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The Indian Military Heritage Festival

The Indian Military Heritage Festival

The Indian Military Heritage Festival is the flagship annual event organised by the USI of India through its Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS) to increase public awareness of India’s military history traditions and strategic priorities. The first annual IMHF was held on 21-22 October 2023 at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, drawing an overwhelming public response and extensive media coverage. Featuring multiple high-profile panel discussions, exhibition kiosks, and cultural programs, the event was inaugurated by Shri Rajnath Singh, the Hon’ble Defence Minister of India, and received delegations from all branches of India’s armed forces. The second IMHF was held at the India International Centre in New Delhi on 08-09 November 2024 and was inaugurated by General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, Chief of Defence Staff. The third edition of the IMHF is tentatively set to be hosted on 14-15 November 2025. The Festival aims to create an international platform to generate discussion of debate using contemporary writings on Indian military history and heritage; and to further military engagement and diplomacy by establishing communication channels with partner nations and organisations.

Speakers

"Powerful Voices, Insightful Perspectives"

General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC

General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC

General Anil Chauhan is the current Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, serving since September 30, 2022. A four-star general with nearly 40 years of service,

General Anil Chauhan is the current Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, serving since September 30, 2022. A four-star general with nearly 40 years of service, he has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India.
Born on May 18, 1961, he was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1981. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, he commanded an Infantry Division in Baramula, a corps in the North East, and the Eastern Command from September 2019 until his retirement in May 2021. He has also served as Director General of Military Operations and participated in a UN mission to Angola.
General Chauhan’s distinguished service has earned him the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.

A Bharat Bhushan Babu, IIS (Retd)

A Bharat Bhushan Babu, IIS (Retd)

Mr. A Bharat Bhushan Babu is a post-graduate in Civil Engineering from NIT, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh. He joined the Indian Information Service (IIS) in 1991.

Mr. A Bharat Bhushan Babu is a post-graduate in Civil Engineering from NIT, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh. He joined the Indian Information Service (IIS) in 1991.
He has extensive experience of News reporting/News production in Doordarshan and News Service Division, All India Radio.
During his nearly 14 year stint with DD news, Shri Babu compiled over 10,000 hours of news bulletins and reported on countless important events such JMM bribery case, midair flight Collision over Charkhidadri- Haryana 1996, Pokhran nuclear blasts 1998, Three Parliament elections in 1996, 98 and 99, ( covered the beat of United Front) , Punjab assembly elections- 1997 , foreign visits of Prime Ministers Vajpayee & Manmohan Singh, SAARC Summits in Nepal (2002) and Pakistan (2004).
He was a recipient of Best News Editor award in 2002.
Shri Babu has served in Cabinet Secretariat for 12 years on deputation. During this stint he worked for Seven years in Indian Embassies in Iran and Egypt. He’s a security expert on Middle East, Afghanistan, terrorism and Islam.
Upon his return from deputation Shri Babu served as Spokesperson of Ministry of Home Affairs from 2018-19.
Later he served as the Spokesperson of Ministry of Defence and headed its media department from 2019-2024.
Shri Babu is a regular guest speaker on media issues at IIMC Delhi, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, Army War college, Mhow and DSSC, Wellington.
Mrs Babu is a home maker and they have two daughters. His hobbies include playing chess, nature walks and reading books. Yoga is his passion.

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (Retd)

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (Retd)

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (Retd), India’s 20th Naval Chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff, is a distinguished aviator with over 2500 flying hours across fighters, patrol aircraft, and helicopters. Over his 40-year career,

Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (Retd), India’s 20th Naval Chief and Chairman Chiefs of Staff, is a distinguished aviator with over 2500 flying hours across fighters, patrol aircraft, and helicopters. Over his 40-year career, he commanded a carrier-borne fighter squadron, a naval air station, and four warships, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.
In flag rank, he led the Eastern Fleet, Andaman & Nicobar Joint Command, Western Naval Command, and the National Defence Academy. He also headed the navy’s Aviation and Personnel Branches and served as Vice Chief of Naval Staff. Under his leadership, the navy advanced in doctrine, strategy, transformation, and maritime cooperation.
A graduate of the IAF Test Pilots School, Defence Services Staff College, and US Naval War College, he was awarded the Vir Chakra for his role in the 1971 War. Post-retirement, he served on the National Security Advisory Board, chaired the National Maritime Foundation, and contributed to national security reform committees. He now lives in Goa, writing and speaking on strategic and security matters.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM (Retd)

Air Marshal Anil Chopra, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM (Retd)

