Body art in line of fire
Getting inked is very much in vogue. But youngsters with tattoos who had planned a career in the Army will now need to sacrifice their body art. It’s official now that from this year, candidates who have tattoos on any part of their body, except between the wrist and elbow, won’t be recruited by the Indian Army. The type of tattoo allowed will be limited too — either a name or a religious symbol. Youngsters planning to join the Indian Army will now need to bury their desire of getting inked.
Tanveer Singh, who has half cleared SSB and is just waiting for a final interview call, says, “Why should tattoos be banned? As long as they are not derogatory, tattoos should be allowed. For instance, if someone has something that is offensive or cheap, it’s definitely unacceptable by the higher authorities. But if it’s something very close to your heart, there shouldn’t be any restrictions.”
Rohit Chawla, a final year student of Hansraj College who aspires to join the armed forces, says some kind of discipline is mandatory as far as the Indian Army is concerned. “Army calls for discipline and a tattoo can be a sign of lack of discipline or it can encourage other officers to get tattooed. Maybe that’s why they want youngsters to not flaunt anything to do with a style statement. Those with nasty or cheap tattoos shouldn’t be allowed and it’s good that they have specified the kinds that are allowed. There’s a certain respect and dignity that the uniform commands, and a tattoo doesn’t fall in sync with the stature of army officers,” he adds.
But for Utsav Chaudhary, a final year student applying for the army next year, it’s a tough call. “I have a tattoo and I don’t think it has anything to do with my code of conduct at work. Talking about tattoos on the arm, they’re far more visible. If they don’t want tattoos, maybe they could allow youngsters to have them where they’d not be visible. I don’t see any point in allowing tattoos on arms,” he adds.
Fear of HIV among those with tattoos was a key reason for the decision, affirmed Colonel Daveta who said in a recent report that though he personally does not have all the details but many such cases have surfaced in North-east India where tattooing is a fad. Girish, who has cleared SSB, says, “Having a tattoo is a very personal choice. Why can’t the authorities start HIV tests?”
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