Of flags and foibles
By K.S. Bajwa

EVERY time we drove into the Fort William at Calcutta, Nayeem, a very dear and richly endowed friend, would observe with envy the spruce deference that I received from the military sentries. He would invariably remark "Bhai all this izzat that you accept so nonchalantly, I could not buy with all my money". This would make me ponder.

Was a soldier’s worth measured only in the visible symbol of power and authority? Were the fluttering flags, the ramrod attention and the visible ripples of obedience, the essence of a life of devotion and denial? I wondered then and wonder even more today — when flags no longer fly for me — at our concern with only the obvious.

The military flags are not merely a broadcast of status. Neither are they an embellishment of colour to heighten the spectacle of ceremonials, nor do they herald the approach of brasshats. The flags symbolise a collective spirit, a solemn pledge to uphold the honour of the nation and the regiment — no matter how great the sacrifice.

In days gone by when soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder, the person and the presence of the leader embodied their joint resolve to fight on till victory. The pennants, banners and striking plumage make the leader patently visible. He is a focus of collective will, an article of faith, fountainhead of inspiration.

Though the practice of warfare has changed, the theme of leadership is remarkably constant. Flags and star plates enhance the stature of authority vital in an organisation where compliance has to be unquestioning.

Even of greater significance of these very symbols and ceremonials is on the inner core of the human psyche. Since death is the only certainty in life, every humanbeing seeks a measure of immortality. The assurance that even after death, the soldier will retain a measure of relevance and will not be consigned to the dustbin of oblivion, satisfies this inner urge. To a soldier, the avenues are his rise in his profession; the personal acheivements on or off the field of battle; acts of valour, which are sanctified and immortalised through honours and awards; the collective achievements of his unit with which he is identified and, finally, his family and progeny.

Military chronicles; regimental and unit histories; investitures to bestow honours and awards; publicity in the written and visual media; celebration of regimental days honouring acts of individual as well as collective distinction and valour and remembrances all carry a slice of immortality. Even more important is the conviction that even in death, he will be honoured and remembered by his fellow soldiers and his family. He hopes his progeny will be helped to grow so that his name lives on through them. It is here that military funerals and all the other ceremonials with flags flying high, bugles blaring and bands playing and soldiers standing erect and proud to pay homage, affirm the assurance that the soldier will live on in the memories of the nation.

Even more profound impact is of the message to the families and dependents that their loved ones who made the supreme sacrifice are esteemed and will continue to be remembered and honoured by those who will follow them. This knowledge and the pledge by solemn observance, fortifies the courage to die with honour — and then live on.

The attitude of the other cogs and wheels of the Government has been both critical and emulatory. The ceremonial ambience practised by the men in uniform is rarely understood and often even ridiculed. The senior soldiers are invariably criticised for the very visible rhythms and patterns of their behaviour. In their ever-widening search for visible status, the functionaries of government have themselves adopted all manners of crown feathers.

It used to amuse me no end to hear a Superintending Engineer in-charge of a drainage circle responsible for construction and maintenance of a defence oriented ditch cum bund obstacle system constructed in my brigade area in the Amritsar Sector, constantly urge his subordinates to design a flag for him to fly on his jeep. And those who, lolling indolently in the rear seats, do fly flags on their mechanical chariots whither do they sally forth to do battle and what legions rally around then? The flags of these public servants are getting larger and gaudier. What a display of insecurity .

And how do the fighting men themselves treat these solemn symbols of tradition? It is sad to see that they too have been rather irreverent and unkind. A limp flag rather sheepishly downcast on the brow of a motor vehicle, awaits the mighty warrior and his consort to finish their purchases of potatoes and onions. A sad degradation from the sublime to the mundane! These proud heralds of history have been turned into props to posturing egos, more so when the inner relevance becomes uncertain. The other day I saw a retired General flying an outlandish flag in his regiment’s colours over a set of star plates.

The soldiers themselves are to blame for this visible neglect that seems to have overtaken our proud lineages and heralds. Look at the scant regard with which our golden generations are treated. Except for the orchestrated shows at the annual reunions, the current custodians of these proud uniforms and symbols hardly take notice of them. It appeared that we had even foresworn to honour death.

During the past decades our men in uniform have been laying down their lives fighting militancies in the state of Jammu and Kashmir or in the Eastern Sector, which threaten not only the integrity of this nation but also undermine our secular credentials. Often the bodies of these brave sons were brought to their home-towns at the request of their families.It was painful to observe that hardly any serving soldiers, least of all those holding high office, and who have to set the tone, came to honour these martyrs or to attend their funerals.

Even the small tokens of respect and grace such as the sending a staff officer to place a wreath on the biers of these symbols of our commitment to the nation, are forgotten. Lately we have been jolted out of our slumbers by the shows put up by the police and paramiliary forces for their dead. There has been some awakening but much more needs to be done.

Soldiers need to do so much more to develop their internal self-esteem and protect these solemn symbols of their calling from their own foibles. Only then we would mobilise awareness to stop their misuse and restore these military symbols to their exclusive glory. I say to my countrymen to respect the symbols that confer immortality on your fighting men, the proud epitome of sacrifice and martyrdom and let these be not defiled by ego boosting syndromes.