The life of the Indian Army is envied by people in our country. The respect an Indian Army soldier gets is unmatchable. But, even the soldiers envy to have the life of the elite soldiers of the Parachute Regiment.

The Parachute Regiment is an airborne infantry unit of the Indian Army. The soldiers of the Parachute Regiment have a significant uniform with the Para wings badge and a maroon beret.

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The soldiers of Para Special Forces battalions are given a badge which consists of an upward dagger. This badge is called the Balidaan badge which the SF soldiers receive after their first kill in combat.

These soldiers are capable of carrying out parachute jumps to land behind enemy lines. By penetrating deep into enemy lines they are able to give an upper hand in the war situation by destroying important supply lines. These soldiers are able to carry out numerous tasks like search and sabotage, special reconnaissance, and surgical strikes deep into enemy territory.

The Parachute Regiment consists of 9 Special Forces battalions, 5 airborne battalions, 2 Territorial Army battalions, and 1 Rashtriya Rifles Battalions.

Parachute Regiment Training Center

The initial training of the recruits of the Parachute Regiment is done at Parachute Regimental Training Center in Bengaluru.

The initial training includes rigorous workouts and drills. Around 35-45 percent of recruits get rejected in the basic course of this training.

The day of a Para recruit starts at 4 AM and by 5:30 AM the trainees are needed to reach the drill ground.  After half an hour of warming up, there are exercises meant for strengthening their upper body, arms lower body, and abdomen to make them capable of operating in different terrains like mountains and desserts.

ALSO READ: Parachute Regiment, Paratroopers of Indian Army

These exercises include rope climbing and crocodile walks but are not limited to that.   

Other than physical training the recruits are trained for personality development, weapon handling, and map reading.

Being a Paratrooper has no place for fear. The recruits are trained for building their confidence, overcome the fear of fight and build mental and physical agility. The recruits have to go through something called a confidence walk. It consists of walking on high beams by looking straight with a full swing of hands.  

A Para soldier is a full-fledged weapon system in himself even in the absence of any equipment. They are trained rigorously in unarmed combat and martial arts as when in an operation they need to complete the task and kill the enemies even when there is no ammunition left.   

After completing the basic training the recruits are sent to Paratrooper Training School, Agra for being trained in parachute jumping.

ALSO READ: 91 Young Parachute Regiment Soldiers Successfully Completed Training

History

During the initial days after the raising of the regiment in 1952, the Parachute Regiment Training Wing was raised at Kota under the Brigade of the Guards training center. In the year 1963, Parachute Regiment Training Center was raised at Agra Fort for extensive recruitment and specialized training of the recruits for the Parachute Regiment.  In the year 1992, the regiment moved to Bengaluru.