War is not Cricket

Kolkata: The bustling newsrooms, formal and social, of Indian electronic media are eagerly confusing Cricket with War. Many are deeply disappointed with the ceasefire declaration, as if a T20 blockbuster has been suspended mid-innings, with power plays in store. Pakistan, it seems, has not been taught a 'sufficient' lesson, as per the verdict from many an air-conditioned armchair.

It is necessary to brutally appreciate that Indians, at large, are simply not familiar with a scalable conflict within our boundaries. The Pakistan skirmishes of 1948, 1965 and 1971 affected limited parts of Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bengal. Casualties were limited and anecdotal, compared to any reasonable historical benchmark.

China in 1962 was an aggressive foe, and the Northeastern states were threatened, but in every case, the impact was largely borne by professional soldiers and not routine civilians.

Perhaps the 1857 uprising was the last time that there was live warfare in mainstream India, followed by miniature episodes in Goa, Hyderabad and Kashmir during their respective points of integration. Terrorism is a continuing threat, but it is fundamentally different from war, and that is amply apparent.

As a result, the Indian mainstream has a limited conception of war, from an experiential and anecdotal perspective. Further, less than one percent of our population is currently employed as scheduled armed personnel and that too is demographically and geographically skewed.

The dreamy romance of Bollywood and the sensational reportage of news channels are often the only sources of awareness, rarely first-hand. In a nation where military exposure is a matter of choice and not compulsion, unlike even Singapore, we are definitely and dangerously detached from the morbid realities of armed conflict.

Data, as ever, helps validate opinions, and we simply need to dig mildly. Especially, since the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, when the Nazis surrendered in World War II, coincided with Operation Sindoor.

In the European Theatre of War (1939-45), nearly 15 million civilians were killed, including the diabolical holocaust count of 6 million. London, during the Blitz of 1940-41, contributed to nearly half of Britain's 40,000 civilian casualties.

The Japanese occupation of Singapore led to the murder of 50,000 ethnic Chinese civilians, and the city itself was renamed as Syonan.

In Tokyo, more than 100,000 civilians perished during the Allied bombings of 1945, and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki death count of 200,000 is well known.

In Seoul, 1.5 million civilians died during the Korean War (1950-1953), and in Vietnam, civilian deaths would exceed 200,000 during their destructive conflict.

The Japanese Occupation of China from 1937-1945 is often termed the Asian Holocaust, with over 20 million casualties, mostly civilians.

The above points of data are deliberately skewed towards civilian impact, as opposed to military losses. There is no such precedence in 20th or 21st century India like the USA or larger Latin America; we have been spared territorial carnage. At least, the USA fought multiple wars in this period with mass mobilisation of forces, especially the infamous lottery-based draft during the Vietnam War.

Thus, leading to a larger societal sense of loss, unlike the insulated civilians of India, subject to famines and poverty, but certainly not armed conflict. As a result, we have a negligible appreciation of the sacrifices of war and the depressing toll on society.

This is possibly why electronic media journalists and social media citizens are being deeply callous in their reactions and provocations. PM Modi and his crack team have sharply chosen and are smartly executing a befitting long-term response to the terrorist neighbour, and for this, they need serious support and empathy.

Unfortunately, the nation's thought leaders are resorting to a Saas- Bahu soap opera tonality in the narratives- our calibrated aggression is surely not just about 'teaching a lesson' to a reckless juvenile. It is instead about making our sovereign territory consistently secure for our citizens and thus entrenching the foundation for prosperity and stability. So that our socio-economic juggernaut does not get thwarted by the threat of guns.

To repeat, this is not a continuing sequence of a 1947-origin emotional family drama and is most certainly not a communal matter - Pakistan, the rogue state, has to be neutralised by the modern democracy of India. For this, we are blessed to have a confident government and an accomplished military, with formidable diplomatic air cover. USA, acting as mediators and counsellors, is definitely helping our larger cause.

Perhaps, India needs to have a model code of conduct, empowering citizens to act productively during tacit or direct conflict. For starters, the socio-economic ecosystem must keep performing - cancelling or postponing engagements puts unnecessary pressure on the economy. This includes the IPL, which can speedily resume in East and Southern India, and does not exclude even routine social events.

Effective Citizenry, inspired by Effective Altruism, means that the show must go on and business is as usual. The stars who are cancelling live shows must be persuaded to reconsider and demonstrate rational solidarity by contributing earnings to the Armed Forces, for reconstruction or replenishment.

This has been the proven model for countries ravaged by the Second World War - a continuing sense of community is critical, and tokenistic emotional abstinence is useless for all. Such ill-advised actions also convey the incorrect message that the nation is rattled, fuelling the fake news arsenal of our unscrupulous enemies.

Significant influencers must come to the party, including Akshay Kumar and his peers who are cinematic exploiters of this genre. To send a clear message to one and all that war is serious business, and that the narratives must be nurtured accordingly. Closer to the sober Covid story, once threatening but then rapidly under control, than say a frenzied panic attack, dramatised as if an IPL match.

If electronic media does its job, the social media emulators will learn quickly. Look no further than CNN and BBC for war reporting, incisive and analytical, resembling the craft of psephologists. TRPs will invariably follow, but never at the cost of inaccuracy or delirium.

War is not Cricket, and Cricket is no War. In this hyper-charged nation, the two have unfortunately got mixed up to forge a misleading cocktail. India is demonstrating its truest potential to the universe, blessed with courageous leadership and hard-earned tenacity. Media and citizenry must act maturely, else there may be injustice for all.