Lt. Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)
Unknown to the author when he published his article Withering fate of Jammu/ Dogras (7th Dec), there was a write up by Prof RR Sharma Amazing Visions of Jammu: Janus Faced (28th Nov)in the Daily Excelsior critiquing the author’s earlier article Branding Jammu; The Most Valourous City of India (3rd Jun). While disagreeing with the author’s postulated hypothesis of selecting a Unique-Selling-Propo-sition (USP) for Jammu is part of a healthy, intellectual and necessary debate – however, misquoting from the article and its suppositions, is not appropriate.
Prof Sharma misrepresents in his article that the author had referenced Kolkata and some other cities as examples of potentially Valourous cities by writing, “There are several cities is India, which have to their credit their valourous legends. Their names are mentioned by Gen. Bhupinder Singh such as, “Hyderabad, Varanasi, Chandigarh, Kolkota” Most hilarious is his description of Kolkota He writes “Kolkota has amplified its year long revelry and festivity”. I am, rather amused Kolkota is known for its great “sons of the soil” such as Rabindranath Tagore, perhaps the first Indian to be honoured with ‘Nobel Prize’ There are several other Bengalis, who are well known and admired in the whole country.”. This is certainly an imaginative interpretation of what was actually written as the author had explicitly stated that different cities in India are known by various brands/ monikers owing to the USP that each has appropriated and invested in e.g. IT-based references for Hyderabad, Planned City-based references for Chandigarh, ‘City of Light’ for Kolkata etc. I quote from the actual text of the article published on 3rd June, “Hyderabad cleverly dovetailed its Information Technology (IT) forays towards ‘Cyberabad’, Chandigarh remains the quintessential ‘Planned City’ or ‘City Beautiful’, Varanasi invokes its timeless antiquity and religiousity to be the mystic ‘the City of Lights’, Kolkata has amplified its year-round revelry and festivity in a ‘City of Joy’ that never disappoints etc. Even States like Kerala have invested heavily and reaped the benefit of its ‘God’s own country’ to signify the multitude of religious denominations. Just having all the elements of a brand are not enough, as they need to be chiseled, articulated and creatively posited for public consumption”. Nowhere was Kolkata referenced as an example of a potentially Valourous city as implied and decried, in Prof Sharma’s suggestions. One can intellectually differ on opinions i.e. whether to call Jammu: The Most Valourous City of India or not, but we cannot differ on stated facts, as were published.
My limited point of suggesting the rather martial-sounding USP for Jammu, as opposed to appropriating the ‘City of Temples’ was that it is a branding nomenclature that has already been appropriated by cities like Varanasi (the oldest living city in the world) or Madurai – both of a certain antiquity, religious-reverence and psychological national imprint that is difficult to outshine, as yet another claimant. This does not diminish the importance of Jammu’s temples, just as it does not dampen Himachal Pradesh’s claims of Dev Bhoomi, as also of exactly same branding by Uttarakhand. There are simply many too claimants, already. Though there are no formulaic ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in deciding upon a USP for destination branding, as it remains a matter of choice and decision – therefore the author felt that since the potential branding of Most Valourous City of India remains unclaimed, is importantly beyond questioning (sheer number of gallantry awardees of Indian Armed Forces from Duggar Lands, including the Himachal/Punjab tracts for whom Jammu remains the epicenter of ‘Dograness’), and could be a powerful, stirring and galvanizing claim that would resonate deeply amongst all proud Indians, across the length and breadth of the country? Not only could it add the much-needed weight of a ‘Value Proposition’ but it also has a ‘sticky’, rousing and emotional quality about it that would shame the hitherto indifferent citizenry for having ignored such a land/people, who have done so much for the nation selflessly, since time immemorial.
As a former combatant who has served in the most unforgiving, trying and unreachable frontiers of the country, the author does not share the view that the heroics, conquests or the raw gallantry of a General Zorawar Singh were any lesser than that of Napoleon the Great, as suggested by Prof Sharma – however, that too is a matter of perception, we could agree to disagree. From a purely militaristic perspective, to scale, dislodge and conquer lands in such punishing topography (as was done by General Zorawar Singh) requires almost superhuman courage, leadership and capabilities. Whereas, the French have invested assiduously to protect, create and even romanticize the imagery of Napoleon, which has cemented his definitive iconography and imagery across the world. From dramatic paintings, idealizing statements to even mythmaking, the French created the generously-dashing and cavalier image of a conqueror that successfully suppressed contrary views of historians like Victor Davis Hanson who note rather soberly, ‘After all, the military record is unquestioned-17 years of wars, perhaps six million Europeans dead, France bankrupt, her overseas colonies lost’. But the French clearly understood the power, necessities and urgency of creating striking and resonating brands.
Beyond clarifications pertaining to my earlier article and in re-positing the rationale for branding Jammu/Dogras with the tag of unmatched valour – I draw from experience of serving along with Dogra troops of various Indian Army Regiments (even though, I am from the fiery and illustrious Rajput Regiment myself). I have always sensed an unsaid humility, civility and reclusiveness in soldiers from the Duggar lands that sometimes becomes counterproductive, especially for the task on hand. The tag of ‘Gentleman Soldiers’ is indeed a matter of well-earned dignity as these hardy but simple soldiers, are second to none in battle. The naturally genteel refinement of Duggar soldiers still bore the likes of Maj Somnath Sharma, Brig Rajendra Jamwal, Subedar Bana Singh, Captain Vikram Batra, Maj Ajay Jasrotia, Captain GS Salaria etc. (an unending list of valour, that importantly cuts across the religio-casteist divides). So, by extrapolating this psychographic frame onto the entirety of populace – it is unsurprising that the silence of Dogras has been conveniently and imprecisely decoded as that warranting no correction, recourse or addressability in the national urgencies. Jammu continues to be taken for granted and languishes in desperate need for investments, job-opportunities, civic-infrastructure etc. etc. When all other regional/ethnic formations across the country are busy vying for national and political attention, the ‘voice’ of concern for the Jammu/Dogras remains unheard in ‘Delhi’. While the other regions often have a distinct religio-casteist underpinning, the Dogra woes are rooted in the constitutional morality of potentially presenting itself as one of ‘unity in diversity’. There is a clear case to shun the conventional ‘divides’ that is the instinctive wont of most national/regional parties, as that fragments the inclusive-Dogra identity, to its disadvantage. The fact that I am only married to a very proud Jamwal Dogra and have an outsider’s perspective – one wonder’s at the incredulity and inexplicability, as to why Jammu/Dogras who have always punched above their weight for the nation, still remain essentially unacknowledged, unsung and unrecognised for their stellar performance and achievements. Perhaps the starting point is be less harsh, critical and diffident about oneself as there is enough and more in terms of powerful ‘assets’ for Jammu/Dogras to invoke and project (unlike the efforts that may have gone for branding ‘Napoleon the Great’) for themselves – especially since there is a umbilical thread of civilisational nobility and constitutional morality that binds patriotism and ‘unity in diversity’, both of which Jammu/Dogras have in ample quantity, if only they wished to believe so?
(The author is former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry)
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