Why a soldier dies

Yesterday another soldier died in the Valley.

There are two types of calamities. One type is created by man that could have been prevented from happening in the first place. The second is a force majeure event which cannot be prevented from occurring – an earthquake is in this category and providing succour to the victims of such a tragedy is as noble an act as any.

A war is a man made calamity – a calamity, as war always results in destruction of lives. A war has the potential to be prevented at some point of time prior to the event itself.  And when there is war there is death. Death, where man kills man, most times against his free will. It is always a premature death leaving behind parents, siblings, wife, children, colleagues, friends et al and seemingly meaningless in retrospect.  A soldier does not create war – he has never done it. Nor has a soldier unilaterally ended a war.  I will put my neck out and say that a war has never ended with a solution. A total exhaustion of the warring factions has often ended wars without any meaningful and lasting solution(s) having been achieved.  A modern day war can at best achieve very limited objectives lasting only for a brief period of time. The continuing war in J&K for instance is man made and perpetuated for over two decades due to the indifference and callousness of the rulers. It is now such that the youngsters of today, who form a considerable part of the population do think the action in J&K to be routine as they have not seen peace in the area. Hence this indifference from the media to the death of a soldier. I am not by any means justifying any act…I am only trying to find reasons and solutions. In the event, have we the veterans also fallen into the trap of being indifferent to a soldier’s death? I would not say so. We know how our heart bleeds; We know how the hearts of our wives and children bleed at such news. A tear drops. Food is suddenly unpalatable. We want to reach out to those who have lost and some of us often do. In the event at the end of it all what is left is pent up anger and frustration….because the soldier died of  incompetence of the rulers in finding a political / social solution to a problem.

The soldier died because the rulers have failed to identify the enemy. The soldier died because he is made to fight a faceless enemy who is often one of his own. The soldier died because he is inadequately provided for by way of sophisticated equipment, intelligence et al. The soldier died because there have been no sincere efforts from the rulers to end the war.