Shade of Love : Love For The Country
When officers in the Indian Army get married, their spouse gets a book called “Wedded to the Olive Greens”. This signifies being tied and devoted to the ones who have already given themselves to the country! Such is the love of the Indian Armed Forces for the country!
Generally when people think of Valentine’s Day they conjure up images of rosy decorations and sweet dates. However, rarely do people think of the grim and harsh conditions of the battlefield. Isn't love for one's country as beautiful as a gorgeous maiden in a red dress?
We at Macmerise, decided to come up with this “rarely recognised-shade-of-love” - The Love For Your Country, and for the same we interacted with Col Parag Gupte (Retd) who has served the Indian army for more than 30 years, out of which 7-8 years were devoted to Jammu & Kashmir, and approximately 10 years in the North East. The last 4 years of his profession were straight up dedicated towards inspiring young kids in NCC .
Speaking to Col Gupte (Retd) we learnt that the Indian Army is addressed as the cream of the nation for a reason! Even as a retired man he was as active as a human can be and was ready 15 minutes before the scheduled shoot.
The Indian army is regarded as one of the most professional armies in the world. It is one of the world's most powerful armies, and officers enjoy numerous benefits and privileges out of it. Although, the majority of the time, an officer's motivation for joining has nothing to do with the privilege and benefits of the forces. Instead, it is patriotism and reverence for the institution.
However, most often than not the reason for an officer joining has nothing to do with the prestige and perks of the forces. Instead, it is the love for the country and respect for the institution. Col Gupte (Retd) had similar reasons for joining the forces.
On being questioned about what motivated him to choose army as his profession, he told “When some visitors to our house asked me what I wanted to become, I had no idea of it.” But that one question led him to think very deeply. He further added, “One day while I was standing in the balcony, and right behind the railway line, I saw a wagon train on which there were some armored tanks loaded. Along with that, there were some jawans standing smartly dressed in uniform and carrying weapons. Mesmerized by their aura, strength and passion to serve their country, I decided that the army is where my heart wants to take me to.” That was the day when Col Gupte realized he wanted to be a nation servant and choose the republic over anything else.
It was an immediate thought as he had witnessed the pride and the dedication that the soldiers had for their country. Furthermore, recollecting his days of drills and drill instructors Col Gupte gave away a faint smile narrating a story of how he volunteered for jumping off the tallest dive board having no prior experience of the same! He told us that it was all about “Josh” that made him do it!
The word “Josh” was popularized by the movie Uri, but this word in the Indian armed forces represents the Espirit de corps! It is the life force of a soldier in the face of battle!
When asked about battle, Col Gupte easily mentioned the puttering of bullets and loss of comrades as a memory of forward operations. He mentioned having had close calls with the said bullets but he still carried on as according to him and what every other officer in the Indian Armed Forces believes , there is no duty greater than this!
As we came to an end of our conversation we asked Col Gupte to convey a message for our audience and like a true officer, what he said was short and pertinent. He said, “Country first always and every time!” which is also an excerpt of the Chetwode Motto which is considered the holy grail for every officer.
While writing this blog we came across a beautiful poem that embodies the shade of love that we are trying to showcase through this blog perfectly and it seems like the perfect end for this chapter in The Shades Of love Campaign as its an ode to all soldiers serving and fallen who loved their country more than their own lives.
A Soldier’s Poem -
If I die in a war zone,
box me up and send me home,
Put my medals on my chest,
Tell my mum I did my best
Tell my dad not to bow, he won't get tension from me,
Now tell my brother to study perfectly, keys of my bike will be his permanently,
Tell my sister not to be upset, her brother will not rise after the sunset,
And tell my lover not to cry, cause,
I'm a solider
-Tim O'Brien
