War and Peace

Over the last few months, I've grown fascinated by war. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone war and the suffering that ensues. But I've grown to like military strategy and studying the circumstances that ignite war, the way battles are strategically planned, and the factors that contribute to success or defeat.

For starters, Wikipedia is an excellent resource. I started off by reading about World War II, and before I knew it, I was reading up on obscure battles fought on the Pacific front, the blitzkrieg tactics of the Germans, and the rugged war on the East African Front. I know that Wikipedia (and any other mainstream media) can be biased towards the victor, so I dug up into more less-known sources that portrayed the other side of the coin as well. Every day before going to bed, I would read up on at least one battle on one of the various fronts of WW2.

There is an excellent documentary made in the 1970s (by the British). It is called the 'World at War', and is a 26-episode series that describes the entire extent of the war, starting from the uprising of the Nazi party in Germany, to the war on the European front, till the final surrender of the Axis powers in 1945. It is an excellent resource for those who are interested in a fairly balanced overview of the great war, without going too much into mundane details (which incidentally is exactly what I like)

I then realized that (unlike in India), people of the west take great pride in their war-time exploits. It is true that they were much more affected by the war, but the efforts of the Indian soldiers, fighting on behalf of the British crown, were no less heroic. I have since tried to visit any monument or memorial which remembers the wartime suffering and gallant sacrifices made by men for what they believed in.

I have also learned that a lot of what we learn growing up is pure propaganda. Writing about a war are among the victor's spoils, and history has been twisted pretty much the way the Allies have wanted. The set of circumstances leading to the war are horribly more complex than what we are led to believe. There is no white or black; everyone has their dark side, and there are few, if any, who can claim to be faultless.

I was in Japan, a few months ago, and though I didn't have much time to spare, I made it a point to travel to Hiroshima, and pay my homage to the victims of the Atomic Bomb. Just a few days before, I had read about the Manhattan project, and the tremendous job done by the hundreds of thousands of people working there. At that time, I was fascinated and thrilled by the success of a group of researchers who did the seemingly impossible: developing a weapon of mass destruction, under extreme adversity, under the pressure of war and the threat of fascism. But when I visited the memorial for the victims of the blast on Aug 6,1945, I felt ashamed of my earlier views. The horrors inflicted by war can only be understood by those who have suffered the brunt of it. I have heard about the Atomic Bomb since I was a kid, but never have I given much thought to it, as I did during those few hours in Hiroshima. When I visited the former headquarters of the Hiroshima prefecture, which is directly beneath the epicenter of the explosion, I was stunned by its destructive power and the immense suffering it caused.

I have since tried to understand the philosophy and motivation of those individuals who were directly responsible for the war. I have read the Nuremberg and Tokyo trial depositions, and they give a direct glimpse into the thinking of both the Allied and Axis leaders of the time. It is amazing how a seemingly innocuous, progressive leader can turn into a murderous war-monger. War mongers are the bane of our society, and they have no regard, respect and sympathy for human life and suffering. For them, war is all about strategy, success and setbacks. Sadly, we live in a world today that has no dearth of such individuals. They belong to the west as well as the east, they are Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and they belong to all races and nationalities.

Still, I am fascinated by war, and way it unfolds and affects all those around it. Nowadays, there's no better way to strike up a conversation with me, that to speak about the World Wars, the Cold war, the strifes of the middle east, or the conflict in the Balkans. Sometimes I wish I was a historian rather than a computer scientist .... but then .... that's how life is.

Taking Offense: A National Pastime

Firstly, thanks for reading my blog. I've been wanting to blog for a while now, but procrastination has always got the better of me. A discussion I had with my friends yesterday forced me to finally break free of the shackles.

Is it just me, or does anyone else notice the growing wave of intolerance in the Indian society ? Almost every other day, I read a news article about how the 'sensibilities' of a particular group were offended by someone else. A few examples which immediately come to mind are:
1) Sania Mirza wearing a skirt supposedly offending conservative muslims
2) The movie 'Akbar Jodha' offending the sensibilities of Rajputs for having depicted Jodha as Akbar's wife (they claim she was his daughter-in-law)
3) M.F. Husain's paintings of Hindu goddesses which outraged certain Hindus
4) Finally, a lyric in Madhuri Dixit's latest movie 'Aaja Nachle', which apparently outraged the feelings of a certain caste, led to it being banned in couple of states.

I could go on and on, but I will spare you the details. Everyone is different, and what may be offensive to you may not offend me. There is a thin line between freedom of expression and offensive, spiteful speech. Where one draws that line is his prerogative. However, in my opinion, we Indians are offended very easily. One could ridicule the previous sentence as a vast,unjustified generalization, but I somehow feel that it rings true. Now I am not saying that Americans or Europeans are the most liberal-minded people on earth. They have a different set of topics which they deem offensive. That, however, is not the topic of this post. My feeling is that , as a nation, we take offense to things that are ridiculously silly and unworthy of our time.

Now, I may not agree with M.F.Husain's depictions of deities, I do not care about Madhuri's movie, even less about 'Akbar Jodha', and I admit Sania does look good in a skirt. But regardless of the opinions I hold about these different topics, I realize the fact that I have no stake in determining whether or not they should happen. Freedom of expression is one of the basic guarantees our constitution provides, and upholding this right is a matter of concern for everyone of us. I recognize that I may abhor certain views, but I certainly cannot demand that the people who express them be denied the right to do so.

However, our society and media seems to think otherwise. It is as easy for a movie to get banned in India, as it is to obtain a fake license. You can be persecuted for your views, regardless of how sensible they are, if there are enough people who are offended by them. Believe me, it does not take much to offend a group, caste, community or religious group. And the relatively high unemployment rate and general apathy ensures that there are sufficient youths to take out a march, hold a dharna, throw rocks at your windows, or deface your home. Beware ! Not only can your words cause intense personal damage, you might be liable for the burning of a few buses or a major traffic jam.

While there are several flaws in the western society, one thing I admire about them is their thick skin. Simple comments and remarks which could set off riots in India are treated as they should be: with general disdain or a clever retort.

So my advice to you, fellow citizens of my magnificent country, is to develop a hard layer around yourself, and refuse to be offended by silly songs in movies, and hemlines of cheerleaders. If we are to be the power that we aspire to be, these issues must be cast aside for more serious debates about the economy, politics and education.