National War Memorial – India
The National War Memorial consists of 4 concentric circles (Amar, Veerta, Tyaga, Suraksha Chakra) around a 15-meter tall central obelisk with the eternal flame, bronze and stone murals, graphic panels and busts of the 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees.
The National War Memorial was on Monday (February 25) inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi near India Gate, New Delhi. The memorial, conceptualised after the Indo-China war was fought in 1962, has been constructed as a tribute to soldiers who sacrificed their lives while protecting the country.
Commenting on the National War Memorial, Lieutenant General PS Rajeshwar earlier said that it is a tribute to the bravest soldiers who fought for the country. “It epitomizes a rich saga of courage, valour and selfless sacrifice made by our heroes in the rich military tradition,” he added.
The National War Memorial consists of 4 concentric circles (Amar, Veerta, Tyaga, Suraksha Chakra) around a 15-meter tall central obelisk with the eternal flame, bronze and stone murals, graphic panels and busts of the 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees.
A project was finally approved in 2015 to build the NWM after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about his vision to build such a monument in 2014.
The National War Memorial and National War Museum near India Gate will be a tribute to over 25,942 soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country after Independence.
Significance
Built in the vicinity of the India Gate, this is India’s first National War Memorial (NWM) dedicated to soldiers who served during the India-China war of 1962, India-Pak war in 1947, 1965 and 1971, the Kargil conflict in 1999 and Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka.
History
The memorial was envisaged in 1960 when armed forces in the country had proposed an NWM to commemorate fallen war heroes. It took six decades for the memorial to come into existence.
As demands grew stronger, the UPA government in 2006 constituted a Group of Minister (GoM) headed by Pranab Mukherjee-before he became President-to examine the demand.
It was then decided to set up the National War Memorial in the vicinity of the India Gate, which itself is a tribute to soldiers as the All India War Memorial Arch, to honour soldiers who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and Third Anglo-Afghan war (1919).
Hurdles
However, the demands of armed forces were met with timely hurdles which contributed to delaying the construction of the memorial.
The Ministry of Urban Development argued initially that the site is a heritage area and should not be disrupted.
However, on October 20, 2012, a decision was finally taken to honour the demand and the then defence minister AK Antony announced that a National War Memorial will be built at India Gate as the issues had been cleared by the GoM.
But former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit had opposed the proposal to build the National War Museum near India Gate, saying that it will affect the ambiance of the area and restrict people’s movement in the popular zone.
Modi revives dream
Then came Narendra Modi in 2014. In the build-up to the Lok Sabha elections 2014, Modi slammed the previous regime for failing to construct the war memorial and said it pained him that the country had no national memorial to honour its fallen heroes.
A proposal to build the war memorial was finally passed a year later on October 2015 and Rs 500 crore was cleared for building the memorial and museum; almost Rs 176 crore was sanctioned to construct the memorial.
In May 2016, the Union Cabinet was briefed about the Empowered Apex Steering Committee’s decision that Princess Park Complex near India Gate would be suitable for construction of the National War Museum. As for the memorial, a decision was taken to construct it at “C” Hexagon of India Gate.
Designing
A global design competition was also organised to select the design of the National War Memorial. The contest was launched on the MyGov.in portal. A year later, Mumbai-based sP+a Studio’s proposal won the design for the national war museum while Chennai-based WeBe Design Lab’s proposal declared the winner for the memorial.
It was expected to be inaugrated last year, but the construction of the memorial was comepleted on January 1, 2019.
Cost, other details
A senior defence minister had earlier confirmed that the cost of building the National War Memorial is Rs 176 crore.
It comprises a 15.5-metre tall tower, with an eternal flame and 16 circular walls of honour on which names of almost 26,000 soldiers have been written in gold on granite walls. The pattern of the walls symbolise Chakravyuh, the ancient India war formation.
The design of the memorial includes four concentric circles, named ‘Amar Chakra’, ‘Veerta Chakra’, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and ‘Rakshak Chakra’.
Statues of at 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees have also been installed at the Param Yoddha Sthal and includes those of three living awardees.
Source: India Today (Headlines Changed)
Image Courtesy: Twitter BJP
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