EVERY YEAR WE pay tribute to men and women who have died in combat with solemn speeches and ceremonies. These men and women enter the military, risking their lives—but this risk is not, as is often described, a ‘sacrifice’ for a ‘random higher cause’. THIS cause is a matter of true threat to all of our civilian lives. Many become soldiers for precisely this threat, to save us. Why is it that we—citizens of India—remember and talk of our people, guarding our borders, during times of strife and only then? The recent LoC gun fire exchange between India and Pakistan in January 2013 made us sit up and remember that we shared a stretch of unresolved border with our neighbour, and that sometimes issues of contention are a bit bigger than cricket. This disconnect between the Indian Army and its civilians (us) is disconcerting. It is true that our ordinary, every day lives are hard. But as (retired) General V.P. Malik said, it is not only our duty to start a dialogue with our legislature, political leadership and the military, it is also our right. As he pointed out, the Union Government has allocated some `20-lakh-crore to the Indian Military this year—and that is no small sum. What the common citizen could, on his or her part, do, is to ask whether the money is being utilised and turned into what General Malik calls capabilities. He has been called the Victor of Kargil and he is undoubtedly one of the most popular Army Chiefs of all time. This month we converse with our military man on matters of war and peace. Do read on Page 12. On a lighter side, Marryam Reshii takes us on a true-blue trek to Istanbul, and the wonderfully-nutty Chef Bill Marchetti talks of the time when he chased a hapless waiter around the kitchen with a knife. No, none was hurt, Marchetti assures us. For those out there trying to make the social media work for the cash registers, here’s Tushar Kanwar to tell you how. And I leave you with a hope that the new amendment Acts in Parliament in the wake of the Delhi rape make our world just a bit safer. See you next month.
