"Soldiering On"

A book commemorates the centenary of Saninik Samachar, a weekly magazine for the Indian soldier.

 

Sainik Samachar is a hundred years old  and to commemorate the centenary a coffee table book, Soldiering On has been published. The first issue of the precursor to the current Sainik Samachar appeared on January 2, 1909: "With the advance of education in the Indian Army, it was felt that a magazine be brought out which would cater to its needs. Hence a weekly magazine in Urdu entitled Fauji Akhbar (FA) was brought out…"

The first editorial’s English version (p 19) lays out the scope of the magazine. Weekly summary of the news with a military bias, gazette notifications pertaining to promotions and awards, topical interest articles, short stories and tales from Indian history…"so popular with the martial classes of North India".  The language was Urdu. "Since Urdu is the common language of the Army, the paper in the first instance will be published in Urdu. If, however, a sufficient number of readers demand its publication in Hindi, we shall give it a due consideration."  What follows can be seen as one assessment of the need for the publication. ".. Commanding Officers and others would support the efforts to start an interesting and instructive army newspaper, free from the defects which make so many Urdu journals unsuitable for military readers." Reflections of the publication continue through the pages that follow and provide accounts of its printing locations and organisational changes leading to its present organisational a nd editorial structure under the Ministry of Defence.

The 250-page book is interspersed with photographs and facsimile copies of important communication and office orders. Messages from the commander in chief-President- through the MOD and service chiefs , the publication carries many photographs from the archives as well-the much celebrated photograph of Nehru accepting  a salute from one of the boys of the Kashmir National Militia who pledged their support to defend the motherland. (p79). One of the members of the editorial team was considerably excited about finding this rare photograph. Other content pertains to different operations of the Indian defence forces across the services and international engagement through various peace keeping assignments as well and major landmarks etc pertaining to the forces. The account of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre printed in roman Hindi is an interesting read. The division of armed forces between India and Pakistan (pp 64-65) and   General Cariappa’s farewell speech matched by the Pakistan top brass response talks about cooperation to combat external aggression etc. in the two countries.

Sitanshu Kar, the ADG (Media and Communication) of the Ministry of Defence, provides a synoptic view of the journey:  "Considering the level of extant technology for printing, communication network for collection of material and infrastructure for distribution of the product, it is not surprising to note that FA received instant popularity among its clients as a single window for vital information that mattered to them. During its chequered history, FA has travelled from Shimla (where its office was originally located whilst published from Allahabad) to Lahore, back to Shimla and then to Delhi. Its popularity was at its peak during the World War II when an overseas edition was launched from Cairo for the benefit of Indian troops deployed in far-off theatres. The print-order of FA and its special bi-weekly supplement Jang Ki Khabren was in excess of three lakhs at that time. The publication of, FA was suspended temporarily immediately after Independence due to sudden migration of staff and the printer. However, it bounced back with renewed vigour in no time. The magazine is now published in 13 Indian languages and English."

The research team of the Sainik Samachar makes an attempt to capture the portrayal of the British Raj in FA. "The image of the British Raj persisted throughout till 1947 and the Viceroy’s addresses were extensively covered. Whatever be the occasion, Mr. Winston Churchill’s appeals and exhortations to the troops expectedly found a good coverage. The Indian Freedom Movement and Swadeshi launched by Mahatma Gandhi came in for a lot of ridicule but were not ignored."

The Defence minister, A.K. Antony used the release function as an advisory to the current team. The publication should not be a mere chronicler but must also reflect the hopes and aspirations of the Jawans. Analytical articles, features, photos must be used to boost the morale of the forces. He also wanted the magazine to be published in all the Indian languages prescribed in the constitution in print and online mode. It should "strike a delicate balance between countering the disinformation campaign of certain vested interests inside and outside the country and sounding like official propaganda machinery"

Experts and media generalists may in due course critically examine the publication. However, as a commemorative exercise, the editor in chief and his team comprising senior and middle level officers of the Indian Information Service deserve appreciation for their attempts in putting 100 years of a publication into a perspective that will be an additional resource for those interested in media and the defence forces.

bpssn@uohyd.ernet.in