Indian officers gathered with their families, and soldiers could only appear on the scene as waiters
Indian officers always have an "aristocratic identity"
In September, India sent a military contingent to participate in the "Osi-21" strategic exercise jointly held by Russia and Belarus, which is composed almost entirely of officers and clearly has the flavor of "learning from the experience". It is no wonder that as the third largest armed force in the world, the Indian army regards the construction of the officer contingent as the focus of the construction of the army, in order to "strengthen the bones and bones". It is puzzling that the God-like Indian Officer Corps is precisely the shortcoming of the construction of a huge army.
Inheriting the "Colonial Legacy"
The Indian army was formerly a British-trained colonial army, which suppressed national resistance internally and invaded and expanded externally. After India's independence in 1947, the British gradually withdrew, but the Indian army continued to follow the old tradition, especially retaining the "King's Appointed Officer" (renamed duly appointed officer) and the "Governor-Appointed Officer" (renamed low-level commissioned officer), so that the "colonial legacy" was institutionalized.
During the colonial period, the harsh British-style separation of officers and soldiers created an insurmountable "identity gap", often officers from high-gate mansions were not even willing to share a toilet with soldiers, and the Indian officer corps inherited this mantle in its entirety and played a jaw-dropping role. In order to maintain the status and shelf of the "gentleman" of the officer corps, the Indian army strictly controlled the number of officially appointed officers. At present, the proportion of Indian Army officers in Army posts is only about 4%, far lower than the 16% of the US army and the 17% of the British army. India's regular military academies recruit less than a thousand students a year, and they almost monopolize most of the career routes of the Indian army. As for the junior appointees, although they do not have the status of "superior to the people" as regular officers, they are also above ordinary soldiers, and they also have independent restaurants and do not eat with low-level soldiers.
Vanity Fair's "Profit Seekers"
India's use of conscription to maintain the size of the military is essentially a "money for life" employment relationship. Many officers admit that "joining the military is only a shortcut to promotion and wealth, and it is far easier and more comfortable than a businessman who calculates money all the time."
According to the salary standards of the Indian Army this year, the starting salary of ordinary soldiers ranges from 15,000 to 25,000 rupees, and the salary will increase exponentially after promotion to officer, the monthly salary of lieutenants in the army is about 56,000 rupees, the major is 69,000 rupees, the brigadier general can reach 139,000 rupees, and the monthly salary of the general is more than 250,000 rupees, which is more than ten times that of ordinary soldiers and more than twenty times the average salary of Indian society. In addition to the basic salary, Indian officers are also entitled to a wide range of allowances. In addition, officers can also enjoy fully equipped military apartments, 60 days of annual leave and 20 days of personal leave per year, a lifetime pension after retirement, and they and their immediate family members also enjoy insurance and high-quality free medical care. Indian Lieutenant Chandra Singh, who had been captured by Pakistan, said: "My family has 100 acres of land and employs four or five servants, but in order to make more money, I chose to join the army." ”
Indian officers usually ponder how to maximize personal interests in the "vanity fair" of the army, and some even do whatever it takes to achieve the goal. In March, the Indian Army exposed a conscription den in which 17 servicemen, including seven school-level officers, were accused of taking bribes during the military selection committee's recruitment process to "give the green light" to those who were not physically fit to "give the green light" to the medical examinations at the Base Hospital in New Delhi.
"Bullies" in subcultural groups
As we all know, the unique caste culture is deeply rooted in Indian society, and even the Indian army is not immune. Indian senior officers and generals are basically from high-caste families such as Brahmins and Kshatriyas, enjoy the most superior resources in the army, and often command soldiers and even low-level officers.
Most civilian-born, low-level appointees pale in comparison to the high-born, formally appointed officers, regardless of differences in salaries, and lower-ranking appointees are usually older and have excellent military skills, but there is no age limit for promotion, and when to be promoted depends more on availability and relationship with superiors. In the eyes of formally appointed officers, low-level appointed officers are synonymous with "incompetent, no future", and they are full of contempt.
This is still the case for low-level appointing officers, and it is even more important for ordinary soldiers to "live in different worlds." Indian officers are usually on top of the crowd, shouting and drinking from what they see as "untouchables", and even eating and sleeping require one or two soldiers to serve. Lower caste soldiers were often placed on duty, polishing shoes, ironing clothes and even massaging their superiors, and looked a lot like "Batman" because their arms were often blackened by shoe polish. In January 2017, a "Batman" of the Indian Army sent a petition online to publicly boycott the establishment of such a service force, but the Indian Ministry of Defence pretended to be deaf and dumb. (Sun Wenjing, Liang Jun)
Source: Xinmin Evening News