Army Chief Justifies Decision to Replace Iconic 1971 War Painting

New Delhi: Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Monday (January 13) justified the decision to replace the iconic painting at his office that depicted Pakistan’s surrender in the 1971 war with a new artwork titled “Karam Kshetra.”

The painting was removed from the Army Chief’s lounge in December before being installed at the Manekshaw convention centre.

“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,” General Dwivedi told the Press Trust of India, invoking a periodisation of Indian history that modern historians say British colonial administrators first promoted.

The new painting, which depicts tanks and helicopters on the banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh, is overseen by a charioted warrior, a saffron-clad sage and a bird.

It is also being said that there is a semi-clad Brahmin standing at the centre on the banks of Pangong Tso," said General Dwivedi.

"He added that if Indians do not know Chanakya, they need to “refer back to their civilisational approach.”

"If I have to connect the past, present and future, it symbolises that," he said.

The removal of the painting has resulted in several veterans criticising the move.

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