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This is an archive article published on January 20, 2004

An army and a team

An army that has a history of over 200 years has numerous proud traditions. Among the most important of them is the stress laid on its abili...

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An army that has a history of over 200 years has numerous proud traditions. Among the most important of them is the stress laid on its ability to function as a homogeneous unit. The obliterating of difference, the constant striving for cohesiveness, that indeed is what the Indian army has striven to achieve over the decades and its success as an internationally recognised fighting force could be attributed to the success it has achieved on this score. The recent circular that Army Headquarters had despatched to all its formations, on the strict requirement that officers and jawans desist from wearing signs and symbols that signify their religious or social affiliations, is a timely reminder of this central principle.

Indeed, the provenance of words like “regiment” and “uniform” only underline the military’s drive to achieve such homogeneity. And with the uniformity brought on by the donning of the uniforms and insignias, are supplementary codes of grooming and conduct, all of which exist to achieve that same high purpose. The magnitude of the task at hand can be gauged from the fact that army recruits emerge from a society that is home to 18 official languages and over 1,600 languages and dialects, apart from innumerable religious traditions and community backgrounds. To create cohesiveness out of this amazing diversity requires not just rigorous training but a dress code that symbolises the institution. The “uniform” then comes to represent that larger entity — hence we have expressions like fighting to “honour the uniform”.

Interestingly, several instructions in the latest circular are directed specifically at the 75-odd women officers in the Indian army. Probably insufficient attention had been paid to this aspect, given their minuscule presence in a million-strong, overwhelmingly male, force. But times are changing in terms of recruitment patterns. It is completely possible that in the future more women will join the ranks. The enunciation of first principles therefore is entirely in order.

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