On 2 August 2026, President Droupadi Murmu virtually flagged off the PBG Soldierathon from the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and released a Special Postal Cover to mark the occasion, with the race held at the Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi Cantonment. Run on the theme "Supporting Real Heroes — the Armed Forces of India" and the motto "Run for Soldiers, Run with Soldiers," proceeds support the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre of the Armed Forces and the wards of battle casualties. For an NDA aspirant, the President's Bodyguard is a compact defence-traditions topic — and exactly the sort of thing an SSB interviewer expects a candidate to know.
The news in one frame
The essentials:
- What: the PBG Soldierathon, flagged off virtually by the President of India on 2 August 2026.
- Where: ceremony at the Forecourt, Rashtrapati Bhavan; race at the Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi Cantonment.
- Patron: General (Dr) V.K. Singh (Retd), Governor of Mizoram.
- Categories: 3 km, 5 km and 10 km.
- Purpose: civil-military bonding; proceeds to the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, welfare of wards of battle casualties, and support for the horses and troops of the PBG.
The President's Bodyguard — the facts that get asked
The core of the topic:
- The PBG is the senior-most regiment of the Indian Army — seniority in the Army is by date of raising, and no unit is older in continuous service.
- It was raised in September 1773 as the Governor-General's Bodyguard by Governor-General Warren Hastings, from 50 hand-picked troopers of the Moghul Horse. It celebrated 250 years in 2023.
- On Partition (1947), the regiment's Muslim personnel went to Pakistan to form that country's Governor General's Bodyguard; the Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs stayed with the Indian Army — and those three classes still make up the regiment.
- Its primary role is to escort and protect the President of India; it is based at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
- Its troopers are triple-qualified — expert horsemen, trained armoured (tank) crew, and paratroopers — so the regiment has an operational role beyond ceremonial duty.
- Members are selected for height, bearing and horsemanship; the ceremonial uniform features a white tunic, red-and-gold turban and a lance with a red-and-white pennant, and mounts are traditionally bay horses.
- The regiment's ceremonial duties centre on the Change of Guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Republic Day, and the presentation of credentials by foreign ambassadors. The Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner are among its most prized honours.
These themes recur in the NDA daily current affairs.
The President and the Armed Forces
Place the regiment in the constitutional frame — a favourite examiner link:
- Under Article 53(2), the supreme command of the Defence Forces of the Union is vested in the President, exercised in accordance with law — the President is the Supreme Commander.
- In practice the President acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (Article 74); operational control rests with the government through the Ministry of Defence.
- The President appoints the Service Chiefs and confers gallantry awards — Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra (wartime) and Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra (peacetime).
- The Cariappa Parade Ground is named after Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (1949); Sam Manekshaw was the first officer promoted to Field Marshal (1973), and the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi is named for him.
The revision hook: President's Bodyguard = senior-most Indian Army regiment, raised September 1773 as the Governor-General's Bodyguard by Warren Hastings from 50 Moghul Horse troopers; 250 years in 2023; based at Rashtrapati Bhavan; escorts the President; troopers are horsemen + tank crew + paratroopers; classes = Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs (Muslim personnel went to Pakistan in 1947); President is Supreme Commander under Article 53(2); Cariappa = first Indian C-in-C (1949), Manekshaw = first Field Marshal (1973).
Regiments and seniority — the wider Army picture
Round out with the organisational context, useful for both the GAT and the SSB:
- The Indian Army's regimental system builds identity, and seniority runs by date of raising: after the PBG come the armoured regiments and then the infantry regiments.
- Well-known infantry regiments include the Punjab, Madras, Rajputana Rifles, Rajput, Jat, Sikh, Sikh Light Infantry, Dogra, Garhwal Rifles, Kumaon, Assam, Bihar, Mahar, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, Gorkha Rifles, Naga and the Parachute Regiment; the Madras Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment.
- Commands: the Army has seven — Northern, Western, South-Western, Southern, Central, Eastern and the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) at Shimla.
- Army Day is 15 January, marking Cariappa taking over as C-in-C in 1949; the Army's motto is "Service Before Self."
- Welfare institutions the exam pairs with this: the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (Kirkee, Pune) for spinal-injured soldiers, the Armed Forces Flag Day (7 December), the Kendriya Sainik Board and the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund.
Why it matters
For the essay/interview and bigger picture:
- Continuity and tradition: an unbroken 250-year lineage is a reminder that regimental identity — naam, namak, nishan — is what steadies units in battle.
- Civil-military connect: events like the Soldierathon let citizens express solidarity, and channel funds to disabled soldiers and bereaved families.
