Army is a way of life: Major Arya

Nagpur: Terming the Indian Army as one of the most powerful and moral institution of the country, former major Gaurav Arya encouraged students of Prahar Military School to join the armed forces.
“Army is not powerful because of its weapons but because of its morality. Come what may, it is the only institution that has always given a positive result. Honour, loyalty and tradition are the three quintessential qualities that define an army personnel and youngsters keen on joining it should have high regards for it,” he said.

Arya and retired lieutenant general Ravindra Thodge were the chief guest and guest of honour respectively at the inaugural ceremony of the weeklong silver jubilee celebration of Prahar Samaj Jagruti Sanstha, which was held at Suresh Bhat Sabhagruh on Thursday.

Both the army veterans narrated their wartime stories and left everyone in the audience feel proud of the soldiers posted on the border.

Arya recounted one such story of 1962 Indo-China war fought at Rezang La where a troop of 122 soldiers and the officer fought and killed almost 3,000 Chinese soldiers with all that was there with them.

“On that day, 114 Indian soldiers were martyred and five were made prisoners of war. They fought till they had ammunitions left. After that, they fought with their bare hands, but none of them gave up despite knowing that they would be killed,” he said.

“This war showed what the army is made of. These stories of valour should be close to every Indian’s heart,” he said.

Thodge held commitment and courage as the two main qualities to serve in the army. “Without it, you will have no conviction in your work. One needs to have courage to sacrifice blood for kin, country and a commitment to do it over again,” he said.

“It is an elite way of life, the one where nothing else matters on the battlefield except for the person fighting beside you. The urgency to kill your enemy before it kills you is what the army is all about. It makes friendships thicker than blood,” he said.