The Indian Army is probably the third largest in the world by count of manpower. A poor country like India to have such a large standing Army, Air Force and Navy is questionable. However the situation was brought to bear due to India’s geographical location, surrounded as it is by hostile neighbours, Pakistan and superpower China.
China attacked us in a surprise move in 1962. Three years later, in 1965 Pakistan attacked India which resulted in a stalemate. These two wars forced the nation to divert hugh funds to build up a formidable Army. Since 1947, India was also dealing with insurgency in the border states of Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam and later Kashmir.
The 1971 war against Pakistan which we won, established India as a regional power and we created the state of Bangladesh. Indira Gandhi was the most respected and feared world leader in the 1970’s. Richard Nixon feared Indira Gandhi. Henry Kessinger respected her foremost.
Indian Army units have regularly been deployed as UN Forces in many troubled areas of the world and continue to do so.
There is no concept of peace time for the Indian Army anymore. Glaciers like Siachin, the Kashmir militancy, the Bodo problems, ULFA insurgency and the on-off war like deployment against Pakistan have stretched the resources of the Indian Army to the limits. A decade ago IPKF operations against LTTE in Sri Lanka was an expensive deployment for troops and casualties were very high.
Troops in peace areas are deployed at troubled spots at short notice. Else, they are busy with war like exercises at the Battalion/Brigade/Corps level.
The frontline fighting arms like the Infantry, Artillery, the Armoured Corps are facing acute shortage of officers, specially young officers upto the rank of Major. Army Battalions which have a strength of 22 officers are manned by only 12 officers, some on leave/courses and they may have just 7 officers on strength to look after 800 men and hugh inventory of materials and weapons.
There are enough young people wanting to join the Army but the stringent requirements of selection end up rejecting 90 % of those who volunteer to join the officer corps. In the old days, the best students from elite schools like Doon, Sherwood College, Lawrence School, Military schools and so on joined the Army. Not so anymore! Even the feed from Sainik Schools have dropped dramtically.
Despite these shortcomings what keeps the Indian Army ticking at the Battalion level is their great sense of history. Many Units(Battalions) are more than 150 years old. These Units and their Officers and Men take great pride in the history of the Battalion.
A visit to these old Units is an eye opener. You will see silver and gold trophies, photographs and hugh oil paintings of all the old Commanding Officers, gallantry awards won, Battle honors won, Battle scenes, why even the menu cards dating back to 1856! They have a HALL OF REMEMBERENCE where each and every battle is documented minutely and trophies displayed.
Each Battalion sings a Regimental song which highlights the history of the Battalion and their great Officers and men.
At the battalion level, there are say 20 odd officers and 800 men. There is a very close interaction between the Officers and their men. Welfare of the troops comes first and welfare of the officers never talked about. It’s for this reason that the men are ferociously loyal to their Officers. Officers and men play troop games together most afternoons.
In battle it is our tradition that the young officers lead and the men follow. That is why the casualty rates were so high in all the wars fought among officers. The men do their utmost to ensure that their officers are well supported. They much rather see themselves die than see their Officers die. Once an Officer dies in Battle his name is permanently enshrined and becomes a treasured memory of that Battalion for centuries to come!
A smart young officer from the Gurkha Regiment recently told me :
’’Sir. The best way to die is in the pursuit of a passion, and that passion is VICTORY IN BATTLE!’’
I was stunned. This young officer was recently married and for him all that mattered was to pursue his passion for soldering and the ultimate aim was to die in Battle and thereby become part of the Battalion’s history! I asked him where did this sense of patriotism come from? He replied, from his Battalion! Later, this young man was awarded the Kirti Chakra for his stellar role hunting down Pakistani militants in Kashmir. He killed 17 militants along with his platoon in a short span of 3 months, lost a finger, enjoyed each encounter and is yet not satiated! His junior officers respect and fear him, his seniors worry for him and his family! Some men are born to kill! And the Army is their vehicle to Victory.
To the men, their Commanding Officer (CO) is GOD! He can do no wrong. For the Comamnding Officer himself, the past outstanding Commanding officers, specially the Gallantry award winners, serves as a beacon of light and inspiration.
The senior most Jawan holds the rank of Subedar Major (S/M). He has a direct access to the CO. A good CO, S/M combination is crucial to to running the Battalion well.
Most young officers and men today do not consume alcohol or smoke. It is no longer considered chick to smoke or drink! They use their hard earned money to pursue adventure sports, buy smart mo-bikes and tour Europe when on annual leave.
Once an Army Officer retires, he is not forgotten by his Battalion as long as he lives. He and his wife are invited to the Battalion at regular intervals especially on the occassion of BATTLE HONORS DAY. On that day many old Officers some 80 yrs old come down from all over India and England/Canada/Australia for this grand function. Many donate their war medals like the Victoria Cross/Mahavir Chakra/Ashok Chakra to their Battalions! These great battle honors find a treasured place at the Quarter Guard, which is manned by armed soldiers day and night for hundreds of years. The surviving family members of officers who were killed in battle are also invited regularly for such functions. I was! But more of that later.
Ordinary citizens must visit the Regimental Centers of the Indian Army closest to their cities to understand what history means to these Regiments of the Indian Army.