Patriotism has different connotations in these changed times. It is seen in people dressing up in hues of the tricolour, dish out cuisine with saffron, white and green ingredients, wassapp YouTube freedom speeches, send SMSes with I-Day wishes and host I-Day theme parties. The day is awash with patriotic fervour. GenX wears his/her patriotism on the sleeve; flaunts it, and feels it.
For our officers of the defence forces, who live by it, breathe it and bolster it, does patriotism and Independence Day hold an altogether different, deeper meaning? For the soldier standing isolated and alone on the icy heights of the glacier in Siachen guarding our borders, an image that stirs every single civilian, does the I-Day enthusiasm touch him too? Our Air Force pilot who, through dangerous space, makes a wily strike at the enemy or the naval officer who checks the infiltrators that come stealthily through our coastal waters resonate with the civilian’s seemingly fleeting sentiments? Do these men that have their countrymen’s deepest respect feel vindicated for the sacrifices they make and are making, or is it just an I-Day wonder? Do they find that 69 years later young India is interpreting patriotism differently from what it neans to them?
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba,
Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command says, “Patriotism to the people in white is synonymous with professionalism as we believe that the greatest service to your country is to execute our tasks and assignments in the best possible manner, placing service before self.” For the men and women of the armed forces, both Independence and freedom are symbolic of what they stand for, he adds.
For Brigadier (Retd.) K.V.M. Nair Independence Day really just meant a couple of social engagements, while he was in service. “When in an operational area, one is concerned only about duty, rather than the idea of celebrating independence,” he says. In 1995, when he was posted in Nagaland, insurgents made an attempt on his life two days prior to Independence Day. His vehicle was ambushed at Kohima. “I survived but a jawan died,” he rues.
“For us, I-Day just meant ensuring peace and tranquillity in the area.”
At the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, Independence Day meant “an exchange of fireworks” between India and Pakistan, which celebrates its Independence Day on August 14. “One could see bullets flying all over. As an officer responsible for security in the region, my concern was more about ensuring the safety of Indian citizens. A decade after retirement, when I have all the time to mull over things, Independence to me is the freedom to think and live the way I want to, of course, within societal boundaries,” says Nair. “I don’t believe in I-Day speeches as they are usually political rhetoric. Most politicians unfortunately seem to lack a vision for the nation.”
The only tragedy, he says, is that “we as a nation haven’t learnt our lessons from history”. Nair says what disturbs him is the increasing tendency of balkanisation in the country. He also wishes the younger generation becomes more selfless in its thoughts and deeds.
Retired Vice-Chief of Naval Staff R.P. Suthan, now as president of The Rotary Club of Cochin is all set to lead the members on a morning march on I-Day around Panampilly Nagar carrying the tricolour in their hands. “Every Indian should celebrate I-Day. As an organisation we can do this,” he says. He recalls nostalgically the ‘Colours’ ceremony held daily at eight a.m. in every naval unit where the bugle is sounded and the national flag is hoisted. “That’s how my days began all these years in service,” he says. For him it is the pride in the flag and the country that will drive every Indian to keep his city clean, “and this sense of pride must be inculcated by each family and in the school”.
One of the reasons why retired Major-General Arjun Menon took up his current job as advisor higher education for a business service company was because the “principals feel strongly for the country.” He joined NDA in 1971 at a time when patriotism in the country was peaking. In his forty-one years of service he has seen sentiments of patriotism swell and wane. After Independence, he feels that patriotism began to slide as regionalism began to raise its head. “Personal interest has become so important for every Indian. One’s own interest even at the cost of others; what I can get away with and such sentiments have come into common consciousness,” feels Arjun. Patriotism he feels is sadly disaster related. The Kargil War, Bhuj earthquake, floods in Orissa, Nepal Earthquake etc are some disasters that brought a resurgence of patriotism. “Now social issues like rape cases, the drive against rampant corruption and such are uniting people for the cause of the nation,” he says. As former defence personnel he feels that every Indian should relate completely with Jammu and Kashmir and the North East to comprehend nationalism in its entirety.
The sacrifice made by our forefathers in getting us Independence is a truth that should never be forgotten by the coming generations is what feels retired naval officer, Commander Sanjay Nandal. “It is their sacrifices that gave us freedom and we should treasure it,” he says. But Sanjay feels that with Independence comes huge responsibility. “Every Indian should support the nation in deciding about its future course,” he says.
“For any defence personnel,” Admiral Lanba concludes, Independence will always mean the ability to provide the necessary security environment that is necessary for our nation to thrive in the comity of nations and thereby command its rightful place as one of the oldest civilisations of the world.”
