The missing netas

Like many others, I find it shocking that neither did the nation’s big mantris, nor did the chiefs of the navy and the air force thought it fit to pay Manekshaw their last respects.

Even if they did not consider the soldier worthy of this honour (which is appalling in any case… this officer and his men altered the map of South Asia, no less), their presence at his funeral would surely have made many a young jawan feel proud of himself and his work. Would surely have injected a huge dose of motivation down the ranks, a great reminder that the nation honours and values their services.

I mean, if our bada sahibs don’t give a fig for a hero like Sam Bahadur, one can well imagine the sort of respect they carry in their hearts for our jawans. Is it any wonder then that no one really wants to join the army, and more often than not, the ones that do, do so for lack of lucrative civilian career options. What’s the point of singing war anthems and saluting our brave soldiers on the Independence Day when the rest of the year we give a damn when the bravest of them dies.

Come to think of it, perhaps Manekshaw might have wanted it this way. All his life he lived on his conditions, showing scant respect for the political class. I don’t think he would have missed these netas much on his last journey.