New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu, on Tuesday, presented the diamond jubilee silver trumpet and trumpet banner to the President’s Bodyguard (PBG) at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital in recognition of 75 years of glorious service since the designation as the PBG in 1950, the President’s Office said in a statement.

In her brief remarks on the ceremony, President Murmu said that the country is proud of the PBG.

She congratulated the PBG for their professional excellence and adherence to the finest military traditions, the statement added.

She expressed confidence that all the bodyguards must be knowing that this honour carries with it a significant responsibility.

‘Viraat’, the Commandant’s Charger, which was retired in 2022, was also present on the occasion.

The PBG has adopted Viraat after his retirement, which is a unique symbol of the bond between the personnel of PBG and their horses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had patted this horse at the Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2022.

The President’s Bodyguard is the oldest regiment in the Indian Army, having been raised as the Governor-General’s Bodyguard (later the Viceroy’s Bodyguard) in 1773.

On January 27, 1950, the regiment was renamed the President’s Bodyguard.

Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, presented his silver trumpet and trumpet banner to the President’s Bodyguard on May 14, 1957.

The PBG is the only regiment that is permitted two ‘Standards’, namely the President’s Standard of Body Guard and the Regimental Standard of The PBG.

The PBG, as it is known today, was raised in Banaras (Varanasi) by the then Governor-General, Warren Hastings. It had an initial strength of 50 cavalry troopers, later augmented by another 50 horsemen.

Today, the PBG is a select body of hand-picked men with special physical attributes. They are chosen after a rigorous process.

Mounted on impeccable war horses, clad in traditional ceremonial attire, the President Body Guard continues to uphold the timeless, traditional, warrior ethos of the Indian horsed cavalry, while blending it seamlessly with the modern professionalism of the Indian Army.

Since 1947, the PBG has served one Governor General and 15 Presidents of India.

The PBG is a unique military unit, intricately woven into the fabric of the history of our nation, Rashtrapati Bhavan to include the lives and times of each President, and the Indian Army.

–IANS

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