A few days back, I woke up to the
news that Sachin Pilot is now the first Union Minister to be commissioned as a
regular officer with the Territorial Army. As a soldier of the Territorial Army,
our political prodigy will undergo military training for a few days every year
and join the forces as a second line of defence incase of an emergency. I
remember shaking hands with the young politico in the Defence Expo held in
Pragati Maidan in 2010. And I
can safely say, he is a man with the persona, charm and aura that could make
you (one who falls for intellect) go gaga. My respect for the man was instantly
magnified.
In fact, I strongly believe that
even though this news occupied a mere one paragraph somewhere on the 10th
page of a national daily, this act (for me) is a 1000 times more respectful
than the time when Sachin Tendulkar was conferred with the honorary rank of a
Group Captain with full front page articles dedicated to him.
It was interesting to know that Lieutenant
Sachin Pilot, unlike Tendulkar went through the systematic selection procedure
after clearing the Preliminary Interview Board (PIB) and the SSB followed by
his medicals.
On the contrary, as far as
Tendulkar is concerned, it was clearly stated by the Air Force chief that Tendulkar
was conferred with the rank to honour his cricketing achievements and
contribution to the nation. But I fail to see a fair rationale behind adding
him to the payrolls of the Indian Govt. Is he not acknowledged enough already?!
Many argue that Tendulkar was
inducted into the Indian Air Force to serve as a brand ambassador and act as a
source of inspiration for the younger generations to join the forces. I,
however, firmly disagree with the notion that any potential defence officer
would join the forces simply because he’s a Sachin Tendulkar fan who has been
granted a forces rank. On the other hand, if truth be told, I would be
extremely worried about the marginal few whose basis for serving the nation was
influenced by a cricketer. I have absolutely nothing against Tendulkar (why
would I?). In fact, no one can ever take away what he has given to Indian
sports. I am a big fan and I have huge respect for the man. But it pinches me
when I see someone being conferred with the rank I have seen thousands of
deserving defence officers slog for.
I’d rather we acknowledge,
publicise and showcase the courage, the passion and the lifestyle that the
defence personnel’s possess. That zeal and enthusiasm with which I have seen my
father go to fulfil his duty, day in and day out, weekends and national
holidays alike, is what needs to be put on forefront. The environment which
connects the defence folks as one big FAMILY, that feeling of ally and the urge
to risk your life for your compatriots is what needs to be SHOWN OFF to the
possible recruits. And if this excites them, they would truly deserve to be at
the staged for the ranks.
There is absolutely Zilch comparison.
Firstly, I must say that the difference in this post as compared to the previous is noteworthy. It has come out really well!
ReplyDeleteComing onto my opinion on this, I believe that the Indian Army is using Sachin's influence to attract potential officers. They are not using cricket, per se, but Sachin's zeal and dedication to his sport. The same is what is expected of the potential officers towards their country and protecting it. I agree that there is absolutely no comparison when it comes to playing a sport and defending your country, but this difference should not be disturbing you. Sachin is not being portrayed as an officer, rather by conferring him this status, it is Sachin's persona and commitment that is expected to inspire the potential defence officers, which I believe cannot even be challenged :)
i love the blog ;)
ReplyDeletei agree with whatever Aditi has already said. The post has been written very well n the improvement from the first one is evident. And as far as Sachin being honoured with a Grp captain rank is concerned, as the name says in itself, it was to honour his achievements.Moreover, If im not wrong ,airforce does advertise the courage, lifestyle n passion of pilots (i remember seeing huge billboards with sexy aircrafts/pilots on them :P ). Getting in Sachin Tendulkar as a Brand ambassador does not take away anything from those officers who work day in day out with so much passion. If anything having a National Hero on-board helps connect to the masses who look upto him. During the ceremony i remember Sachin saying 'i wanted to be a pilot as a kid, getting this honorary rank today, i just wanna tell every kid out there, dreams do come true, so go for it'. He's urges the young ones on behalf of the forces cos he has a mass appeal , he has a fan following. and if for all this he is being honoured with rank, i see nothing wrong in it, He deserves every ounce of that respect n honour. :)
ReplyDeleteyes Savy mam totally agree with u, dreams do come true. Thanks for making me realize how to handle things in the life, the difference between the dreams n reality, for teaching me, for showing me the right path by scolding me :) , this kid was really naughty lol, if in any way i had hurt u, i apologize for that, i am just a kid :) and i really hate sugar coated words, i am straight forward and i have never said anything wrong about you, God knows that. and 'dreams' , 'wishes' n everything else is by the grace of the almighty. whatever Tendulkar has got is by the God, we r nobody to question god. u r absolutely right he deserves every ounce of that respect n honour. :)
DeleteThanks Savy for your feedback!!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the rest are concerned,I have some major retaliations to what you just said;
1. He is not a National Hero. Will he fight for the country wen the time comes? No. He is a sports sensation, a star, YES but I would never call him a "NATIONAL HERO". The words you used are BIG my love. The very definition of hero entails "A person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualities". I don't think I need to explain what a national hero would mean.
2. Whatever he said in his "Speech" when he was conferred with the rank was the least he could say. For me, its nothing to go gaga about. Statistically, I doubt there would be a difference in the numbers he would have encouraged if he would have said those same very words without the rank. So there's no correlation.
3. You said "sexy aircrafts/pilots" on the billboards. There's a lot more than sexy in there babe.
4. I would re-iterate that he is on the payrolls of GoI. Clearly an unnecessary element. Atleast, Sachin Pilot got selected through a regular selection process, will undergo mandatory training and actually fight for the country when the need arises.
5. I have nothing against Tendulkar. He's proved his worth. The entire point of this blogpost was the rationale behind conferring prized ranks. So I would request all readers to kindly look beyond Tendulkar.
And with that I rest my case! :)
Well done Nupur, it was absolutely marvellous, and reiterated every thought of mine. For all those for making him an airforce officer, let me present to you a simple analogy. Why weren't Sam Maneckshaw, Arjan Singh, Gen Carrriappa, national hereos all of them, ever conferred the title of honorary captains of the indian cricket team. Of course, one might argue that cricket requires no advertisement like maybe the defence forces, due to a shortage of officers. So what about fledgling sports like hockey? Doesn't make sense right...no connection? Hence it is true for vice versa.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing in yet another dimension to it Vikas :))
ReplyDelete