Param Vir Dirgha

Why in news?

The President of India has inaugurated the ‘Param Vir Dirgha’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of ‘Vijay Diwas’.

Vijay Diwas – Celebrated on  December 16, to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 during the war for the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

• Param Vir Dirgha – Portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees are now displayed in Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing the previously displayed portraits of 96 British Aides-de-Camp (ADCs).
• Purpose -
  • To honour soldiers who displayed exceptional valour and self-sacrifice.
  • To educate visitors about India’s national heroes.
  • To symbolise India’s pride in its own heritage rather than colonial traditions.
• Param Vir Chakra – It is India’s highest military honour, awarded for displaying the most exceptional acts of valour, courage and self-sacrifice during war.
• Established in – 1950, after India became a republic.
• Recipients – Only 21 soldiers have received the PVC since independence, across wars including 1947–48, 1965, 1971, and the Kargil War (1999).
• Notable Awardees -
  • Major Somnath Sharma (1947) – First recipient, for gallantry in Kashmir.
  • Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (1971) – Honoured for bravery in the Battle of Basantar.
  • Captain Vikram Batra (1999) – Famous for his role in the Kargil War, remembered for the phrase “Yeh Dil Maange More!”.

Broader Decolonisation Initiatives

• Renaming of spaces – Like Rajpath to Kartavya Path, Race Course Road (home to the Prime Minister’s residence) to Lok Kalyan Marg, and Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Mughal Garden into Amrit Udyan.
• Military symbols – Indian Navy’s ensign has been redesigned, removing Saint George’s Cross, adopting instead a design featuring the National Flag and a Navy blue-gold octagon dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• Ceremonial traditions – The 2022 Republic Day Beating Retreat used Indian instruments (sitar, santoor, tabla).
• Islands renamed – Across India, including in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, colonial nomenclature has been replaced -
  • Ross Island - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep (2018)
  • Neil Island - Shaheed Dweep (2018)
  • Havelock Island - Swaraj Dweep (2018)
  • Port Blair - Sri Vijaya Puram (2024)

To know about other awards, click here

References

The Hindu | President of India inaugurated the ‘Param Vir Dirgha’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan