Explained: How India is shedding colonial past at R-Day parade through its gun salute

This Republic Day parade will be a spectacle unlike any other. It will be the first time that tanks, weaponry and soldiers will march down Kartavya Path — the new name for the ceremonial boulevard Rajpath.

It will also be the first time that the 21-gun salute accorded to the President prior to the beginning of the parade will be given by Indian guns, rather than the British guns — as an attempt by the government to step away from the vestiges of the colonial era.

Chief of Staff Delhi Area Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar said the move was taken in accordance with the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ push. “We are transitioning towards indigenisation and the time is not far when all are equipment will be ‘swadeshi’. All equipment from the Army that will be showcased during the 74th Republic Day celebrations are made-in-India.”

Let’s take a closer look at the Indian guns which will replace the British ones and the history of the 21-gun salute itself.

The guns used

Till date, the 21-gun salute has been accorded by the World War II vintage ’25-pounders designed and made in the 1940s by the British. The howitzer was introduced into the British forces right before World War II and remained as the British Army’s primary artillery field piece well into the 1960s.

The guns were put into use by India in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. The guns acquired popularity among the Indian forces for its ability to be used in extreme weather conditions and barely stall. They were considered versatile and accurate and were well-regarded by the Army. They were decommissioned only in the early 1990s and since then used for ceremonial purposes such as the 21-gun salute at Republic Day and Independence Day.

However, this R-Day, the Centre has announced that the 105 mm Indian field guns (IFG) will replace the ’25 pounders.

These guns have been designed and developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in 1972 and have been produced at the Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, since 1984. Talking about the IFG, Maj Gen Kumar said that they were compact, light and could also be airdropped.

“Since the 105 mm Indian Field Gun is an indigenised gun, so we want to use this to replace the 25-pounder guns used earlier for the 21-gun salute. And, it is a matter of pride that we are showcasing our indigenous gun for this too,” added Maj Gen Kumar.

Also read: Navy’s IL 38 in R-Day flypast for first and last time: All about Soviet-made aircraft

The gun salute, explained

At the Republic Day parade, the 21-gun salute begins when the sword of the Commandant of President’s Body Guards (PBG) comes down at the shout of ‘Rashtriya Salute’ for the President and is carried out through the duration the National Anthem is played.

The tradition, the highest honour given to an individual, has been adopted from the British. In fact, all the Commonwealth nations adopted this tradition from the British Empire.

But how did the tradition come into being in the first place?

This highest honour traces its roots back to the 14th Century and has evolved since. According to the Arlington National Cemetery website, it was a naval custom that when a warship wanted to signal it wasn’t seeking a confrontation it would fire its cannons out to sea until all ammunition was spent.

The website added that the British navy developed the custom of a seven-gun salute because its ships typically had seven guns. And also maybe that the number seven has Biblical significance. Since forts were on land they could store greater amounts of gunpowder so they could only fire three rounds for every one fired at sea. The number 21 became the world-wide benchmark.

As gunpowder improved over time naval honours likewise rose to 21.

India’s tryst with the 21-gun salute

Today, in a 21-gun salute, seven artillery guns are fired in three rounds at intervals of 2.25 seconds, covering the 52-second duration of the national anthem.

However, it was not always the case.

The gun salute in India was first instituted during the time of the East India Company in the late 18th Century and continued under direct Crown rule from 1858. During the durbar of 1877, the Viceroy, on the advice of the British government, issued a new order through which the gun salute for the British monarch was fixed at 101, 31 for the Viceroy of India and Indian rulers — based on their hierarchies — would be accorded 21-, 19-, 17-, 15-, 11- and 9-gun salutes.

Interestingly, when Dr Rajendra Prasad became India’s first president of India in 1950 and he drove down Rajpath in his gold buggy on 26 January, he was accorded a 31-gun salute.

However, the 21-gun salute became the norm in India and since then it has been in practice.

Today, receiving a 21-gun salute is the highest honour. Every new President is honoured with this after their swearing-in ceremony as well as on Republic Day.

Besides Republic Day, a 21-gun salute is given during Independence Day — 15 August, Army Day — 15 January, Martyrs’ Day — 30 January and for welcoming head of states of other countries at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

With inputs from agencies

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