Retired army veteran, Lt Gen HS Panag, faced heavy trolling last week for criticising the use of a civilian as a ‘human shield’ in Budgam, Kashmir, calling it an image that will “haunt” the Indian Army for a while.
“The army as an institution has been accorded a halo – that it can do nothing wrong and nobody should criticise it,” he told The Quint in the aftermath of the online backlash.
Needless to say that trolling is a means to no end. However, there are at least six other ways that online saviours of the Indian Army – and those who are actually interested – can “serve” the forces. Read on.
1. Maintain the Memorials of Our Fallen Servicemen
Earlier last week, GL Batra, father of Captain Vikram Batra, was photographed cleaning his son’s memorial after it had been neglected by authorities.
Keeping such memorials and statues of our fallen servicemen clean is just one of the ways to show respect to our servicemen.
2. Listen to The Stories of Ex-Servicemen
War heroes do not have it easy. Some carry with them heavy emotional burdens, others suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Why not spend time with the veterans to listen to their stories? That can give them a chance to relive their past glories. Moreover, the insight that you will get from them, you won’t get it anywhere else.
3. Sign up for the Armed Forces or The NCC
They say that you never truly know a person until you walk a mile in his or her shoes. The same applies to the armed forces. By enlisting in the Indian Army, you can get a first-hand account of just what it takes – both physically and mentally – to be a part of the military.
4. Dedicate Your Social Media to Fighting for Causes that Affect the Army
The Indian Army is often used as a tool by political parties. Their problems have been politicised by politicians in order to gain their trust – and even votes. However, when these don't come through, it's up to the youth of today to advocate for their cause.
The issue of OROP – or One Rank One Pension – is one such incident that got a large populous to rally behind the army. However, as the social media-hungry youth that we are today, we shouldn’t have to wait for a large issue like OROP to activate our collective consciousness.
There are a variety of issues that plague our armed forces such as the treatment of soldiers suffering from high levels of stress and disability.
Soldiers disabled due to occupational hazards and other ailments are released from service without regular pension or disability benefits. Despite Supreme Court orders, army headquarters have filed appeals against tribunals that have granted disability pension to soldiers.
5. Help our Martyrs by Supporting Their Families
Showing your love can always extend to people who've lost their lives. For many, showing reverence means attending the funeral of a martyr. However, another way of doing that is helping those families who have lost a member in service.
There are a number of organisations that you can help directly. The National Defence Fund takes donations in cash or kind that go not only to the care of servicemen and widows, but also to their dependants.
The War Widows Association is an independent and registered society that uses donations to take care of women and children who’ve lost their husbands and loved ones in service.
The death of a member of the armed forces can take an unimaginable toll on the lives of the families they’ve left behind. By helping those families, you can honour the memory and the sacrifices that their loved ones have made in protecting our nation.
6. Strive For Peace, So That There Aren’t More Dead Soldiers to Mourn
India hasn’t fought any big conventional wars in well over three decades, but that doesn’t mean that everything is calm and orderly. As a nation, we’ve had a hard time ‘giving peace a chance’. Thousands have died in insurgencies in J&K and the North-East. Hundreds died during a mobilisation exercise along the Indo-Pak border in early 2000s. Many die every year owing to the harsh nature of the job and the terrain they operate in.
As citizens, we can promote an environment of peace by keeping the social discourse non-combative, and aiming for solutions through dialogue.
As a nation, we often rally behind our nation during cases of conflict, but now, we need to rally behind our country to achieve peace. By doing so, we can learn to coexist with different communities and societies in a way the army has done for years on end.
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