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5 Reasons Why Manoj Tiwari Will Be Delhi’s ‘Best’ CM

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Delhi’s Legislative Assembly Elections are around the corner and Manoj Tiwari seems like the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for the post of Chief Minister (if not Dr. Harshvardhan). 

Of course, this is some great news as the talented, mature, responsible, all-rounder called Manoj Tiwari. A Member of Parliament (MP) from North-east Delhi, he is the epitome of the leadership which this City demands.

Here are 5 reasons why you should cast your vote for Rinkiya’s daddy.

 

1) He’s versatile

 

Manoj Tiwari was primarily a singer of Bhojpuri songs. While his musical capacity can be judged, one can’t deny the fact that Tiwari brought a resurgence in Bhojpuri music making it more accessible and mainstream for audiences in the northern mainland.

And then, he did a bit of acting. He was clearly robbed from the Filmfare award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, with his role of “Kalia” in Deshdrohi (a movie directed, written, produced by, and starring the visionary KRK aka Kamal Rashid Khan). Tiwari gives a committed performance as an intimidating hitman with dialogues like “Mera naam Kalia hai aur Kalia ka matlab tumhari maut” (My name is Kalia, and Kalia means “your death’)

Then, he was even willing to put himself under house arrest, being detained at Bigg Boss’s house for a few months. And we all know, great leaders of the world have gone to prison at some time or the other.

 

2) He gets what he wants

 

Manoj Tiwari is a determined individual. If he wants something, he’ll go through heaven and hell and Dolly Bindra to get it. When he avoided the temptations of chicken tikkas on the table, he just wanted to make an “amlate” of two eggs.

But Dolly Bindra (who metaphorically represents the opposition party) was clearly bothered by this and attacked Manoj with the power of a 120-decibel voice. Manoj was unaverred by this and walked on to get his hand on some eggs. While he couldn’t make an omelette in the end, it’s still his effort of dissent which counts.

Good leaders, and primary school kids, they need to be stubborn. And in an age of annoying political ‘boomers’, Manoj Tiwari is the kid who needs our votes.

 

3) He knows how to party

 

Manoj Tiwari is no less of a Pitbull. Just take his songs. Each of them is a banger, giving us a glimpse of his mind. In Baby “Bear” Peeke Naache (that’s the actual spelling in the video), Manoj plays a creepy bartender who makes a girl drink some bizarre kind of beer, which makes her do some bizarre dance, and then eventually get close to Manoj to give him a bizarre kiss. 

He has had more such songs on spreading love and harmony to some fast-paced beats. Goriya Chand Ke Anjoriya and Upar Wali Ke Chakkar Mei are some other classic music videos by him that you need to check out right now.

Imagine him winning the elections, and embarking on a pan-NCR concert to celebrate it! Enough reason to vote for him.

 

4) He’s friends with Khali

 

Manoj’s networking includes several people, including his fellow Bigg Boss detainee, The Great Khali. By the way, you need to check out Khali’s Instagram for its wholesome, pure content. His Instagram is one thing which will unite this entire country apart from Manoj Tiwari’s songs. 

Coming back to the point, Khali made his friendship evident in a recent video where Manoj is driving his car. Manoj smiles at the camera and says “Hum dono dost hai” (We both are friends). Now, if something happens in our city, CM Tiwari can be the Nick Fury to Great Khali’s Hulk instructing him to beat up threats to our society like “student goons”.

 

5) His party has progressive plans for Delhi

 

While Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is just campaigning on the basis of education and healthcare, BJP campaigners seem to be going to various colonies of Delhi are shouting slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai and handling short-term problems like the traffic jam caused by the Shaheen Bagh protest. Obviously, the nation’s “honour” and “integrity” come first and then the city’s development. This means that probably Manoj Tiwari’s MLAs think they’re MPs. So that’s the final reason why we should vote for Mr Tiwari cause, of course, the entity called Bharat Mata needs to be taken care of first and then the citizens of this city.

