The Indian Army on Saturday unveiled a new battledress that will provide soldiers better camouflage and more comfort at an impressive parade in Delhi Cantonment to mark the 74th Army Day. The highlight of the parade was a refreshing blend of the old and the new to demonstrate the army’s evolution over the years.
The elite warriors of the Parachute Regiment took part in the parade sporting the new battle fatigues with a digital camouflage pattern that will gradually replace the existing decades-old combat uniform, even as marching contingents from the Assam Regiment and the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry turned heads with the soldiers donning vintage uniforms from the 1960s and 1970s.
Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane inspected the Army Day parade that was attended by Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and top officers of the armed forces. January 15 is celebrated as Army Day, as it was on this day in 1949 General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa took over the command of the Indian Army from General FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
The parade ground in Delhi Cantonment is named after Cariappa.
{{/usCountry}}The parade ground in Delhi Cantonment is named after Cariappa.
{{/usCountry}}The new combat uniform pattern was selected after a careful study of the army’s working requirements and the need to introduce uniformity in battle fatigues worn by soldiers. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) helped the army finalise the new uniform.
While paratroopers sporting the new battledress took part in the parade with their trademark Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles, soldiers from the Assam Regiment were attired in their service uniform from the 1960s and marched with their vintage .303 rifles.
The military hardware showcased by the army included tanks, infantry combat vehicles, artillery guns and surface-to-air missiles – weapons systems that are a staple at the Army Day parade.
But the format of the parade was different this time. The main battle tank Arjun featured in the parade alongside the vintage Centurion tank that took part in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was posthumously awarded the hallowed Param Vir Chakra, commanded a Centurion tank named Fama Gusta JX202 during the 1971 war and single-handedly inflicted maximum damage on the enemy.
Arun was only 21, and commissioned in Poona Horse only six months before the war began, when he destroyed seven Pakistani Patton tanks in the Battle of Basantar fought on December 16, 1971.
Another vintage element was the OT-62 Topas armored personnel carrier inducted into the army in the 1960s. It led the mechanised infantry column of BMP-II infantry combat vehicles. Also, the locally made 155mm 45-calibre Dhanush towed artillery guns followed the vintage 75/24 Indian field gun from the 1960s.
“The Army Day Parade this year showcased the evolution of various weapon systems held in the Indian Army’s inventory,” the army said in a statement. The Indian Army’s theme for the year 2022, In Stride with the Future, is an acknowledgement of the increasingly critical role played by niche and disruptive technologies in modern warfare, the statement added.
The army chief awarded 15 Sena Medals, including five posthumously, for gallantry, and 23 citations to different units for outstanding performance. Naravane also released a commemorative postage stamp on Permanent Commission to Women Officers in the Indian Army.
Earlier in the day, the three service chiefs laid wreaths at the National War Memorial to honour India’s fallen soldiers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to soldiers, veterans and their families. “The Indian Army is known for its bravery and professionalism. Words cannot do justice to the invaluable contribution of the Indian Army towards national safety,” Modi tweeted.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said the army had distinguished itself as a courageous and professional force, unwavering in its commitment to defend the country.