The post-independence Indian Army continues to struggle with the British colonial model, ways and traditions, which served us well to a point. In fact, we were so enamored by the British ethos that we ceased to introspect about any adaptations that the uniqueness of this land and its changing values demanded. More so, because, at least for four decades and may be even more, the changes in the country were slow, therefore imperceptible.

Apart from other factors, technology is the key determinant of social and economic change. Technology enables social and cultural mobility. Before the advent of the railways, India was frozen in a time-frame of a thousand years. The society was basically agricultural, characterized by little mobility and emphasis on manpower. Joint family systems were therefore an economic necessity. The villages were independent economic units, well-served by the division of labour and hence the caste system.

The military is not only a profession, but a way of life. Institutional ethos, practices and culture of the military is much dictated by the existing threat perception, advances in technology, prosperity and educational levels of men who serve the military.

The advent of the railways, increased mobility and began to challenge the caste system in a modest way, as passengers of all castes and classes were compelled to travel together. But the impact was little. Edmund Candler in his book, The Sepoy, published in 1919 says: “I know a Rajput class regiment in which it took ten years to introduce the messing system. The Company cooking pots were accepted at first, but with no economy of space or time, for the vessels were handed round and each men use them to cook his own food in turn. The Brahmins are even more fastidious. I remember watching a class regiment at their meal in Essen position. Each man had ruled out his own pitch, and a Turk would have taken the battalion for a brigade.” This practice was observed in some Indian units even during World War II, but to a lesser degree. In one instance, in a Signal Company, the Jat troops did not have their meal because a British Officer had touched the pre-cooked items during his inspection of the company cook house.

The military is not only a profession, but a way of life. Institutional ethos, practices and culture of the military is much dictated by the existing threat perception, advances in technology, prosperity and educational levels of men who serve the military. For example, the necessity and emphasis on drill was because of the demands of musketry. The British Indian Army also underwent tremendous changes due to the change in threat perception and technology.

The East India Company expanded its rule in India with the help of Native Regiments they had raised. These regiments were basically composed of Rajputs, Brahmins and to an extent, Muslims from the Oudh region, constituting parts of present day UP and Bihar. Later, three presidency armies were raised, but soldiers in large numbers from the Oudh region served in the Bombay and Madras presidency armies as well. During that period, the threat perception was entirely internal and therefore there was no imperative for a military culture. Moreover, the Indians served only in subordinate ranks and therefore there was no emphasis on the individual growth of Indian troops. Nor, could the British impose any new social values on their men, who despite their poor economic conditions felt morally and culturally superior to their British masters.

The native troops therefore segregated themselves caste-wise in the areas where they were stationed. With the passage of time, as the expanse of the British Empire grew, the concept of cantonments was introduced, and the culture of cantonment life grew gradually. It also gave rise to the compartmentalization of civil and military spheres. The 1857 War of Independence or the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ changed the professional and cultural ethos of the British Indian Army. It gave rise to the concept of a ‘martial race’. But the British did very little towards the educational upliftment of their troops belonging to the same martial races, as soldiering and education were seen antagonistic.

The soldiers therefore had hardly any avenue of personal growth. Later, the threat perception from Russia and the consequent importance of the NWFP resulted in the development of communication systems in Punjab, giving fillip to the agricultural economy of the region. During the First and Second World Wars, the threat to the British Empire was global. One of the major outcomes of the First World War in the Indian context was that Indian officers began to be inducted into the army. The period between World War I and II gave rise to the military culture that persists even today. The critical threat posed to the Allied powers during World War II, compelled the British to carryout massive recruitment and they were compelled to repudiate their martial race approach, as the so called martial races could not fulfill the manpower requirements.

The growing materialism and consumerism has created a segment of upstarts, who value materialism over character and enduring values. The army as a profession, where sacrifice of many personal comforts and life a such is involved, can ill-afford to be consumed by this phenomenon.

However, we in the Indian Army, though not explicitly stated, continued to suffer from the martial race theory. We continued to suffer from caste and class based ideas. It was also because of slow and marginal changes in the overall sociological and economic dynamics within the country. Our lack of originality in approach in determining fresh contours was not only evident with regard to military culture, but our professional orientation as well. Our professional literature and methods did not reflect on the practical security imperatives, both internally and externally. We have been at war in J&K for the last two decades. We had to intervene in Sri Lanka and Maldives.

We have been victims of the worst kind of terrorism since the last three decades. The change in the orientation of the army to the new forms of threat has been rather reluctant, resulting in suicides and fratricide within the army ranks. Even as these threats grew, there was quantum deterioration in civil-military relations. More than pay and perks, the army personnel were bewildered by the lack of empathy and encouragement by the civil society for their contributions in ensuring the safety and security of the country, a phenomenon that persists. Under these circumstances, army personnel are bound to be afflicted with a sense of cynicism. Why has it happened? The answer lies in the rapidly changing sociology of the country.

To begin with the Indian Army like all the armies of the world, which emerged from colonialism, was the most disciplined, evolved and modern institution, both in socio-economic and technological terms, and with well established traditions. The army was insulated from public glare and therefore, was an unknown commodity. The liberalization of economy has ushered in social and economic forces that threaten to eclipse those very attractions and institutional attributes for which the army was held in awe.

The socio-economic changes in the last two decades have been much more than the changes in the last five or six decades put together. We should not forget that we draw our men from civil society who go back to the same society after retirement. The impact of the rapidly changing social and economic dynamics in the country is discussed in the succeeding paragraphs.

Burgeoning Middle-Class: With every Pay Commission, the gap between the pay and allowances of officers and men has reduced. The Sixth Pay Commission, it cannot be denied, has propelled the Other Ranks into the middle-class category, with all the dreams and vulnerabilities typical to this class. The consumer and material comforts that an officer took some years to acquire two decades back, the other ranks can now easily possess them with savings of just a few months.

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Women Emancipation: The biggest revolution unleashed by the liberalization of economy in India has been the emancipation of women and assertion of freedom by them. This is not only confined to the cities but is clearly visible in small towns and to an extent, in the villages. In fact, I met some Pakistanis at Dehradun, who were flabbergasted to see women driving two-wheelers and cars. Gandhi had said that you educate a man, you educate only him, but when you educate a woman, you actually educate the entire family. The emancipation of women in fact is giving rise to a much more confident generation. The increasing economic freedom and opportunities have impacted the Indian Army in two major ways, i.e. the increasing number of working wives and of course the recruitment of women in the army in the officers rank.

The Indian Army is finding it extremely difficult to adjust with both the phenomenon, as evidenced by the number of complaints by officers’ wives against the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) and allegations by lady officers against their male colleagues. The purpose of this article is not to debate over the sagacity of intake of lady officers in the army given the peculiarities of India, but their joining only officers cadre is bound to create a new ‘class’, causing resentment among their male subordinates. The situation can be addressed by intake of women in other ranks as well, but the demands of the profession, particularly the battlefield, are in complete dissonance with the proposition.