Demoralising the opponent

Each evening at the Wagah border, spectators from both India and Pakistan are treated to a comic opera performed in dead seriousness. The lowering the flags and closing the border (symbolic) gates is a ritual of one-upmanship to the glee of the innocent bystanders who treat this as a patriotic display.

BSF and Pakistan Rangers, in their ceremonial best, conduct an aggressive drill which include, high steps, stomping, thumb snooking and eye-ball-to-eye-ball glare. This pantomime, while ensures jingling of tills of hotels and restaurants there, also keeps up the temperatures high, albeit symbolically and psychology is a part of warfare.

However, there appears to be a move from the Indian Indian side to make the spectacle more moderate which Pakistan has promptly rejected. But as long as one side remains committed to aggressive display, the other has no option but to keep up its end.

However peace-willing we are and however committed we are to Gandhism, we should not water down the military's resolve to maintain highest morale of its men. Simply, since our military is subordinate to constitutional scheme of things, we should not meddle with its traditions and day-to-day affairs.

Military is meant to be aggressive even in posturing. Also we should recognise and respect the sacrifices made by our gallant men time and again. If we can demoralise the enemy in the process, it will be an added bonus. India's move in including occasional women soldiers in this ceremony is a good move in that while showcasing the achievements of our daughters, we also announce from roof tops to Pakistan that its men are no match to Indians in this culturally progressive world.

In fact I would earnestly suggest to those in decision-making to prominently display the photograph of Gen.Niazi surrendering to Gen.Aurora in 1971 as the backdrop on our side. No amount of posturing can equal this in either raising our morale or lowering that of the enemy - Pakistani army is definitely enemy of India, one should concede irrespective of what Kuldeep Nayyars and Khushwant Sings may think.

...ponder