Prashant Uniyal 🇮🇳

While the photograph of crash of GOC 3 Div’s helicopter has gathered lot of praise and good wishes, I can tell you this photograph is as true a depiction of mindset of army officers as it gets. - Pilots continue flying this autorickshaw with rotors blades and hope for a better bird that replaces it. Day after day. Transporting, rescue, ops etc. - An adversity like a crash will not be met as a crybaby, but survival will be celebrated with a selfie and victory sign. - Get up, brush off your dust and fly again next day. Same helicopters. Both pilots and the senior officers. With the hope that someone sitting in Def Min will finally replace them. The reason that conversations around equipment and material in media and social media is mostly led by enthusiasts and not professionals is mostly because right from training days, one idea that’s drilled into you is not to complaint, and do your best with what’s available. And mind you, this is a critical part of training that has ensured success, motivation and cohesiveness of fauj. Not to say that a million things can’t be improved, right from rifles to houses. But complaining doesn’t come naturally to faujis. And somehow while that’s a principle that creates excellent soldiers for war, it also gives leeway to the decision makers to take things for granted as long as they want. Because Army will keep serving and fighting inspite of lack of even basics. You can’t get a bureaucrat or politician to land in high altitude without all luxuries and comfort ensured for few hours. And army soldiers will spend their months and years deployed and fighting inspite same altitude and terrain with walking stick called INSAS and snow boots of wrong size. Yes, things are changing but there’s a long way to go. Comfort is taken as detrimental to soldier’s toughness even within army. And this gives rise or stems from the same thought of never to compliant. Safe to say, creates an environment where problems go unnoticed, and continue to fester. A true tribute and support to soldier is not laying flowers on his coffin after he passed away fighting terrorists without a light and sturdy bullet proof jacket, and s rifle that was missing a scope which could’ve helped him fight better and kill his enemy. The true tribute would be giving him all this so you don’t have to throw flowers on his coffin. Jai Hind. 🫡