Campaign to honour soldiers' parents moves on.

Proud parents of a soldier

THE TIMES OF INDIA
24 July, 2011

Tarun Vijay

July 26 is the day when we observe the Kargil Vijay Divas and pay homage to the 527 martyrs who laid down their lives for the motherland in the 1999 Kargil war.

I propose this year we start a campaign to honour also their parents, who gave their life's best flowers to serve the nation.

A small gesture. A sticker proudly proclaiming - Proud Parents of a soldier - be distributed to all parents of soldiers in our respective cities by civil organisations like Rotary, Lions, Bharat Vikas Parishad, etc, creating an atmosphere that it's great to have a son or a daughter serving as India's soldier.

On every vehicle, whether it's a scooter or a car, let the finely worded and designed stickers become a matter of self-pride and city's glory. Let the respective state governments declare small, but significant facilities, like no parking place will charge anything from vehicles displaying such a sticker. They give such facilities to journalists, politicians, MLAs and MPs and of course to all their local civic body officers. Why not extend this little gesture to the men and women who sent their children to the forces?

There is an official protocol on how a district authority would receive a member of Parliament and other representatives of the legislature. They have to stand from their seats and receive them with honour and also to see them off at the doors at the end of the meeting. Let this gesture be extended to the parents of the soldiers too.

In the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations and high tea parties thrown by the governors of the states and the President in New Delhi, let a new category - Parents of the Soldiers - be added. We have added freedom fighters, decorated soldiers, and Padma awardees and recipients of other civil and military honours . There can be some categorisation on the basis of decorations and levels of service. But the category itself could do a lot to honour the simple, proud and so far ignored citizens whose contribution to the national security and glory was never recognised appropriately.

The railways has some categories of special passengers - sports persons, journalists, freedom fighters, golden pass holders and politicians. Why can't we have a category for the parents of the soldiers who would be given some preference in getting their berths confirmed and a constitutionally binding respectful behaviour by the railway staff and a 25% discount on the fare?

On special days, like Republic Day, Independence Day, and victory day celebrations, like Kargil Vijay Divas and Bharat Vijay Divas, let there be a separately marked row for the parents of our soldiers.

At the time of laying their lives for the nation in any action, soldiers always remember their parents and families. The last images. We do respect the wife and the kids of the soldier. But what about the parents for whom the soldier would have the highest respect?

Just see the images of the jubilant freshly graduated soldiers at the end of the Indian Military Academy's passing-out parade. The way their parents, with tears in their eyes and pride on their faces, hug their children and bless them invoking all the gods and goddesses. No politician will ever be able to do that while seeing his child joining politics or filing his/her nomination for the first time to contest an election.

But, ironically, while a politician's children always and almost everywhere get a preferential treatment and their parents too are regarded as neo-gods and goddesses by the local administration and state powers, the parents of soldiers are hardly even recognised as ones who part with their life's best support to support the people of the nation.

Shouldn't the state power be also recognising them equally respectfully?

I have humbly announced Uttrakhand's first grand war memorial on the completion of my first year in the Parliament this July 5 making all the soldiers community, the biggest in the country, too happy. I request everyone to give me ideas and support to select the best design for the project, for which I have already announced Rs 2 crore from my MPLAD funds. More will come. I feel embarrassed when none of our states can boast to have even a modestly built and well-maintained war memorial, to say the least about the states who give maximum number of soldiers to the forces, like Himachal and Uttarakhand. And even when such moves are initiated, it's sad to see that they are marred in local politics of petty oneupmanship.

But this July 26, let's all make a move. Let the stickers, some of them can be designed with a soldier's proud face on the left and a two line proclamation in the middle - Proud Parents of a Soldier - be propagated as widely as is possible through local initiatives. Make it a national campaign to honour those who honour our nation with their best contributions.

