Accordingly the indian Navy on friday unveiled the new design for epaulettes that top officers will wear, which are inspired by the naval legacy of Chhatrapati shivaji Maharaj. A revision in the design was announced by prime minister Narendra Modi during his Navy Day speech at Sindhudurg on december 4. New epaulettes have been released for the top three ranks of admiral, vice admiral and rear admiral. The navy said the new design is drawn from the naval ensign and inspired from the Rajmudra of Shivaji. It said not only is the design a true reflection of India’s rich maritime heritage, it also reaffirms the commitment of leaving behind a colonial legacy.
The epaulette design consists of the golden navy button, the national emblem on a red background, the indian sword and telescope as crossed arms, and the octagon denoting rank. The current design feature has the Nelson’s Ring, signifying a long colonial past of the armed forces.
Along with the announcement for the design change, the prime minister had said the nomenclature of naval ranks will also bear indian traditions. This comes as part of a series of changes made by the force last year, when it discontinued the use of batons for commanders, adopted new ensign and allowed traditional indian clothing inside officers’ mess. In a drive to shed colonial military traditions, the navy is also set to replace Indianised designations of ranks held by sailors that were inherited from the British. More than 65,000 sailors will get new ranks, which are made to align with indian traditions. But, all the officer ranks will stay as before.
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