 

Featured Image Credits- Big Brother (YouTube)

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

   

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Arts & Culture

The Importance of Discovering your Happy Space in Life

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There are a few and minute things in everybody’s lives which make them simply happy and satisfied. These things can be anything and not necessarily be distinctive and extraordinary objects of public awe, but anything. A specific corner in the house, the dish of food that makes you drool, a movie, a place or even a person. Everyone has their happy space in life. However, only few are aware of it.

To elaborate on what a ‘happy space’ is, it is a place, a person, or an object where or around which a person feels the most alive and doesn’t perceive an urge to scroll their smartphones to seek any sort of virtual pleasures. Just stepping into that very space, those very surroundings feeds our soul with positivity and the calm we all require in our stressful lifestyle. 

This happy space can also be referred as the home since it makes us feel at home; a place where we find the utmost comfort. Just like we retire to our beds after surviving a tiring day at work or college to rest and gather the energy to face the everyday challenges all over again, our happy space has the same effect that our home or beds have.

Finding your spot of peace is not simple. Some people are not aware of it even in their 50’s and hence find it difficult to pull themselves out of  difficult situations. One should always have their doors open to exploring new places or activities that keep them calm, happy and positive. For some, a happy space can be their daily dose of workout at the gym, for others, it can be their favourite resort in an isolated hill station or  just spending an hour with kids in their nearby NGO. 

Solo trips and tours are the best when it comes to the discovery of one’s happy place. Sure, at most times, going to far off places is not possible due to financial or time restrictions, but you can still go to places that are around your city, for a short period of time. Taking some time off the routine and mundane lifestyle, a short vacation puts the mind at peace. If you derive happiness from this, then you have surely discovered a happy space in your life. 

Think about the thing that makes you feel rested or revitalized. Is it lying down on your comfy pillow, or being surrounded by the people you love? Is it dancing to the beats of your favourite songs or singing the retro melodies with your buddies? After identifying the activity or a couple of activities, try connecting to the places where you can find those, and sooner or later you will be having that one site, that one spot that makes you truly happy. 

 

Feature Image credits – Scopio


Kriti Gupta 

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Martyr’s Day: Oh! How grand is death too

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As the wholen nation pays its tribute to the martyrs, it is also important to gain an insight into the lives of the families of martyred soldiers and assess the various issues.  

 

Oh! How grand is death too

For the ones martyred

What pain they must have gone through,

when those vicious bullets rained.

Courage like this is showcased only by a few

Sacrificing all for the homeland. 

 

Every year, on the dark day of assassination of Mahatma Gandhi i.e. January 30, India observes the Martyr’s Day to pay her honest reverence to her brave freedom fighters and martyred soldiers. At exactly 11 o’clock, every citizen is supposed to observe a 2 – minute silence in remembrance of these heroes. This gesture appears very small in front of their great service. 

When a soldier is martyred, he is honored with medals and people mourn his death for a few days; but the real brunt is faced by his family. The permanent absence leads to social, economic and psychological problems for the family. Hundreds of children are forced to grow up without a father and many wives are left with the memories of the love they had, penned in numerous letters. The social and economic aspect can be solved through vigorous support and care and various educational and financial facilities. ‘Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts’ is a NGO that works to empower the families of martyred Jawaans.  But the psychological emptiness is often too deep to mend. 

Still the families of martyrs catapult themselves out of the abyss of grief and find pride in the sacrifice of their loved ones. In an interview to ‘Rediff.com’, the family of Captain Saurabh Kalia who was ‘captured, tortured and barbarically killed in the Kargil War, explains how they have coped with his death and are still fighting against the heinous war crime he had to go through.  

But the concern that arises is – How long will we keep losing these young souls? Will the fear in the heart of a soldier’s parents ever come to an end? We call ourselves ‘advanced’ and ‘civilized’, yet the decade began with the fear of outbreak of World War 3. It is without any doubt that our martyred soldiers deserve the highest honor and admiration but none should be made to take the bullet because of the pettiness of some politicians or the failures of our diplomats. 

Mahatma Gandhi quoted, “Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.” It is time that we rise above our perceived divisions and selflessly strive to build a better world for everyone.

