THE MADRAS REGIMENT

THE MADRAS REGIMENT

The Madras Regiment was initially formed as the Madras European Regiment in the 1660s by the East India Company as the second company established in India. However, it was formed as a battalion in 1748 under the command of Major Stringer Lawrence. Many well-known British officers have commanded this regiment; Robert Clive is one among them. This regiment has fought the Carnatic wars, which were fought in South India. The Regiment performs on the belief that ‘In the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving their lives that we might live in freedom’. The elephant crest symbolizes its gallantry in the Battle of Assaye under Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. After independence, the infantry battalions of the Travancore ‘Nair Pattalam’, Cochin and Mysore State forces were amalgamated into the Madras Regiment. Currently the regiment has a strength of 20 battalions. The Regimental Centre is at Wellington, Tamilnadu. Its Regimental insignia is an Assaye Elephant posed upon a shield with two crossed swords, motto is ‘Swadharme Nidhanam Shreyaha’ (It is a glory to die doing one’s duty), war cry is ‘Veer Madrasi, Adi Kollu, Adi Kollu’ (Brave Madrasi, kill, hit and kill) and its Regimental tribute is ‘Let those who come after, see to it that these names be not forgotten, For they who at the call of duty, left all that was dear to them, Endured hardships, faced dangers and finally passed out of sight of men’.