If soldiers can't clap to show their appreciation, what should they do?

To such hoary edicts such as 'boys don't cry' and 'nice guys finish last', Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Dalbir Singh Suhag has added his own: 'soldiers don't clap'. India is no stranger to claques or the tangentially military Madison Avenue-coined aphorism, 'Run it up the flag pole and see who salutes'. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, of course, may not have had that in mind when he expressed surprise (probably in jest) that soldiers applaud at the end of speeches. But the unanimous, if metaphorical, salute he has got in response to his lob — thanks to his claptrap-abjuring CoAS —must have left him shell-shocked. Luckily, Gen Suhag, a stickler for form and fitness, has added the caveat 'when in uniform' to his clapping ban. Otherwise, there may have been a flurry of embarrassments on those occasions when applause is de rigueur, but uniforms are not.

Indeed, this new Indian addition to the detailed and esoteric code of conduct followed by armed forces worldwide will confound even the most hardened veterans of the 'no hands in pockets', 'no chewing gum, eating or smoking' and 'no PDA (public display of affection)' decrees. Gen Suhag will earn extra plaudits if he also offers some alternative and befitting means by which uniformed military personnel can convey appreciation without breaching 'decorum'.