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With a strength of 1.2 million personnel the Indian Army is the second largest professional standing army in the world. In the sixty years since independence the Army has developed from being the sword arm of the British Raj to the Army of a sovereign democratic Republic. As one of the premier institutions of the State it embodies all the ideals that the founding fathers of the Republic laid down in the Constitution. By dint of its selfless and impartial service both in war and peace it has come to represent the finest civilisational values of Indian society both at home and abroad. Personnel in its ranks come from every part of this vast Country. There are men of different ethnic backgrounds, speaking numerous languages and countless dialects and practicing each one of the six major faiths of the world. Yet despite this bewildering diversity the Army displays a unity that stands as a beacon of national solidarity for society at large to see and emulate. Though steeped in tradition, the Army is constantly evolving and incorporating emerging technologies and doctrine to keep pace with new challenges to national security. This book attempts to provide on illustrated overview of the genesis and development of the Indian Army over the last three centuries. It covers the diversity of the terrain over which an Indian soldier operates during his service career; the broad ethnic canvas that goes into making up the Army's constituent elements, the various indigenous and foreign influences that have shaped the Indian military ethos, an introduction to the Army in its present form and lastly a brief glimpse at some of the myriad facets of the Army from the colonial era to the present day.