'General Sam Manekshaw looked from left to right and said, "Gentlemen, I have come to have a look at you. I am taking a good look at your faces. When I come back after the war is over, some faces may not be here".'
'China seems more intent on creating a new world order rather than shaping the existing one.' 'India is of course, at this moment in time, aligned with the West-led order because of China's full-spectrum aggressive behaviour towards India.'
An army of government staff all over India conduct the world's greatest democratic exercise. Archana Masih/Rediff.com glimpses how they do it in the pivotal Saran constituency in North Bihar.
India is celebrating one of its biggest festivals commemorating the victory of good over evil. In Bihar, which is in the middle of its biggest election campaign, festivities are in full swing. Archana Masih set out to capture the mood on the street of small town India and discovered some things that one no longer finds.
General Bipin Rawat was given the guideline by the prime minister to achieve the integration of the three forces by the 75th year of India's Independence. This should be carried forward with utmost speed.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
'The India-China relationship has deteriorated greatly over these past two years and it is set to deteriorate further.'
When elected on July 18 -- which is almost a certainty, given the NDA's numbers in the electoral college -- Droupadi Murmu will be the first President born after Independence.
'With the abrogation of Article 370, the Constitutional integration of Kashmir is complete, but whether there has been emotional integration of the Kashmir Valley is a question mark.'
'The next war will be fought by China-Pakistan against India and we have to fully be prepared. We must read the writing on the wall.'
'The BJP's real weapons are Hindutva, organisation and finance.'
'India and China are already in a warlike situation.'
'If I talk about my parents' sacrifices, this conversation will never end,' says Lieutenant Loveneet Singh.
'We have to work for our victories.' 'We have to offer a better alternative governance model.' 'Not just criticise the current government.' 'You have to build bridges, learn from what has gone wrong and create a party for all people.'
'...through the will of the people and commitment of leaders.' 'It may not happen today or tomorrow, but it will happen.'
'This is India. We have allowed ourselves to be dictated by the narrative that the BJP has set for itself.'
'All hydropower projects in the Himalayan region must be stopped.' 'Joshimath is not alone.'
More rural women are having babies in government hospitals. Facilities have improved, but Bihar has is a long way to go in public health.
The fight for freedom was long and hard and that is why it is important to go back to the monuments that celebrate those who fought the good fight.
'On the LAC, China can undertake military action at any place with much fewer resources. It can do 'salami slicing'.'
'The senior army leadership has no interest in reconciling with Imran Khan, and no interest in seeing him return to power.'
'The worry among many international actors is whether there will be stability to provide assistance to the government because the political developments in the last few months are a real concern.'
'We should not allow ourselves to be surprised in any manner in future on the border.'
'For the first time since I've been following Indian politics, one heard voters talking about India's role on the world stage and the fact that, due to Modi's leadership, India was once again a great power.'
Captain Shiva Chouhan is the first woman army officer to be deployed at 15,632 feet in the Siachen Glacier. 'It has been a memorable journey,' says the 25-year-old who has gone where no women officer has gone before.
'...despite not being ideologically aligned with a vast section of the people of the north east.' 'But the results in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya show that no party, including the BJP, can say that it has really done well.'
'They have to be seen as being responsive to the employment woes and economic stagnation afflicting many young people.'
'We shouldn't allow it to become a rallying point for others in the region against the army.'
'All Pakistan army chiefs follow a consistent line as far as India is concerned.'
The Agniveer passing out parade was as much about family celebration as it was a military event. Alongside the pomp, pageantry and discipline of the parade were the personal stories of families, their struggles and how far they had come.
'Tibetans don't have jobs, and the military provides a job offer.' 'But the issue is whether China really trusts Tibetans.'
'General Anil Chauhan ticks all the right boxes as the new chief of defence staff.'
'By killing the state BJP secretary and his brother, the aim is to hot up the communal situation and revive militancy in an area which has remained peaceful,' says Sunil Sharma, Kishtwar's BJP MLA.
'Over the years he has been getting a feeling of being sidelined by his uncle.'
'While parliament has elected him, the people are demanding that he goes home.'
'If the jihadi infiltration attempts are assisted by the Pakistan army, the Indian Army will retaliate strongly.'
The medal was parcelled to his home. He sent it back. 'It should be conferred at the ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.'
'Mr Badal wanted to talk to a member of the Gandhi family to bring about some sort of rapprochement between the Akalis and the Congress which were the two major parties at that time.'
'Hatred increases with every killing.' 'It sets one family against another.' 'The sooner it is stopped, the better.'
'... that they should listen to people of the soil of the North East and find a permanent solution to tribal problems.'
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