Army Chief General V K Singh on Wednesday took over as the honorary Colonel of the Brigade of the Guards regiment, conforming to a tradition in the Indian Army.
He also became the first Army Chief to have taken over the charge of the honorary post the Regimental Centre of the Brigade of the Guards regiment, while the previous Chiefs have done so in Delhi.
With the ceremony here this evening, Gen Singh becomes the 17th honorary Colonel of the Brigade of the Guards.
The elite Brigade of the Guards was formed in 1949 by then Army Chief General K M Carriappa, who went on to become India's first Field Marshal.
'Guards' was a title coined to denote a body of handpicked soldiers, who performed special functions around the Royalty or Heads of States.
Apart from India, there are 'Guards' regiments in England, Switzerland, France, Russia and Holland.