Siddharth Hegde

A friend just sent me this delightful Extract from the book "Fools and Infantrymen" by Lt Gen Eric Alexander Vas, Col of the 9th Gorkha Rifles, and former Eastern Army Commander. There could be no more amusing statement of the best of India's religious pluralism -- and the diehard secularity of the Army. Over to General Vas: "When an army commander first visits the various states under his operational jurisdiction, it is customary to pay courtesy calls on the state's governor and chief minister. During my first visit to one of the north-eastern states, the Chief Minister held a public function and in his welcoming address said that the people should now feel safe as "the new army commander is a Christian". "In my reply, after expressing thanks for the welcome, I reminded the public that my predecessor was a Jew; what he had done for the state would be difficult for me to match. I told them that military commanders operate according to military tasks laid down by the government, and we are not influenced by individual considerations of language, religion, or caste.. In conclusion, I said, "I was born a human being, by tradition I'm a Hindu, by training I'm a Catholic, by temperament I'm a Muslim, morally I'm attracted to Buddhism,and every time I have to shave I wish I was a Sikh." Jai Hind!! 🇮🇳