Ancient wisdom meets AI: Indian Army showcases evolution of warfare to mark 77th Army Day

Pune: Using vivid digital images generated through AI-based tools, the Indian epics, historic military battles and monumental tales of valour through the centuries were brought alive in a grand show in Pune to mark the 77th Army Day.

The nearly 90-minute military extravaganza titled 'Gaurav Gatha' had an exhilarating mix of live combat demonstrations using tanks, mounted personnel, laser and drone shows, and digital displays on giant screens. It was witnessed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, and others on Wednesday evening.

Hosted at the Bhagat Pavillion, named after legendary Victoria Cross awardee Lt Gen P S Bhagat, on the premises of the Bombay Engineers Group (BEG) and Centre at Khadki, it showcased the evolution of warfare from the ancient period to the contemporary era, drawing themes from the 'Ramayana' and the 'Mahabharata' and modern wars.

The narration, backed with life-like images generated through artificial intelligence-based software, also told the evolution of the 'Indian Yodha' from ancient battlefields to modern war zones that now extend to the realm of cyberspace.

The show began at dusk with a burst of firecrackers sending plumes of multi-colour smoke in the air, setting the stage for dramatic retelling of stories of battles fought in epics, the mutinies and resistances during the colonial rule and some of the major wars fought since India's independence in 1947.

After combat demonstration that involved rolling tanks, military personnel and even the 'robotic mule' -- inducted last year and showcased for the first time in the Army Day Parade here in the morning -- some of the ancient fighting techniques such as 'Gatka' used by Sikh warriors, and Kalaripayattu of south India were displayed.

The charged-up atmosphere then gave way to echoing of stories of ancient India and its military wisdom, the powerful life-like images adding to the layer of 'shaurya gatha'.

In the first segment, 'Prachin Ranniti', Lord Ram and his 'vanar sena' fighting a battle in the mythical Lanka of demon King Ravana in the epic 'Ramayana' was shown on the screen, followed by a new-age retelling of the battle of Kurukshetra as portrayed in the 'Mahabharata'.

The images of Lord Krishna offering war lessons and teaching 'dharma' to warrior Arjun, on the land of Kurukshetra, were vividly depicted through digital images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software.

The narration during the show mentioned 'Project Udbhav' which aims to promote indigenous discourse in the Army by integrating India's ancient strategic acumen into the contemporary military domain with a focus on making the force "future-ready".

The Army has explored the epic battles of the Mahabharata, heroic exploits of eminent military figures and India's rich heritage in statecraft under this project that aims to enrich the nation's outlook in the defence domain, the then Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande had said in May last year.

While the stories of the 'Ramayana' and the 'Mahabharata' have been told and retold through various media through the ages, it was the AI factor that made the epics alive.

Raj Vardhan Patil, 21, a college student and an NCC cadet who lives at Dighi on the outskirts of Pune city, said the "images generated through AI (software) made the whole experience rather surreal".

"And, these were moving images, so one could see Hanuman ji in action, and freedom fighters and war heroes were brought alive, people whom we read about in history books," he told PTI.

A senior Army official said these creations using AI-based software were a result of the hard work of "both in-house talent of the Army and collaboration with civilian partners working in this domain".

The broad themes of the show were -- 'Prachin Ranniti' drawing from epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, 'Yudh Kala', 'Yudh Parivartan', 'Yudh Pradarshan', 'Shaurya Gatha', 'Vijayotsav', and 'Samarth Bharat, Saksham Sena' -- the theme of the 77th Army Day Parade.

Women warriors such as Rani Laxmibai, Rani Abbakka and others were extolled for their valour and leadership during the show.

In the 'Shaurya Gatha' segment, stories of four post-Independence wars -- 1947 Indo-Pak war, 1965 Indo-Pak war, 1971 Indo-Pak war, and 1999 Kargil war -- were depicted using digital images, drone show in the night sky and combat demonstrations on the ground.

The show generated both a sense of pride and immense patriotism among the viewers, marking a befitting finale for the Army Day celebrations at Pune -- home of the Southern Command -- that hosted the annual parade for the first time in its history.