On the night of 19 Oct '62 Chinese troops began closing in on Indian positions along the border. At the crack of dawn, the attack had commenced and within days, the Indian resistance had crumbled. A month later, the Chinese announced a unilateral ceasefire and pulled back. The Bandung declaration of 'Hindi,Chini bhai bhai' lay in tatters.
This is one part of our history that Indians want to collectively forget but can never do. But why are we wanting to run away without learning the lessons, so very important to avoid repeating the mistakes in future?
This is one part of our history that Indians want to collectively forget but can never do. But why are we wanting to run away without learning the lessons, so very important to avoid repeating the mistakes in future?
And what about the sacrifice of those valiant men who had laid down their lives in defence of their motherland? Have they been in vain? Major Shaitan Singh and his 114 men of the 13 Kumaon by fighting the much superior Chinese, in terms of numbers and equipment, at Rezang La near Chusul in Ladakh mirror the grit and perseverance of the Indian soldier. I've just cited one for the sake of brevity but must hasten to add that there are many more heroes who'd come out with flying colours during the conflict!
It's amply clear from the researches done on the conflict and the number of books written on the debacle that the fundamental reason for our dismal show was a lack of leadership - both political and military. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a colossus in the world's arena and as he'd admitted later, erred in his assessment of the ground realities. In foreign policy or on defence matters, there's no space for romanticism or complacency. It has to be based on hard realities. The military leaders did not give a good account of themselves, either, by not standing upto a bullying defence minister and giving the right professional assessment. Subservience and meek acceptance of their political masters' diktats showed them in poor light - General Thapar and Lt General Kaul to cite just two!
As I read the stories of valour of simple men on the world's most treacherous battlefield viz. the Himalayas, I feel proud of the fact that the Indian soldier is the best in the world. And to understand their sacrifice best, the inscription on the memorial at Kohima, Nagaland sums up eloquently and I quote, "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today".
My salute to the valiant Indian soldier who perished fighting for his country in the worst conditions of adversity.
Tailpiece.
And it's high time that the archives of the Sino-Indian conflict are made public so that lessons are learnt for future reckoning!
It's amply clear from the researches done on the conflict and the number of books written on the debacle that the fundamental reason for our dismal show was a lack of leadership - both political and military. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a colossus in the world's arena and as he'd admitted later, erred in his assessment of the ground realities. In foreign policy or on defence matters, there's no space for romanticism or complacency. It has to be based on hard realities. The military leaders did not give a good account of themselves, either, by not standing upto a bullying defence minister and giving the right professional assessment. Subservience and meek acceptance of their political masters' diktats showed them in poor light - General Thapar and Lt General Kaul to cite just two!
As I read the stories of valour of simple men on the world's most treacherous battlefield viz. the Himalayas, I feel proud of the fact that the Indian soldier is the best in the world. And to understand their sacrifice best, the inscription on the memorial at Kohima, Nagaland sums up eloquently and I quote, "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today".
My salute to the valiant Indian soldier who perished fighting for his country in the worst conditions of adversity.
Tailpiece.
And it's high time that the archives of the Sino-Indian conflict are made public so that lessons are learnt for future reckoning!
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