Gaurav Arya

Major Gaurav Arya is an Indian journalist specializing in defence and strategic affairs and host of the show 'Patriot' on Republic TV. He served in the Indian Army and left as a Major.[1]

Career

In 1993 Arya started his training at the Officers Training Academy and was commissioned into the 17th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment on 5 March 1994.[2] In 1999 due to a medical issue he retired from the Indian Army as a Major. After leaving the army he did various jobs and did an MBA. Currently he is a journalist with Republic TV specialising in defence and producing content related to the Indian security forces in various parts of the nation.[3]

Patriot

Major Gaurav Arya is host of the show Patriot, on Republic TV. In the show he documents various regiments and aspects of the security and defence forces such as the Gorkha Regiment, Cobra Commandos, cadets at the Indian Military Academy, Param Vir Chakra awardees, Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF Academy, Border Security Force, Mahila Battalion, Assam Rifles and Indian Army Service Corps.[4]

Open letter to Burhan Wani incident

During the unrest in Kashmir following the death of Burhan Wani in 2016, Kashmiris had started sharing photographs and open letters through the social media narrating the use of excessive forces by security forces in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting the deaths of civilian protesters and various crowd-control pellet gun injuries. In response to this Major Gaurav Arya shared an open letter which immediately was widely circulated through the social media as well as the mainstream media in India.[5][6] Excerpts:

[...] The army of any nation is a blunt instrument. It's not a scalpel, but a broadsword. That's just the nature of armies anywhere. I reiterate....if anyone even touches a child, a woman or an elderly person he should be put behind bars and the keys thrown away. He can be from any arm or department of the government. Not for one moment am I advocating violence for violence's sake. [...]

[...] My issue is not with the Kashmiri youth's having a complaint with India and that complaint finding its expression in protests. My issue is with Pakistan deliberately fanning strife in Kashmir. My issue is with Hurriyat getting daily wage labourers to throw stones at security forces and putting women and children in front as shields. You say that kids are killed. I ask, what's a 5 year old doing outside when stone pelting is going on? Why was he brought outside? [...]

Pakistani film artists in India controversy

Following this letter, Major Gaurav Arya also penned one more open letter on 1 October 2016 on Facebook. The open letter related to the national debate going on related to whether artists from Pakistan should be allowed to work in India in wake as tension between the two nations increased following the Burhan Wani incident and Uri attack on 18 September 2016.[7][8][9] Excerpt:

[...] Patriotism and sacrifice is not the sole responsibility of the soldier [...] Its easy to ask for peace when you are a thousand miles away from the Line of Control, and your primary concerns are which party to attend this evening and where to get financing for your next film. Peace is not a punch line. It is the end result of war. [...]

References

  1. ↑ Newslaundry. "Newslaundry | Sabki Dhulai". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. ↑ "Watch Major Gaurav Arya Speak On What Every Indian Soldier Expects From His Countrymen And Why". Life Beyond Numbers. 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. ↑ ...Major Gaurav Arya, a war veteran and former member of the XVII Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army was invited all the way from India to deliver the keynote address... - Daily Excelsior - http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/jk-day-celebrated-in-uk-parliament/
  4. ↑ "Patriot With Major Gaurav Arya - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. ↑ "Major Gaurav Arya's Response To Kashmiri Youths' Open Letters". The Quint. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. ↑ "Major Gaurav Arya Responds To The Kashmiri Youth Who Wrote Open Letter To Him". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  7. ↑ "How Major Gaurav Arya's open letter moves to 'surgically silence' sympathisers of Pakistani artists". The Financial Express. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  8. ↑ "Major Gaurav Arya". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  9. ↑ "An army veteran's letter to people opposing Pak artistes' ban will make you question your sanity". 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
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