Doing away with ‘legacy practices’ generates debate in Army

While the letter has been issued by one command headquarters, a section of the media has widely reported that the Army as a whole has done away with these practices. There has not been any official word on the subject from Army Headquarters and therefore it is not clear if the directions are only for implementation in the formations falling under Eastern Command or has the call to do away with these practices been taken for all formations across the country.

Customs and traditions of the Indian Army are largely British inherited and if a serious effort were made to do away with legacy practices then virtually every Army activity ranging from officers’ mess, regimental traditions and accoutrements will have to undergo a change. It is also a fact that the customs and traditions of the Army play a very important role in fostering esprit de corps among the rank and file.

The institution of officers’ mess itself is of British origin as is almost every tradition in the Army. The dinner night, guest night, seating arrangement during dinner nights, raising of toast to the President, manner of laying the silver etc, everything has flown down from the British. Indeed, if a clean break were to be made from the British influence then it would not be correct to stop at only doing away the piper during dinner night, the whole culture of the officers’ mess would have to be scrapped and re-written.

The pulling out of officers on retirement or being posted out of the battalion or regiment is more of an emotional moment as it signifies the final departure of the officer from that establishment. The ceremony is more of a tribute to the long and distinguished service of an individual than anything else. It is not understood why the practice has not found favour with that particular Command Headquarters. Thankfully, the practice of putting garlands around the neck of a retiring officer, JCO or other rank has not been commented upon in the letter.

The least contentious bit in these directions is the use of horse driven buggies in ceremonial events. This practice was more in use by senior officers, mostly of the rank of Army Commanders or Chiefs of Staff and sometimes the event could reach ridiculous levels. One retiring Army Commander’s video footage had recently found its way in the social media where the horse driven buggy and horse riding escort were lit up with LED lights. Such ostentation was certainly avoidable and showed the entire ceremony in poor light.

The moot question however is where does the exercise stop? The Army uniforms, badges of ranks, the names of ranks, the organisation of regiments, battalions and sub units, the bugles used for sounding Reveille and Retreat, the nuts and bolts which drive the Army day to day are all legacy of the British. While doing away with Colonial practices is not a bad idea in itself, the haste with which it is being undertaken can certainly be avoided.