Andaman and Nicobar Islands are important in India’s history. They are the location of the first tricolor of India being hoisted in free India. Subhash Chandra Bose freed 2 islands from the British, renamed them Shaheed and Swaraj islands, and hoisted the Indian flag there.
On 23rd January, which marks the Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and is celebrated as Parakram Diwas in India, 21 islands belonging to this archipelago were renamed. They were given the names of the 21 Param Vir Chakra Awardees.
The sequence of the naming goes according to the size of the islands. The largest island is named after the first awardee and the second largest island is named after the second awardee, and so on.
21 Param Vir Chakra Awardees
Major Somnath Sharma;
Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, MM;
2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane;
Nayak Jadunath Singh;
Company Havildar Major Piru Singh;
Capt GS Salaria;
Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa;
Subedar Joginder Singh;
Major Shaitan Singh; CQMH.
Havaldar Abdul Hamid;
Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore;
Lance Naik Albert Ekka;
Major Hoshiar Singh;
2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal;
Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon; – he is the only winner of the PVC from the Indian Air Force
Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran;
Naib Subedar Bana Singh;
Captain Vikram Batra;
Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey;
Subedar Major (then Rifleman) Sanjay Kumar; and
Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.