They killed 42. So we killed 300. And that’s how it started. And that’s how every war starts- with dead people, fear, anger, vengeance, and it all finally comes down to many more deaths. Sometimes a number which is beyond human imagination. A number which would be written down in the history books, but only as a ‘number’, hiding the burden of every death in the war, and immeasurable pain that follows.
We got to study about the three wars that India and Pakistan fought in 1965, 1971 and 1999 (or 1947, as it was nothing less than a war). I don’t want the coming generation to study about yet another war that took place in our times. And I definitely don’t want them to read about the death toll, merely as a number written in their history books.
What I would like them to read is the stories of our brave freedom fighters, who gave up their lives for a cause larger than humanity. A cause which made our great nation independent from centuries of foreign subjugation and not about the subsequent wars which gave us gut-wrenching memories of losing our soldiers than actually winning those wars. Yes, it’s true that a war can be won only through human sacrifice, but the point is, is it all worth it? Is it worth celebrating a war which killed hundreds of our soldiers? Maybe all that I am feeling right now is just an emotional response to the tensions building up at the border, but it is also a rational and sensible thought full of compassion, that makes me human.
I know many of you might think that it’s easier to write on such topics and be oblivious of the ground realities. But clearly, I don’t understand the purpose of war. It surely does bring political stability in many situations, but at what cost? The cost of human life is invaluable, and the strength of a nation lies in the well-being of its people. India has been a historically peace-loving country and a preacher of non-violence. And this is the exact time when we need to act upon these principles, that we have always prided upon. Its time, that we follow the path of our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and save hundreds of innocent lives from a fate of doom.
I know the actual situation is much more complicated and may be beyond the comprehension of a common citizen like me, but all I want to say through this article is that war is not always the answer.