Etched in Stone

8220;THE English would have been speaking German, had it not been for the 1,440,500 Indians who fought for the British in World War I and t...

8220;THE English would have been speaking German, had it not been for the 1,440,500 Indians who fought for the British in World War I and the three million men from the subcontinent who joined the allied war effort during the World War II,8217;8217; asserts Shreela Flather. The high-profile Baroness of Indian origin is not about to let that impressive piece of history fade away into oblivion.

In faraway London, this member of the House of Lords and former mayor of Windsor city 8212; a first on both counts for

an Indian 8212; has raised pound;2.5 million, 90,000 of which was donated by the Millennium Commission, for a war memorial dedicated to Indian soldiers, who fought both the World Wars for the British. The memorial, situated at Constitutional Hill, near Hyde Park, was informally inaugurated on May 14, and will be formally commissioned by the Queen, later in November.

Flather is ecstatic the memorial is the talk of the town. 8216;8216;Even London8217;s cab drivers are talking about it,8217;8217; laughs this woman, who moved from Delhi to London in 1950, as a young graduate, and stayed on after marrying Baron Gary Flather.

The project was conceptualised in 1991, on the golden anniversary of World War II. 8216;8216;During the 50th year celebration of World War II victories in London, I was dismayed to find that no one was talking about the contributions of the Indians,8217;8217; says Flather. To correct this omission, she floated the Memorial Gates Trust, with Prince Charles as a patron. But the the only thing spoiling it for Flather was the lack of involvement of the Indian community. 8216;8216;The British have donated the largest amount so far, but I imagined that they would be more enthusiastic. Even the Indian High Commission did not seem interested,8217;8217; she sighs.

The construction team, The Royal Parks-English Heritage, has built a splendid memorial with four eight-metre tall piers of Portland stone, each topped by a bronze urn; one stone pavilion with the names of 62 Victoria Cross and 12 George Cross holders from the two World Wars fixed in bronze letters in the dome; two stone benches listing the major campaigns and, granite tiles laid out in a radial pattern with four bronze lamps. Shuttling between London and Maidenhead, her home, Flather spends her day between the Upper House, her community work and hectic social dos 8216;8216;not half as hectic as the parties you have here in India though8217;8217;.

Says a satisfied Baroness, 8216;8216;I cannot believe it is ready, it is going to take a while for it to sink in, the Memorial is going to be there forever.8217;8217;