All About Savitri Khanolkar, The Swiss-Born Lady Who Designed The Param Vir Chakra

This year India will celebrate its 74th independence day, and since Independence, the Param Vir Chakra--the country's highest gallantry award--has not only inspired many generations of soldiers, but has also acknowledged the transformation of ordinary men into heroes on the battlefront.

Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

From Major Somnath Sharma to Captain Vikram Batra, the country has so far seen 21 heroes, who despite all odds facing them in the field of battle, stood firmly against the enemy in the course of their duty.

Who designed the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) award?

We salute our bravehearts and remember PVC awardees every year for their acts of selfless bravery. But most of us didn¡¯t know the real name of the person who designed the country's highest wartime gallantry award the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) award. Also, do you know she wasn't born in India? Yes, that¡¯s true! Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros, a Swiss-born woman who was later changed her name to Savitri Khanolkar, was the brain behind Param Vir Chakra¡¯s design.

Who was Savitri Khanolkar aka Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros?

Savitribai Khanolkar | IndiaToday

Savitri Khanolkar was born as Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros on July 20, 1913, in Neuchatel, Switzerland, to a Hungarian father Andre de Maday, professor of sociology at Geneva University and Russian mother Marthe Hentzelt, who taught at the Institut Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

According to DNA, Maj General Vikram Khanolkar while on deputation in France with the Allied Army during WWII met and fell in love with Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros. Eve¡¯s father refused to let her go to a faraway land, but Eve was a determined young woman, and her love was strong. She followed Vikram to India a few years later, and in 1932, married him in Mumbai.

Maj General Vikram Khanolkar and Savitri Khanolkar | bobhata.com

Despite being from a European background, Savitribai as she was later called, identified closely with Indian traditions and ideals. She learned to speak fluent Marathi, Sanskrit and Hindi.

Not just languages, she also mastered Indian music, dance and painting. She always claimed that she had been "born in Europe by mistake" as she was an Indian soul, and would feel bad if anyone dared to call her a foreigner.

The design of the Param Vir Chakra

Soon after Indian independence in 1947, Khanolkar was asked by the Adjutant General Major General Hira Lal Atal to design India¡¯s highest award for bravery in combat, the Param Vir Chakra, which was to replace the Victoria Cross. After her proposal, Major General Atal had been given the responsibility of creating and naming independent India's new military decorations. His reasons for choosing Khanolkar were her deep and intimate knowledge of Indian culture, Sanskrit and Vedas, which he hoped would give the design a truly Indian ethos.

Savitribai Khanolkar who crafted The Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

It is said that Savitribai Khanolkar after studying India's history wanted to pay tribute to Shivaji, whom she found to be one of the greatest warrior. So she ensured Shivaji¡¯s sword Bhavani gets a place in India¡¯s highest wartime medal, and made a design in which Indra's Vajra (the powerful mythic weapon of the ancient Vedic Gods) was surrounded on two sides by Shivaji¡¯s sword Bhavani in a circular bronze disc made of gunmetal 1.375 inches (3.49 cm) in diameter. This disc is suspended from a straight swiveling suspension bar and is held by a 32 mm purple ribbon.

When was Param Vir Chakra (PVC) introduced

Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest gallantry award for officers and other enlisted personnel of all military branches of India for the highest degree of valour in the presence of the enemy was introduced on January 26 in 1950, the first Republic Day of India, this award is given posthumously.

ALSO READ: List of 21 Param Vir Chakra Winners Every Indian Should Know And Be Proud Of

First Param Vir Chakra awarded

Major Somnath Sharma: The First Recipient Of The Param Vir Chakra

Coincidentally, the first Param Vir Chakra was awarded to Savitribai's elder daughter Kumudini Sharma's brother-in-law Major Somnath Sharma of 4 Kumaon regiment, who was posthumously awarded for his valour during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war in Kashmir. After Somnath Sharma, only 20 military personnel have been awarded this honour since independence.

Along with the PVC, Savitribai Khanolkar also designed other bravery medals like - The Mahavir Chakra, The Vir Chakra, the Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.

Maj General Vikram Khanolkar and Savitri Khanolkar | hrdots.com

Savitribai also did a lot of social work, helping the families of martyrs who were killed in war and after the death of her husband in 1952, she joined the Ramakrishna Math. She also wrote a book on the 'Saints of Maharashtra' that is popular even today. In November 26, 1990, she took his last breath after leading a truly remarkable journey.