The General who loves the people of Kashmir!
By: M S Nazki/ANN NEWS
I will not stretch that far but it has to be General Devendra Pratap Pandey, Corps Commander the elite band of brothers from the Fifteenth! The ever smiling and vibrant Chinars!
-‘Shopian market was buzzing and the General drove in! No one knew in a shop as to what was to happen but one thing was sure that the shop was great and so were the youngsters in their best attire, could have dressed more appropriately had they known that General Pandey would drop into their shop! It was a surprise from the big man but he always used to give when he was a young man who baffled in those exercises in the Indian Military Academy and finally got the great 9th Sikh Light Infantry. The man was always a soldier when he was young but he would spring up nowhere for another surprise in Shopian market I never knew! But he always could be at the back of my mind when I saw the picture’!
-‘And thus I began the story just seeing the picture as to what could have happened and what would have happened. A new chapter of brotherhood of man was out to unfold!’
-‘ It’s war that makes generals’ was said by someone but I disagree here, wars destroy something, leave humanity in staggering cold igloos. A General is one man who the people, I mean wherever he goes salute out of love and blow kisses and the children adore and make him his/her ideal/idol! Devendra Pratap pandey stands out here as a human being! That is why the people salute him as a General of the people’!
-‘ I have read about great Generals of military history but some lines do tend to vibrate in the membranes of the brain as these ones do in mine, ‘a man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.’! I will not leave it for the readers to guess as to who this General was! It was George S. Patton Jr.
-‘A soldier is an enemy of none, he cannot be and I will prove it why? Because a soldier is always taught that Nation is first, the people next, if anyone else on the planet comes in third, forget me, I stand for everything! Period! So far the Indian Army has done exactly that and I do not believe in exaggerations. General Devendra Pratap Pandey is definitely from a special breed of officers of the Indian Army! Needless to mention the best of the best!
-‘The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.’ I think this is one thought that must be crossing the General’s mind every morning when he has his morning cup of tea and then breakfast. The beautiful people that I have referred to are Kashmiris and the land obviously of the Chinars and willows!’
The news item that reached me was GOC 15 Corps, Lt Gen DP. Pandey exploring the markets of Shopian in South Kashmir. I do not know whether I’m right or wrong but what I have understood is that at the back of the mind of the General is one thing that stands out and that is, ‘people are more difficult to work with than machines. And when a person is broken, he can’t be fixed! Most in South Kashmir are broken by the bad times and the reasons are many (but mostly negative) the endeavor now is to get them on the positive platform! And it can be done! The Indian Army is doing exactly that! This is what happened in bazaars of Shopian:
* This is a resounding first in the history of Kashmir of the last three decades, Army Commander Lieutenant General DP Pandey went on a surprise visit to South Kashmir’s Shopian town where he not only took selfies with people but also interacted with them!
* Locals said that the GoC, Lieutenant General DP Pandey emerged in Batapora area of Shopian and visited many shops where he interacted with the shopkeepers and people.
* He was accompanied by GoC Victor Force and Sector Commander.
* Lieutenant General DP Pandey wished people on the occasion of Diwali and talked to people about multiple subjects.
* A video which is viral on social media shows people, especially young men taking selfies with the army commander.
The man really conveyed a great message, ‘we have to allow ourselves to be loved by the people who really love us, the people who really matter. The people of Shopian matter to the Indian Army’!
Anyway since I’m from Nehama, I will end this one with a statement which my childhood mate said (I have already told you about her and this is what she said then (1989) ‘when you’re surrounded by all these people, it can be lonelier than when you’re by yourself. You can be in a huge crowd, but if you don’t feel like you can trust anyone or talk to anybody, you feel like you’re really alone.’ At that time my friend was right but General with this sudden visit proved that she is wrong now! Shopian is going to welcome everyone who left and that’s a promise by the Indian Army! I again think I’m not wrong because this will happen!