EVE_OF_MARTYR_S_DAY

 

Image Caption – Children pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on Martyr’s Day in Patna 

Image Credit – Ranjeet Kumar for the Hindu 

 

Oh! How grand is death too

For the ones martyred

As towards the heights of glory we go,

Their selfless service will forever be remembered. 

Our respectful adieu 

As they leave to be cradled in the loving arms of motherland. 
Featured Image Credit – Press Trust India

Featured Image Caption – Daughter of Colonel MN Rai pays her last respects at his cremation

Ipshika Ghosh 

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Arts & Culture

Asian Representation at Oscars

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We evaluate the history of Asian movies at the Academy Awards, and how over the years inherent racism has painted the award culture.

“When I tell you that every single Asian person backstage at the SAG Awards just had the same emotional look on their face when the PARASITE team… even people who had nothing to do with the movie…”, Jen Yamato, an Los Angeles Times Reporter tweeted when the cast of Parasite won Best Ensemble at the 26th Screen Actor Guild (SAG) Awards, held on January 19, 2020.

Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite became the first South Korean movie to be nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture and Best International Feature Film. Rounding out Parasite‘s six total nominations were nods for Directing, Film Editing, and Production Design. Despite the film’s memorable performances—from Song Kang Ho’s palpable tension as he sweats and hides beneath a coffee table to Park So Dam’s quick, sharp wit—acknowledgments in acting categories were pointedly missing. This bias is a continuing phenomenon, from 1987’s Last Emperor (9 nominations) to 2000’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (10) to 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha (six) to 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire (10) and 2012’s Life of Pi (11).

Media studies scholars told VICE, “the reasons behind this lack of recognition are multi-layered. With pop culture reflecting society at large, Asian actors face more than just industry issues. Beyond the general lack of distribution of Asian films, the difficulty Asian actors face in breaking into Hollywood’s mainstream, and the Academy’s mostly-white demographics, Asians in Hollywood must also go up against the racial stereotypes and biases of American society, which inform the way viewers perceive their performances. When it comes to judging the work of Asian actors, the white American mainstream has historically been clouded by bias.”

However, in a year that could have been a major leap forward in representation at the Oscars, performers of Asian descent were overlooked in all of the acting categories. Notably, Awkwafina was not among the nominees for Best Actress, despite rave reviews for her performance in The Farewell. The snubs for The Farewell also include Lulu Wang, who wrote and directed the film and was overlooked in the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories. . The only time a woman of Asian descent has been nominated for Best Actress was in 1936, when Eurasian actress Merle Oberon was up for The Dark Angel. Meanwhile, the last time any Asian actor was nominated by the Academy was in 2007, when Rinko Kikuchi was up for Best Supporting Actress for Babel.

Overall, the lack of expanded representation comes after decades of being overlooked during awards season.

The issue was further aggravated at the 2016 Oscars — which had already drawn criticism over the failure to nominate any people of color in the acting categories — when host Chris Rock brought out three Asian-American children for a stereotype-laden sight gag. Constance Wu and others slammed the joke, and a few days later, Sandra Oh, George Takei and director Ang Lee were among several Academy members to sign an open letter calling for an apology.

As the Los Angeles Times found in a 2012 report, Oscar voters were 94 percent white and 77 percent male, with Black voters eking out only two percent and Latinx voters making up even less. The Academy’s current breakdown isn’t clear, but ABC reported last year that based on the most recent numbers provided, it was making steps toward change, with women making up 49 percent of the members added in 2018, and people of color accounting for 38 percent. Despite these efforts, the fact remains that in 2018, people of color still made up only 16 percent of the Academy’s overall voting body.

A similar perspective was shared by Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist and author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism. “If the stereotype is that Asians are not expressive and the entire enterprise of acting and the reward of the Oscars is about being expressive, those stereotypes work against Asian actors,” Yuen told VICE. “There’s variation in expression, just as there is variation of expression in Western cultures, but there’s racism against Asians: the idea that all Asians look alike, the inability to distinguish between Asians and [different] Asian cultures. Those old racist ideas that Asians have to face in the general culture definitely impact how they fare in popular culture.”

