In what would go down in golden letters in the annals of Indian Armys history,President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Sunday presented the Presidents Standards to five Armoured Regiments of the Indian Army in a glittering ceremony at Patiala attended by a galaxy of distinguished personalities,including the Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh,General Officer Commanding in Chief Western Command Lt Gen S R Ghosh and General Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Command Lt Gen A K Singh. This is second time after the country gained independence that five Regiments were presented with the Standards in one go. Presented by the President,the Standard,also called Nishan,is a sign of recognition for distinguished service rendered towards the nation by the recipient unit. The regiments that received the honour on Sunday were the 70 Armoured Regiment,73 Armoured Regiment,74 Armoured Regiment,5 Armoured Regiment and 6 Lancers. Congratulating the officers,junior commissioned officers and jawans of all the armoured regiments,Patil in her address said: The history of your Regiments spanning over 44 years is replete with examples of heroism,professionalism and devotion to duty,in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. The services of your Regiments have always been held in high esteem. She added: Your performance has always been exemplary and I compliment you for the same. The personnel,both past and present,have put in untiring efforts in pursuit of excellence and have shown selfless devotion,professionalism and bravery in the face of adversity. Stating that a Regiments performed better after being presented the Standard,the President said the honour bestowed on the Regiments carried with it additional responsibilities. The sacrifices and professionalism now expected of you are more than even before and I have no doubt in my mind that you will strive with dedication to keep the Standards flying high, added the supreme commander of the armed forces. Earlier,all the four Dharam Gurus of the Army representing Hinduism,Islam,Sikhism and Christianity carried out a ceremony with recitations for the purification of the Standards before being presented to the Regiments. Army drum bands added colour to the ceremony and so did an impressive march past by 132 Bhishma tanks much to the delight of spectators. Earlier in the day,the President,accompanied by Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil and state minister-in-waiting Punjab Transport Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani who attended the function on behalf of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,reached the venue and was received by Congress Member of Parliament and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur.
