Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas said on Sunday that peace is “seminal to India”, and that there cannot be any justice or development without peace.
Admiral Ramdas, who was speaking on ‘Peace in South Asia’ at the Mumbai Collective, called for a dialogue between South Asian neighbours. Journalist Geeta Seshu, who chaired the session, began by saying that a rampant and blatant kind of jingoism is on display today where anyone who speaks out is silenced.
Vast resources spent
Before introducing Admiral Ramdas, Ms. Seshu said, “South Asia is one of the most highly militarised regions in the world. It has faced the havoc of war for decades. Vast budgets have been deployed for defence. This has resulted in depletion of budgets for basic resources and services. It has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the subcontinent as governments have spent vast resources on defence.”
The former Naval chief, speaking on war, said, “Towards the end of my career, I was convinced that wars don’t result in any solutions. It only results in destruction and loss of lives on both sides.” Admiral Ramdas said that by peace in South Asia, he was not just talking about the absence of war in the region, but about developing a sense of understanding and respect for each other’s culture and life.
Well-being of masses
“Peace is about the well-being of the people and the masses. I realised that we ended up spending so much money on defence and war preparedness without achieving anything substantial. Many of these problems can be resolved by dialogue and talks. What is the point of fighting over issues which can be negotiated and resolved?” he asked.
Admiral Ramdas said that even during the cold war, the U.S. and Soviet Union sat across the table and had continuous talks. “Peace is seminal to India. There cannot be any justice without peace. Without peace we cannot have development. It is a miracle how much we have achieved in the last 60-65 years, especially in the light of partition years,” he said.
Deep scars
Having served the Indian Navy between 1953 and 1993, Admiral Ramdas, who served as Naval chief for the last three years of his career, said, “People have carried deep scars of the partition years on both sides. It has affected both sides. Let us not underestimate nuclear weapons. It is deadly. People from Hiroshima are still struggling with the after-effects of atom bombs.”
Replying to questions from the audience, he said one should not think that having the armed forces take charge of diplomatic issues will improve the situation. “Constitution and democratic system adopted by India is one of the best in the world.”