Poll: Views on Wagah border ceremony

[Carl_T]

Omg....sorry but does no one else think this is ??? Especially with how serious the expressions on the soldiers' faces are.


We could keep it, but change the uniforms.

[RayC]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

[wig]

the ceremony is rather well attended on both sides. many simple folks look upon it as a matter of pride and revel in the performance by the BSF personnel
perhaps it can be conducted by the BSF with more elan and professional decorum ( I am sure the BSF has drill masters who can make the drill look professional. i quite agree that at times it looks ludicrous.)
less high kicks and flailing arms perhaps.

[shiv]

the ceremony is rather well attended on both sides. many simple folks look upon it as a matter of pride and revel in the performance by the BSF personnel

This is the problem!! The promotion of a lungi dance event that makes a mockery of Indian sentiment by brining a silly competitive spirit where Paquis get equal airtime is phenomenlly naive! How dumb are we to deserve Pakis and then compete with them

Here we allow some people to earn money from this spectacle. Why not have an open air exhibition of tens of thousands of AK 47s captured from terrorists (suitable rendered unusable) and use the money for widows of soldiers.

That damn ceremony needs to be stamped under the boot of one of the soldiers. Just hoist and lower the flag with dignity.

[Carl_T]

Maybe the soldiers could choreograph a dance.

[shiv]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

I think your post about the hunched back and unclenched fists got deleted in the forum crash. And your point about medical advice not to stamp the foot down too hard. You have a point. It appears that raising the foot high has taken precedence over sense - but who can fault the soldier? It is the policymakers (who are my social peers and friends) who are stupid. And I flinch when I see those feet being stamped down - the foot is made up of little bones that are expected to serve you for a lifetime and should not be wasted on kicking mother earth. Kicking Paki balls is another matter.

In fact the hunched back has a perfectly valid anatomical/physics explanation. A mass of muscle that helps to lift the thighbone into that position is fixed at its other end to the spine (the bones of the verterbra) - so the spine must bend as one sees in a well performed soccer kick. But the hunch does not look good in a parade.

[RayC]

Shiv,

One could not explain the issue better.

These days we have rubber soled boots and not the leather ones with hobnails!

One of my cousins whose classmate is a General in Punjab was going to their class get together at this General's location. He was quite charged up about seeing this Wagah tamasha.

I told him it would be better and educative if he visited Khem Karam or Tarn Tarn and drove down the DCB and saw the Pakistan right across!

[Yayavar]

I went there with my uncle as a child, when it was much simpler though still co-ordinated with the Pak side. The soldiers were still impressive and we admired the way the two sides coordinated the timing and cheered our side. There was no color or goose-stepping and no stadium/seating. I remember that the audience got quite charged up and a few Nihangs (warrior monks) started sharpening their spear tips on the pavement, and stating they will finish of the $@y's. The BSF afsar had to come and pacify.

I had felt dismayed that the desi side looked drab while the other side looked bright and polished. Their gate was bigger, polished and brighter. Our gate was much simpler and the buildings seemed to have cracks in the walls - they were whitewashed single storey structures along the way. Later I complained to my father about this. He, an officer himself, said we go for real things, things that matter and not show. That is what seems to be the sentiment here but my young heart was not satisfied and looks like that sentiment has prevailed. People like the show and they like India to match the other side.

[RayC]

True.

But not as clowns!

[joshvajohn]

This expresses the childish ways of relating ourselves to Pakistan. In spite of tension and issues with Pakistan this is just a nonsense performance. I thought it was already stopped. It is time that India looks beyond Pakistan not only as a strong and mature nation to contribute to the world but also work together with those areas where we can jointly develop people across both countries. This will encourage people in Pakistan to loose interest in those fundamentalist elements and thus may not support terror in their countries against India and against any other nations.

[Fidel Guevara]

The ceremony has some use, but tone down down the foot banging, or replace with a menacing Soviet/NoKo/Nazi style goose stepping, or at least rotate the BSF men regularly.

When I visited a few years ago, it was absolutely a big patriotic rah-rah feel-good event. Kids from all over India were in the audience, and hopefully this one event helped push them a little towards the jingo side of the fence...if so, that's great!