The 75th Army Day will be celebrated on January 15 and as part of an initiative to take major events to other parts of the country, away from the national capital region, celebrations will be held in Bengaluru.
The rationale behind the move is to bring about an increased visibility of these events and secure a greater engagement with the local population. The Army Day marks the occasion when General K.M. Cariappa, who later became Field Marshal, took over as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army in 1949.
The parade on Army Day will begin with a wreath laying ceremony by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande at Madras Engineer Centre War Memorial. Major Pande will then review the Army Day parade. COAS unit citations will also be awarded to units for their exceptional performance.
As many as eight marching contingents including a horse-mounted contingent from the Army Service Corps and a military band comprising regimental brass bands will be a part of this year’s Army parade. The Army Day parade will also be supported by a flypast of Army aviation Dhruv and Rudra helicopters.
As a part of the Army outreach programme to build a better bond with civilians, a run was organised in Hyderabad at Necklace Road where around 1,000 people participated. Also, a part of this outreach was a blood donation camp in which 7,500 units of blood were donated in both Hyderabad and Secunderabad at Military hospitals.
thehindu.com