In the summer of 1999, while the rest of India was
soaked in monsoon and Cricket World Cup, the country’s soldiers were clawing up
frozen cliffs daring the bullets that came shooting from above. India’s
incorrigible neighbour had sent its soldiers and militants to capture the snow-covered
peaks of Kargil. It was an act of deception, a capture of India’s land stealthily.
The terrain was harsh and hostile, testing the limits of human courage with
every jagged step. The Kargil War was not just against a human enemy, but
against peaks of stones and snow where the air itself was an adversary.
Three months of bitter conflict and subhuman
killing ended in India’s victory over the invading Pakistan. Victory! July 26
is celebrated ever after as Kargil Vijay Diwas by India.
What is victory, however? Philosophically,
I mean. We are supposed to be rational (philosophical) creatures, after all.
“War does not determine who
is right,” Bertrand Russell said famously, “but who is left.” Every victorious
nation in a war boasts of killing so many hundreds or thousands of the enemy
people across the border. Is killing fellow human beings victory? Of course,
when they encroach upon our land, it is our duty to defend our property. But
can we go beyond that sort of clannish thinking for a while? Remember we are
rational creatures.
“Peace cannot be kept by force,” as
Albert Einstein, Russell’s illustrious and worthy contemporary, said. War is
never a solution. War is a problem. Always. And it creates more problems. It is
not a celebration of the Kargil victory that is called for on this anniversary
of that horrendous conflict. It is a philosophical (yes, let us start using
that dying faculty of ours) contemplation that we need to embark upon. That’s
why I have invited Russell and Einstein here in this humble space.
“Peace can only be achieved by
understanding,” Einstein said. Education, dialogue, and empathy – Einstein advocated
those for international peace. And education meant for him a lot more than what
we are imparting in our schools and colleges these days. A lot, lot more.
India is now doing just the opposite
of what Einstein suggested. India’s present government is stifling rational
thinking by suffusing everything including mathematics with emotions like nationalism
and parochial pride. While history classes now echo with hymns to Hindu glory, math
lessons summon Aryabhata as if he were a foot soldier in a war for cultural
supremacy.
“I want the new generation to come
forward to scientifically prove the astronomical formulas in the scriptures of
India, and to study them anew.” India’s Prime Minister said in no less
scientific a place than ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] two years ago
after the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3. He has made too many claims which
are all founded on gross emotions masked as nationalist pride.
Such emotions don’t ever create
peace. They create wars. As Russell said, wars are products of nationalism,
fear, and greed.
Both Russell and Einstein together
produced a Manifesto in 1955 whose spirit may be summarised in one sentence: “Remember
your humanity, and forget the rest” [their own words in the Russell-Einstein
Manifesto].
As we remember our great soldiers who
sacrificed much, including their lives, on the merciless Kargil cliffs in 1999,
let us also pause to ask what kind of world we are building on the peaks they
won for us. Aren’t we forgetting our shared humanity – across borders, beyond flags?
True victory lies not in reclaiming land, but in reclaiming the conscience of a
nation.
PS. This post is a part
of ‘Tricolour Tales Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters
That last paragraph says it all.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to this space, my friend.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteAll the leaders of the world just now could do to read your post and be reminded what those great minds brought forth... YAM xx
I wish they did.
DeleteWar sucks. And yet, nations keep doing them. Sigh. You're very right about how to look at this anniversary.
ReplyDeleteWe're more inclined to glorify war and our 'victory'.
DeleteVictory is meaningless when it is at the expense of humanity.
ReplyDeletePrecisely.
DeleteI think you’ve just shifted the lens through which we view Kargil Diwas. Your post is a powerful reminder that true victory lies in reclaiming our humanity.
ReplyDeleteA poignant impression of war. No one wins. I believe lives are lost by all and it’s irreversible. Once gone, lives are mourned by mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings, friends and children. Does it impact the man who commanded ‘Fire!’ On either side love and grief are the same.
ReplyDeleteI dream of a world without conflicts. Just like you!
That's such a sane and holistic advice in the last paragraph. I wish everyone reads this blog atleast once.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a deep post sending reminder to all of us about the sacrifices of our soldiers.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post on the futility of war and the significance of upholding humanity and service above everything. My husband was part of the Kargil war and the experience left an indelible impression on all our minds. We need to uphold the ideas of great thinkers like Einstein, Bertrand Russell and think about remembering our humanity and forgetting the rest.
ReplyDeleteSuch a deeper perspective of the humanity and the darkness that still haunts us till date. I wish more people talked about this!
ReplyDeleteHow true is that! Such a powerful and thought-provoking read. Einstein’s quote especially struck a chord. It reminded me that patriotism, like victory, isn’t always loud or violent; sometimes, it’s simply choosing humanity over hate.
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking. Its so true that although we glorify war, what is the meaning of it in real...loss of so many innocent lives.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you weaved in Einstein and Russell to nudge us toward deeper reflection rather than empty celebration. Thank you, sir for reminding us that this victory and such wars so beyond just commemorating Kargil Vijay Diwas or other such, and that we need to reconsider what victory truly means—especially when true triumph might lie in preserving our shared humanity rather than flags or territory.
ReplyDeletespecifically the portion where you right about rationale and critical thinking. looking at some current scenarios I am increasingly realising it's easy to rule over people when they see or propgate black and white scenarios.
ReplyDelete