It’s the 92nd Academy awards this year. Let’s hope the Academy finally wakes up to the plethora of Asian talent at the movies; because as Bong Joon Ho said, “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Feature Image Credits: Getty Images

Paridhi Puri

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Sex Amma Talks about Pansexuality

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My dear munchkins, I present to you some tangy, ready-to-eat advice for this week. If you are confused about the concept of pansexuality, fret not, because Amma is here to help!

Firstly, what I want to tell you all idlis is that gender identity is one such topic that must not be overlooked, because after all, it tells you more about your own self and whether you like dosas, idlis, chutneys or machis.

Secondly, in simple terms, pansexuality or omnisexuality means an attraction to people regardless of their gender. While the concept of gender is not taken into account when a pansexual person is attracted to someone, you could fall for machas and machis both. Now is the time to get out there and explore your identity, my sweet dosa. This may seem confusing but there is only one difference between pansexuality and bisexuality, munchkin. Bisexuality means you are attracted to him or her, whereas pansexuality means you only fall for the personalities of chutneys, machis and sambhars alike.

My beloved dosa, Amma in her days experimented with so many different idlis and loved the experiences. If you somehow believe you are pansexual, fret not, because it is always better to add more to your pool of chutneys. While it is absolutely up to my lovely munchkin whether you want to identify yourself as bisexual or pansexual, however, this identity will only give you clarity about your preferences of sambhars and dosas.

You may drown yourself in the eyes of your chutney, but make sure you use protection and control birth at all costs. You may also feel the ‘need’ to engage in sexual activities, but my dearest idli, do it whenever you are completely ready and comfortable.

Now go out there and explore according to your needs. Amma will be right here to help!

Sex Amma

[email protected]

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An Ode to Shaheen Bagh- The Women Behind Revolution

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As people come out on the streets every day to protest the draconian and unconstitutional laws of the government, an ode to the women who are the centre of revolution in our city.

The air is different here, Shaheen Bagh’s corners and roads echo with the cries of azadi and inquilab zindabad. A walk through Shaheen Bagh shows many things, toddlers and small children chanting azadi, a mother sitting who wants her baby’s first word to be azadi, songs of resistance playing over the speaker. With dissent and revolution in the air, one question becomes evident. How did this start and what is the significance?

The indefinite sit-in began the day after the Delhi Police entered Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and brutally unleashed violence on peacefully protesting students, even attacking those who were just in their hostels or the Central Library. What began as 10-15 women sitting and indefinitely protesting against the unconstitutional and Islamophobic CAA-NRC-NPR has now catalysed into a much larger protest site. The entire street has become a space for dissent in many forms, with speakers, singers, and artists all doing everything, a roadside library for people to study and read in, medical have all come up to help these brave women . Shaheen Bagh has also served as a model for many other similar indefinite sit-in protests, all led by brave women who have left everything behind to protest against fascism. Seelampur Jaffrabad, Inderlok Metro Station, Khureji, Hauz Rani, Ghantaghar in Lucknow and many other similar protest sights coming up all over the country to protest. 

The women of Shaheen Bagh and other such protests have come to symbolise so much in these dark times. In a country where gender roles and stereotypes have a large and pervasive role, Shaheen Bagh also stands a symbol fighting these unjust stereotypes. These stereotypes have been seen in several protests, an example being the Anti-CAA rally held in Lucknow on the 19th of December, where women were told to stand away from the main protesting crowd, and not allowed to go into the centre of the protest by their male counterparts and were told that “beech mai mat aaye, ye safe nahi hai” ( don’t come in between, it’s not safe).

The women of Shaheen Bagh and women throughout history, along with fighting the injustices of the time have smashed the patriarchal stereotypes which depict women as frail and weak. The strength shown by these women is an inspiration for all those who are protesting and dissenting against the Government and its policies. In these times of brutality and suppression, these women have done the bravest thing they could do, stand up and speak, and the entire country is listening.

