Indian Army – Open palm facing the person in front
In Indian Army, a salute is executed by a open palm gesture with the weapon hand, with fingers and thumb together and the middle finger almost touching the hatband or the eyebrow. It not only establishes trust among the personnel but also proves that the person saluting has no bad intentions and no weapons hidden up anywhere.
Indian Navy – Open palm facing the ground
In Indian Navy, a salute is executed with the palm facing the ground at a 90 degree angle to the forehead. Basically, the reason behind this is to hide the hands of sailors that get dirty due to oil or grease stains while working on the ship.
Indian Air Force – Open palm at a 45 degree angle to the ground
The Air Force salutes with their palms at 45 degrees to the ground showing progress towards the skies. Earlier it used to be like the Army’s salute with the palm facing up.
