaughter. Ninety years after 1857, we were a free and independent nation, with a free and nationalist army.
Aakar Patel condemns the soldier’s demand for parity. For soldiers, it is not parity that is separately important. Soldiers associate parity with societal prestige.
Soldiers demand rank parity because that is the bedrock of honor, on which there can be no compromise. We must also have parity because there are only two people in recorded history who have offered to die for you. The other one is Jesus Christ.
Retired soldiers do not insist on getting more than what retired teachers or schoolmasters do. The army is an institution that puts teachers on a pedestal. And that is why the best and the most cerebral amongst us become instructors. If teachers were to get emoluments far greater than us, we would not only be happy; we would applaud it. Teachers build a nation. Soldiers protect it. We complement each other.
Our issue is with the bureaucrats who practice deception, and who have brought things to such a pass. We seek parity with them. Blame us for being bull-headed, but it is difficult for us to understand how a babu serving in Guwahati is at a greater risk than our brother in Siachen.
Every profession is worthy of respect, be it the sewer cleaner, postmaster or the soldier. We do not claim to be superior to other professions. We claim to be different. Mr. Aakar Patel would do well to understand that our service comes with unlimited liability, not constrained by death and other inconveniences.
A soldier is not special because he claims to be better than those who do not wear the uniform. He is special because he voluntarily serves everyday in the face of certain death. History is replete with examples of how soldiers have always been looked up to. In America, a soldier or Marine in uniform often elicits spontaneous and public applause. As the famous Marine saying goes, “We are the last hundred yards of American foreign policy”. In the Indian context, the Indian Armed Forces are the final argument of the Republic of India.
And now let me tell you why we need those 36 fighter jets, and then 200 more. We live in a very rough neighborhood. We are flanked by two nuclear powers, with which we have fought wars. China is unsettled by India’s rise and claims thousands of square miles of our territory. There are annual incursions by the Chinese army into Indian Territory. About Pakistan, the lesser said the better. Their entire Jihadi-military complex exists for the sole reason of breaking up India. And they try very hard, everyday. Think of the fighter jets as our little insurance policy. And, pray desperately to God that we never have to use that policy.
Aakar Patel may seriously dislike the Indian Army and even hate it, but I will have him know that there is no alternative. It is that soldier that he despises so much, who stands between India and misfortune.
For seventy years, there has been systematic and institutionalized humiliation of this nation’s armed forces. It is people with his kind of mindset who are responsible for such a sorry state of affairs.
Mr. Aakar Patel, next time you go to work and cross the Madras Sappers HQ, I suggest you say a little prayer of thanks. Unless off course, in place of Assaye Ganj, you prefer to read “Iman Taqwa Jihad fi-Sabilillah”. In Chinese.
Major Gaurav Arya (Retd)

(Source- via Gp e-mail from Ravi Mani/R Gopal Vets)

17 comments:

  1. There is a saying "BADNAAM JO HONGE TO KYA NAAM NA HOGA" (Infamy too brings credit). This Patel too follows the above principle, though fault lies with some of us who carry on rebutting his garbage writing. Let the dog carry on barking, why should I car. HFO BL Kalra.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes sir, its an eye opener to Akar Patels; let him go deeper in himself and find where he go astray to misconceived ideas and a born hatred for the soldiers; well if he can think in terms of universal brotherhood, it is to befriend first with ones close neighbors and that include the soldiers and then only he can touch the heart of yonder brothers who is on toe to grab the peaceful existence in India... well Patel could not come out from the chauvinism of a Maratha, where in the history, had to face defeat, which is a part of expansion and aggressiveness. Well, if possible, let him think in terms of`Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu` !

    ReplyDelete
  3. I very much doubt whether Mr. Akar Patel or any of his relatives had any chance to serve in any of the Armed Forces in any capacity. He should check out with his friends or relatives serving or served to know the actual hardship which can not be compensated in terms of money but only with compassion and sympathy. It is the fear of the unknown that looms ahead when he faces the enemy. All work has got hardships and risks; a pilot flying his craft across the Atlantic, a factory worker working near a boiler or an unskilled labour working in the 10th or 12th floor of a skyscraper under construction. Aakar patel should ask then why our politicians and bureaucrats are given more protection implying their lives are more precious than the former lot. Even a third class politician today is treating himself as VIP with a right to jump queues anywhere, taking common man to ransom by causing traffic jams etc.He does not think himself a VIP unless he is decorated with gun trotting NSG commandos. 90% of them are corrupt, still there is no bickerings. What about the pre-1947 bureaucrats, the so called ICS. Were they not on British pay rolls working for the empire. Can he compare them with the present lot? Dont turn the barrel of your gun to the soldiers who guard the boarders so that people like you enjoy their life without much hardship other than the self created ones. It is because of them there that the politicians claim to be VIPs and the bureaucrats enjoy the comforts of the air-conditioned offices. The Indian soldier is now fighting two fronts- one across the boarder and the other one back at home created by the politicians and bureaucrats. Now, do not open a third front, by the "Enemies Behind".
    Well done Maj Gaurav Arya, we are proud of a young veteran like you. Keep up the spirit high!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes sir, its an eye opener to Akar Patels; let him go deeper in himself and find where he go astray to misconceived ideas and a born hatred for the soldiers; well if he can think in terms of universal brotherhood, it is to befriend first with ones close neighbors and that include the soldiers and then only he can touch the heart of yonder brothers who is on toe to grab the peaceful existence in India... well Patel could not come out from the chauvinism of a Maratha, where in the history, had to face defeat, which is a part of expansion and aggressiveness. Well, if possible, let him think in terms of`Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu` !

