Army Day Parade Outside Delhi, A Break With Tradition: 5 Points

The 75th Army Day Parade will be held at the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre in Bengaluru. Army Chief General Manoj Pande will review the parade and present the gallantry awards.

This is the first time the parade has been moved out of the national capital. Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment had been home to the parade since its maiden edition in 1949. The Indian Air Force's annual parade too was moved from the Hindon airbase near Delhi to Chandigarh year.

The Army Day evening function will be held at the Army Service Corps (ASC) Centre and College in the city at 2:30 pm. Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest. The celebrations will take under the supervision of the Indian Army's Southern Command, which has its headquarters in Pune.

Breath-taking activities like motorcycle stunts by the ASC Tornadoes team, skydiving by the paratroopers, and a flypast by Army aviation helicopters will follow the parade. The event will also feature microlight flying, tent pegging, daredevil jumps, band displays, taekwondo and other martial art displays, among other activities.

Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to commemorate the day Field Marshal (then General) KM Cariappa took over Indian Army's command from the British in 1949. He was the first Indian to head the Army.