Nilgiri
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I am not so worried about the men in uniform. I know there have been instances in the past where emotions have run high and they have come to blows.
Also it did not miss my eyes that on the Pakistan side, besides the ceremonial gate and leg swinging guys, there were proper Rangers in combat uniform with guns. I did not see similar on our side but am ok if I am corrected. Was also surprised to see a Pakistani surd. Felt weird.
The junta on both side wearing caps and waving paper flags looked like they were enjoying themselves. Like on a picnic.
But I am worried about the slogans etc. Tempers might run high. People might lose their cool. There may be a day when both crowds overpower the few soldiers on both sides and clash.
Might get very ugly???
Hey they get to mix in Cricket matches bro....many times in history.
A cpl minor clashes have happened.....but nothing like the football thugs of countries that are supposed to be allies even.
Indians and Pakistani aam admi are generally loud, like a small punch-up at worst....but rarely will it get out of hand beyond that.
@Nilgiri
So that was what was bothering you. Right.
Have you seen the differences between the Americans on parade, the Germans, the Russians, the Chileans (yes, the Chileans, with Uhlan helmets and a quasi-goose step), the north Koreans, and the British?
Source: https://defence.pk/threads/wagah.444359/#ixzz4HPpieTrB
That was the British version of the Quick March. Let me explain.
The regular march, until Napoleon, was what the British Royal Guards march: 80 steps to the minute. Napoleon, or the French Revolutionary armies in general, introduced the quick march, which is 120 steps a minute. The command reflects that: 'Tez chal' in Hindi. The light infantry, specifically, Rifle Regiments, marched much quicker, almost unmanageable for heavily-laden regular troops, at 140 steps a minute, best done with rifles at the trail. This started in the Napoleonic Wars as well, with the British raising light infantry and rifles regiments (I won't bore you with the history and the distinctions, except to remind you that if Moore, the chief motive force behind rifle regiments, had not died at Corunna, Wellington would have had serious competition). If you look carefully at some of the Guards regiments parades (not all), they keep to the old regular march.
Point being?
If that silly chucklehead, the Air Force officer, had marched at 80 steps a minute, it would have been far more dignified. After all, he was not a French revolutionary trooper, rushing to intercept the enemy and force him to battle; he is just escorting a dignitary to inspect the Guard of Honour.
Second, and third: the actual inspection is done at a slow march. You are probably already aware that the Guards each of the five regiments have two tunes, one, their signature quick march, one, their signature slow march, or inspection march. Earlier, our dignitaries used to make at least an attempt at keeping to the slow step, now they just stroll along and get on with it. Just as well, I suppose.
The third bit is the ridiculous Soviet Russian inheritance, where the guard's individual members each turn their faces to the dignitary, moving as he moves along. Never seen such a ridiculous spectacle, and just goes to show what complete lack of depth our generals had, mixing and matching Russo-German modes with British.
The goose-step is Prussian, and the Russians have adapted it, after adopting it. They do it as a slow step as well, particularly ceremonial guards around a monument. That is a separate chapter by itself.
That is the cadence, the beat, the marching cycle. What you are tittering about is the arm movement. Right. Let's visit that.
Let's start with one extreme and move to the other. The LEAST arm movement is the American, and it goes along with the listless stride that is their parade-ground practice; it is unsettling to see a bad-arse Marine daintily picking his way with that particular gait. Video examples will follow.
Then we have the Germans (and the Russians; Russian drill generally follows German drill very closely, because of the long history of Russian monarchs being from small German principalities). They take their arms across their body in the opposite direction, almost touching the opposite arm. The back-swing is limited and short. I mention this because worse is to follow.
The Thais have the same movement across the body, in front; when the arm goes back, however, it is flung OUT, away from the body, in a very defined, unmistakable kind of way. But since HM has written pretty good marches (in a German style) himself, it is difficult to question his adaptation of ceremonial. He obviously has a view, and obviously likes it to be heard.
That brings us to the last, most extreme variation: the British-Indian-Pakistani way (I presume the PA has not changed its basic quick march; never having watched a Pakistani parade, can't say). Here the arm is raised to the level of the shoulders, BUT NOT BEYOND. A bad parade commander will allow some enthusiastic idiots to make their squads raise their arms unnecessarily high, which looks clumsy and gauche.
So if your baneful eye were to fall on the same ceremonial at the regular march cadence of 80, and were to see the arm lifted up to the shoulder but not beyond, it would have nothing to quarrel about. I can assure you that these two small modifications would make the matter far more graceful.
You didn't like the double time the soldiers did. More of that and the paratrooper double time later.
Yup I am all for just a few small modifications indeed. Its just a little on the ridiculous side for me is all.
Kudos for your long detailed post and I will wait for part 2 etc.
If I had my way the entire event would be cancelled and the crossing treated like any other functional outpost.
Absolutely!
...and its tyranny by majority I'm afraid.
