Army Day 2024: History And Significance Of This Year's Parade

Every year on January 15, India celebrates its Army Day. The purpose of the day is to remember troops and all they have sacrificed for the country. Additionally, Army Day commemorates the year 1949, when Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of Independent India, succeeding General FRR Bucher, the last British-serving chief of the Indian Army.

From 1949 till 2022, the Army Day parade was organised at the Cariappa Parade Ground in the Delhi Cantonment. The Chief of Army Staff reviews the marching contingents who also take part in the Republic Day Parade every year.

The capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, will host a spectacular parade today to commemorate the 76th Army Day of the Indian Army. For the second year in a row, the Army Day parade has been relocated outside of Delhi. The parade was held at the Parade Ground of the MED & Centre in Bengaluru the previous year. 

General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff on Monday extended his greetings on the occasion of 76th Army Day. In his address to the troops, General Manoj Pandey paid homage to soldiers who laid down their lives in service to the nation. "On the occasion of Army Day 2024, I convey my felicitations and warm wishes to all ranks of the Indian Army, civilian employees, Veterans and their families. We solemnly remember and pay homage to our comrades who have laid down their lives in service of the nation. Their supreme sacrifice shall always inspire us," he said.

This year's Army Day parade will be special because of the use of Artificial Intelligence to select the 'Best Marching Contingent'. Artificial Intelligence is being used for the first time to identify the best marching contingent," Major General Salil Seth said. 

"All marching contingents do drills but there is a pattern of doing it -- raising your hands and legs to a certain level and doing your movement with the weapon within a certain timeframe. We will capture the individual movement with a camera and then the computer software using the AI will give marks for every movement. This will also be supervised by humans. We have done two to three practices," the officer added.