By Karan Thapar

Are we an ungrateful nation? It is, I dare say, an odd question to ask on a sunday morning. But as I reflect on the life of Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, the hero of the Bangladesh war, I feel it’s pertinent. Oh, no doubt, in death we showered him with praise. You could even say we over did it. But during his life, when arguably it would have mattered, it was a different story.

First, let me admit that not everyone sees him as a hero. There is a minority that argues otherwise. Major General Lachman Singh, one of his divisional commanders, had this to say of Aurora in his book ‘Victory in Bangladesh’ : “He was not regarded in the Army as a commander of any distinction, his reputation being that essentially of a staff officer. During the 1971 operations Aurora undertook frequent visits to the forward areas but failed to win the confidence of most field commanders.”

Even Aurora’s Chief of Staff, Major General (now Lt. General) Jacob is measured in praising him : “He was the Army Commander and as such should be given credit for the success of our operations.”

The opposite view, however, is more common. Aurora’s chief, General (now Field Marshal) Manekshaw puts it pithily : “While Jaggie did all the work, I got the baton”. And certainly I grew up thinking of him as ‘the man who won the war’. In my teens Jagjit Singh Aurora was our Montgomery and our Patton. If you’ve read further you could also compare him to Rommell and Ludendorff. So, as far as I’m concerned, Aurora was a hero.

But beyond teenage hero-worship and a certain brief folklore, what recognition did we give him? And what reward? Manekshaw was made field marshal but Aurora retired with the rank he held in 1971. Why? Did he not deserve promotion? Had he not earned it? The argument that India has just one four star general is only partially convincing. Any army as large as ours needs several more. But I won’t use Aurora as an excuse to argue that ’71 was the occasion to fill the gap. No, just as Manekshaw was promoted fifteen days before demitting office as Chief so, too, Aurora could have been given his fourth star before retiring as army commander. Like Manekshaw it would have been a one-off recognition. Not a precedent but a special gesture. And like Manekshaw it would have been richly merited.

In Britain, a country we gladly emulate in such matters, things would have been different. In the 18th century a grateful queen gave Churchill a dukedom for his victories in Europe. After Waterloo Wellesley was similarly rewarded. In more recent times, after World War-II, Alexander and Montgomery were made field marshals. In fact, there was a time when Britain had as many as six.

In our case when recognition comes it’s not just unforgivably late but unmistakably manipulated. Consequently, it’s seen as a political tactic rather than a nation’s gratitude. Or else how do you explain the field marshaldom bestowed on Cariappa in his late 80s, or the recent Marshal of the Air Force title gifted to Arjan Singh 33 years after he left office?

In contrast think how our dhoti-kurtawallahs heap honours upon their own usually undeserving shoulders. Even from the grave they can claim Bharat Ratnas! Bose got it almost fifty years after he was last seen alive. Fortunately his family was wise enough to refuse. And if Rajiv Gandhi and Gulzarilal Nanda can merit a Bharat Ratna then why not Manekshaw or Aurora? In terms of service to India no one would put the two politicians ahead of the two soldiers.

And what of the other officers and men without whom the 1971 war could never have been won? After all, it wasn’t a one or two-man operation. Even if tens of thousands are not deserving of recognition and reward can it really be the case that one field marshaldom was sufficient? No doubt they got medals which they wore with pride. But if the full cricket team can get bonuses for beating Pakistan then surely they deserve more?

To paraphrase Tennyson, we rely on those who never question but simply do and die. That is their duty. But when it’s performed with distinction it’s ours to recognise and reward. Otherwise the next time they may not be there. Then, horrors, we would have to take on the doing and the dying ourselves!