Havildar or havaldar (

Hindustani Hindustani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Hindustan (another name of India) * Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language, whose two official norms are Hindi and Urdu * Fiji Hindi, a variety of Eastern Hindi spoken in Fiji, and ...

: or ( Devanagari), ( Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant, a havildar wears three rank chevrons.

History

"Havildar" is a Persian word in origin and means "person in charge", or more loosely "chief", from the Arabic ("charge", "responsibility") and the Persian (dâr, "holder"). Historically, a havildar was a senior commander, being in charge of a fort during the times of the Mughal Empire. It was used as the equivalent of a sergeant in the British Raj, which has led to its current usage.

Appointments

Indian Army

Havildars could be further appointed to positions of higher authority. The appointments of company quartermaster havildar and company havildar major existed in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. Historically, the two senior-most havildars of a company became the CQMH and the CHM. However, these were just appointments and the commanding officer could promote or demote any of these ranks at his discretion. These appointments still technically exist in the modern Indian Army. However, havildars are now promoted directly to junior commissioned officer rank, as the duties of these historical appointments are now carried out by JCOs.

The company quartermaster havildar (CQMH), equivalent to a company quartermaster sergeant, assisted the quartermaster in managing the company stores. The insignia was three chevrons with an Ashoka lion emblem above.

The company havildar major (CHM) was the most senior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

, equivalent to a company sergeant major. The insignia was an Ashoka lion emblem.

The regimental quartermaster havildar (RQMH) was equivalent to a regimental quartermaster sergeant.

The regimental havildar major (RHM) was equivalent to a regimental sergeant major.

Pakistan Army

Senior havildars might also be appointed company quartermaster havildar, company havildar major, battalion quartermaster havildar or battalion havildar major in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

. All of these appointments have different insignia and may vary from unit to unit.

Company quartermaster havildar

Company havildar major

Battalion quartermaster havildar

Battalion havildar major

References

{{Military of Pakistan Urdu-language words and phrases Hindi words and phrases Military of the Mughal Empire Military ranks of Pakistan Military ranks of British India Military ranks of the Indian Army