 

Feature Image Credits: Manav Ahuja and Jassman for DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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NSUI to Send Peace Petition to the President

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Owing to the aftermath of multiple incidents of violence against student fraternity, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) is all set to deliver a peace petition campaign to Ram Nath Kovind, President of India.

On 25 January 2020, NSUI has initiated a ‘peace petition campaign’, requesting the honourable President of India Mr Ram Nath Kovind for his involvement, to aid mediation. This is done in the wake of the upsurge of violence and unjust brutality that is unleashed on University campuses like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) ,Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) ,etc to name a few.

The NSUI made an official statement and said it “condemns violence by individuals affiliated with a particular ideology and failures on the part of the state machinery.” This was reported by The Times of India. 

It has also hinted towards the 5th January violence that terrorized JNU where a bunch of masked miscreants entered the University campus with rods, bottled acid, etc to spread hooliganism and terror. The NSUI, while alluding to this attack stated the worry over escalating violence on students of universities pan India.

Saimon Farooqui, National Secretary, NSUI  told DU Beat, “because of the violence that has been caused by the right wing

political parties and their student wings, a feeling of terror has been instilled in the students of the campus.” He further added, “NSUI being a responsible Students’ Union, has followed the guidelines given by the Constitution of India.”

When asked upon as to what the primary objective boils down to, he said, “we want a discourse and a dialogue to take place within the campus unlike violence carried out by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP),” he further added, “the reason why we are sending for the President is because he is the ‘visitor’ for central universities in India which makes him the visitor for Delhi University as well, and therefore such a matter is worthy of his attention.” 

Deepender Singh Hooda who’s the former Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha from Rohtak, took the lead and signed the very first petition.

According to NSUI, the campaign will witness about one thousand written petitions for them to be sent to the President.

The use of petitions for social causes have been gaining quite a momentum these days. Quite popular ones for Climate Change and justice for rape victims made numerable rounds. Although there are some qualms about the success rates of petitions as a solution,since it doesn’t always end up in aiding to achieve the requisite demands and actions. However, there is no denying the fact that through petitions, students have found themselves to be empowered in recent times.

 

Featured Image Credits: Hindustan Times
Umaima Khanam 

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DUB Speak

Sex Education Season 2: The Humour We Need

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Sex Education, a comedy-drama series, came out with its second season on the 17th of January, 2020, on Netflix. The new season has shed light upon topics that parents prefer not to talk about with their children.

The show essentially revolves around the life of a teenager, Otis, who goes on to follow the footsteps of his mother, who is a sex therapist. From the partial knowledge he gained from her, Otis starts an underground sex therapy business with Maeve in school. Otis, being a teenager himself, gives ‘expert’ advice to other curious students who are on a quest to explore their sexual identities.

The series became a widely watched show in about no time because the producers have touched upon those issues that people shy away from. Along with the development in its plot, the new season went on to use humour and love to carefully bring forth these issues for the audience.

Sex Education has played a huge role in normalizing homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality and asexuality as well. The show may be about a boy but the girls are the ones who stand out. Also, another topic that has been addressed here is unwanted sexual contact. Aimee, a friend of Maeve, gets sexually assaulted on the bus while on her way to school. Aimee, after the incident, gets highly disturbed and refuses to board the bus until Maeve, Lily, Ola, and Olivia decide to accompany her.

The writers of the show also expressed the significance of consent through a few glimpses. By taking the example of Maeve and her mother, the show also took a turn and focused on faulty parenting. Jackson, an extraordinary swimmer, embarks on a new journey to discover where his interests truly lie, after experiencing poor mental health and indulging in self-harm.

Aditi Gutgutia, a student of Lady Shri Ram College, said, “Season 2 had fallen more towards a cliché high school drama and was highly predictable, which was somehow disappointing, but on the other hand, the added depth to some of the characters was admirable.”

The addressed issues in the show needed to be brought forth because they are often overlooked by the people. The writers have done a fairly commendable job by tackling these issues with love.