Media Clippings- Tarun Vijay's initiative to honour Indian soldiers on Kargil Vijay Diwas

Give 25 pc concession in rail fare to parents of defence

PTI | 08:07 PM,Jul 25,2011

personnel: BJP Dehra Dun, Jul 25 (PTI) BJP today asked the Centre to give 25 percent concession in railway fare to parents of defence personnel. In a statement issued here on the eve of Kargil day tomorrow, BJP spokesman Tarun Vijay said parents of defence personnel should be given 25 percent concession in railway fares on the lines of MPs, MLAs and officials of local bodies. The Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand said the parents of defence personnel should also be allowed to use a sticker on their vehicles stating that they are proud that their son or daughter is in defence services. Vijay said those vehicles having such a sticker should not be charged parking fee at railway stations and other places.

Tarun Vijay launching honour parent of soldier

Dear Bandhuvar

This is a special request to seek your support, guidance and blessings fior a national campaign for our Jawans and their parents.

On Kargil Vijay Diwas, tomarrow I wish to launch a campaign 'Proud Parents of a Soldier' nation wide to focus attention on those who gave their best to serve motherland. Once on my return from Jammu I had seen a TT misbehaving with the parents of a Jawan for a small mistake in their travel challan and I felt soldier's Izzat is also linked with their parents respectability and social status. The stickers, I propose, for display on Soldiers' Parent's vehicles will help in a small way to instill a sense of pride in the local society and create an atmosphere of respectability around. If we can say Proud to be a Hindu, why nor Proud to be a Soldier's Parent?

I have elaborated the idea in a note below. The Hindi note is also attached.

The designs are attached. Pl consider supporting it as your campaign.

Regards

Tarun Vijay

09711254888

_________________________________________________________________________

Proud parents of a soldier

Tarun Vijay

26th July is the day when we observe the Kargil Vijay Diwas and pay homage to the 527 martyrs who laid their lives for the motherland in 1999 war of Kargil.

I propose this year we start a campaign to honour their parents too who gave their life’s best flower to serve the nation.

A small gesture. A sticker proudly proclaiming –Proud Parents of a Soldier’ be distributed to all parents of soldiers in our respective cities by civil organisations like Rotary, Lions, Bharat Vikas Parishad etc creating an atmosphere that it’s great to have a son or a daughter serving as India’s soldiers.

On every vehicle, whether it’s a scooter or a car, let the finely worded and designed stickers become a matter of self-pride and city’s glory. Let the respective state governments declare small, but significant facilities, like no parking place will charge anything from vehicles displaying such a sticker. They give such facilities to journalists, politicians, MLAs and MPs and of course to all their local civic body officers. Why not extend this little gesture to the men and women who sent their children to the forces?

There is an offical protocol on how a district authority would receive a Member of Parliament and other representatives of the legislature. They have to stand from their seats and receive them with honour and also to see them off at the doors, at the end of the meeting. Let this gesture be extended to all such parents of the soldiers too.

In the republic day and Independence day celebrations and High Tea parties thrown by the Governors of the states and the President in New Delhi, let a new category- Parents of the Soldiers be added. We have added in such lists freedom fighters, decorated soldiers, and Padma Awardees and recipients of other civil and military honours . There can be some catagorisation on the basis of decorations and levels of service. But the category itself would mean a lot to honour the simple, proud and so far ignored citizens whose contribution to the national security and glory was never recognized appropriately.

The Railways has some categories of special passengers-sports persons, journalists, freedom fighters, golden pass holders and politicians. Why cant we have a category for the Parents of the Soldiers who would be given some preference in getting their berths confirmed and a constitutionally binding respectful behaviour by the railway staff and a 25% discount on the fare?

On special days, like Republic Day, Independence Day, and victory day celebrations, like Kargil Vijay Diwas and Bharat Vijay Diwas, let there be a separately marked row for the parents of our soldiers.

