Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Governance
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