Image credits- Newsweek

Suhani Malhotra

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Rang De Basanti Today: From Retrospection to Anticipation

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‘Ab bhi jiska khoon na khaula, khoon nhi woh paani hai, jo desh ke kaam na aaye, wo bekar jawani hai’, Rang De Basanti has registered itself as the very best form of narration from Bollywood over the past decades but has this tale found itself as the natural stimulus record of youth agitation and neo-patriotism?

When a bunch of young, restless and carefree students from Delhi University rise against the government’s actions, demanding justice and due resignation of a Union Minister who is responsible for the harsh consequences endowed upon their friend and his family, the ensuing repercussions take atrocious turns by the hands of the state. The above mentioned lines forms the premise of the 2006 Republic Day release Rang De Basanti, that celebrated youth and revolution like never before, since the National Freedom Struggle. It was only when these lines from this grand celluloid marvel gained relevance in the stark happenings throughout the nation that Rang De Basanti became the perfect manifestation of the ongoing struggle of students against the government and it’s policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) & the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The popular adage ‘films are the reflections of society’ couldn’t have asked for a better paradigm than Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s cult classic Rang De Basanti, that narrates and encapsulates the essence of true patriotism which was in passé in an age of pseudo patriotism and cloud of fraudulence. The film while narrating the tale of the Indian freedom struggle and deeds of our heroes like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and Durga Bhabhi, reinstates the essential quest for better and truly free India in a generation of liberalized, west-influenced & apolitical students who have lost hope in the India that the revolutionaries and freedom fighters fought for.

The continually decaying culture of historically informed and culturally envisioned youth which was absolutely unaware of the power it possessed and the influence it can promulgate; the diminishing culture of protests which was either a tale of old books or secluded from the young blood was transformed entirely in the scape of the tale in Rang De Basanti. It didn’t just prove to be a return to a sense of patriotism in the Young’s way but also increased democratic participation and belief in its principles.

From the energetic beats of Rahman, draped craftfully in Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics that gave us the Khoon Chala, Luka Chuppi, Rang De Basanti, or the youth’s anthem Robaroo & Khalbali, these sounds have found a rebirth as songs and poems of revolution in the ongoing protests around the nation. The story of the youth rebelling and leading with reformatory actions are the scene of the current state, where characters as diverse as a passed graduate to a rich brat, a skeptical student, an aspiring poet from humble Muslim background, a dedicated filmmaker, an honest right wing party worker and defense personnel, all get together to save the nation from the abyss, when needed.

The powerful dialogues like ‘Koi bhi desh mahaan nahi hota, use mahaan banana padta hai‘ have registered themselves in the form of posters, placards and pamphlets being passed around. In one scene from the movie where Aslam, played by Kunal Roy Kapoor, is seen designing a wall graffiti with slogans like Inquilab Zindabaad and a pint of pop culture, this has veritably inspired the artists who have crafted their minds out on walls and ways in Universities and other sites of protests.

The candlelight vigil at India Gate, was seen as a thought provoking idea by Mehra, Kamlesh Pandey and Rensil D’Silva, the ensuing instances in the country replicated this on various incidents, be it the Nirbhaya Case Or Jessica Lal Murder Case. Rang De Basanti (RDB) gave the nation a fresh way to protest – by mobilizing the youth. Coincidentally, the ongoing protests have been manhandled by the Police in the same way as the protesters were attacked in the movie when they gathered in support of Flight Lieutenant Ajay Rathod.

The enactment of freedom fighters by our reel life heroes did push them with the enthusiasm and made them aware of the change they can bring about, it wasn’t surprising to see the same cast of RDB with the names of Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan and Atul Kulkarni being the prominent voices from celebrity domain speaking out against the police actions in Jamia and JNU and backing the protesters.

The movie with it’s iconic climax of a frustrated youth taking on the government and inciting a spark of revolution among them after the heroes turned to alternate ways to seek justice and change saw stills from different universities of the country akin to what we witnessed in the case of the rotests in Jamia, JNU, DU & AMU.

Rang De Basanti leaves us with a very crucial lesson which must be the source of inspiration for each one of us that, ‘Zindagi jeene ke do hi tarike hote hai, ek jo ho raha hai hone do, bardaasht karte jao, ya phir zimmedari uthao usse badalne ki.’

 

Image Credits : India Times

Faizan Salik

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Are the Armed Forces Glorified?

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Countries all over the globe irrespective of their economic, social, political stances, are unified by a common pillar of authority- the army. From the very ‘apolitical’ institution which runs on political instructions to the cinema glorification of martyrdom and kurbaani comes along a deep-rooted question, how over-glorified is the Army?

 

From spending nights in -20 degrees at the border to the excruciating heat, living each day unaware, the Army very well reminds citizens of patriotism, valour and strength. However, in the recent changing political scenarios, the notion of the Army, all over the globe has been put on a pedestal and appropriated as the peak of nationalism. Most debates, start with ‘humare jawan’ and end at the declaration of being an anti-national if your stance disobeys the dominant stance. The Pulwama attack by the Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed brought forth a cold-war like situation between India and Pakistan where the nations remained divided between pro and anti-war demands. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman VrC who was held captive for 60 hours in Pakistan was conferred the Vir Chakra gallantry award in August 2019. Indians sought revenge while failing to acknowledge that the Army consisted of humans, who would put their lives at stake, but not at the cost of initiating a war.

 

What ensued was nothing but the very glorification of the Army as ‘finishing the war’.

 

The US Army throughout history has been notorious for having committed gruesome murders in countries like Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, to name a few. Does mass-killing deserve the God-like status that is being accorded to the Army? Kashmir and the North-East have been victims to heinous rapes which have been silenced and hushed in history books. The Kunan Poshpora incident is an alleged mass-rape that was bestowed upon the Valley on the unfortunate night of February 1991 where over 23 to 100 women were raped by army according to the Human Rights Watch. Even though, these were discarded as terrorist propaganda by the government and the Army. The Army, BSF and CRPF have been accused numerous times in the Valley for having committed rapes.

 

“Indian Army, Rape Us.” ought to be one of the most controversial statements of the erstwhile decade, used while protesting against the possible rape of Thangjam Manorama who was seized by Indian Paramilitary Unit under suspicion under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which allows the forces to carry out excesses in Manipur without the fear of prosecution. As a sign of protest, all ‘imas’ (Manipuri mothers) stripped and asked the forces to rape them in broad daylight who were later arrested. Later, the victim’s autopsy revealed signs of rape and torture.

 

The glorification of martyrdom is considered a reasonable debate to lead citizens to war. The Armed Forces would never urge for war as opposed to the constant demand of raging war by political leaders and citizens as they sit in the comfort of their homes demanding bloodshed. The army never self-prides in war or demand their pedestal-like status, throughout ages and ideological conflicts, the Army has been bestowed upon with such unnecessary status.

Aniket, a student of Maharaja Agrasen College and an Army brat believes that most of the people remain unaware of the Army’s operations yet vouch for wars. “All army men who have been to the war would always seek to lower the possibility of wars.” Further, as Tharoor says, “the best of India can only be preserved by insulating the Army from the pressures of the worst of India”

 

The leaders and public politicise the Army for their own needs and forego their needs and welfare such as better pay, welfare or One Rank, One Pension and sufficient provisions post-retirement. Dragging the Army in issues ranging from nationalism to protests, not only glorifies the Army but also deteriorates its values. Surgical Strikes and Pulwama Attacks are some very cheap game-play undertaken by the party in power to bank off the public’s votes to suit their interests.

 

The collective conscience is regularly evoked and refreshed due to the constant portrayal and glorification of jingoism in movies such as ‘Uri’ and incidents as shown in ‘Rustom’ which place the forces on a holier than thou status from a public’s eye-view. Capitalising the very forces and romanticising their valour is yet again shameful in distorting the forces and glorifying their duties.

 

Aniket further reiterates, “Political leaders consider war as the final gateway to greatness.” He believes that wars are glorified not the army. “The facilities the forces get are nowhere near what they should be. I don’t think in India the Army is glorified, in some places they are under glorified.”

 

Image Credits: The Wire

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