The life of a soldier is tough. It commands the willingness for sacrifice, bravery and valour to stand by the borders of the nation and be ever-ready to sacrifice your life for securing peace and prosperity of citizens within the borders. The recent episode of Baatcheet with Lt. General Satish Dua, gave us insights on what it means to live in unison with the ethos of the Indian Army.
‘SEVA ASMAKAM DHARMA’
Meaning: Service is our creed
These are the words which the soldiers in the Indian army devote their lives to- by being ready to take a bullet for the protection of the nation. In the course of the Baatcheet, Lt. Gen. Dua talks about how training for the soldiers in the Indian army begins from their homes and families which train them in discipline and courage. The foundation of the spirit of sacrifice is laid by the families to which soldiers in the Indian army come from. Lt. Gen. Dua himself sought immense inspiration and learnt the spirit of devotion from his father who served the Indian Air Force. Growing up, he always saw his father utterly devoted to his work in the air force and was inspired by his sense of patriotism towards the country.
When asked to reflect on the life and duty of a soldier, Lt. Gen. Dua aptly conveyed on how a soldier serves the country with a notion of ‘unlimited liability’. Unlike any other comforting corporate job which involves security and linear progress, a soldier’s life is full of uncertainties and risks. The source of this immense bravery and the spirit of sacrifice in every soldier, as Gen. Dua explains, lies in the self ignited spirit of service as well as the rigorous training that every soldier is put through.
“A soldier cannot give his best, if he is not well rooted”. General Dua also talks about how important it is for soldiers to have family support. He also shed light on the community ethos of the Indian Army wherein an infrastructural support is also provided by the army to the families of the soldiers to seek assistance which helps the soldiers to be assured of the security of their families and helps them to serve on the frontlines.
In the course of the Baatcheet, Lt. Gen. Satish Dua also discloses what the Line of Control(LoC) looks like from a General’s lens. He narrated bittersweet experiences and exchanges from the Indian border and conveyed about the life, conversations and experiences which happen in the bunkers of the LoC. His valour as a soldier was highlighted when he conveyed to the viewers of his brave venture to the LoC wherein he challenged the enemies on the other side of the border when they threatened to attack him and dared to walk out of the army post despite enemy threats.
For General Dua, his ambiance and family background instilled the values of leadership and empathy in him. He sought inspiration from the bravehearts who joined his battalion and his father who was extremely dedicated to his work.
Joining the Baatcheet were also Brigadier Rajiv Williams under whom Gen. Dua had been a student and Mrs. Aradhana Dua, wife of Gen. Dua who conveyed what it meant to be a wife of an Army General.
For a leader, it is also important to not be constrained by impractical regulations constituted without any knowledge on ground. Lt. Gen. Satish Dua’s exemplary leadership in these terms was revealed during his leading of the construction project of the National War Memorial wherein he refused to comply with the customary practices and convinced the bureaucratic setup to reform their rules to build a grand war memorial by bringing them onto the field.
The exemplary lives of our heroes who protect us each day are so integral to the making of this nation and it is so important to recognize and pay homage to the sacrifice made by our unsung heroes.
To watch the full episode of Baatcheet, visit: