Reminiscence of Glory of Indian Army

The Army Day is celebrated every year on 15 January to commemorate taking over of the Indian Army by the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General (Late Field Marshal) K M Cariappa, OBE, on 15th January, 1948.

He took over the reins of the Indian Army from Lieutenant General Sir Francis Butcher, KBE, CB, MC, the last ritis Commander-in-Chief. The day is marked by ceremonial events all over India.

The main event in Southern Command will be held at Mumbai, where a glittering Investiture Ceremony will be conducted at the Gateway of India on 15th January 2015. Lt Gen Ashok Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC, General Officer Commanding- in- Chief will honour 30 recipients of various gallantry and distinguished services awards.14 units of Southern Command will also be honoured by the Army Commander with the “Southern Army Commander’s Unit Appreciation” for the outstanding work that they have carried out.

1st April, 1895 saw the formal raising of Southern Command. Its Headquarter has remained in Pune ever since. The Southern Command which is responsible for guarding the Western and Southern borders, has taken part in all major military operations since independence. The command has also provided succor to the citizens in times of natural calamities and other disasters. HQ 21 Corps has been part of Southern Comd since its raising in 1990.

The Strike Corps chose the fabled Sudarshan Chakra the ultimate weapon of annihilation of Lord Krishna as its insignia. The Corps has taken part in all mil and non military operations since its raising and has provided relief to the citizens during breakout of communal riots in Gujrat after the Godhra incident as also during the Tsunami Disaster of Dec 4 where in troops of the formation were deployed for relief work in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

The Command was largely responsible for Junagarh and Hyderabad signing the Instruments of Accession to India. The process of nation building also saw the Southern Command playing a stellar role in the liberation of Goa from the Portuguese in 1961. The Command played a important part in the 1965 war with Pakistan. The Southern StarCommand gave an outstanding account of itself in 1971 Indo-Pak war.

The legendary battle of Longewala was fought in the Jaisalmer sector under the Command. The offensive launched by the Southern Command in Khokrapar and Gadra city in West Pakistan was instrumental in capturing nearly 9000 square kms of Pakistani territory in the Barmer Sector which was the largest area captured in the Western Theatre while the major part of the war raged on in the Eastern Theatre.

The Command has provided relief to the citizens on a number of occasions when nature’s fury or man-made disasters have struck the citizens in the Southern part of the country. Be it the Bombay Dock Worker’s Strike in 1947, the Koyna earthquake of 11 Sep 1960, the Khadakswala Dam burst of 1961, earthquake in Latur in 1993 or Bhuj on 26 Jun 2001, the Tsunami disaster of Dec 2004, the 26/11 attacks on the economic capital of India, Mumbai or floods which have ravaged various parts of India every year, the Southern Command has always been there to help those who were affected.

Infallible and indefatigable soldiers of Southern Command have always put their lives at risk to save the helpless victims. In 2014, the soldiers of Southern Command were called out to provide rescue and relief during a number of natural calamities including cyclone Hud-Hud that hit Coastal Andhra Pradesh in October 2014 and floods that swept Vadodara in September 2014. The Command also provided material and manpower for Operation ‘MEGHRAAHAT’ flood relief in the devastating floods in Kashmir Valley in September 2014.

The Southern Command also has the proud privilege of being home to some of the best training establishments of the Indian Army like the NDA, the School of Artillery, Deolali, the OTA, Chennai, the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar, College of Military Engineering, Pune etc. In all, there are 23 major training institutions located in the Southern Command. The sports persons being trained in various facilities in the area of responsibility including Army Sports Institute (ASI), Pune and Army Rowing Node (ARN), CME, Pune brought laurels for the nation in the Asian Games 2014 held at Incheon. Four medals were won by athletes from ASI. Rowers from ARN excelled in Asian Games and won three medals.

The Command has also initiated a number of welfare measures to take care of the veterans and veer naries residing in the area of responsibility. The formation remains steadfast in furthering the cause of the Indian Army to take care of all personnel associated with it both serving and retired, and their families.

As the Army celebrates the 67th Army Day on 15 Jan 2015, the brave officers and soldiers of the Southern Command resolve to uphold the greatest traditions of the Indian Army and serve the Nation and its people without any consideration to their personal safety or comfort.