From choppers and paratroopers to horses and guns, highlights of Army Day Parade in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: The 75th Army Day Parade was held at the MEG and Centre in Bengaluru on Sunday with the Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande reviewing the parade and presenting gallantry awards.
Observed annually on January 15, this was the first time the Army Day parade was conducted out of New Delhi as part of the Centre’s initiative to take major events away from the National Capital Region to different parts of India.
The parade, which commenced with a wreath laying ceremony at the Madras Engineering Group War Memorial by General Pande, witnessed eight marching contingents, including a horse-mounted contingent from the Army Service Corps (ASC) and a military band comprising five regimental brass bands. The marching contingents were from Madras Regiment, Madras Engineering Group, Bombay Sappers, Regiment of Artillery, Mahar Regiment and the Parachute Regiment.
Aside from this, various weapon systems held in the Indian Army’s inventory were also on display including K9 Vajra Self Propelled Guns, Pinaka Rockets, T-90 Tanks, BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Tunguska Air Defence System, 155mm Bofors Guns, Light Strike Vehicles, Swathi Radar and different assault bridges.

cadet

NCC cadets along with army personel family members going the heavy war equipments display. Photo: Sunil Prasad

After the speech by chief of army staff Manoj Pande, the crowd cheered for the horses and the paragliders, as they got a glimpse of the Indian Army’s discipline, precision, and teamwork for about 45 minutes at the Govindswamy parade ground here within the MEG & Centre campus.
At 9.02am, helicopters of the 603 independent aviation brigade approached the saluting dais. The flypast was led by Dhruv helicopters flanked by Rudra helicopters.

Dhruv helicopter

Fly-past led by Dhruv Helicopters carrying the national flag and Indian army flanked by indigenously built Rudra Helicopters. Photo: Sunil Prasad

Parade commander Major General Ravi Murugan stood on the gypsy, leading from front the Paramvir Chakra and Ashok Chakra winners, while various contingents came marching in harmony to the band and uniformity in their arm movements, comparable to resurging waves — and saluted the chief of army staff.
The first contingent was of the artillery regiment, followed by the Madras Sappers, Bombay Sappers, the Parachute regiment, Madras Regiment and Mahar Regiment.
The military bands played Saare Jahan Se Accha in unison while drones flew past the venue. Applause was in abundance as the para regiment training centre’s para motorists were spotted in the sky. Three solo motor pilots were seen cruising in the sky. The team leader Hawaldar Somveer flew the national flag, followed by two others.
The flypast not only saw Army Aviation’s Dhruv and Rudra helicopters but also the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30Mki flanked by two Jaguar fighter planes. The parade also had the ASC Motorcycle Display team (Tornadoes) comprising 24 motorcycles enthralling the audience with stunts like the seat sitting balance, arrowhead formation, corner cross, criss cross, inner outer circle, single scissor cross, tank balance among others.
A team of six paratroopers displayed combat free fall as they jumped off a Dhruv helicopter, deployed their parachutes and manoeuvred down to land. Pande also presented the Shaurya Chakra, Sena Medals, individual and unit citations.

daredevilry

The army service corps tornadoes performed the feats of daredevilry in a fleet of 24 Royal Enfield motorcycles. Photo: Sunil Prasad

Every year, January 15 is observed as Army Day to commemorate General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa taking over command of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Roy Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949. Cariappa, thus became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, post Independence.


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