At the time of laying his/her life for the nation in any action, a soldier always remembers his parents and the family . The last images. We do respect the wife and the kids of the soldier. But what about the parents for whom the soldier would have the highest of regard and respects?

Just see the images of the jubilant freshly graduated soldiers at the end of Indian Military Academy’s passing out parade. The way their parents, with tears in their eyes and pride on their face hug their children and bless them invoking all the gods and goddesses. No politician will ever be able to do that while seeing his child joining politics or filing his/her nomination for the first time to contest an election.

But, ironically, while a politician’s children always and almost everywhere get a preferential treatment and their parents too are regarded and neo gods and goddesses by the local administration and state powers, the parents of the soldiers are hardly even recognized who their life’s best support to support the people of the nation.

Shouldn’t the state power be also recognizing them equally respectfully?

I have humbly announced Uttrakhand’s first grand War Memorial on the completion of my first year in the Parliament this 5th July making all the soldiers community, the biggest in the country, too happy. I request to give me ideas and support to select the best design for the project, for which I have already announced Rs Two Crores from my MP LAD funds. More will come. I feel embarrassed when none of our states can boast to have even a modestly built and well maintained war memorial, to say the least about the states who give maximum number of soldiers to the forces like Himachal and Uttarakhand. And even when such moves are initiated, it’s a sad spectre to see that they are marred in local politics of petty one-upmanship.

But this 26th July lets all make a move. Let the stickers, some of them can be designed with a soldier’s proud face on the left and a two line proclamation in the middle- Proud Parents of a Soldier, be propagated as widely as is possible through local initiatives. Make it a national campaign to honour those who honour our nation with their best contributions.

अहंकार के बजाय

24 July, 2011
जनसत्ता


24 July, 2011
अमर उजाला
काम की साझेदारी

Media Clippings- Shri Tarun Vijay in Nagpur, 18 July, 2011

Uttarakhand issues high alert, Nishank condemns blasts

IBN Live
14 July, 2011

BJP spokesman Tarun Vijay today said, "The very name of UPA has become synonymous with the word trouble." Criticising UPA government in the wake of Mumbai serial blasts he said the Centre has not taken any lessons from the previous terror strikes. "This government (UPA) has not learnt lessons from the previous terrorist strikes." "The Centre is going soft on terrorism," Vijay said in a statement. Vijay lamented that the country is enduring the scourges of terrorism, naxalism and corruption. "Now the very name UPA government has become synonymous with the word trouble," he said.

What do you say when dying in a bomb blast?

THE TIMES OF INDIA
14 July, 2011

Tarun Vijay

When the blast suddenly ripped me apart, it was not the sight of my son, my daughter or my mother that came before my eyes, closing silently for ever, but the resolve to take on terrorism and be firm, in a cool, composed and dignified posture, that was what I felt the need of the hour and not the anger and hard-hitting expression of disgust. And I said:

"We stand by you, Mr Prime Minister. This is not the occasion to criticize. Let's work together to erase the menace of violence, hatred and terror. Investigate if Pakistan is behind such dastardly and anti-national acts. Send Shri Digvijay Singhji to Islamabad to assure that we remain committed to peace talks and call immediately their high commissioner to South Block and convey in a decent way our very strong displeasure over their involvement in such acts. Send a list in advance to ISI to check if the names of wanted criminals we have written are correct and we hope in the spirit of togetherness and having accepted to launch joint operations against terrorism, ISI will help us to finalize the list of terrorists we want Pakistan to hand over to us saving us the embarrassment of putting wrongly the names of those who are already in India.

"These terrorist attacks are targeted to derail our ongoing peace process with Pakistan and we would like to assure everyone that come what may, we would not let that happen. Peace is our first priority no matter what these anti-Islam and anti-humanity agents of mayhem do. Please continue Bhatta Parsaul pilgrimage and keep on sending ministers to jail whenever the heat generated by media and courts become unbearable.

