AN UNCHARTED ODYSSEY

The proposed scheme of Tour of Duty is a radical measure, which should be tempered with ground realities and pragmatism

- UTKARSH SINGH RATHORE

It is 6 PM; a group of eight youngsters are sprinting along the canal bank in the sweltering heat of May in district Palwal, Haryana. When we get talking, they say that: “We have been preparing for the army recruitment, but there have been none in the recent past”. Dharambir, who has turned overage waiting for the army recruitment is still regular with his practice runs; is hoping that there might be some age relaxation announced whenever the recruitments finally resume. When informed that the new recruitments in army will only be for three or five years duration, the disappointment is visible on their sweating faces.

Such a zeal and aspiration to join the armed force is common across the rural India, more so in the northern states, where youngsters after completing their matriculation examination normally take a two-year break from the studies to prepare for the recruitment. The lucky ones get into the army, navy, air force or Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) or state police. Sadly, a majority of unsuccessful aspirants do not resume their studies.

In the changing socio-economic scenario, India is still bestowed with such human resource which considers serving in the armed forces a matter of pride and for many, a continuation of the family tradition. Every year about 1.7 percent (2,27,69,000) population of the country attains military service age. The military and police personnel- the armed forces (14,50,000), reservists (11,55,000),the CAPF (11,09,550) and state police (26,23,000) account for just 0.5 percent of the total population.