COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING
Some of the recent events in the country have confirmed that military training should be imparted as a compulsory training to every able-bodied citizen of India. The wars with China and Pakistan and terrorist attacks have compelled the Indian leaders to give a second thought to this problem. Our leaders have realized that in order to meet the challenge, there must be a strong force that could prove to be morale-booster. So, the slogan “militarize the nation” has been coined.
Getting training in military science is important and useful in ways more than one. That it makes the people disciplined, is beyond doubt. It also inculcates the noble qualities of service, sacrifice, devotion and dedication. Military training serves as an insurance against foreign attack. It keeps the people physically fit and intellectually sharp.
It also increases the power to work. As a matter of fact, by imparting military training compulsorily to the youth of India, we shall not only be raising an army of millions to fight the enemies of India, but also would be able to fight innumerable diseases and economic and social ills. By raising our military strength, we would be boosting the morale of the nation.
Military training can be put to many uses. It teaches one to obey and to command. Military training aims at preparing men to sacrifice themselves for motherland whenever she is threatened by some hostile power. It teaches one to place service above self. For a soldier, duty is more important than food and rest. A soldier goes in the quest of opportunities to serve his people and country.
By getting military training, we shall inculcate those qualities towards which we have a very casual attitude. We are lacking in many other virtues like team spirit, loyalty, sense of duty, value of time, dignity of labour, selfishness, nobility of character and a spirit of good fellowship. All qualities of head and heart can only be acquired through military training.
Military training helps at the time of an emergency or a foreign attack. The trained commandos can be assigned some duties as they can handle fire-arms, revolvers and rifles and therefore, can safeguard the interests of the nation.
There is no doubt that the mass military training would take time to complete and it would cost a fortune but the nation would get great benefit. It would make people realize that the interest of the nation comes first and their personal gains are secondary. This would also increase the output in fields and factories. There would be no corruption and favoritism in the country. Efficiency and hard work would be the guiding tenets of our nation.
In order to understand the very significance of military training, the following instances are sufficient. It was this spirit that enabled Sir Winston Churchill, the worthy soldier-statesman of England, to come out victorious during World War II. Napoleon’s daring feats could also be attributed to his military discipline. It was also this spirit, which moved Maharana Pratap and Shivaji to fight against the nefarious acts of their enemies. Indeed, military training is useful in many ways.
Therefore if we really want to make India a great country, free from all the evils of corruption, nepotism and selfish interests, it is high time that we imparted military training to our youth and make them true soldiers and saviours of’ the motherland. This would also serve as the second line of defence during wars.