Citizens make war memorial possible

PUNE, Dec 19: The moment, when Chief of Army Staff Ved Prakash Malik unveils the foundation stone of the national war memorial on Tuesday, ...

PUNE, Dec 19: The moment, when Chief of Army Staff Ved Prakash Malik unveils the foundation stone of the national war memorial on Tuesday, will be a special one for citizens, under the banner of Express Citizens8217; War Memorial Committee, who have been collecting funds for six months.This is the first time in South Asia that a war memorial has been erected entirely on account of the initiative of its citizens.

This stupendous 50-feet high monument, which will be completed by August 17, 1998, was conceptualised by The Indian Express in the golden year of India8217;s Independence. The Committee comprised senior citizens and war veterans.The monument will be surrounded by walls bearing plaques on which are inscribed the names of about 1,100 soldiers, hailing from Maharashtra, who have sacrificed their lives, in wars and peace-keeping and anti-insurgency operations since August 1947.

Brigadier N B Grant, chairman of the committee says, 8220;The names of all the martyrs from the country will be written in a book which will be kept in the memorial.8221;

It was no mean task to collect funds for a memorial in the memory of a war hero, who generally does not earn much sympathy from civilians, opined several war veterans associated with the project. Said joint coordinator Colonel Anil Athale, 8220;We had to listen to remarks like the soldier is paid to die so why have a memorial in his honour. Others suggested that instead of wasting money on monuments, it would be better to build a corpus fund for the benefit of the soldiers8217; families. Not many, however, are aware that after the Indo-Pak War of 1971, the family of a soldier who dies on duty receives sufficient benefits.8221; He added that a memorial makes the remembrance of a soldier an emotional experience for future generations.

Lt Gen Eric Vas was in charge of compiling the names of the martyrs. He says, 8220;Since the names at the three service headquarters are as per the regiments and not as per the regions, dedicated staff of the respective services helped me to make a list of the names.8221;

The Southern Command offered to allot land and undertake construction through the Military Engineering Service. A design was prepared by the chief engineer, Pune sub-area.

The combined efforts of all these people will ensure that the memorial is not only a mute testimony to the hardships that our soldiers face but also a milestone of how enthusiastic citizens can make a difference.