New Delhi:
The recent terror attack on an Indian army base in Uri saw 18 infantry soldiers from the Bihar and Dogra regiment attain martyrdom. It is not the first time that the valiant infantry men who actually are the first line of defence along the Line of Control sacrifice their lives to combat the enemy.
Ever since independence, all the fighting wings better known as the ‘combat arms’ of the Indian army like the Armoured Corps, Artillery, Air Defence and the Corps of Engineers have played a pivotal role in defending the borders of our nation whenever an the enemy has tried to invade into our territory.
Then we have the support wing of the army better known as the ‘Services’ who provide all the logistics and administrative support to the fighting arms. Their role is also paramount to the army’s success. As the famous military cliché goes – ‘’No army can fight on hungry stomach’’
But one would have to agree that it ultimately is the infantryman who faces the enemy heads on and has to eventually take the battle to the enemy. The cavalry might charge, the tanks might roar, the guns of the artillery might boom but it is eventually the Infantryman who either holds ground to defend every inch of his motherland or goes behind lines into enemy territory to capture features and raise the Tri Colour.
Many defence experts have hailed the cavalry as the ‘King of the Battle, Napoleon hailed the Artillery as the ‘’God of war’’ but it is the infantry which has been christened as the ‘Queen of Battle’.
Hence infantry can be aptly labelled as the queen on the military chessboard around which most of the combat strategies are devised.
The history of the present day Indian infantry regiments goes back to the pre independence era.
The very concept of ‘martial races’ was introduced by the British. While expanding their territory across the Indian landscape the British who fought some pitched battles against the Sikhs, Jats, Marathas and Gurkhas were very impressed by their valour and courage.
The Englishmen gauged that these clans exhibited qualities of bravery, courage and loyalty which were ideal for fine tuning them into infantry soldiers of the highest pedigree. Hence in a tactical move to win them onto their side, they started recruiting boys from these clans into their 'Native' regiments and that formed the very basis of class and clan composition of infantry regiments in India.
The Indian army soldiers is worth his weight in gold. The ‘jawans’ have no second thoughts when it comes to laying down their lives for defending the motherland. The feeling of patriotism and nationalism runs high through them.
The soldiers who serve along the borders in the extreme conditions, not only combat the enemy but the extreme weather conditions too. Guarding the borders in the cold Himalayan region, fighting counter insurgency in the thickly forested jungles of the North East or for that matter enduring the extreme heat of the Thar desert requires that extra bit of ‘Josh’ and ‘Junoon’.
Even after enduring such kind of hardships, the soldiers never back an eyelid and performs their duties to the best of their abilities with a smile on their faces.
The Indian army is a battle hardened army and is equipped to deal with different combat situations as they have done For an Indian soldier the “Naam, Namak Aur Nishan” better worded as the name of your country and regiment, loyalty towards the nation and respect to the national Flag is of utmost importance.
During war time, the infantry comrades are brothers in arms and go charged up into the battle field with a ‘War Cry’ that echoes hard into the ears of the enemy. Some of the famous ones like 'Jo Bole Jo Sau Nihal' (Sikh Regiment), 'Jai Mahakali Ayo Gorkhali' (Gurkha Rifles) and 'Jat Balwan Jai Bhagwan' (Jat Regiment) send down shivers in the enemy camp.
The soldiers take great pride in wearing their uniform and the regimental beret which bears the regimental crest or insignia. Ask a Gurkha soldier about how he uses his curve edged knife, the Khukri, and they would rattle off a number of interesting tales.
The battle and theatre honours won by regiment are a constant source of motivation for them to replicate such feats and bring back glory to their regiment.
The gallantry wards won by the regiment remind the troops of the extraordinarily heroics performed by the battle heroes who displayed daunting acts of valour while facing odds to turn the tide of a battle.
The officer and soldiers of the Indian army live and die by the famous military credo -“The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time”.
In an age of mechanization where military warfare has become highly advanced and technologically enabled, you still need men on ground to go out and get the job done. So in a nutshell, we can conclude that in war or peace, the Infantry soldiers’ spirit is indomitable and never dies. He truly is the unsung hero of our nation.
