- Topic: Defence / Art & Culture / National Symbols
- Date of Event: December 16, 2025
- Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
- Inaugurated By: President Droupadi Murmu
1. Event Overview
- What is it? A new gallery titled “Param Vir Dirgha” was inaugurated inside Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Occasion: The event took place on Vijay Diwas (December 16), which commemorates India’s victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
- Content: The gallery displays portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees, India’s highest military decoration.
2. Strategic & Cultural Significance
- Decolonisation: The gallery was created in a corridor that previously displayed portraits of British Aides-de-Camp (ADCs).
- Significance: Replacing British colonial figures with Indian war heroes is part of the government’s broader push to “shed the colonial mindset” (Panch Pran) and honour indigenous valour.
- Educational Value: It aims to educate visitors about the supreme sacrifices made by Indian soldiers to defend national sovereignty.
3. Key Attendees
- President: Smt. Droupadi Murmu
- Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
- Service Chiefs: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, and Navy Chief Adm Dinesh K. Tripathi.
4. Background: The Param Vir Chakra (PVC)
- Status: India’s highest military decoration for valour during wartime.
- Total Awardees: 21 (since 1947).
- First Recipient: Major Somnath Sharma (1947, posthumous).
- Living Legends: Only a few PVC awardees are alive (e.g., Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav, Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar).
5. Potential Exam Questions
| Question Type | Potential Question | Answer |
| Current Affairs | “Param Vir Dirgha,” inaugurated in Dec 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, replaced portraits of which historical figures? | British ADCs (Aides-de-Camp) |
| Date/Event | The gallery was inaugurated on which commemorative day? | Vijay Diwas (Dec 16) |
| Static GK | How many total Param Vir Chakra awardees are featured in the new Dirgha? | 21 |