THE INDIAN ARMY OFFICER
By MAJOR GURBACHAN SINGH
GREAT BRITAIN has recognised India's claim to national independence whether it be self-government within the frame- work of the British Commonwealth of Nations or otherwise. Self- Government presupposes a capacity for self-defence, and, unless India is ready to shoulder the responsibility of her own defence, her independence will mean little. Public men in India have been declaring over a number of years that India is only too anxious to take over her own defence if the British will let her do so. The British point of view, on the other hand, has always been that the armed forces in India cannot be Indianised as quickly as they wish, because the right type of Indian young man is not coming forward in sufficient numbers as officers. They further contend that India's freedom will not be worth a day's purchase if her defence cannot be handed over to a cadre of efficient and experienced Indian officers, and that to gain experience takes time.
No one who has the good of India at heart will disagree with the latter contention, but there is a lot of disagreement over the former. Merely to say that the right type is not coming forward does not take us very far. What is the right type? Does he exist? If he does, what is there that holds him back? Let me say at once that the " right type " does exist ; indeed, he has existed for a long time, but owing to our faulty methods of selection we have failed to catch him in sufficient numbers. The four hundred and fifty-odd Indians who form the regular Indian officer element of India's armed forces to-day, and many N.C.Os., are a fine body of men. During the recent war they have proved that courage, deter- mination and resourceful leadership are not the monopoly of any race.
The foremost attribute of military leadership is a sound general education, with a more than cursory acquaintance with such sub- jects as science, economics, geography and history. Modern war
has shown, that leaders must have elastic and adaptable minds if they are not to crack up under the stress of battle. Only a sound educational background will develop these qualities. I was an instructor at an O.T.S. in India recently, and found that _many of the cadets who came from civil life lacked qualities of leadership owing to their faulty education. Their scholarship had been purely academic. Candidates who came from the ranks, especially those who had been on active service, possessed excellent qualities of leadership, but lacked a sound educational background, and as a result were very slow in learning. What is wanted is a mean between these two extremes. A general overhaul of the entire educational system of the country is now envisaged by the authorities, and the opening of new military preparatory schools should produce the right type of general education for an army career. I would empha- sise that in order to get larger numbers of candidates we must not reduce the standards of qualifications which ordinarily applied to cadets entering the I.M.A. before the war. If we do we shall never have an efficient army.
To have a politically-minded army is to head for a national disaster. Politics, unfortunately, colour the tenor of all life in India to-day, but if our future army is to carry out normal military functions efficiently politics should be taboo. A cadet, therefore, who comes from a politically-active class is most undesirable in the officer-ranks of the army. I am aware that soldiers have the right to vote, and are, of course, entitled to their individual political opinions as long as they do not make a public exhibition of them ; but a soldier's duty and loyalty are to his country and not to the party government of the day.
Next, the right type must have a sense of responsibility, self- discipline, character and, in short, all the qualities of leadership which are comprised in that indefinable mysterious term " person- ality." A natural leader with a positive type of personality get, the best out of his men while one who tries to drive them does not get very far. Last, one who looks upon a career in the Army as a money-making business only is not the right type. The youth of the country must consider servicz in the defence-forces as a great honour.: I have tried to outline some of the attributes which go to the making of the right type. I have not attempted to discuss the very obvious ones. If the candidate who offers him- self for a commission has these attributes, his character-building and general military education at the proposed War Memorial Academy should fit him adequately for a successful career.
The defence of India will be a joint Indo-British responsibility for many years. British and Indian officers have learnt to respect each other under the stress of battle, and, given good will on both sides, there is no reason why this happy relationship should not continue. The handing and taking over of the complete defence of India will be a gradual, but not necessarily a slow, process. India will want the very best type of British officer in her armies. Birds of passage to whom the " glamour of India " does .not appeal will be misfits during the period of transition.
As regards Indian officers, the responsibility which lies on the shoulders of the selection boards cannot be stressed too much. Once the right type has been chosen the next task will lie with the new War Academy—which will probably turn out its first finished product in about 1953. The Indian Army that this cadet will eventually officer will be a well-balanced force where, in contrast to the past, one arm of the service will not predominate to the detriment of others. The Army will be as representative of the various Indian communities as possible ; and the decision to keep on in peace-time the Madras Regiment, the Bihar Regiment and other new regiments raised during the war is a step in the right direction. The Army will be a small but highly educated and mechanised organism; as the cost of keeping an army of our 1939-45 size would be prohibitive.
A very large number of Indian soldiers have been overseas, and, after a long stay in countries like Egypt, Palestine, Iran and Italy, have awakened to the significance of ancient history. Their stay in countries like Malaya, Java and Borneo is bound to be prolonged, with resultant effects on their outlook on things in general. The sepoys take current affairs seriously nowadays. The " line bat " is quickly giving way to rational discussions. These
factors are portents which cannot be ignored, and the sepoy of to- morrow would look to his officer to interpret them to him. The reputation of the Indian Army stands higher to-day than it ever did before. Indian soldiers have shown their prowess in battle. It has taken many years of hard work and human understanding, coupled with a good man-management, to bring, the Indian Army to this pitch, and there is a deep bond between leader and led. This achievement has been mainly British. To take over this bond unimpaired India will need the highest quality of military leader- ship and character, but already a good, if small, start has been made.
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