Nagpur: I am a journalist and I am proud of it. I want to let the whole world know that I am proud of my profession and so does a Doctor, an engineer, a teacher and also a ‘soldier’, the one who guards the nation in extreme circumstances, the one who makes a journalist, a doctor and an engineer feel secure.
One of the leading newspapers of Nagpur, the Times of India, recently published a picture of a car marked with the insignia of Indian army and on the other hand possessing a civilian number. Although, it is a known fact that the ‘official’ military vehicles have a different system of numbering, it is a human tendency to show the world something they are proud of. It is often seen that the army men use the army insignia mainly to avoid the problems being faced by them when they are transferred to far off areas possessing a registration number from whole other corner of the country.
The story claims that the same is a traffic violation. Reacting on the same a Anonymous soldier, has written to Nagpur Today, on condition of anonymity, against the coverage of the story. The excerpt from the letter is as mentioned below: (Although the letter contained the reporter’s name, we prefer not to mention the same).
“Today there was a citizen report by a reporter which I felt I should bring to your notice. The Photograph showed my car with an Indian Army Insignia for which i was trolled for being reckless with respect to traffic discipline. Most of the professional personnel display Advocate, Press, Police, Doctor, Govt of India Services and I displayed the Indian Army insignia being a proud part of one of the most noble professions in the country and never to show arrogance.
As far as being reckless, I would honestly submit that because the Indian Army insignia stays in my car, till date I have never ever broken any traffic rule even if i have been tempted to. Places and times when most people have jumped red lights my car does not move even a second before the light turns green. I am proud of the uniform and i feel more proud when little Children come to shake hands with us in uniform and their parents smile saying that the child loves the Armed Forces. The least he can do as a civilian for the forces which are called for, in times of ultimate chaos and fight at the borders, is to respect the profession. I felt hurt because he reported about a person whom he would have been really proud to be a friend with.”
—Aditi Mishra
