Page 197 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

formations. As such it is common to find battalions of the same regiment spread across several
brigades, divisions, corps, commands, and even theaters.

Infantry Regiments of the Indian Army recruit based on certain selection criteria, such as
geographical location (the Punjab Regiment), Assam Rifles etc. Some regimental recruitment criteria
are unique to India with some regiment’s recruitment pool falling on ethnicity, caste or religion such

as the Gorkha Regiment, Jatt Regiment and Sikh Regiment respectively. Over the years various
political and military factions have tried to dissolve the unique selection criteria process of the
regiments over a fear that loyalty to the regiment or its ethnic people opposed to loyalty to the union
of India and have succeeded somewhat with the creation of caste-less, religion-less, non-regional
regiments, such as the Brigade of Guards & Parachute Regiment, but have generally met with little
success or gained popular support amongst the rank and file Jawans.

Like its British and Commonwealth counterparts, troops enlisted within the regiment are immensely
loyal and take great pride in the regiment they are assigned to and generally spend their entire career

within the regiment.

Regiments in order of seniority within the Indian Army are:

Brigade of the Guards

The Parachute Regiment

Mechanised Infantry Regiment

Punjab Regiment

Madras Regiment

The Grenadiers

Maratha Light Infantry

Rajputana Rifles

Rajput Regiment

Jat Regiment

Sikh Regiment

Sikh Light Infantry

Dogra Regiment

Garhwal Rifles