The Creative Process: The Arts of War (Spring 2017)

The Creative Process
reinforces the myth of a nation heading to war, leading the viewer
to accept the construct of righteous and just war.
The photographer’s decision to include both sky and water
emphasises Indian air and naval superiority. The depiction of a wide
range of terrain reinforces the illusion of superiority that the
photograph is intended to create, suggesting that the plethora of
armed forces were ready to fight wherever they needed to. The
photograph distinctly shows all lines of sight, from the trucks to the
guns, converge onto mountains, symbolising the aim of the Kargil
War, which was to recapture the peaks that were taken over by
Pakistan during the winter.
THE SOLDIERS
Despite significant advancements in technology, the Kargil War was
still fought using age-old tactics. One of the most crucial weapons
in India’s arsenal was the wide array of soldiers who were able to
acclimatise and fight a high-altitude war on such short notice, and
despite knowing that the Pakistani soldiers had the physical higher
ground. Some estimates suggest that for every Pakistani soldier in a
high altitude bunker, at least six Indian soldiers were needed.
Soldiers from the Indian Army and paramilitary forces like the
Border Security Force (BSF) and Rashtriya Rifles (RR) contributed
to an overwhelming majority of boots on the ground.
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