Humanizing our “Armed Forces”

Shenali Waduge

The team that came up with the campaign with the aim of changing the people’s attitude towards the armed forces needs special mention and appreciation.

The advert is proving to be a huge success. The song too has reached the hearts of both old and young.

This calls to mind a similar mission launched in India through a program called Jai Jawan aired on NDTV. The program is special because it features actors, actresses; singers etc who volunteer a day or two to spend with the soldiers located in remote camps throughout India. The program is wonderful for the viewer sees their screen hero/heroine in a completely different environment.

Songs, exchange of experiences, jokes etc are a highlight of the program. In some cases the soldiers are seen joining in to act out a famous Hindi dance routine. The NDTV crew even goes an extra mile to even connect the soldiers with their families some of whom have not even gone home for months. The surprise and happiness of a child who is actually seeing his father (our soldier) after months of absence has no words to describe. It is really a touching & emotional sight and the NDTV crew does an excellent job in telecasting this program as does the actors and actresses/singers who also contribute voluntarily to the success of the program.

The Sri Lanka Rupavahini too can see if such a program can be launched in Sri Lanka especially at a time when we need to appreciate the armed forces.