War is a necessary evil. It takes a country away from the path of national development. One day of traditional warfare can cost ₹30,000–₹50,000 crores, excluding the loss of life, infrastructure, or capability destruction. Therefore, like all right action, the right war must arise from wisdom and discretion — not impulse or populist sentiment. Strategic retaliation must serve a higher purpose.
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Originally published in the The Sunday Guardian on 17 may '25.
Though war may sometimes be inevitable, it should not be driven by revenge or momentary outrage. In spiritual terms, war is not necessarily forbidden.
After the terror attack in Pahalgam and the retaliatory action by India, the region is now standing at the precipice of war. Public opinion is getting more jingoistic, and the brute spectre of war stares us in the face. With the growing tension across the border and the media’s obsession with inflammatory rhetoric, it is important that we pause for a while and ask: do we honestly understand the character and scope of war?
Though war may sometimes be inevitable, it should not be driven by revenge or momentary outrage. In spiritual terms, war is not necessarily forbidden. But like all right action, right war must arise from wisdom and discretion, not impulse or populist sentiment. A nation’s real strength lies in its ability to choose foresight over vanity and informed judgment over impulse. Strategic retaliation must serve a higher purpose.
