Bengal: Territorial Army gets its official song 77 years after its raising

Kolkata, Aug 28 (IANS) The Territorial Army, which came into being in 1949, got its official song on Friday, during the concluding day of the two-day ‘Know Your Territorial Army’ (KYTA) Seminar and TA 2.0 Symposium in Kolkata.

Just as a flag, a song is considered very important for any force to maintain its distinctive identity. The Army, Air Force and Navy have their own songs.

Unfortunately, this important force, comprising enthusiastic men and women who spend part of the year as soldiers protecting vital installations and the environment in harsh conditions, never had one.

Among those present during the day were Lt Gen Gambhir Singh, Chief of Staff, Eastern Command, Maj Gen Sujeet Shivaji Patil, ADG, Territorial Army, senior serving and retired officers, subject experts, and large numbers of civilians, school students and NCC cadets.

The day’s programme included two panel discussions, a keynote address, exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), release of the Territorial Army Song, felicitation of eminent personalities, and a valedictory address by Lt Gen Singh.

The proceedings began in the presence of Lt Gen Rakesh Kapoor (Retd), former Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems & Coordination).

The first panel discussion was on ‘Unlocking India’s National Talent Pool’. Prof Basab Chakraborty from IIT Kharagpur, Dhriti Banerjee, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Fr K.S. Casamir, Vice Chancellor, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, and Vimal Govind M.K., CEO of Genrobotics Innovation Private Limited, were the panellists. The session was moderated by Brig Amit Pandey, Brigadier, Infantry (Territorial Army).

This was followed by a briefing on recruitment in the Territorial Army and screening of the film ‘Know Your TA’. Lt Gen Kapoor then delivered the keynote address on ‘Vision/Crystal Gazing on the Future of TA’, outlining a technology-enabled path ahead for the force.

The second panel discussion featured C.P. Marak, IFS (Retd), Chairperson, Meghalaya Lokayukta, Dhriti Banerjee, Director, Zoological Survey of India, and Shruti Sharma Rana, a sustainability and ESG professional formerly with TERI School of Advanced Studies. This session was moderated by Col Prakash Tiwari (Retd), member, Expert Appraisal Committee, Infra-1 & CRZ, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

Strategic analyst and defence commentator Nitin A. Gokhale addressed the symposium on the futuristic evolution of the Territorial Army thereafter.

This was followed by the formal exchange of MoUs between Maj Gen Patil and the seven partner institutions that were signed on Day 1, and the release of the official Territorial Army Song.

The outdoor KYTA stalls and cultural events remained open to the public throughout the day, with a steady stream of civilians, school students and NCC cadets visiting the exhibition and enjoying performances by Territorial Army cultural troupes.

–IANS

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