Thanking the Brave

A few unrelated incidents in last couple of days has left a sense of disquiet and cast a shadow over the festive spirit of the Independence Day. A day for remembering the brave and also a nation expressing the gratitude to countless martyrs who laid down their lives so that we can breathe in freedom!

One of them was roughing up of the ex -servicemen by the local police at Jantar Mantar who have been protesting for the delay in implementing the long promised, One Rank One Pension (OROP) and another incident when an army soldier was killed by ruffians who were stopped to molest a girl in Meerut! In the first case, those responsible cannot be forgiven, as how the people, who have protected a nation by giving the best part of their lives in inhospitable terrains and fought wars, suddenly become a threat on the pretext of security of the city! The lack of sensitivity in handling situations by the so called think tank is evident! In the latter case, the growing cult of hooliganism and quite often, also patronized by the political parties is responsible for the sad outcome!

The same day there was a photograph of the Israeli prime minister kissing his son as he prepares to join the armed forces like every citizen in that country!A typical prayer offered by orthodox Jews for well being of Israel Defence Forces  all over the world reads as follows:

Prayer for the Well-Being of the
Israel Defense Forces

The following prayer is recited by observant (Orthodox) Jews in Israel and all over the world during the morning Shabbat prayers, after reading the weekly Torah portion:

May He who blessed our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, bless the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces, who stand watch over our land and the cities of our Lord, from the Lebanese border to the desert of Egypt and from the great sea to the verge of the wilderness, on land, in the air, and at sea. May G-d strike down before them our enemies who rise against us. May the Holy One save and spare our soldiers from all forms of woe and distress, of affliction and illness, and may He invest their every action with blessing and success. May He vanquish by their means those who hate us, and may He adorn them with a crown of deliverance and a mantle of victory. Thus may the verse be fulfilled: "For it is the Lord your G-d who marches with you to do battle for you against your enemy, to bring you victory." Now let us respond "Amen."

 We reap the crop as we sow the seeds! Rarely does any politician's son ever joins the armed forces in our country so they never understand the harsh life that lies ahead! They are just waiting to take over the reins and are busy in building their own empires with mostly ill-gotten wealth!

The partition of two nations India and Pakistan in 1947 has been a cause of acrimony between them and has caused immense amount of blood shed and mayhem in the continent ever since. With the passage of time the technology advanced and the weapons became deadlier and their usage even more bloody! After the African continent, perhaps the Indian continent continues to lag behind on almost every parameter of human index, be it poverty, lack of hygiene, mass unemployment, gender equality and a host of others!

The defense budgets of the two countries have continued to swell leading to an arms race which is unparalleled elsewhere in the world. The weapons of mass destruction possessed by the two nations can annihilate either of the two countries in no time, in case of a nuclear conflagration. With the passage of time the proxy wars and terrorist activities continue to increase with loss of lives and property on either side.

In such a scenario, the need to keep the men in uniform motivated is very important. Mr  Ajit Doval the present National Security Adviser had in one of the addresses mentioned that one of the reasons why British were keen to leave India on 15 Aug 1947 was the fear of military uprising which the British Empire was incapable of handling!(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKpl7v_c-Qo )

A grateful nation knows how the men in uniform come to aid of civil authorities to handle catastrophes and even civil unrest. Independence Day is the time to express solidarity and support them and their families when they are defending the nation !

PS . The prayer for IDF kind courtesy http://www.ahavat-israel.com/eretz/army