Needless squabbling over Netaji statue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a hologram statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate. It would be in place till the work of the statue of Netaji is completed. The statue would be unveiled at the same place to mark the year-long celebrations of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji. PM also conferred Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars for the year 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 at an investiture ceremony. This award was instituted by the Union government to recognise and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organisations in India in the field of disaster management.

Addressing the gathering, the PM said that the grand statue of Netaji, who had established the first independent government on the soil of India, and who gave us the confidence of achieving a sovereign and strong India, is being installed in a digital form near India Gate. Soon this hologram statue will be replaced by a granite statue. This statue is homage to the hero of freedom by the grateful nation and will keep on reminding our institutions and generations the lesson of national duty, he said.

Sadly, politics have come into brazen play even in this issue. Leaders like Netaji should not be dragged into murky politics nowadays. It happened with the Sardar Patel statue also. Anyway, statues have been symbolic in furthering the political interests of some parties in this country for long. We had another issue too: that of the Amar Jawan Jyoti which was merged with the Jyoti at the National War Memorial.

One fails to understand the criticism over the same. Some from the Opposition accused the government of wiping out history ignoring the fact that the Amar Jawan Jyoti has only gotten a bigger honour by being at its rightful place - the National War Memorial. The life of an Indian soldier is unique. The spectrum of threat ranges from the nuclear to the conventional and the asymmetric, with terrorism emerging like a hydra-headed monster.

Add to this the rigors of climate i.e., the glacial heights and extreme cold, dense mountainous jungles and the heat of the deserts. Such are the trying environments in which a soldier operates. However, to a soldier facing such challenges and going beyond the call of duty is but second nature. Life's turbulences and turmoils have a special flavor for him.

For those not exposed to a war or war like environment, this flavor is beyond the realms of imagination. The Indian Army soldier is infused by a set of values that make the soldier willingly face a plethora of challenges and difficulties, and when the call may come, to give the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the Nation.

The ethos of the Army is ingrained in all soldiers with an unwavering will to succeed, accepting their grave responsibility and an unbridled ability to give their lives for others; confident that in return the nation will look after them and their families. Let us respect each of them please.