January 26, the
celebration of Republic Day has become synonymous with the military parade
along the Rajpath. Besides being a tourist attraction it reinforces the sense of
national pride and honour. While the Rajpath where the President takes the
salute, is the cynosure of attention, the parade makes its way across parts of
Delhi. Yet, on and off, there have
arisen questions over the necessity of parade. It might not be far off when woke liberals
might call for ending the parade on grounds of encouraging intense nationalism.
To some in the right, it if often viewed as hangover of the Soviet style
parades that dominated the Communist Soviet Union.
Military parades
are known to have existed for centuries with records documenting the same in
Roman and Greek times. The modern counterparts are however, around a couple of
centuries old, with the oldest perhaps commemoration of fall of Bastille. The evolution
of parades is not uniform. Though objectives might be similar to varying
degrees, different contexts have driven the same in different countries. As
Wikipedia puts it, a military parade is formation of soldiers whose movement is
restricted by close order choreography often through drilling or marching. Incidentally,
from times immemorial, people recognized the role of formations in actual
combat. Indian mythology is replete with instances of formations defining the
combat. Contemporary parades however are ceremonial and commemorates a certain
glorious moment in history of the country. In the erstwhile Soviet Union, it
was the revolution of 1917 that was remembered while similar parades are held
in Europe to celebrate the V-Day of 1945- the surrender of Germans in World
War-II.
Incidentally US steered
away from formal military parades though in recent times, President Donald
Trump has indicated a desire to have one on July 4, celebration of their
Independence Day. Yet barring a quarter or two, the enthusiasm for parade in US
is low. However, there have been parades commemorating certain events like
victory in Gulf War of 1991 or to demonstrate public mobilization in New York
in World War II etc. The import of these
military parades in the country’s politico-cultural milieu merits deeper
engagement.
Incontestably,
the relative power in the global governance calculus determines the standing of
the country. The power is a function of political, military, economic and
cultural prowess. To a country with higher echelons of power, possibilities of exercise
of the same with relatively lower costs is immense. Besides, it serves the
purpose of the external interventions, direct or indirect in the internal affairs
of the country. Implied, is a need to construct a mechanism of exhibiting the
scale of power to the rest of the world. The history of mankind is full of combat
as a preferred mechanism of conquest. Formation troops demonstrated greater
discipline and thus seemed indispensable. Therefore the early roots of drills
and marches were in a way anchored in cornucopia of military formations. In
modern times with wars with increasing weaponries, the manifestation of
formations has changed. Yet the instilling of discipline and creation of new
formations necessitate building blocks and thus drills and marches occupy key
role in training and ceremonies.
The slow shift
towards economic and cultural warfare away from physical warfare meant that new
models have to emerge to signal the military might to both external and
domestic audience. There is of course a strong desire and essence in keeping
the strategy, tactics, weaponries and other equipment secretive. Yet the country
needs to send a signal to the audience, domestic or foreign, indicating the
might both in physical and technological terms. Thus a signal that is direct,
credible and non-coercive is inevitable. In recent times, they have manifested
either as joint military exercises with friendly countries and as military
parades linked to historical accomplishments.
The context
serves therefore the backdrop for the same. There are formations marching conveying
the signals to the observers on the
military might in terms of different units and commands of the three
forces,- army, air force and the navy. Further, the march past are followed by
the display of weapons and equipment and infra etc. pointing the holdings of
the armed forces, a signal on what to expect in case of a war. At the same
time, it is a signal to domestic constituency also. The domestic citizenry has
a right to know the state of defences in the country. It would send the country
into panic in case of unsecure defences. Therefore, there must be occasions to
reassure the citizens that the country is in safe hands of the armed forces. The
military march-past followed by the demonstration of military equipment sends a
signal of the preparedness of the country in meeting the prospective external
challenges. It indicates the latest advancements in the military weaponry
systems. The Indian context incorporating tableaux from the states showcasing
their culture and PSUs showcasing their achievements, are add-on signals in
indicating the economic dexterity and cultural abundance of the Indic society.
Apart from
celebrating certain historical triumphs and achievements, military parades are
a signal direct and indirect to both the external audience and the domestic
citizenry on the state of national preparedness in case of any threat to
national security. However, it is important to see a parade as a signal and not
an end itself. There is an interesting anecdote, perhaps apocryphal on the
military parades and exercises. There was exercise of military performing
various tricks in honour of visiting Chinese dignitary. It was the days of ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’
even as China was building roads on India’s land in Ladakh. Seeing the
perfection of the tricks executed, the visiting dignitary seemed to have asked
Indian defence minister Krishna Menon, how they perfect their tricks and are
they practical. Krishna Menon’s reply was practice makes them perfect, yet some
time later when the war came, Indians were found wanting. Therefore, it is
imperative, the parades are mere signals and not the actual combat. The objective
is to be prepared to be perfect for actual combat for which parades are
building ground and signalling fora.
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