Two of the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) recent initiatives aimed at furthering the BJP-led government’s political agenda of “decolonising” the services in the ongoing “Amrit Kaal era” and fostering indigenous military traditions, have made little or no headway.
One of these proposals that pertained to ‘Indianising’ ranks of 65,000-odd naval personnel below officer rank (PBOR) is believed to have been shelved, due to legal complexities involved in the proposed switchover.
The other proposal of officially incorporating kurta-pyjamas into the Navy’s dress code is observed more in abeyance than practice, as a wide cross-section of senior veterans and some serving officers consider it somewhat de rigueur, and have simply ignored it.
by Rahul Bedi
23/01/2025