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July 7, 2008
All Wasn't Well with Farewell to Manekshaw,
say Ethnic Indians
By Kul Bhushan
Indians living abroad have been quick to express their angst over
the response - rather its absence - of the top Indian leadership to
the final farewell for Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
Within hours of the Indian media reporting on their websites the
absence of top national leaders at the state funeral, NRIs across
the globe were hammering away at their keyboards to express their
anger about this faux pas.
Of course, Indians were equally incensed and let off steam on the
net as well. Issuing tributes was not enough for India's most
distinguished soldier because the politicians were too busy to
attend as they were battling inflation or trying to sign the nuclear
deal when they knew well in advance that Sam was on his last lap.
None of the top leaders made the trip to Ooty and so a scathing
comment appeared in a newspaper that somebody should have told the
geniuses in Delhi that Sam, the Bahadur, passed away in Wellington,
Ooty, not Wellington, New Zealand. The nearest civil airport is
Coimbatore, just 80 km away.
A Kiwi Indian from down under wrote that whenever "a digger" (an
Australian) dies in Iraq, the top government leaders or officers
attend his funeral but when the first Field Marshal of India dies,
not even the defence minister can be bothered to attend.
From Britain, Aline Dobbie wrote: "In Sam, we had our own Horatio
Nelson (the British Admiral who won the Battle of Trafalgar - the
most decisive sea battle for Pax Britannica). Field Marshal Sam
Manekshaw presided over the most decisive military victories our
country has seen ever.
"Just compare the way the British acknowledge Nelson even today and
compare it with how we have started after the departure of Sam. No
wonder our defence forces in the present times are struggling to
attract the right talent for enrolment, in defence of the nation."
A number of Indians in the US compiled a collection of acerbic
comments on this sorry episode and started to mass mail them to
everyone they knew.
The e-mail started off with a list of why the president, the vice
president, the prime minister, the head of the Congress party, the
leader of the opposition, the chief minister and the governor of the
state he lived in for 35 years were all absent.
The reasons given were acidic. It ended by declaring: "Our VIPs and
VVIPs have time for dead and dying celebrities, charlatans, fixers.
Not for a field marshal?"
Manekshaw is reported to have once said: "I wonder whether those of
our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of
the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a
howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla - although a great many of them
in the past have resembled the latter."
The contrast couldn't be starker: When Bollywood star Amitabh
Bachchan was ill after being socked in the stomach during the
shooting of "Coolie", Indira Gandhi flew down to Mumbai (then
Bombay) to show her concern.
When industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani died, L.K. Advani cut short his
Gujarat tour to pay his respects to an "embodiment of initiative,
enterprise and determination".
When politician Pramod Mahajan was shot dead by his brother, former
vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had the time to attend the
funeral.
US Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama seized the
opportunity to curry favour with ethnic Indians by offering his deep
condolences to the people of India for the death of Manekshaw.
"He was a legendary soldier, a patriot, and an inspiration to his
fellow citizens," he said.
"The former army chief provided an example of personal bravery,
self-sacrifice, and steadfast devotion to duty that began before
India's independence, and will deservedly be remembered far into the
future."
This episode, says another commentator, shows that however high or
mighty, rich or powerful, civilian or military, if you should die,
as you must, you should do so in the vicinity of New Delhi or
Mumbai. Then it is convenient for the politicians to turn up quickly
for a "photo-op" to further their own careers!
Another sneered: "With the fuel price hike, our Delhiites must have
thought of saving aviation fuel by not attending the funeral...in
public interest!"
Of course, Sam, with his great sense of humour, would have had the
last laugh. If they had done this to one of his soldiers, he would
have joked. "After all, what can you expect from the jokers,
sweetie!"
(Kul Bhushan previously worked abroad as a newspaper editor and has
travelled to over 55 countries. He lives in New Delhi and can be
contacted at kb@kulbhushan.net)
IANS
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July 7, 2008
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