ABSTRACT
T he Indian arm y is on e of the largest in the world, with a history going back several hundred years. Several historical works about the army have been written, both by professional soldiers and academics. Some
attention has been paid by military histonans to the question of dass or caste/ ethnic/ religious/ regional group composition of the troops and officers of the army during the colonial period. What is lacking, however, is a systematic account of the ethnic group recruitment to the army since independence and the related questions of the following order: What, historically, is the pattern of recruitment in the Indian army? What changes and continuities with previous policies are discernible? What is the current recruitment policy? Does the composition of the military personnel mirror the religious and ethnic diversity of the Indian national population? If so, to what extent over time? If not, why not and to what extent? Does the military attempt to inculcate national values and perspectives in recruit training and professional military education? Do common military training, corporate life in a highly disciplined environment, isolation in cantonments, and shared experiences serve to reduce ethno-religious identification by building ethnic cross-pressures? Isthere trans-community deployment of military personnel? Are promotion decisions based on perceived competence rather than on ethno-religious affiliation? Finally, what is the impact of the polarization of Indian society along the religious divisions of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, particularly during the last two decades? This paper attempts to answer these questions based on the conversations and writings of military officers, and the published accounts of defence ministers, politicians and informed journalists.
