The President and Prime Minister recently conveyed their warm wishes to Indian Army personnel on the occasion of Army Day.
About Indian Army Day:
- Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on January 15.
- On the special occasion of Army Day, the officials will perform a parade in the presence of higher dignitaries, and its salute is taken by the Indian Army Chief.
- History:
- On January 15, 1949, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, and took over authority from the British Commander-in-Chief General Francis Butcher, and became the first Indian to command the Army in its long, rich history.
- From 1949 until 2022, the Army Day parade was organised at the Cariappa Parade Ground in the Delhi Cantonment.
- In 2023, the Southern Command was responsible for the parade in Bengaluru. It was the first time the Army Day parade was held outside the country’s capital.
- Indian Army Day 2024:
- This year marks the 76th Army Day.
- This year, the parade will be held under the command of Army’s Central Command, which is headquartered in Lucknow.
- The theme of Indian Army Day 2024 is “In Service of the Nation”.
- This year’s theme also resembles the motto of the Indian Army, “Service Before Self.”
Who was Field Marshal KM Cariappa?
- He was the First Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.
- He is one of the two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal(the other being Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw).
- He was appointed as the first Commander-in-Chief of an independent Indian Army on 15 January 1949 which is celebrated as Indian Army Day.
- He took over the command of the Indian Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
- In 1947, Cariappa was the first Indian who was selected to undergo a training course at Imperial Defence College, Camberley, UK on the higher directions of war.
- He was awarded the ‘Order of the Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit’ by American President, Harry S. Truman.
- The Government of India conferred the rank of Field Marshal on Cariappa in 1983.