A fighter pilot, Qualified Flying Instructor, test pilot, and a pioneer of Mirage-2000 fleet, who has commanded a Mirage 2000 Squadron and the Flight Test Centre, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A fighter pilot, Qualified Flying Instructor, test pilot, and a pioneer of Mirage-2000 fleet, who has commanded a Mirage 2000 Squadron and the Flight Test Centre, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He has been the Team Leader of MiG 21 Bison Upgrade project in Russia for over four years. He has commanded operational air bases in both Western and Eastern sectors. He was head of IAF in J&K, and head of operational Inspections of the IAF. Retired as Air Officer in-charge Personnel. He has been a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Lucknow Bench, and member of the Executive Council of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He is former Director General Centre for Air Power Studies. An Avid writer, who has more than 950 articles published in various magazines, newspapers, web portals, and books. He has authored or edited 9 books.
He is often invited for TV debates on both English and Hindi news channels as defence analyst. He is also on Seminar and university lecture circuit. Currently he is “Strategic Adviser Aerospace, with Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

Air Marshal Vikram Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

Air Marshal Vikram Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

Air Mshl Vikram Singh is a former fighter pilot from the IAF. He initially flew the MiG 21 bis and Mirage 2000. As a Test Pilot he carried out initial technology demonstration test flights on the Prototype LCA Tejas aircraft.

Air Mshl Vikram Singh is a former fighter pilot from the IAF. He initially flew the MiG 21 bis and Mirage 2000. As a Test Pilot he carried out initial technology demonstration test flights on the Prototype LCA Tejas aircraft. In his 40 year career he flew over 35 different types and tenanted several command and staff appointments. His interests range from classic war birds, aviation art, one of his air combat paintings being used as a postage stamp, and aviation history. He has written extensively for the internet and published his first book, “Spitfires in the Sun” in 2014. His next book “Because of this’ is a three lakh word, almost forensic study of the 1971 Indo-Pak Air War is just out.

Air Vice Mshl (Dr) Devesh Vatsa, VSM (Retd)

Air Vice Mshl (Dr) Devesh Vatsa, VSM (Retd)

Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Devesh Vatsa VSM (Retd) is a former Commandant of Aviation Software Development Institute (SDI) of the IAF and

Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Devesh Vatsa VSM (Retd) is a former Commandant of Aviation Software Development Institute (SDI) of the IAF and Assistant Chief of Staff (Communication). Presently, he is working at DSCI, NASSCOM, as Advisor, Cyber Security & Critical Technologies.

Amarjit Singh Dulat

Amarjit Singh Dulat

Amarjit Singh Dulat is a former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency. After retirement, he was appointed adviser on Kashmir in the Prime Minister's Office

Amarjit Singh Dulat is a former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency. After retirement, he was appointed adviser on Kashmir in the Prime Minister's Office and served there from January 2001 to May 2004. During this time, he accumulated a vast reservoir of goodwill with Kashmiris of all shades. As Jane's Intelligence Digest put it in 2001, ‘Well known for his social skills, Dulat preferred dialogue to clandestine maneouvres.' In his heyday, Dulat was referred to as ‘Mr Kashmir'.
Dulat was born in Sialkot, Punjab, in December 1940. After India's partition, his father Justice Shamsher Singh Dulat relocated his family to Delhi. After schooling in Delhi, Simla and Chandigarh, Dulat joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1965, and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969, where he served for almost thirty years. At the IB he headed the Kashmir Group during the turbulent 1990s till he joined and headed the R&AW.
He is the author of Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years (2015; co-authored with Aditya Sinha), The Spy Chronicles: R&AW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace (2018; co-authored with Lieutenant General Asad Durrani and Aditya Sinha) and A Life in the Shadows (2022).

Ambassador Ajay Bisaria, IFS (Retd)

Ambassador Ajay Bisaria, IFS (Retd)

Ajay Bisaria is a corporate strategic advisor and a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. In a career spanning 35 years in the Indian Foreign Service,

Ajay Bisaria is a corporate strategic advisor and a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. In a career spanning 35 years in the Indian Foreign Service, he dealt with some of India’s key economic and security relationships. He served as Indian High Commissioner to Canada (2020-2022) and was the last Indian HC to Pakistan (2017-2020). He has also been India’s ambassador to Poland & Lithuania (2015-2017). He has earlier been posted at the World Bank in Washington DC and in embassies in Berlin and Moscow. He has served in various capacities in the Government of India, including in the Prime Minister’s Office, where he was a key aide to Prime Minister Vajpayee (1999-2004). He has a BA in Economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, an MBA from IIM Calcutta and a Masters in public policy from Princeton University. He writes extensively on geopolitics and particularly on Pakistan. His first book, Anger Management, on the troubled diplomatic relationship between India and Pakistan, was released in January 2024, to critical and popular acclaim.

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Schedule

Programme Details

Day 1 | 08 November 2024

Day 2 | 09 November 2024

Featured At

Special Highlights and Exhibits

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Inauguration - Proj Udbhav

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Band Performance by Indian Army

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Band Performance by Indian Navy

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Band Performance by Indian Air Force

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Exhibition

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Future of the Nation

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Bookseller Stall

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Closing Ceremony

Venue

India International Centre,
New Delhi

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