Articles of the year 2020
Published on June 03rd, 2020
A small byline contains the most dramatic news of the India-China standoff. The small item related to the Nepalese government stating that they would send their military to action, obviously, against India.
This small item may have been lost upon the world analysts. The Second World War is now more than 60 years ago but the combatants have not changed.
The Gurkha regiments were the most feared fighters in the Second World War with the highest number of Victoria crosses earned by them as a nation.
When staying in an apartment in Knightsbridge, London, I saw some Gurkha soldiers on guard on a particular building. This was the residence of the Chief of Staff of the British Army.
Inquiries showed that the Chief of the British Army was being guarded by Gurkhas.
This show the high value of the gurkha status in the UK. The British soldiers had defeated Hitler’s army in a mighty battle and the British gave recognition to Gurkha bravery by appointing them as guards for their Chief of Army.
Gurkha bravery is legendary, but it seems that the Modi government is so involved in its own hype that they choose to ignore the reality of the predicament they face if the Gurkhas do step into the fight.
Looking deeper, one can see the Sikhs who are cast into the minority pool with the Muslims and Christians by the Hindutva stance being taken by the Modi government who are now insisting upon a Hindu only supremacy.
As a political instrument the Modi rationale is understandable, for electoral use.
However the effects on the people pushed into a minority status with the obvious disadvantage this would bring, may raise a challenge to the supremacy of the Hindus.
If the Sikhs, Muslims, Pathans, and now Gurkhas are pushed into a position of disadvantage with a future that is uncertain as it is no longer bright, this will lead to an effort by these people into fighting which is bound to be lost by the Hindus.
It will probably lead to the Hindus creating ghettos for themselves as protection from the more aggressive hordes of non Hindus.
Externally the Hindus have for generations been known as poets, writers, mathematicians, and versatile in the higher, more esoteric disciplines. Pursuits such as sports were frowned upon. Their most famous export was the Kamasutra ideology which promoted love in various positions.
This become a best seller in the west and is still considered a book of choice for the young westerners.
With such a non combatant background and a preference for the arts, they were admired for their higher intellectual pursuits which has again won them numerous Nobel prizes with the accompanying respect.
Philosopher poets such as Rabindranath Tagore are considered intellectual giants.
For Modi now to discard the centuries of intellectual pursuits and turn towards the more baser instincts of aggression - can he discard the peace and Satyagraha movements that define Hindu ideology which brought such a huge following on passive resistance and non-violence through Flower Power in the west. The Non-aligned movement of Nehru and Gandhi was the cornerstone of this policy.
The peaceful resistance made famous and successful by the renowned Hindu thinkers may find opposition from the older Hindus and the Buddhist whose basic tenets have been love and peace towards his fellow man.
Can Modi replace the centuries of genteel living with an aggressive new look. Can this work?
This may create more enemies for Modi among the intellectuals of the west.
The danger will be when the Hindu success story of Silicon Valley will find this new stance unacceptable, has Modi thought this out?
This will definitely send shivers down the Indian spines as these fighters are among the greatest warriors in the history. Modi in his euphoria of hunting down the Muslim minorities has overlooked the fact that he is facing a Sikh fighter whose loyalty is now doubtful towards New Delhi.
This coupled with the Gurkha threat will unleash those minorities. The Sikhs, the Muslims, and the Gurkhas who will perforce have to band together to face the Hindu threat.
The Punjabi,Pathan, Sikh and Gurkha warriors have been tried and tested and have won their reputation over hundreds of years, unlike any regiment of recent times.
The British generals have written extensively, these analyses by British commanders are well known.
Modi’s shrill bravado will not be enough to face down the reality of these facts. Modi will certainly have to recalculate his dreams of a war against the other Indian states which are too numerous in number to gather against the Hindu majority.