Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan addressed the ‘Ran Samvad’ conclave in Madhya Pradesh . Addressing the gathering at the Army War College in Dr Ambedkar Nagar, he said that as a Viksit Bharat, we need to be Sashastra (armed), ‘Suraksit (secure), and ‘Aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant).

CDS Gen Chauhan also underscored the need to raise awareness among all segments of society on doctrinal and conceptual aspects, particularly “the academic pursuits of how war is fought and practical and actual war-fighting techniques and tactics.”

While speaking at the two-day conclave at the first Tri-Services Seminar, CDS Gen Chauhan emphasized that India is a peace-loving country but cannot be “pacifist”. He said this against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, issuing a stern warning to Pakistan. “I think peace without power is utopian. I like to state a Latin quote which translates as, ‘if you want peace, prepare for war’,” he added.

Stressing the importance of wisdom along with weapons used during war, CDS Gen Chauhan cited examples from history. “We have always spoken about ‘Shastra’ and ‘Shaastra’ in the same breath. They are actually the two blades of the same sword. We know that a combination of military strategy and warriors is essential to win, and the foremost and best example of this is the Mahabharata and the Gita. We are aware that Arjuna was the greatest warrior, yet he needed a Krishna to guide him towards victory. Similarly, we had Chandragupta who needed the wisdom of Chanakya,” CDS Gen Chauhan said.

Meanwhile, he called India a land of the champions of non-violence – Gautam Buddha, Mahavir Jain, and Mahatma Gandhi.