    ReplyDelete
  5. who is this aarkar patel? the reverent had never been on the site earlier?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good counters.
    Ultimately - -disparity and down gradation of fauji will not be acceptable to Armed Forces.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a pice of wisdom from Arun Jaitley, Union Minister as reported in "The Week": Terrorism is a great curse of society. You have to deploy all models of fools in order to learn how to fight terror. Are the soldiers the fools who fight the terrorists?

    ReplyDelete
  8. My earlier post is wrong. SORRY.
    This is a pice of wisdom from Arun Jaitley, Union Minister as reported in "The Week": Terrorism is a great curse of society. You have to deploy all models of tools in order to learn how to fight terror. Are the soldiers the tools who fight the terrorists?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well said Major Gaurav Arya , it seems Akar patel thinks the Indian Soldiers only as objects to compare with the scavengers or sewers not by their role he is totally unaware of how & what a human being would behave when he/she is soldier. Well obviously the soldier is loyal to the king because king is the master of the land who makes & dictates law, but as the Master changes the 2 opponent soldiers who fought against each other then fight together for the new Master otherwise will be known by different designations.Even the master too change their roles. Once an aggressors becomes protector of the same land after becoming the king or the master of the land but Akaar Patel has very shallow understanding of all these historical human phenomenae. He even does not have a common sense of comparison of professions. Our bureaucrats also fall into the same category when they dub the whole Military as the security force & try to keep them on that level without realizing the fact that within military also multitude of professions are existing like aeronautics, Shipping broadly, & even though being the soldiers but working on very higher tech machinery , equipment.This factor is often overlooked by the successive Pay Commissions who brushed aside the cadre review , merely for want of comparability other than just with BSF & CRPF which is not a raw deal but cruel deal. and these Pay Commissions are headed by Ex Chief Justice in most cases & supported by the army of bureaucrats.Hence we know the results. (soldier gets a pay near to a peon.. What a shame..)

    ReplyDelete
  10. A beautifully worded, factual, point by point rebuttal of Aakar Patel's article exposing his anti national leanings.Though I doubt, it will straighten his tail or that of his master's for 14 years.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Every barking dog need not to be answered.Mr Aakar Patel may be dreaming of being protected by the unknown power that does not demand any thing for its performance.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well done Major Gaurav. Great spirit.Had seen its glimpse during one of the TV discussions. Keep it up, ESM need such knowledgeable, vociferous, spirited young people like you who are not govt stooges like some very senior esm we see on TV shows today.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Khudos to you maj Arya for a befittin reply to patel. Looks like his atticle is a paid one. May be handiwork of anti defence forces element in indian system

    ReplyDelete
  14. I could not fathom the real intention and the remedy being suggested by Mr Aakar. Some of my reactions are :-
    1. Pension – It is a deferred payment which a soldier has earned during his service already rendered. How did he arrive the soldier is asking more while on other hand he is saying we are asking for parity. If a babu can get his pension according to grade , position and years of service, what is amiss with a soldier. Did we force or coerce a government to engage us into a job or we are inferior to even state Police on whose failure we are called as the last bastion.
    2. Parity in Govt Service – What other way do we compare equal work equal pay. We may not have exact equivalence but some functional and working equivalence has to exist to have synergy and smooth inter-say-parity at all levels. I is also a tool to choose once preference while joining and working in various arms of government.
    3. Political meddling – This is exactly what we rue and the bureaucratic unnecessary intervention cum heaping of insult just because we are not an instrument to further the power cum loot nexus of politico-bureaucracy mafia. We are the only apolitical and secular and this has being truly demonstrated in last 70 yrs too.
    4. Purchases – Whose decision is it to maintain army or a fauj ? Fauj does not take decision to purchase the fighting machinery , weapons and maintain a standing forces. But if you have one then it has to be nurtured , maintained and fed the same way the other body parts are .
    Nation’s integrity and sovereignty is not the sole responsibility of fauj but of all the four pillars.
    By the way where do Mr Aakar fit and what his your contribution to nation and how is he less mercenary than others that he pointed fingers at.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well done Major Gaurav. We are proud of you, your expressions, your knowledge and capability to advocate the Defence. Shining Career ahead. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear soldiers and veterans
    Please do not find fault with Akaar Patel. We must not abuse children with autism or retarded mental growth and out right idiotic imbeciles Akaar is all rolled into one. He never studied history and has no clue to what he is intended to write. so forgive him by sending this insult to India to the LoC. Hw may survive because the pak bullets may take lenience to this traitor. He does not know that there was no unified India before 1947 and the army did not belong to centralized India. The soldiers of each Kingdom fought for their honour and defence as the present Indian Army fights to defend our mother land. That is the spirit of Army they fight for the country/state. Patel it will take ages for you to understand what Indian Defence force is. As I said idiots, imbeciles and deranged deserve special consideration.

    ReplyDelete

    ReplyDelete
  17. I too think like Mr. Aakar. Indian army is a mercenary force and must be removed so that it does not have to do the ignominous job of protecting his a** on the right from Pakistan and on the left from China, not to speak of terrorists in the centre. I hope he likes jackfruit from Pakistan and pumpkin from China. Best wishes to him.

    ReplyDelete