Perfect read. Morality has been left far behind for the want of materialistic objects. I think we should do something to develop character of our society.
The problem is how to spell out the guidelines of morality in the context of environments we are placed in and particularly when values of life have changed, and there is a materialist approach in every sphere.
The article of the General is quite informative and has a historic significance.
Thanks for Rediff to publish such a nice interview. Gen Thapan's thoughts are highly commendable and I am sure good section of people will agree with him. Nehru & Gandhi family had done unrepairable damage to this country, and we dont know how many decades it will take to recover. Astonishingly, Indians are still ignorant of this fact & lick dubious gandhis. Only God can save India.
RE:Good Message
by sharib razi on Feb 02, 2007 06:59 PM
It is so hypocritical of you. One who does not reside in India has no buisness commenting on the matters concerning India. Thank god India is still a democracy where the majority chose the government and not some high browed people sitting in a foreign land.
RE:RE:Good Message
by Sant Sant on Feb 02, 2007 07:26 PM
I don't know why you are offended? History is always written by winners. So Gandhians and leftists have written one side of bonhomy that you keep reading. Otherwise why is that this country never tried to find out Netaji or see Bhagat Singh's contribution to independence. We always get to hear Gandhi & Nehru got the freedom........and other rubbish. Problem is there is no tolerance in this country otherwise let there be reasearch on history and see what comes out. Even Taj Mahal may look like a temple. Point is if that truch is found out neither Bajrangis will let it remain Taj nor others will sako some political chapatis on these issues. The fact is we don't know reality and would never know reality because what we read is written by few people in few languages. Amerinacs and not Japanese have written their version of WWII history
RE:RE:RE:Good Message
by IndiaCarerFromAbroad on Feb 02, 2007 10:43 PM
Hi, Who said Nethaji, Bhagat Singh, Balagankatra Thilak were not remembered & not in our text book. I read in history book about them. What is your age & how do you know Bhagat Singh, Nethaji now. If we don't give importance, then you might not even know, if your age is within 40.
Because Nehru creatd IIT, some one is telling some rubbish because of jealosy, we don't support their ideas. Gandhi is great!!!
In today's world, development is measured by economic indices and therefore is driven by greed. Private enterprise is boundary-less, every company wants to treat the world as a global village. An MNC has no nationality and in that context the concept of patriotism itself becomes an anachronism, a concept to be shunned if progress is to be made. That is the driving force behind Davos meetings, how to overcome the forces of "patriotism". The concept of patriotism is just another example of chauvanism; why be loyal to the country, why not to your family, village, city, state, district, religion, caste, brotherhood, club, etc..who has created these distinctions..these are artificial concepts and the only reality is that money is the unifier, the common denominator of true progress.
Salutations to you, Sir, Gen. Thapan. It is after a long time that I hear some body talking so honestly, expressing views without any cumbersome complexity, and with so much freshness. It was really the voice of a true soldier. Thank you Sir once again. Thanks are due to Rediff too for meeting a Man in this nmean time.
I agree with you. But one more thing that we should understand that often we feel "I am right, I am doing the right thing, they are wrong". Who are they? Let me explain.
Over the years India has seen bigger cars, more number of flights, more passengers. But does big cars and bigger bank accounts really mean bigger moralities? On our roads we see cars driving on the wrong side of the road, queues in the airport being "jumped". I took these 2 examples as I feel that the so called "educated" class uses these facilities (I am not referring to chauffeur driven cars). Or do we gain this privilege by some other way? When can we expect "others" to fall in place when we ourselves try to find a shortcut to everything? Our children grow up seeing us take unhealthy means of getting train tickets, school and college forms, paying bribes, what is the message that we leave for them? They start to think it is okay to do that, after all which child will want beleive that what HIS father is doing not correct?
Wonderful article from Lt. Gen. Thapan, its always good to read these kind of articles. Rediff has done a Good job after quite a sometime. But I wish these articles/words goes deep into our country where people can't have access to these kind of articles. These consist of 85% of our population and they are majority to give votes to our politicians :). Untill we make them aware we cant do much.
Some very pertinent comments have been made, alas although in restrospect. As for the morality issue, I am in total agreement. Thank you, Rediff and thank you Sir, Lt. General M L Thapan. One can only hope that Rediff continues to publish more of such though-provoking articles - some true food for thought!
Well for an army Commander of a corps in 1971 Bangladesh Gen ML Thapan's interview to Sri Sengupta is atleast informative, and educative experience.His views on Indian Army and its capacities to defend Indian Polity are based on his experience as an Army-officer in 2nd World War,
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&1965, 1971 other observations on immature intervention of Indian Armed forces in Sri-Lanka in 1987 by Rajiv Gandhi on Jayvardhane's egging. Of course Rajiv had unfortunately paid
with his untimely killing by LTTE suicide bomb -Blaster ,without making any solution to Tamil-Singhalese divide in the island Nation!
Gen Thapan is rambling , though he says he wrote for statesman of Kolkata for decades and more .He does not have any answer , to the rampant sycophancy and sleaze in the officer classof Defence Forces of over the colonial and so -called national period.Lately ,open career manipulations , rank fake encounters and seeking cuts through agents in Defence deals
since the time of Bofors, Jeeps ,AK Rifles and sub-marines is hardly news. In that sense Thapan like any other gentlemen when cornered takes on the Indian culture and its perversions. Yes. But the Military elites are now no longer true to their old colonial Paradigm set by Field Marshal Philip Chetwode who gave the formula :"your country first, Men who work under you ,next, your own comfort and convenience always, Last.." Army is now the same chip of the sleaze that we blighters civilians in India are , after all.D.Goel..