"Like corruption, jihad, hatred, violence, intolerance and communalism have become universal phenomena. One can only try to control them through constitutionally approved methods and hence the campaign against Hindu terrorists should be our next big priority. Never allow them to work against the Batla House gang. This time the entire cabinet, after lighting candles at Gateway of India to pray for the departed souls and reaffirming the resolve to stay united against the terror menace with glamorous Mumbai socialites and movie stars in an appropriate attire - white and black, donning black glasses - should go to Azamgarh to sooth the ruffled feelings of those who were mistakenly jailed for terror crimes.

"Amen."

I was sure, as a responsible politician, my reaction to such an atrociously painful incident should be muffled and restrained. So I thought if I was in a market and had become a victim of the blast, which is an unlikely event for a politician who is protected by the state to discharge his duties to protect the people, what would occur in my mind.

I am sorry I will not think the way highly restrained people would expect me to think. Neither my family members would react the way I have tried to elaborate in a highly civil but grossly hypocritical manner. The question that is nagging my mind is, do we feel the sadness and the excruciating blankness an Indian citizen’s death brings to his family after such an incident? Death of a citizen and a soldier must make the top boss of the nation stand up and take immediate action to effectively stop the recurrence of such an incident and announce a revenge on the perpetrators. Yes, a state is obliged to take revenge on those who kill our men and women and children for a lunatic obsession with their so-called revolutionary or jihadi ideologies. It’s not a sin but "raj dharma" to punish the unrepentant wicked.

Do we really get hurt and annoyed, a normal human behaviour, watching such incidents, occurring at such a fast frequency?

More than one lakh, yes, one hundred thousand, Indian citizens have been killed in the last two decades in various terrorist attacks. From Kashmir to Coimbatore and from Nagaland to Maharshtra and Gujarat. Who cares for them? Look how Obama speaks at the burial of a marine killed in Afghan action and note down his words spoken to the families of the martyred soldiers. He means business. As a head of the state and as the protector of his nation’s people. We may find it useful to follow the dictates of Washington, which will always be focused on their interests, but we hardly take a cue from them to end terrorism within our territory, setting a deadline, creating a framework. Why?

Whether the citizens die in Mumbai's Zaveri bazaar or in the thick jungles of Dantewada, does a citizen’s life value differ on the basis of his or her background and the place of getting killed by foreigners in our own country? Do we realize that it's not just the foreigners, whom we know so perfectly, who have been making us bleed for the last three decades, but also their homegrown accomplices and domestically bred modules that provide all the infrastructure and logistical support to them?

And do we feel it necessary to discuss and analyse the ideology of these murderers that makes them to happily offer to die in order to kill our people? Why are we ashamed or hesitant to discuss the jihadi part of Islam that’s creating havoc and have the well-intentioned, knowledgeable Islamic scholars come on the stage and declare these lunatics as enemies of their religion?

Should it become a matter of political debate? Does India stand dwarved before the political profits of our parties?

Do we realize that the reality that India stands divided into various private republics today is too scary to be ignored? Republics of individual politicians whose national territories do not extend beyond their vote bank constituencies? Ever heard Maya behn ji or Mulayam ji or Jaya Amma or Mamata Di speak about the issue and incidents occurring in Arunachal, Kashmir or Mumbai? Because that simply does not find a space on their radar of concerns. This is exactly an India of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s time, or a fragmented India when the Qasims and Abdalis were attacking us, because the basic lifeline guiding "my" decisions, "my" sole interest, is what makes "me" bigger than what "I" am today. The nation is a peg, on which "I" can hang "my" shirts but "my" bungalows and "my" millionaire friends and their careers and the vast empires of wealth generation "I" own must be kept steady and well oiled.

