Those who keep the country safe from any kind of military invasion are always positioned at isolated strategic places away from civilian population. It helps the army maintain discreet levels of secrecy, provides the ease of mass movement during deployment and reduces chances of road conflict with the general public.
This isolation is necessary as conflict between civilian authorities and the armed forces can turn ugly and be demoralising for the nation. However, this isolation has created a sense of enigma about the armed force among the masses, coupled with strong patriotic feeling due to occurrences such as the constant border exchange of fire at the Indo-Pak border and decades of the Indo-China border tension has positioned the army at a very unique spot in the mind of the masses. It has rendered the public mind very sensitive to any emotional call in name of the army.
We are all aware of how politicians use the word ‘army’ in electoral campaigns to inspire votes in their favour. This is not an ideal situation from any count as the army works under rules framed as per the Constitution and not for the sole gain of any political party or individual.
In a large country like ours, it’s usual to see people repeating the winning formula. It’s another discussion as to how much patriotic and commercial interest lies hidden in a party’s electoral promotional campaign, especially involving the use of the army’s name. Some commercial establishments have started using the army’s name, image and uniform in their products’ promotional advertisement – ranging from motorcycles to men’s complexion lightening face cream.
The people of our nation respect and care about the army mostly because of the role they play in maintaining our independence and safety from direct foreign invasion. Let us not forget that the armed forces spill their blood to maintain the above said.
No commercial product should have rights to ride on people’s emotions for the army to sell their products. It’s a matter of disappointment as I believe only the army itself has the sole right to use its name and fame and no one else, be it a politician or a commercial agent.