- Ceremony as statecraft: the escort of the Supreme Commander is a visible statement of the Armed Forces' constitutional subordination to civilian authority.
Exam relevance in one paragraph
For NDA GAT, retain: the President's Bodyguard is the senior-most regiment of the Indian Army, raised in September 1773 as the Governor-General's Bodyguard by Warren Hastings from 50 hand-picked troopers of the Moghul Horse, marking 250 years in 2023; it is based at Rashtrapati Bhavan, escorts and protects the President of India, and its troopers are simultaneously horsemen, armoured crew and paratroopers, drawn from Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs after the Muslim personnel went to Pakistan at Partition; the President is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces under Article 53(2), acting on ministerial advice under Article 74, and confers the Param Vir, Maha Vir and Vir Chakras in war and the Ashoka, Kirti and Shaurya Chakras in peace; the PBG Soldierathon flagged off on 2 August 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, raced at the Cariappa Parade Ground in 3, 5 and 10 km categories, funds the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre and the wards of battle casualties; Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (1949, hence Army Day on 15 January) and Sam Manekshaw the first Field Marshal (1973). For the essay, frame it as tradition in the service of the Republic.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The senior-most regiment of the Indian Army is the: (a) President's Bodyguard (b) Madras Regiment (c) Parachute Regiment (d) Sikh Regiment → (a) — the PBG.
Q2. The President's Bodyguard was raised in: (a) 1773 (b) 1857 (c) 1947 (d) 1950 → (a) — September 1773.
Q3. It was originally raised as the: (a) Governor-General's Bodyguard (b) Viceroy's Lancers (c) Royal Horse Guards (d) Imperial Cavalry → (a) — the Governor-General's Bodyguard.
Q4. The Governor-General who raised it was: (a) Warren Hastings (b) Lord Curzon (c) Lord Mountbatten (d) Lord Dalhousie → (a) — Warren Hastings.
Q5. The PBG is based at: (a) Rashtrapati Bhavan (b) South Block (c) Fort William (d) Wellington → (a) — Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
Q6. PBG troopers are trained as horsemen, tank crew and: (a) paratroopers (b) submariners (c) fighter pilots (d) divers → (a) — paratroopers.
Q7. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces under: (a) Article 53(2) (b) Article 72 (c) Article 74 (d) Article 356 → (a) — Article 53(2).
Q8. The classes that remained with the Indian PBG after Partition are: (a) Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs (b) Gorkhas and Marathas (c) Dogras and Nagas (d) Ahirs and Kumaonis → (a) — Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs.
Q9. The PBG Soldierathon's proceeds support the: (a) Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre and battle-casualty wards (b) space programme (c) railways (d) municipal schools → (a) — armed-forces welfare.
Q10. The Cariappa Parade Ground is named after: (a) the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (b) the first Field Marshal (c) the first President (d) the first Air Chief → (a) — Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa.
Q11. India's first Field Marshal was: (a) Sam Manekshaw (b) K.M. Cariappa (c) K.S. Thimayya (d) J.N. Chaudhuri → (a) — Sam Manekshaw (1973); Cariappa was later also made Field Marshal.
Q12. Army Day is observed on: (a) 15 January (b) 26 January (c) 8 October (d) 4 December → (a) — 15 January.
Q13. India's highest wartime gallantry award is the: (a) Param Vir Chakra (b) Ashoka Chakra (c) Kirti Chakra (d) Vir Chakra → (a) — the Param Vir Chakra.
Q14. The highest peacetime gallantry award is the: (a) Ashoka Chakra (b) Param Vir Chakra (c) Shaurya Chakra (d) Vir Chakra → (a) — the Ashoka Chakra.
Q15. Armed Forces Flag Day is observed on: (a) 7 December (b) 15 January (c) 26 November (d) 16 December → (a) — 7 December.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Army traditions are a reliable NDA defence set. The reliable framings are the PBG's raising year and seniority, the President as Supreme Commander (Article 53(2)), gallantry awards split into wartime and peacetime, and firsts (Cariappa as first Indian C-in-C, Manekshaw as first Field Marshal). A common trap swaps the Param Vir Chakra with the Ashoka Chakra (war vs peace) or names the Madras Regiment as the Army's senior-most unit (it is the oldest infantry regiment). The fresh 2026 hook is the PBG Soldierathon — ideal for "which regiment / which year / which article" items. We reference the pattern, not any exact past question.
Preparing for NDA? Regimental history, gallantry awards and the Armed Forces' constitutional place are high-yield GAT topics and near-certain SSB interview ground. Follow our daily NDA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Aditya Tiwari — Defence & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).
Source: PIB / President's Secretariat, 2 August 2026. Facts cross-verified with independent sources.