NEW DELHI: As the country celebrates Independence Day, the Indian armed forces continue to march ahead with the legacy of a long colonial past on their shoulders.
While the three forces have replaced the crown of the British queen from their rank insignias, the Nelson Ring of the Indian Navy, the stars of the Indian Army and the stripes of the Indian Air Force draw heavily from the uniform of their colonial masters.
The three forces had adopted the uniforms of the respective Royal forces badges, brevets and insignia when they were formed and have followed the same pattern till date. A naval official told The Sunday Standard: “We have replaced the Royal Crown Insignia with the Ashoka Symbol of Sarnath, the national emblem.
But the Nelson Ring (a golden ring) is in remembrance of Lord Nelson.” Lord Nelson is as one of the greatest officers in the history of the Royal Navy. His reputation was build on a slew of victories, including the Battle of Trafalgar, where he died. “All the Commonwealth countries adopted the Royal forces insignia. Many countries have changed but we continue to have the Nelson Ring,” the official added. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Raj Kadyan said: “We need to further Indianise our insignias.” “It is not that India has not tried to introduce the national ethos.
This is happening progressively.
While certain things like an anchor would be used universally by all the navies, we should strive to internalise the insignias and I think gradually we will do it,” National Maritime Foundation’s Director Commodore (Retd) Uday Bhaskar opined. “It (the Indianisation of the insignias) has to be done thoughtfully. If you observe we have not accommodated the Buddhist, Islamic and Christian traditions of India in our military that well. We are a country proud of its diversity so it should definitely be reflected in our military insignias as well.”