Pragmatic Euphony  

Further to my earlier post. The oath administered to the Indian military men and women, ad verbatim -

I (name) hereby solemnly affirm/ swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India, as by law established and that I will, as in duty bound honestly and faithfully, serve in the regular army/ air force/ navy of the Union of India and go wherever ordered, by land, sea or air, and that I will observe and obey all the commands of the President of the Union of India and the commands of any officer set above me, even to the peril of my life.

[You can also watch a video of the ceremony from the hindi movie Lakshya here. Hat tip - Vivek Kumar]

Like our Constitution, this oath seems to be a curious smörgåsbord of many origins, chiefly the American and the British oaths; the military owes allegiance to the Constitution and follows the orders of the Head of State. The dichotomy lies in the interpretation of the letter and spirit of the constitution, which is ostensibly at the discretion of the military men and women while the order of the President or the superior officer always takes precedence. It pains me to compare our oath to the oath administered to the US military. Like the US constitution, their oath is pithy, pertinent, succinct and has that intangible virtue of timeless relevance.

In any case, we have succeeded in transforming our Constitution into another holy book like the Geeta, the Bible or the Quran and placed it on a high pedestal – revere it, praise it and eulogise it, but never study it or follow it. [Atanu has some very interesting views on our Constitution.] The military oath is just an illustrative example of the irrelevance of many such symbols of modern India, that reek of a bygone era. Compared to many other older democracies, our national institutions, symbols and formal observances of much later vintage seem dated, passé and archaic. We need an honest introspection to ascertain the reasons for this state and to find ways to reinstate the relevance of our national identifiers.

But I digress. Getting back on track to the military oath. This oath is an overture to the eventual transference of military values to the young men and women, who have willingly chosen to stake their youth and future to the safety and security of the nation. In a confident modern liberal democracy, the military should owe its allegiance to the people, society and culture of the country, and not to a piece of paper (or a very heavy tome in our case) or person (however exalted one may be – a Kalam or a Pratibha).

On second thoughts, does it matter? This complete question of oath and its relevance is a pedantic pursuit reflective of a disputatious mind and counts for nothing; in the end, actions speak louder than words (pardon the cliché). This yearning for newer embellishments and trinkets on a woebegone body of a nation with a fragile skeleton and a withering soul is ultimately an exercise in futility; a vain attempt to treat the symptoms when the malaise burgeons unfettered deep inside.