Every year, the Officers Training Academy at Chennai and the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun jointly turn out more than 1,200 officers. In the last few years, the profile of most of the new officers has a strikingly common strand—they belong to small towns and villages. Many are the sons of naiks and havildars—non commissioned officers, who spent a lifetime serving under commissioned officers.
Defence analyst Maroof Raza agrees it is a significant change of profile for the Army officer. "Almost 80% of the officers joining up today are from a lower middle class or middle class background," he says.
Is the Indian Army becoming more meritocratic? Time was when the Army was considered the exclusive domain of erstwhile royalty and families who prided themselves on a tradition of soldiering. Observers say the changing demographic in the officer ranks indicates the increasingly heterogeneous nature of the world's second-largest army. This is also reflected in the recruitment of jawans, with practically every Indian state contributing a set number determined on the basis of its population and ethnic groups.
Clearly, the Indian Army is becoming more inclusive but some analysts complain its talent pool is shrinking. "When I look around, I see a number of officers who joined the Army as a last resort. They weren't able to get anywhere else, so they came here," says a serving major, who doesn't wish to be named.
Attracting—and more important, retaining—talent has been a problem for the Army for several years. This is thought to be the main reason it suffers a shortfall of officers. Many serving and retired officers say it is hard to advertise an Army job as attractive because it pays less than the private sector. Retired Colonel P N Khera, who edits the Delhi journal, Asia Defence News, points out that the Army's new inclusiveness is at least partly a product of its low pay. "We have the children of JCOs/Other Ranks, who are already exposed to the defence life and want to reach the level that their fathers couldn't," he says. Khera adds that "in terms of comfort level and pay scale, there are much more lucrative career options available now. That's why many officers' children don't join the services."
But what does that really mean? Do the children of Other Ranks automatically make for a poorer quality of officer? No one is willing to say so. Retired Brigadier M B Anand, who was military attaché to former Army chief Gen B C Joshi, insists that "our officers are among the best in the world". Anand declares that this is the result of " years of training". So what's the problem with having 'almost-gentlemen' become officers? Many old-school officers quietly suggest there are "adjustment problems", which no amount of training can overcome. A former Artillery major offers the sort of logic many put forward anonymously. "The sort of officers who now join up come from the smaller towns and villages. They are people who might not understand the intricacies of the 'dastoor' or practices of the old Army," he says.
The middle-class distaste at being "swamped by the masses" spills over into a crucial area for any fighting force— communication. A former captain says that "despite the training, there are many rough corners that need to be smoothed in many (new) officers. For instance, I worked under people who couldn't write a single straight paragraph in English to save their lives. It was very frustrating."
As an analyst, Maroof Raza has a ringside view of the Army that is changing as fast as India's economic contours. "Most people joining up today might not have gone to public schools. Many are not comfortable with English. But, the Army is not looking for such brilliance. They're looking for above average people – who, if given an order to go out and capture a hill, will go and do just that," he says.
The good thing now is the likely flattening of class divisions. A doctor in the Army Medical Corps says the class divide between officers and their men has to blur because many new officers are sons of jawans. "This was almost unthinkable in an officer-driven organization like the Indian Army earlier," he says. The change is slow but obvious.
Hindi is slowly replacing English as the preferred language. Parties in the officers mess now choose Bollywood rather than Western music. A serving major agrees that "in many small ways, we are slowly adapting a culture that is reflecting our homogeneity".
So what does it all really mean for the Army? A former IMA instructor says it shows the Army is reflecting its adaptability and "will continue to march ahead with infusion of new ideas." He says the new officers should actually be seen as a highly desirable breed of men. They "have come up the hard way are extremely career-oriented. This will make the Army a much more professional outfit."
Defence analyst Maroof Raza agrees it is a significant change of profile for the Army officer. "Almost 80% of the officers joining up today are from a lower middle class or middle class background," he says.
Is the Indian Army becoming more meritocratic? Time was when the Army was considered the exclusive domain of erstwhile royalty and families who prided themselves on a tradition of soldiering. Observers say the changing demographic in the officer ranks indicates the increasingly heterogeneous nature of the world's second-largest army. This is also reflected in the recruitment of jawans, with practically every Indian state contributing a set number determined on the basis of its population and ethnic groups.
Clearly, the Indian Army is becoming more inclusive but some analysts complain its talent pool is shrinking. "When I look around, I see a number of officers who joined the Army as a last resort. They weren't able to get anywhere else, so they came here," says a serving major, who doesn't wish to be named.
Attracting—and more important, retaining—talent has been a problem for the Army for several years. This is thought to be the main reason it suffers a shortfall of officers. Many serving and retired officers say it is hard to advertise an Army job as attractive because it pays less than the private sector. Retired Colonel P N Khera, who edits the Delhi journal, Asia Defence News, points out that the Army's new inclusiveness is at least partly a product of its low pay. "We have the children of JCOs/Other Ranks, who are already exposed to the defence life and want to reach the level that their fathers couldn't," he says. Khera adds that "in terms of comfort level and pay scale, there are much more lucrative career options available now. That's why many officers' children don't join the services."
But what does that really mean? Do the children of Other Ranks automatically make for a poorer quality of officer? No one is willing to say so. Retired Brigadier M B Anand, who was military attaché to former Army chief Gen B C Joshi, insists that "our officers are among the best in the world". Anand declares that this is the result of " years of training". So what's the problem with having 'almost-gentlemen' become officers? Many old-school officers quietly suggest there are "adjustment problems", which no amount of training can overcome. A former Artillery major offers the sort of logic many put forward anonymously. "The sort of officers who now join up come from the smaller towns and villages. They are people who might not understand the intricacies of the 'dastoor' or practices of the old Army," he says.
The middle-class distaste at being "swamped by the masses" spills over into a crucial area for any fighting force— communication. A former captain says that "despite the training, there are many rough corners that need to be smoothed in many (new) officers. For instance, I worked under people who couldn't write a single straight paragraph in English to save their lives. It was very frustrating."
As an analyst, Maroof Raza has a ringside view of the Army that is changing as fast as India's economic contours. "Most people joining up today might not have gone to public schools. Many are not comfortable with English. But, the Army is not looking for such brilliance. They're looking for above average people – who, if given an order to go out and capture a hill, will go and do just that," he says.
The good thing now is the likely flattening of class divisions. A doctor in the Army Medical Corps says the class divide between officers and their men has to blur because many new officers are sons of jawans. "This was almost unthinkable in an officer-driven organization like the Indian Army earlier," he says. The change is slow but obvious.
Hindi is slowly replacing English as the preferred language. Parties in the officers mess now choose Bollywood rather than Western music. A serving major agrees that "in many small ways, we are slowly adapting a culture that is reflecting our homogeneity".
So what does it all really mean for the Army? A former IMA instructor says it shows the Army is reflecting its adaptability and "will continue to march ahead with infusion of new ideas." He says the new officers should actually be seen as a highly desirable breed of men. They "have come up the hard way are extremely career-oriented. This will make the Army a much more professional outfit."
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