Page 28 - 15MAR2019E

CoverStory

Nation gets National

War Memorial

India has got the National War Memorial, which was conceived way back in the year
1960 when the Armed forces proposed the same, writes sarrah

he National War Memorial ter Nirmala Sitharaman and three demand from the armed forces and
was dedicated to the nation service chiefs- Army chief Gen Bipin armed forces veterans for a national
when the Prime Minister, Rawat, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa war memorial in the India Gate area,
Narendra Modi, lit the eter- and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lamba, constituted the Group of Ministers’
T nal flame, to mark the dedi- PM Modi took a tour of the memorial. (GoM) headed by Pranab Mukherjee
cation of the National War Memorial in “It is a symbol of our soldier’s bravery, to examine the demand for a National
New Delhi, to the nation on February sacrifice and courage...This memorial War Memorial. In 2006 the Defence
25. He called it the symbol of sacrifice will encourage us to live every moment Ministry decided that the war memo-
and courage of soldiers. Spread over and do something for the nation. My rial should be set up in the vicinity of
an area of 40 acres, the memorial con- salute to this pilgrimage site of bravery India Gate.
sists of four circles- the ‘Amar Chakra’, and martyrdom,” he wrote in the visitor It was almost after about 50 years
‘Veerta Chakra’, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and the book of the memorial. on October 20, 2012 that AK Antony,
‘Rakshak Chakra’ and has the names of It was in 1960 that Armed forces first the Defence Minister, announced that
25,942 soldiers inscribed in golden let- proposed a National War Memorial. In the Government has conceded the
ters on granite. the year 2006, the then government long-standing demand of the Indian
Accompanied by Defence Minis- at the Centre in the face of persistent Armed Forces for a National War

Tehelka / 15 march 2019 28 www.Tehelka.com