Hence, where are the best of the training centres for the security personnel? Whatever we have are below the average level compared with the best. Israel and the US notwithstanding, the intelligence network and even normal policing haven’t found any priority with any of the state governments. We need khaki domestic servants to surround us while roaming in the bazaar to impress the people. We don’t want them to be empowered and be independent to take decisions. Even after a battle was won by well-meaning police officers like Prakash Singh to reform the police set up, still deeply in the colonial framework, not a single state government even tried to act on the instructions given by the Supreme Court. A Kasab or an Afzal are not more than political footballs and just jolly good musical machines to make right noises according our respective conveniences.

No political set-up in India supports or encourages thinktanks to make long-term policies and organize national consensus on matters that need collective will and push. Though the fashion to have research centres find a lot of takers. It sounds good. But the matter ends with a huge billboard. The security aspects of the nation, the threat perceptions, the preparation of our forces, the need to equip soldiers with best of firepower and train them a thousand times better than the goons of Dawood or ISI, is no where in the sight.

A friend from New York wrote a few lines, which are now circulating on the email planet. I quote them verbatim, with a sense of hope that if such feelings still remain alive among Indians, the day should not be far when we will rise again as a steel-willed nation and give sea burial to the cowards. The questions India asks of its rulers and the opposition are:

1. Will India do nothing, once again?

2. Will the people running New Delhi take a brief break from stealing public money and bother to focus on security?

3. Will the glorious leaders in North and South Block, and Race Course Road, make the same empty statements promising to punish the guilty and immediately go back to vote bank politics?

4. Will Digvijay Singh ensure that the Mumbai police look for an alleged RSS connection to the bombings in order to show his "secular" credentials?

5. Will the Ministry of External Affairs re-issue the same statements made after the previous attacks against Mumbai, taking care to change the date of the press release in order to make it look new?

6. Will all the voices who argued in favour of masterly inactivity after the last Mumbai attack again preach the benefits of doing nothing against an enemy who kills with impunity?

Why not declare defeat?

Why not admit that India lacks the political will to deal with the issue of terrorism from Islamic groups? After all, there is a long and noble tradition, especially in North India, of eagerly submitting to the newest group of barbaric men on horses who come over the Khyber Pass in order to sack Hindustan and even rule it.

A nation that lacks self-respect, that cannot find the will to defend itself, cannot earn the respect of other people.

Thai, Cambodia war over Shiva temple

The Sunday Guardian

TARUN VIJAY 10th July, 2011

More than 400 rounds of mortar have been fired on the Preah Vihear Shiva temple since February this year. Wars between nations are fought for many reasons: this one, between Thailand and Cambodia, is over a Hindu temple, situated on the Cambodian side of the border.

Five Thai soldiers and one civilian have been killed in fighting; while seven Cambodian soldiers have died since the temple was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2008. War clouds darkened again in the end of June this year as Thailand withdrew from the talks organised by the World Heritage Committee on which nation should manage the Shiva temple.

I recently visited Preah Vihear to offer puja, the first Indian parliamentarian to do so. The temple is perched on a hill on the edge of the Dangrek mountains, 625 metres above sea level and 414 km from Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Built between the 9th and 12th centuries AD and originally named Shikhareshwar, the temple is a living example of Khmer architecture. Preah Vihear means sacred shrine in Khmer. Thailand claims the temple and the surrounding territory as its own.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear. But it did not rule on the land surrounding the temple. So the ownership of 4.6 sq km land remains disputed.

As for India, our missions in Bangkok and Phnom Penh are too wary to take any stand on Preah Vihear's status. It is as if they have nothing to do with this Hindu temple.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear. But it did not rule on the land surrounding the temple. So the ownership of 4.6 sq km land remains disputed.

It took me three years to decide on a trip to Preah Vihear. And then one day I found myself at a speech by Prof Sachchidanand Sahai organised by Kapila Vatsyayan in New Delhi. The speaker had worked extensively on Preah Vihear and the account that he gave of the temple was so moving that I instantly bought my ticket to Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Preah Vihear is a three-hour journey by road from Siem Reap. To reach the temple one has to climb the 2,250 steps built with UNESCO'S financial aid. The steps run parallel to an ancient pathway. There is a road as well that leads right up to the temple, but I avoided it as it passes through a controversial portion of the land claimed by Thailand.

