"Thank God the fog did not allow much visibility on Rajpath. I am tired of seeing the same old Russian-made war equipment parading every year.

A few good men

"Thank God the fog did not allow much visibility on Rajpath. I am tired of seeing the same old Russian-made war equipment parading every year. It seems more like it's the Russian army arm-to-arm, not the Indian!" chuckled a friend, who happens to be a news photographer. He has been covering Republic Day parades since more than a decade, and has played witness to all the big and small changes. He hopes someday, things will transform for good. "The security of the entire parade has undergone sea change. The number of people coming to watch the parade has increased manifold, but somethings continue as they were. The Russian military hardware that still rules the Indian armed forces, for instance. I hope that stops before I retire," he sighed.

A young photo-journalist accompanying the veteran did not let the opportunity go waste. He figured there was more to talk aboutu00a0-- the corruption and frauds. "Don't worry sir. Nothing will change soon. I think even I will retire with the same wish. How can you expect things to change when our top generals are busy grabbing lands and making money from scams," he wisecracked.u00a0

Lost in the eavesdropping, I had almost forgotten my story of the day, and almost jumped when my boss called for an update. "Did you get Sanjay Kumar's photograph?" he asked. I was wondering if any one had managed to click the Param Vir Chakra awardee in the dense fog, and noticed his rank plates. Sanjay Kumar, who was awarded the highest gallantry award of the country for his exemplary role in the Kargil War, was demoted from his rank of Havildar to Lance Naik. But while the fog ruined my plans, a recent file rescued the day.

In the midst of it all, the words of the two photo-journalists kept ringing in my head. Is there any connection between the corrupt generals and lack of indigenization of our military hardware? Is Sanjay Kumar's demotion also the result of those breed of generals who rose in rank, but not through it u2014 without being part of any real action, that is?

Can warfare really be taught by simulating it on computer screens and war games on the fields? Has the top brass of the Indian army failed to recognize the worth of war winners like Sanjay Kumar and Havildar Yogendra Singh Yadav? Has the Indian army turned insensitive towards its jawans, who still join the force in the name of 'ijjat' and 'swabhimaan'?

"Believe it or not, it's difficult for the officers to accept that a jawan who worked under them is working along with them. To cut a long story short, there is an unmissable class divide in the country's best institution," summed up a retired Subedar Major whom I called to find my answers. And the fiercest fighters have no solution.