Aap Charo Taraf Se Ghir Chuke Hein, Aapke Biwi Bacche Aapka Intzaar Kar Rahe Hein (You are surrounded from all sides, your families are waiting for you, you are safe in surrendering) — this is nothing but a warning voice of Indian Army Chief General Sam Manekshaw, echoed on the All India Radio during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
The repeated relaying of this message of the Army General on the All India Radio carried a powerful message. There were two dimensions of this communication. It was morale boosting for the Indian army but it had a terrific effect on the Pakistani army, completely disconnected from its motherland and surrounded by the Indian army. It broke the morale of the rank and file, well perched in their fortified stations and glued to the radio stations of the world. It had a hidden threat but it was the most positive message to a fighting army machine, known for its fighting capacity. The General had ignited in the hearts and minds of enemy soldiers love for their families. He meant to save human lives on either side but at the same time to ensure a victory without fighting. It was a battle of mind and fought with a powerful tool of communication. The final surrender of the entire one hundred thousand strength army of Pakistan led by the then Pakistani army chief General Niazi is well known in the history.
Even in this modern world of communication, the powerful tool of communication also works in some way or the other. As far as present scenarios in the corporate world is concerned, communication has been the tricky idea of bringing failure into a sustainability story, and talking about where a company has gone wrong. It has been examined that if a company that has had problems, which are reported them in a clear and accurate way, the concerned company can be their own ombudsman to take corrective action after reviewing its overall performances.
Therefore, each and every communication has a battleground, the mind of friends and enemies, be it in the history or world of communication in corporate businesses. The weakest turf where a General has to fight his battle before laying his plans in the battle room is the mind of his soldier, love for family and home.
Besides, if we look back thousands of years ago in the battle of Mahabharata, Arjuna’s brothers, friends and gurus also confronted him in the battle ground, and the thought of fighting and killing them also depressed him. His charioteer Lord Krishna witnessed this drama, and then emanated from his mouth - The Bhagvad Geeta — the holy book of Hindus and world’s first treatise on life, war and the Dharma. His words awakened Arjuna, who discarded his thoughts of brotherly love and fought with the conviction that it was a Dharm-Yuddha, a war for principles and justice. This reflects even today how it was the world’s first successful communication.
Like Krishna, every General has his first battle with the mind of his soldiers. And a soldier who is brought up and has lived in a happy family, it is very painful to sacrifice them for the sake of fighting to die. Here comes the communication. We have two examples from history.
In an address to Indian soldiers leaving for frontier General Sam Manekshaw said, “Remember, you are the pride of the nation, your families and the nation looks to you to for security. Face the enemy and if you lose the battle don’t come alive. If you run away from the battleground, you are disgrace to the nation and to your family. The choice is yours.”
The moral of these stories say that the stirring appeal had the desired result, charging the army with electrifying positivity. In the present era, it has a mirror reflection too. The strength of a country is its economy, which stands behind its army like an armoured regiment, supplying it with technology, high-tech armaments and most importantly communication. For a corporate world, the CEO of a business house is like a General for its employees where the function of corporate communication plays a vital role in strengthening the basic DNA of an organisation.
(The writer is a national media consultant and his views are personal. He can be contacted at: sudhanshu.patni@gmail.com)