NEW DELHI: The slick, new recruitment advertisement for the Indian army aired on local television channels promises it all.

An idyllic country cottage to live in, the finest schools for the kids, healthcare at swanky hospitals and access to swimming pools and perfectly manicured golf courses.

Also on offer are opportunities to go sailing, try a hand at fencing and abseil off cliffs. And if that is not enticing enough, there are also lavish garden parties.

“Come join the Indian army. Sure there’s hard work but we’ll make sure you lead a good life,” promises a uniformed officer in the James Bond-style television commercial.

India’s army has launched an offensive to attract bright, young men who are being lured away from what was once a sought-after profession by high-paying career opportunities in the private sector.

The 1.1-million strong force — the world’s second largest army after China — has witnessed a steep drop in officer recruits over recent years, resulting in a shortage of over 11,000 army officers.

“The youth have more career options today compared with 30 years ago,” said Ashish Bhasin, director of Lintas IMAG, the communications firm hired by the army to devise and run a national recruitment campaign.

“Our research shows that while the army still holds respectability among today’s youth, they ask ‘What’s in it for me?’ And the usual reason that it’s for the benefit of the nation is not good enough these days,” he said.

The campaign, which includes advertisements in the media and on the Internet as well as recruitment events for students to meet military personnel, is intended to show potential recruits the adventurous lives they can lead in the army, Bhasin said.

The Indian army — derived from the British Indian Army formed during colonial rule — initially drew its officers from the elite classes such as royal families and the sons of affluent land-owners after independence from Britain in 1947.

But after suffering high causalities during India’s wars with China in 1962 and with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and as upper classes shifted to better paid government jobs, the army began drawing recruits from other sections of society.

Being an army officer was once seen as an ideal way to mould boys into men by teaching them to be leaders and decision-makers, army officers said. This view changed recently, largely due to India’s economic liberalisation which began in the early 1990’s and led to a rapid rise of technology, financial services, retail and media sectors that offered salaries the army could not match.

The Indian air force and navy are also facing a shortfall of officers of around 500 and 5,000, respectively, with air force pilots being lured with jobs at better-paying private airlines.

Starting salaries for graduates in the corporate sector average at more than double the 7,000 rupees ($152) per month paid to a second lieutenant, the most junior army officer.

Recruitment consultants say India’s economic boom, which has created strong demand for consumer goods and branded products, has left graduates wanting more money and a glamorous lifestyle.

Young men say they have no qualms about opting for materialism over patriotism.

“Patriotism is great but it isn’t going to pay the bills at the end of the month,” said 23-year-old Joybroto Das, who graduated last year and is a sub-editor at a Delhi newspaper.

“Why should I suffer in freezing cold climates in places like Kashmir, when I can sit in a plush air-conditioned office and have a more glamorous life?” he added.

While the shortfall is not affecting operations, it has increased the workload on serving junior officers, forcing them to spend more time away from their families.

It has also meant less training for soldiers who are often taught by junior officers, veterans said.

“It is not a serious problem in terms of operations, but any army has to be a young army. After all, it is the lower ranking officers like the captains and majors that will win the wars,” said Himmat Singh Gill, a retired major-general.

He doubts the glossy advertisements will be enough to woo new recruits who are becoming increasingly concerned about their long-term financial security, Gill said.

Instead he recommended that the army offer better medical aid to veterans, better financial help to families who have lost loved ones and career opportunities for retired officers such as positions as security advisers in the government.

“Respect for an army officer is no longer a given,” Gill said.—Reuters