The 75th anniversary of the Republic will be celebrated with traditional pomp and splendour and the colourful parade will march down Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath) on January 26 and the focus will be on the Indian military – the ‘fauj' as they say in Hindi - but for a day at best.

The military in a democracy remains largely invisible even as it is on duty  24/7 -  round the year,  performing  its ‘kartavya’ (duty) and as an octogenarian veteran,  one is reminded of the  story from the epic Mahabharata  about Eklavya, the prince of an ethnic group of jungle tribes. His humble abode was close to the hermitage of Dronacharya, who was the guru of the royals of Hastinapur in the art of warfare and archery. Eklavya often stayed hidden near the hermitage to see Pandav and Kaurava princes practising archery under the watchful eyes of their guru.

One day, the young Eklavya approached Dronacharya to teach him archery. His request was turned down since he, low of birth, could not be in the company of the royals. Though disappointed, Eklavya was determined to master the craft nevertheless. In an open patch deep inside the forest he made a clay statue of Dronacharya and started practising archery under the assumed patronage of his revered guru and soon acquired inimitable skills.

Dronacharya and his royal disciples, while on a hunt in the forest one day, happened to be close to Eklavya’s practice area. The dog accompanying them strayed a bit and, on seeing Eklavya, started barking at him. Disturbed by the barking dog, Eklavya fired a set of three arrows in quick succession which, without hurting the dog, clamped its mouth shut. When the dog whimpered back to the hunting party, Dronacharya was taken aback by the exceptional skills of the archer. At their guru’s behest, the princes looked around and soon located Eklavya.

Dronacharya asked Eklavya under whose tutelage he had achieved such mastery. Eklavya unhesitatingly pointed towards the clay statue and replied “Under your guidance my guru.” And thereby hangs the tale.

Dronacharya, who wanted Arjuna to be the best archer ever, realised that Eklavya had already outdone his favourite disciple. In a momentary loss of judgment, weakness, or vanity, he asked Eklavya for the thumb of his right hand as the 'guru dakshina' – a teacher’s remunerations. Without hesitation, Eklavya took out his hunting knife and cut off his thumb to lay it at his guru’s feet.

The forgotten armed forces

For good reasons, the legend of Eklavya has inspired this write-up. It provides the right backdrop to draw parallels and reflect upon the present-day status and station of the Indian armed forces.

Cut to the present times. Soon after the excitement of the Christmas festivities was over, both the print and the electronic media went into overdrive recounting the highlights of the year receding into the past. Newspapers carried photographs of sportspersons who had made India proud. Recalled the achievements of the corporate sector. Recognized the brilliance of our scientists for their accomplishments. Complimented innovators for their contribution to making Bharat both Atmanirbhar and Vikasit. Justly lauded the avant-gardists of Artificial Intelligence. Women directors who had burst upon the world scene were commended too.  And there were predictions galore on how the coming year may unfold. Amid all this, preparations for the Maha Kumbh also hogged the limelight with cameras capturing celebrities at Prayagraj. 

Sadly, the armed forces drew a complete blank. None recalled those who had gone beyond the call of duty and had laid down their lives and many others who had suffered injuries – some disabled for life. How did everybody forget that India prospered and flourished only because its armed forces ensured that it continued to exist as a State? Did none remember that when the nation was celebrating the New Year, thousands of soldiers were patrolling the troubled Line of Control? Guarding the icy heights of Line of Actual Control? Were fighting an undeclared war on Siachen? Combating proxy war in J&K? Keeping our sea lines of communications secure and preventing piracy? Guarding our air spaces from spying unarmed vehicles or aircraft? Away from their families, friends and near and dear ones? And yes, those not deployed operationally were standing by to attend to any national crisis at short notice – be that of law and order or natural calamity. Should a nation be so indifferent, if not ungrateful, to its armed forces?    

The Eklavya parallel?     

Just as Eklavya had honed his skills to become an archer nonpareil, so have the Indian soldiers, sailors, and airmen mastered their craft to perfection. Again, like Eklavya, who overcame the loss of his right-hand thumb with fortitude and continued to excel in his craft, the armed forces have consistently prevailed over all the challenges before them with resolute determination. and sacrifice.   

In his lifetime, Eklavya yearned for no fame as an archer or a warrior. So is the case with the Indian soldier – they covet no personal gains or glory in return for their hardships, unflinching devotion to duty, and sacrifices. 

Regardless of his legend, Eklavya finds just  a passing mention in our folklore. Our armed forces too, despite having created history with their soldierly exploits do not seem to be finding their rightful place in our national narratives. In times of war or internal crises, there is indeed admiration for the defence forces. It lingers for a while only to fade away from public memory soon enough.

One can recall the story of Eklavya only with a bit of disquiet.  Existing norms and practices of the yore had unfairly marginalised him. He had to struggle against the system ordained by the privileged few. One wonders if our defence forces are facing a similar dilemma under the present scheme of things.

Be that as it may, unlike Eklavya’s tale recessed in the past, the case of the armed forces is in the present and is not finite. All organs of the state, and the people of India, would do well to make the Indian Armed Forces the subject of their admiration and empathetic care. They deserve it. Unconditionally.

(The writer is an Indian Army veteran and former Senior Fellow of the  Manohar Parikkar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal. He can be reached at vkshrivastava@yahoo.com)