The Awards of the Republic of India: a Survey in a Broad Historical Context
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THE AWARDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA: A SURVEY IN A BROAD HISTORICAL CONTEXT ED HAYNES With the Independence of India in 1947, decisions were made and enshrined in the constitution to abandon many aspects of the British heritage as applied to awards, yet in other ways the Indian awards system can be seen as a direct successor to the older system. As the rejection of British awards had become so central to the freedom struggle and as the possession of honors and use of the titles and postnominal abbreviations of these imperial awards carried with it the acrid scent of the collaborator, there was, even before independence, a considerable Indian skepticism regarding the whole idea of state honors. An additional complexity came from the peculiar constitutional condition in which India found itself. While independence came in August 1947, it was a limited independence. India had a Prime Minister but it was a dominion. Any honors awarded had to be approved through London and any new awards required London’s approval and the King’s (the ex-King-Emperor’s) image Figure 1: The Padma Vibhushan. or representation on the award. While British awards to the few British who remained serving in India after 1947 DECORATIONS could be recommended by New Delhi to London, no awards were awarded or available for Indian nationals, Awards for gallantry were closely patterned on the British military or civilian, except for a few late awards to India’s model, though in a conscious statement of the spirit of “Princes” (who were, arguably, not Indian citizens at equality that (it was hoped) would infuse the independent that time). It would only be with the promulgation of Indian State, all rank and class distinctions were removed. the constitution in January 1950 and the establishment Unlike the pre-1991 British system, there were to be no of India as a fully independent self-governing republic separate awards for officers and enlisted personnel. The (though still a member of the Commonwealth) that a awards for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, properly “Indian” set of honors could be created. created in 1950 in three levels (Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, and Vir Chakra), were to be awarded to all NATIONAL HONORS military personnel, regardless of rank. For this reason it is difficult to draw easy comparisons and analogies to the One aspect that was rejected was the system and ideology awards of the United Kingdom. The third tier award in of orders and titles that had thrived in pre-1947 India. No this system is the Vir Chakra (Figure 2). orders were to be created and no titles were to be used. Yet, when it came to creating the highest national honor Acts of gallantry performed other than in the face of in four classes (the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, the enemy were to be rewarded with the three medals Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri in 1954) there was an in the Ashoka Chakra series. These awards were to be inherent constitutional danger. These awards, for example open to both military personnel and civilians (but not the the Padma Vibhushan (Figure 1)(the second highest police). Originally, these were created in three classes, award for national service), have remained somewhat as in the Ashoka Chakra Class 2 (Figure 3) but in 1967 controversial and have frequently been seen as overly the two lower classes were given new names (Shaurya politicized. Yet these awards for the highest degrees of Chakra and Kirti Chakra) to remove the explicit class national service, announced annually on Republic Day distinctions. (January 26th), remain highly respected. 26 JOMSA Figure 4: The President’s Police Figure 2: The Vir Chakra. and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry. For the police, there was a close continuation of the British inheritance of the King’s Police Medals. In 1951 the President’s Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry (Figure 4) and a parallel award for distinguished service were created. The medal for gallantry is awarded for acts of exceptional courage by members of the police and fire services, who were specifically excluded from awards of the Ashoka Chakra series since they possessed their own separate medal. In 1975 this medal was separated into separate police and fire services medals and the following years have seen a number of sibling awards created for the correctional services, home guards and civil defence, coast guard, etc. Likewise, there was a continuation of pre-independence patterns with the creation in 1951 of the Police Medal for Gallantry and the Police Medal Figure 3: The Ashoka Chakra. for Meritorious Service. As with the higher presidential awards, there has also been a recent proliferation of new Medals for distinguished service were created in 1960 medals for the other quasi-police services. All of these – the Vishisht Seva Medal series in three classes – and gallantry awards are named and often dated on the edge. these were also renamed (Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal) in 1967. In 1961 a three-tier lifesaving medal was created to In 1980 a parallel combat-service-only distinguished recognize civilian or non-operational military acts of service medal was added (Sarvottam Yuddh Seva Medal, lifesaving. The Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, and Yuddh Seva Medal). The Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak are an lowest level of commendation for good service has, unfortunately large (58 x 80 mm) medal issued in gold, since 1960, been recognized with the service-specific silver, and bronze annually on Republic Day. These Sena Medal (Army), Vayu Sena Medal (Air Force), and medals are unnamed. There is also a somewhat extra- Nao Sena Medal (Navy). Unfortunately and confusingly, constitutional Prime Minister’s Life Saving Medal for these medals are awarded for both service and gallantry award to the police. and there is no way short of finding the specific recommendation to determine which category applies CAMPAIGN MEDALS to any individual award. In 1973 a Wound Medal was created to recognize wounds suffered in combat. It is not Perhaps the most direct inheritance from the colonial awarded posthumously. past was in the arena of campaign medals. In 1950 the Vol. 65, No. 6 (November-December 2014) 27 awarded for this general service medal and most are in Hindi (KUTCH-KARGIL 1965, NATHULA-CHOLA 1967, NAGALAND, MIZORAM, TIRAP, and MANIPUR). These general service medals are named on the edge Figure 5: The General Service Medal 1947. General Service Medal 1947 (Figure 5) was created with retrospective awards back to the date of independence, August 15, 1947. The idea of a common medal with Figure 7: The Samar Seva Star 1965. clasps for different campaigns has a long heritage in the Indian Subcontinent, and this medal is a continuation A parallel (and sometimes contradictory) inheritance from of that tradition. Over the history of this medal, seven British practice as it reshaped itself in two world wars clasps have been issued, all in English (JAMMU AND is a system by which a star-shaped medal is awarded for KASHMIR 1947-48, OVERSEAS KOREA 1950-53, NAGA combat service in a conflict and a general war medal is HILLS, GOA 1961, LADAKH 1962, NEFA 1962, and awarded for service, in or out of battle, during the period MIZO HILLS). In 1965, a new general service medal, of the war. In 1965 India adopted this system to reward the Samanya Seva Medal 1965 (Figure 6) was issued as a services in their second war with Pakistan, issuing the further continuation of this system. While this medal and Samar Seva Star 1965 (Figure 7) and the Raksha Medal this system of clasps on a common medal seems to have 1965 (Figure 8) for, respectively, combatant and general been supplanted by later medals, the Samanya Seva Medal services during that conflict. The 1971 Indo-Pakistani war still remains, technically, in force. Six clasps have been (the ‘Bangladesh War’) was represented by two combat Figure 6: The Samanya Seva Medal 1965. Figure 8: The Raksha Medal 1965. 28 JOMSA.