New Delhi:

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi today spoke out over the removal of the iconic picture of Pakistan’s surrender to India in the 1971 war from his office at Raisina Hill in New Delhi. It was recently replaced by a new painting titled ‘Karam Kshetra’. The move had caused much anguish among army veterans, who have criticised the decision.

The iconic picture of Pakistan’s surrender used to be on the wall of the army chief’s lounge at his office. In December it was taken down for maintenance and upkeep, but later sent away to the Manekshaw convention centre instead of being brought back to the army chief’s office. A new artwork was installed in its place.

Defending the move, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said, “If you see the golden history of India – it has three chapters. It has the British era, the Mughal era and the era before that. If we wish to connect that and the Army’s vision, symbolism becomes important.”

Suggesting a generational change, the army chief said the new painting is created by Lt Col Thomas Jacob of the 28 Madras regiment, “who belongs to the younger generation in the force”.

The Indian Army has said that the new painting, “Karam Kshetra” means “Field of Deeds”. “It portrays the Army as a guardian of Dharma that protects the nation’s values and reflects its evolution into a technologically-advanced integrated force,” it explained.

The painting shows snow-capped mountains around the Pangong lake in Ladakh, Lord Krishna’s chariot and Hindu statesman and philosopher Chanakya – all representing strategic wisdom.

The army chief suggested that the new painting was made considering the current realities as he mentioned about the re-balancing of troops in view of challenges coming from the northern front.

Addressing the criticism over the new painting, Army Chief Gen. Dwivedi said, “It is also being said that there is a semi-clad Brahmin standing at the centre on the banks of Pangong Tso. If Indians do not know Chanakya, they need to refer back to their civilisational approach.”

The army chief further said that “If I have to connect the past, present and future, the new painting symbolises that.”

Laying the case to rest, the army chief concluded that the move should not be seen as a removal of the iconic 1971 painting from his office. “The army chief has two lounges and the surrender painting is at the lounge at Manekshaw Centre,” Gen. Dwivedi said.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

New Delhi:

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi today spoke out over the removal of the iconic picture of Pakistan’s surrender to India in the 1971 war from his office at Raisina Hill in New Delhi. It was recently replaced by a new painting titled ‘Karam Kshetra’. The move had caused much anguish among army veterans, who have criticised the decision.

The iconic picture of Pakistan’s surrender used to be on the wall of the army chief’s lounge at his office. In December it was taken down for maintenance and upkeep, but later sent away to the Manekshaw convention centre instead of being brought back to the army chief’s office. A new artwork was installed in its place.

Defending the move, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said, “If you see the golden history of India – it has three chapters. It has the British era, the Mughal era and the era before that. If we wish to connect that and the Army’s vision, symbolism becomes important.”

Suggesting a generational change, the army chief said the new painting is created by Lt Col Thomas Jacob of the 28 Madras regiment, “who belongs to the younger generation in the force”.

The Indian Army has said that the new painting, “Karam Kshetra” means “Field of Deeds”. “It portrays the Army as a guardian of Dharma that protects the nation’s values and reflects its evolution into a technologically-advanced integrated force,” it explained.

The painting ‘Karam Kshetra’ has replaced the iconic picture of Pakistan’s surrender to India in the 1971 war. (Photo Credit: X / @bsdhanoa)

The painting shows snow-capped mountains around the Pangong lake in Ladakh, Lord Krishna’s chariot and Hindu statesman and philosopher Chanakya – all representing strategic wisdom.

The army chief suggested that the new painting was made considering the current realities as he mentioned about the re-balancing of troops in view of challenges coming from the northern front.

Addressing the criticism over the new painting, Army Chief Gen. Dwivedi said, “It is also being said that there is a semi-clad Brahmin standing at the centre on the banks of Pangong Tso. If Indians do not know Chanakya, they need to refer back to their civilisational approach.”

The army chief further said that “If I have to connect the past, present and future, the new painting symbolises that.”

Laying the case to rest, the army chief concluded that the move should not be seen as a removal of the iconic 1971 painting from his office. “The army chief has two lounges and the surrender painting is at the lounge at Manekshaw Centre,” Gen. Dwivedi said.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

New Delhi:

Highlighting the complex nature of dealing with tensions with China, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said that India must compete, cooperate, coexist, confront, and contest with China.

He stated, “As far as China is concerned, it has been intriguing our minds for quite some time. With China, you have to compete, cooperate, coexist, confront, and contest.”

“It’s stable, but it’s not normal and it’s sensitive. We want the situation to be restored back to what it was before April 2020, whether in terms of the ground occupation situation or the buffer zones that have been created,” he explained. He reiterated the military’s readiness, stating, “Until that situation is restored, the situation will remain sensitive, and we are fully operationally prepared to face any kind of contingency. Trust has become the biggest casualty.”

When asked about the progress of ongoing talks, Dwivedi shared that both sides have engaged in approximately 17 Corps Commander-level talks since April.

“We have come a long way. Now, when we have a difficult situation, both sides need to find a win-win solution,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, earlier in September, The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) provided an update on the current state of India-China relations, characterising them as ongoing dialogue and efforts to resolve tensions through the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meetings.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has consistently addressed the relationship in various forums, emphasising transparency and providing regular updates on the progress of WMCC discussions.

Responding to a question on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that 75 per cent of disengagement problems between India and China have been resolved, Jaiswal said, “External Affairs Minister has spoken on India-China relations on several occasions. Recently, he spoke it in Berlin. He also spoke about it in New Delhi when he attended an event here. We have also been keeping you informed about the developments on our talks with the WMCC.”

Notably, Jaishankar during his visit to Geneva spoke about the relationship between India and China and said that “75 per cent of disengagement problems are sorted out.”

India and China held the 31st meeting of the WMCC in Beijing on August 29, and the two sides decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements and protocols.

Since May 2020, when the Chinese troops tried to aggressively change the status quo on LAC in eastern Ladakh, both sides have been deployed in forward positions near Patrolling Point 15, which emerged as a friction point in the wake of the Galwan clash.

Over 50,000 Indian soldiers have been stationed since 2020 at forward posts along the LAC, with advanced weapons to prevent any attempts to change the status quo unilaterally on the LAC.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)