Winning hearts and minds in Lebanon

The Israel-Lebanon gruesome war had just ended. I was picked to lead my battalion, 15 Punjab, as the United Nations’ Indian contingent in Lebanon in 2007. The 15 Punjab is the only battalion in the Punjab Regiment which has all Sikh soldiers.

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Lebanon has a vibrant western culture and majority of the population comprises Christians, with a sprinkling of Shias and Sunnis. I was deeply conscious of the fact that the greatest challenge during the peacekeeping duties would be effective communication between the soldiers and the civilian population.

During the three months’ training at Khanpur camp at Delhi, my task was cut out — to train the simple yet burly Sikh soldiers in understanding and usage of simple English and Lebanese words. That was the first step towards winning the hearts and minds of the local population in those difficult times.

The Sikhs as a community are very adaptable and have a very quick uptake. Lo and behold, within no time, the troops became adept at not only the usage of simple Lebanese words, but started dabbling in English as well. After landing at Beirut airport, they had a pleasant surprise in store for the Lebanese people when they started greeting them in their language. That was a great take-off point for a cordial relationship with the masses for the next one year.

I soon realised that ours was the only contingent out of 17 in Lebanon who could converse with the Lebanese people. Soon, the Sikh troops became the cynosure of all eyes. The Lebanese were thrilled by the turban the troops adorned with elan, with six uniform folds on the top right. Neatly-tied turbans impressed the locals, especially young girls. I recall an official engagement when I had to visit Israel to resolve some operational issues. In Jerusalem, my driver, Havildar Kulwant Singh, got mobbed by young girls who wanted to click selfies with him. Kulwant’s happiness knew no bounds when he became the impromptu star at a famous tourist spot, so much so that I got envious of him. He was too happy to oblige all of them, caring two hoots for his CO, who had no option but to wait patiently to allow him to have a field day. Back in the jeep, he sheepishly replied, “Saab, main ki karda, menu kudiyan ne gher leya (What could I do, I was mobbed by girls).”

As a Commanding Officer, I used to remind myself each day that I have to tap the potential of every one under my command. We had a soldier who had honed his culinary skills in whipping out delectable jalebis before we left India. Therefore, I had him deployed at a small eatery our unit ran for the soldiers, who were itching for home-made goodies after getting fed up of consuming United Nations’ high calorie diet, mainly comprising non-vegetarian food. After a week, I noticed a beeline of civilians next to the eatery to buy the jalebis.

I was convinced, whether it be war or winning hearts and minds of the local population, no one can beat the Sikhs. One fine day, a company post reported an accident in which an armoured personnel carrier of the Belgium contingent had overturned, critically injuring the occupants. Our troops immediately reacted with the Quick Action Team and were able to rescue all the injured, evacuating them from the difficult hilly terrain. I was surprised when the Belgium Defence Minister flew down to honour all the members of our 15 Punjab Quick Action Team with medals.

I realised that the foreign armies have a great sense of gratitude towards their soldiers and a unique way of honouring their colleagues. It is worthy of emulation in our country.