So I undertook a steep, harsh, tiring but thrilling trek. The treacherous woods negotiated during the trek reminded me of the rainforests of Arunachal Pradesh.

The temple is vast and finely crafted. Its splendour reflects the finesse of Angkorwat. It has been known as poetry etched in stone that has dominated the Khmer mindscape for the last 1,200 years. The several Khmer and Sanskrit inscriptions on the temple's walls give an idea of the period of its construction. In 9th century AD, Prince Indrayudha, the son of King Jayavarman II began work on Shikhareshwara (Lord of the Summit) dedicated to Lord Shiva. He brought a divine Shiva lingam from Vat Phu (now in Laos) and installed it. As the economic and political powers of the kings increased, the temple was remodelled several times. King Suryavarman I built many pillars "at the command of Shiva", followed by King Jayavarman VI (1080-1107), King Dharanindravarman I (1107-1112) and Suryavarman II (1113-1150). The temple received continuous patronage from the kings for more than four centuries.

The Sanskrit inscriptions also speak of the great royal guru Divakar and the temple recorder Sukarman. The temple has five gopurams adorned with carvings showing a dancing Shiva, Krishna on Kaliya, Indra, Vishnu, Ram, Laxman and Sita. And Mount Dangrek symbolically represents Mount Kailash, Shiva's abode.

It started raining when we were visiting the fifth Gopuram after offering our obeisance at the garbha griha, the sanctum sanctorum. The rains meant good omen, said Hong Sath, the director of Preah Vihear Authority. "Not many tourists visit Preah Vihear these days for the fear of Thai missiles, but we are hopeful of our usual tourist inflow this year as the UNESCO is trying to restore peace," he said. One can spot a Thai tourist post from the temple. But it has been turned into an army barrack. "They are watching you," said Hong Soth with a smile. The gopurams bear the marks of shelling. A signboard has several bullet marks. "The gunfire is from the Thai side," Sath said.

Both Cambodia and Thailand are Buddhist countries that have a grand Hindu heritage dating back to more than 1,000 years; yet both are at loggerheads over an ancient Shiva temple.

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) was expected to come up with a solution acceptable to the warring countries on 29 June in Paris. But the campaign in Thailand for the 3 July elections aggravated the situation. Both Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen have been emphatic about the ownership of Preah Vihear. Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister led a 22-member delegation to Paris to counter Thai arguments and succeeded in getting the WHC decide in a manner that cheers the Cambodians. Abhisit, unhappy as he was with the exiled Thaksin Shinawatra's imminent return to power, clutched on to the plank of nationalism and made his natural resources and environment minister Suwit Khunkitti withdraw from the 35th session of the WHC to protest the committee's decision.

In Bangkok, Abhisit said that Thaksin's group had close relations with Cambodia and supported its plan for the temple. Cambodian Premier Hun Sen accused Thailand of using the dispute for domestic political gains. He said, "Not only did Thailand actually invade (Cambodia), it also cheated on history by changing the name of Preah Vihear temple to Prah Vihan."

Wild rumours started floating that the Thai army might use the border conflict at Preah Vihear as a pretext to jeopardise the 3 July elections, but this did not happen. Local media has been reporting that the border is tense after Thailand announced its withdrawal from the World Heritage Committee.

If the Indian government is silent on this issue, so are the different Hindu organisations. Surely many in the South Block see that India has a role to play in this matter and must use its good relations with both countries to ensure that the temple remains safe and guarded while the dispute is solved amicably. Maybe now that the Thai elections are over and Thaksin has won, tempers will cool and good sense will prevail.

Media Clippings- Shri Tarun Vijay in Kolkata, 10July, 2011