The First Task of the Day

In 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven, the retired United States Navy Admiral who served as the ninth commander of the US Special Operations Command, delivered the commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin. His words that day resonated far beyond the graduating class: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day.“

For cadets at Sainik School, where I spent my formative years from nine to sixteen, the ‘making the bed’ ritual was precisely that – the first accomplishment of each morning. At the National Defence Academy (NDA), however, the first task evolved. Morning shave became the ritual that set the tone for the day ahead.

During early school years, facial hair was not a concern. Shaving was a weekly ritual accompanying the barber’s haircut. At NDA, shaving became mandatory for all cadets – a discipline that would continue through over two decades of service in the Indian Army.

A Winter Morning Lesson

One winter morning in the eighties, I was a young Lieutenant serving as Senior Subaltern of the Regiment. Word arrived that an important political leader had passed away, and the day was declared a holiday. I had already shaved and was changing into my PT whites. Stepping out of my room, I found all the other Lieutenants similarly dressed and ready for physical training.

“We have already shaved and put on our PT dress,” I said. “Let us go for a run. Once you have shaved early morning, holiday or not, it makes no difference.”

That morning run became more than exercise. It was a lesson in discipline that transcended circumstance – a reminder that self-respect and routine should not be dictated by calendar or convenience.

The Foundation of Soldierly Pride

In the Army, a uniformed service, discipline is judged partly by how a soldier wears prescribed dress, and partly by personal appearance. A well-groomed appearance is fundamental to military life, contributing to pride and esprit-de-corps. Every soldier must be self-disciplined and proud of belonging to a noble profession.

Commanders bear primary responsibility for ensuring that soldiers under their command present a smart, soldierly appearance – at all times, in or out of uniform, on or off duty. A properly shaved soldier, sporting a mustache if preferred, embodies that soldierly bearing.

The Origins of the Clean-Shaven Face

The tradition of clean-shaven soldiers traces back to Alexander the Great. Legend holds that he ordered his troops to shave so that enemy combatants could not grab them by their beards and throw them to the ground.

In the Indian Army today, soldiers are expected to be clean-shaven, with Sikhs as the exception, permitted to grow their beards as part of their religious practice. Mustaches, if worn, must remain above the upper lip.

British Military Tradition

Many of the Indian Army’s traditions and regulations derive from the British Army, whose orders regarding shaving date back to the eighteenth century. Until that time, British soldiers were clean-shaven and did not wear mustaches. Soldiers of the Hussar Cavalry Regiments adopted mustaches specifically to intimidate their enemies. The trend spread across the British Army, with the mustache serving as a distinguishing mark separating soldier from civilian.

Influence from Indian royalty and the Indian belief that mustaches signified manliness may also have played a role. By the late eighteenth century, mustaches had gained popularity among British civilians, as did sideburns.

The Great Mustache Revolt

During World War I, Commonwealth soldiers found mustaches cumbersome to maintain while fighting trench warfare. Many soldiers and officers preferred to shave them off, leading to what amounted to a quiet revolt. Some soldiers faced court-martial for failing to comply with the mustache order.

In 1913, General Nevil Macready investigated the matter and submitted a report recommending that mustache orders be withdrawn. No action was taken. In 1915, King George reinforced the necessity of mustaches for soldiers. Macready resubmitted his recommendations in 1916, and on 8 October of that year, an order was finally passed abolishing the mandatory mustache requirement.

Debunking the Myth

It is a common myth that hair grows thicker and darker after shaving. Forensic anthropologist Mildred Trotter debunked this belief in 1928. She asked three college students to shave their legs, from ankle to knee, twice weekly for eight months. Using a microscope, she compared each student’s hair growth rate, colour, and thickness. Her conclusion: shaving had no impact on hair’s texture or growth.

Shaving Beyond the Military

Wrestlers are predominantly clean-shaven – Olympic rules require either a full beard or a clean-shaven face, as stubble can irritate an opponent’s skin. Swimmers often remove all body hair, believing that even minimal resistance can affect performance.

Among married Amish men, beards are worn with trimmed mustaches, substituting for wedding rings.

A Curious Footnote

For reasons still unclear, Parliament once dismissed the personal barber of Charles I of England. Famously slow to trust others, King Charles never shaved again – fearing that a new barber might attempt to kill him. History offers no evidence for the suspicion, but the king’s caution speaks to the intimate trust placed in those who hold a razor to one’s throat.

Conclusion

From Alexander’s battlefield strategy to trench warfare’s practical demands, from regimental discipline to personal pride, shaving has remained a constant thread in the fabric of military life. The morning ritual that began each day with a clean face taught lessons that extended far beyond grooming: self-discipline, attention to detail, and respect for oneself and one’s uniform. Admiral McRaven’s first task of the day may have been making the bed, but for generations of soldiers, the razor’s edge has served the same purpose – a small accomplishment that sets the stage for all that follows.