Whats worse not being noticed or being forgotten?

Somebody once said 'God and the soldier are remembered and sought after only in times of personal strife and war'. How true and how cruel! I wonder how many people have ever considered the fact that many things that they take for granted are in fact a rarity for many other people in this country. Its been 6 months since I last had a morsel to eat that I relished. I do eat and by most opinions eat well but where does this food rate next to the food flavoured and scented by the love of our parents, siblings and other loved ones. What wouldnt I give to share my dinner everyday with those who love me and those that I love.

People like me can count their well-wishers on the fingers of their left hands without flexing it too much. May people do ooh and aaah once and say we are doing a great job but what a pity , we rate the same accolades as a hyper rich, self-obsessed egolomaniac because he acted in and produced a juvenile drivel of a video which has been projected as the nominee for the farce that is the oscars. Talk about mediocracy showering accolades on stupidity. I am not being diplomatic or using code language, because if u have seen om shanti om u wud know what I mean. What a waste of money? Talk about the rich sucking up to the rich and the rich insulting the not so rich.

Every 20 yrs or so every average Indian remembers somebody who is distantly related who is in the defence forces and thumps his chest to parade his adoration for that so long forgotten individual. What a shame that a family feud between two sisters like India and Pakistan is required to reinforce the solidarity within their people. We were not born sisters , we were created after 5 milleniums of existence. We were the by product of blind greed of people from both sides of today's border and the impatience of a colonial empire who could not wait to get back home in time for high tea.

Though it may seem highly laughable that two neighbours need massive mobilisation of manpower to defend themselves against each other, it is a fact that being called a paki in India is an insult that is worse than something aimed at ones parentage. I am sure the vice versa is true across the border. This is a result of more than half a century of mistrust and bitterness. Two massive armies are an inevitable result when two people apparently mistrust and hate each other so much that they prefer shooting each other to shooting stray rabid dogs. In such a scenario I for one would appreciate the job done by all our soldiers in guarding our borders. There are sceptics who say that these soldiers are paid for what they do. Are they truly? in todays world what would u consider a yearly increment in salary? a measly 3oo rupees or $7.5 annual. Isnt this worse than a joke? Why then does the government report an appalling fall in the number of recruits for the armed forces every year as if it is a surprise?

Men and women who were attracted into the defense services for various reasons are now queuing up to leave, manufacturing very creative reasons for doing so, and nothing can be done to stop this exodus except to stem it when it is a trickle. A little appreciation would go a long way in reassuring the hearts of the millions of souls who sacrifice their every day today for the rest of the country's people.


We are a people who see divinity in everything. So much so that it borders on the ridiculous but how does ridiculousness matter as long as it is beneficial. It is beyond my comprehension that we adore and worship snakes and trees while we forget the Indian soldier who ensures that we enjoy the new found money and fashion during the day and sleep well at night. All that a soldier wants is to be reassured that his/her family's welfare and future is taken care of by the country whose name he breathes and utters every second to bolster his dwindling courage when his enemy is face to face and in our case this is a daily occurence.

The filmy representation of a soldier just before his death is one where he screams 'jai hind' or mouthes the choiciest of swear words. Let me assure u thats the puerile imagination of pampered film makers like the johars and the chopras. The last thought that runs through a soldiers mind is the hope that his life wont be a waste and the fervent prayer that his family should be taken care of. Shame on us if we cant reciprocate by a small gesture of appreciation and assurance for the families of the bravest souls this great country has every given birth to.