On 2 June, an Army Aviation pilot proposed to his partner, just after his passing out parade at the Combat Army Aviation Training School, in Nashik, Maharashtra. He did this dressed in his crisp ceremonial Army uniform with a Cheetah helicopter serving as his backdrop. The moment unfolded in full view of his batchmates, instructors, family members, and invited guests, who erupted into loud applause.
Since the media had been invited to cover the event, they took the opportunity to thrust the mike to an emotional captain’s face (his fiancée had just said ’yes’), who shared their beautiful story. They had known each other for five years and he felt there was no better day to celebrate their love than on the day of his professional achievement of receiving his flying wings.The incident went viral, generating a nationwide debate and two distinct perspectives emerged. One, that it was a heartwarming narrative of a “fairytale, movie like moment”. The second was one of security, protocol and decorum criticism, in which several defence veterans were the most vocal critics, as were a significant segment of citizenry.
The critics, many of my generation, misunderstand how to read something like this. Anything that shows the Army and its officers in a positive light, especially on social media, must be welcomed with open arms. We must not curb the josh that makes our Army what it is.
