Abhorrent practice of genuflection
GENUFLECTION is defined as ‘to be servilely respectful or deferential’. The word was adopted from Latin — genu (knee) and flectere (to bend). It is amusing to read correspondence during the British Raj with flowery salutations ending with ‘Your humble and faithful servant’. Another common term in parlance is ‘I beg to submit’. Why beg? Why not ‘I wish to submit’?
India has an age-old tradition of bending and touching the feet of elders. It is a gesture of deep respect and is reciprocated with blessings. The practice of bending over or lying prostrate was a gesture of worship or adoration before a deity. Not anymore. One sees plenty of it in the political arena where the powers that be are deified. Venerable octogenarians bend to touch the feet of persons half their age and are rightly castigated when photographs of this uncalled-for subservience are splashed across social media.
In the armed forces, the liberal use of ‘Sir ji’ is perceived to be a clever ploy to remain in the good books of your seniors. ‘Seeking your blessings, Sir’ is the favourite stratagem for playing it safe in case of any adversity, as it is assumed that unofficial concurrence to a course of action has been obtained. In a tactical discussion, one can identify the wily ones gauging which way the wind is blowing before expressing their opinion. This inhibits any fruitful discussion or examination of a problem.
The military leadership, prior to the 1962 debacle, did not forcefully put across its point of view that India was ill-prepared to blunt the Chinese offensive. A fresh army formation, ill-equipped and under-clothed, was rushed to stem the tide because the Indo-Tibetan border was held by paramilitary forces. The PLA build-up in Tibet in the 1950s was an adequate warning and should have been flagged by the military top brass to convince the government to replace the paramilitary forces with regular troops, well before the Chinese incursion.
It must be remembered that the Indian military is subordinate to but not subservient to the political leadership. In 1986, when General K Sundarji took over as the Chief of Army Staff, he wrote a letter to each officer, expressing concern at the tendency of subservience among officers. He advised that during a conversation, senior officers should be addressed by their rank, like in the US armed forces. For instance, ‘I think you are right, Colonel’ (not ‘Sir’). I tried it out, received disapproving looks, and abandoned it. I did not, however, stoop to the level of ‘Sir ji’.
