President Droupadi Murmu felicitates a veteran military official during the inauguration ceremony of Param Vir Dirgha at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, in New Delhi on December 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees are now on display at Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing the previously displayed portraits of 96 British Aide-de-Camps (ADCs).
The Param Vir Chakra is India’s highest military honour, awarded for displaying the most exceptional acts of valour, courage and self-sacrifice during war.
The initiative aims to honour the memory of soldiers who have laid down their lives in the service of the nation. The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated the ‘Param Vir Dirgha’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, on the occasion of ‘Vijay Diwas’.
“The move will assist in educating visitors about our national heroes who displayed dauntless resolve and unconquerable spirit in defending our nation. The initiative to display portraits of Indian national heroes marks a step toward shedding the colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India’s culture, heritage, and timeless traditions,’’ a release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
The government had been working to restore pride in India’s “sanatan values”, with prominent changes including the renaming of the Rajpath to Kartavya Path, a senior Central government official said. Similarly, the Indian Navy’s ensign has shed the Saint George’s Cross, adopting instead a design featuring the National Flag and a Navy blue-gold octagon dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The 2022 Republic Day Beating the Retreat Ceremony, part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, embraced Indian instruments, including the sitar, santoor, and tabla.
Across India, including in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, colonial nomenclature has been replaced, the official said. In 2018, Ross Island was renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep, Neil Island became Shaheed Dweep, and Havelock Island was rechristened Swaraj Dweep. In 2024, the capital of the Union Territory, Port Blair, was renamed Sri Vijaya Puram, and 21 islands were named after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Mughal Garden was renamed Amrit Udyan, and Race Course Road, home to the Prime Minister’s residence, has become Lok Kalyan Marg.
“Through various initiatives, the Central government is dismantling colonial legacies,’’ the official said.
Published – December 16, 2025 09:16 pm IST
