'Special Forces Is My Religion & Caste', Soldier Explains Spirit Of Secularism Army Works With

Indian army remains in news for its valour and sacrifices. An Indian army officer is perhaps the most refined and unbiased person one would come across. One such soldier is Colonel Saurabh Singh Shekhawat, whose anecdote about secularism is going viral over different avenues of social media.

Col. Shekhawat says that everyone in the army lives as a ¡°pluralistic secular society¡± and ¡°act like a unit¡± irrespective of their caste and religion in the one-minute video.

¡°... When I was commissioned and when I joined special forces, I was asked by my NCO, ¡®What is your religion? What is your caste?¡¯ I said, ¡®Hindu Rajput¡¯.

He said, "Bloody chap, take a dip in that dirty water!" So, I went and took a dip. Then I realised I had said something wrong,¡± Col Shekhawat says in the clip shared by former army officer Raghu Raman on Twitter.

The video looks like an interview in which the interviewee seems to be questioning Shekhawat again and again over caste and religion issue.

"Sir my religion is special force and my caste is special force¡¯. He then told me that you are an officer and so your religion is the religion which is the religion of your boys ... So, as an officer you are everything,¡± he says.

¡°If you apply this kind of template in the country, most of the problems will be solved ... All the religions are there, all the classes and clans are together and still they are one unit,¡± he adds.

If you had to listen to one man today. #OneTalkToday
Who - Col SS Shekhawat, CO 21 Special Forces, the most decorated serving officer.
Why - In one minute he gives a lesson more powerful than all politicians put together @atahasnain53 @rwac48 @rajeev_mp @ragarwal @priyaramani pic.twitter.com/J08KCE0KGA

¡ª Raghu Raman (@captraman) February 7, 2018

The tweet was shared 4533 and was liked by over 7 thousand people. Other officers also hailed Colonel Shekhawat's attitude.

¡°What Col Shekhawat is saying is what Indian Army teaches. This is what we all learnt. This is what we believe in. It does not matter what a religious text of any religion says. The army is inclusive. As an officer, your religion is the religion of your troops,¡± defence analyst Major Gaurav Arya commented on the post.

Colonel Shekhawat is one of the most decorated officers with Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and Sena Medal ¡ª and a Vishisht Sena Medal for distinguished service.

The colonel says, in what looks like an interview, that he was asked the same question and his reply was a little different.