28 INDIA TODAY AUGUST 19, 2019
EQUALITY,SECULARISM
ANDFRATERNITYARE
ESSENTIAL PARTSOFTHE
MILITARY’SCULTURE,NOT
MERELYBECAUSETHEY
AREMORALLYDESIRABLE
BUTBECAUSETHEYARE
INDISPENSABLEBrahmins, Mahars, Sikhs, Muslims, Rajputs, Marathas and
Nagas play together and fight together. Whatever be the caste
equations back home, they are left behind when a soldier puts
on his uniform.
There are no more or less important jobs among soldiers.
In battle, infantry soldiers always lead the attack to rout the
enemy from their defensive positions. Behind the infantry is a
group of cleaners, barbers, drivers and cooks who constitute
the ‘immediate replenishment team’. After the objective is
captured, this team carries forward the essential resupplies of
ammunition, water and food for the infantry sol-
diers and brings back the wounded for treatment.
Victory depends on each and every person of a
unit working together.
Within the military, there is an easy and equal
acceptance of all religions. Religious practices are
encouraged and, in a single class unit, there is gen-
erally a compulsory mandir, church or gurudwara
function on Sunday mornings. As officers, we
adopt the religion of the soldiers we command, and
it never conflicts with our own religious beliefs. In
units with a mixed religious composition, there is a
common prayer hall called the Sarv Dharam Sthal,
in which the statues of Lord Rama and Jesus, the
Guru Granth Sahibji and the photograph of Holy
Kaaba nestle under the same roof. This concept of
the Sarv Dharam Sthal has now found universal
acceptance throughout the army.
The Constitution promises each citizen
‘fraternity’ in assuring the dignity of the indi-
vidual, and the unity and integrity of the nation.
Fraternity is a sense of brotherhood among all
communities, and this concept has been well
known to soldiers throughout history. The mili-
tary is known as a band of brothers, a term usedIllustration by NILANJAN DAS