Indian Army Day is celebrated across India on 15 January annually to commemorate the day in 1949 when General K M Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief. The Army Day Parade is conducted in different stations, in 2023 it was in Madras Engineering Group, Bengaluru, and in 2024 in 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre in Lucknow.
It is just not the Indian Army Day, for the Army and its commitments to the nation, is every day, every minute of its life, for indeed, the Indian Army is a living organisition. A soldier defines the essence of love for the country, and all this life is a calling, it is not just a job. When lakhs and lakhs of young boys and girls turn up annually for army recruitment, they may not then be burning with love for the India, and may seek an avenue for honest, reasonably remunerated and secure employment.
But then soon a soldier on joining the Indian Army through rigorous training and education and self-actualises to conform to his units needs in a battle. The emotional bond between soldiers soon becomes the primary motivating factor in combat. Soldiers always remain loyal to the unit/sub-unit cohesion, and that becomes the bedrock of national patriotism. They would never let down their comrades, and it does not ever matter which community the other soldier belongs to, it's a matter of life and death.
It is this cohesion among soldiers, irrespective of class or creed or any other differentiation that creates a homogeneous mosaic, strengthens the unit, which finally translates into cohesion in a battle.
The Indian Army's value systems hence are tailored to promote individual, unit and mission cohesion.
The Army's regimentation provides organisational ‘spirit/ethos'. The unit is like a second home to a soldier where and also his family spends his/her entire service, barring one or two tenures outside the unit. In taking oath on the Constitution, patriotic spirit towards India, becomes an essential part of his or her life. Culturally, it is omnipresent in our insignia, salutations and ceremonial functions, even in martyrdom.
Our Army is the epitome of ‘unity in diversity'. Patriotism for the modern Indian Army is inherent and yet also is expressed through universal symbol the Army Day. The Army Day is as important as are Diwali and Idd, Chhath pooja, Gurpurv, Christmas and Onam.
An Army soldier is incessantly at work, on most tedious borders and with most difficult and devious adversaries. Army has yet work to do. As PM Narendra Modi has said, “We walk together, we move together, we think together, we resolve together, and together we take this country forward.” For an Army soldier, patriotism is based upon symbolic 15 Januarycelebrated to salute our kith and kin who gave ultimate sacrifice since the last Army Day and before! It is also to resolve to the spirit of nationhood that all share and devote ourselves to.
In the year 2024, the Indian Army Day was at Lucknow, next year another place. In the interim, Army Day will be in practice, in operations, every day of the 365 ahead. As soldiers, serving and veterans alike, we will live for the glory of India!
Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma had an illustrious career in Indian Army spanning forty years. He has had extensive operational experience of facing both Pakistan and China.
As Adjutant General, he was responsible for the Human Resource Management of the Indian Army.
A regular participant in seminars, lectures in various institutions, General Sharma regularly writes for newspapers and military journals.
He currently holds Gen Bipin Rawat Chair of Excellence at USI, New Delhi, is on the Executive Council of MP-IDSA and is distinguish fellow with Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).
