The director-general of air operations (DGAO) on Monday replied to a question on the nature of deterrence against Pakistan by quoting the Ramcharitmanas.
DGAO Air Marshal A.K. Bharti was asked about the armed forces using Shailesh Dani's tune of Shiva Tandava Stotram in Sunday's promotional video, and a metallic rock rendition of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's epic poem Rashmirathi in Monday’s video.
"What sort of deterrent is being created? What message is being given?” asked News Nation’s Madhurendra at the presser of the three directors-general of the armed forces on Monday.
Bharti replied with a line from Tulsidas's version of the Ramayana: "Binay na maanat jaladhi jad, gaye teeni din beeti. Bole Ram sakop tab, bhay binu hoi na preeti. (The ocean remained unmoved by humble requests; three days passed. Then Ram, with rising anger, said: 'Without fear, there can be no love'."
Ramdhari Dinkar
The passage refers to the sea yielding to help Lord Ram to cross it to reach Lanka only when he threatened it.
The DGAO added: "Samajhdaar ke liye ishaara hi kaafi hai. (A hint is enough for the wise.)" He was met with applause from a section of reporters, for whom clapping at a presser is considered poor etiquette.
The liberal use of Hindu texts in its publicity material isn't new for this government or out of context for the military. Director-general of naval operations, VAdm A.N. Pramod, chanted the navy's motto Sam No Varunah, after his briefings. The line, which means may the lord of oceans be auspicious unto us, is from the Rig Veda.
Shiva Tandava Stotram is the praise that Ravana sang of Shiva when he was crushed by the god.
The passage from Rashmirathi, a ballad on Karna in the Mahabharat, used as lyrics for the video of air defence, is "Krishna's Warning”, its most quoted part: Jab naash manuj par chhaata hai pehele vivek mar jata hai (When doom hovers over a man, his reasoning is the first casualty).
Poet Dinkar, referred to as Rashtrakavi, was a member of the Congress, which sent him thrice to the Rajya Sabha. He was influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi and Karl Marx, finally choosing the Father of the Nation's path to Independence rather than the armed revolutionary movement.
Yet his poems were quoted at historic junctures. Jayaprakash Narayan quoted him at Delhi's Ramlila Ground rally during the Emergency.
Academic Badri Narayan wrote in this paper in 2020: "When the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Ladakh, he chose to inspire the Indian army by reciting a poem by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (Kalam Aaj Unaki Jay Bol). Incidentally, Modi has referred to Dinkar's poetry on various occasions.
"Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, among other leaders of the BJP, have used Dinkar’s verses to get across their political messages. Many pracharaks of the RSS have been known to use Dinkar's poems during lectures for swayamsevaks and in their articles for Panchjanya and Organiser.”
He added: "Dinkar’s poetry is characterised by aggressive posturing. It contains appeals of being chivalrous and demands strength to defend the nation. These elements are attractive to the BJP. Dinkar's poetry is consistent with the ideological tenets of Hindutva politics, which believes in the notions of a strong community and a strong nation."
DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, however, used a cricket analogy to explain the multiple layers of India's air defence.
Referring to the Ashes between England and Australia in the 1970s, Lt Gen Ghai said: "At that time, two ace bowlers of Australia — Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee destroyed the English batting line-up. At that time, Australia coined a proverb — Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don't get ya, Lillee must…. Even if you crossed all the layers, one of the layers of this grid system will hit you."