Sunday, November 16, 2008

Wreath Laying Ceremony to mark the Cavalry week

Photo courtesy Samachar

Teen Murti Memorial was the site for the Wreath Laying Ceremony today which was organised by the Cavalry Officers Association, in memory of the departed cavaliers of the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Cavalry has a long and illustrious history of valour and panache. The total Number of Armoured Corps units of the Indian Army at the time of Independence was only 12. Armoured Corps now mounted on the latest T-72 and T-90 tanks is the proud inheritor of the horse mounted Indian Cavalry of yore. For long known as the decisive arm, the Cavaliers are known to change the course of battle by their extraordinary speed and firepower. Teen Murti memorial was raised in 1922 to commemorate the Indian cavalry and armoured regiments representing Britain in battles in Sinai, Palestine and Syria in the First World War. These stone and bronze sculptures were created by Leonard Jennings to commemorate those killed from the cavalry and armored regiments of the then Indian Cavalry Division during World War I in battles in Sinai, Palestine and Syria. The three statues represent cavalry soldiers of three Indian princely states - Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur, together with detachments from Bhavnagar, Kashmir and Kathiawar. The statutes were collectively named Teen Murti and the base carries the names of deceased personnel. The statues stand in front of what became Teen Murti Bhavan, India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru's residence and now the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Till Independence, it used to be Flagstaff House, the British Commander-in-Chief's residence, connected with a direct vista to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The memorial service, wherein wreaths were placed by serving and retired officers of the Cavalry fraternity including two of MVC recipients, Lt Gen RM Vohra (Retd) and Brig AS Bal (Retd), was a simple and solemn ceremony, marked by poise and grace.

Ceremonial Lancemen of all regiments of the Indian Armoured Corps lined the Teen Murti Circle. Speaking on the occasion Lt Gen D Bhardwaj, Director General Mechanised Forces pointed out the great contribution of the Indian Cavalry in protecting the Nation's sovereignity. This is aptly reflected by the gallantry awards earned by the Corps which include 2 PVCs, 15 MVCs and 60 VrCs. The Armoured Corps has a glorious past, made possible by our gallant forefathers, for whom this service was held. "It exhorts todays generation to live up to the high standards laid by our predecessors", General Bhardwaj said.
Wreath Laying Ceremony to mark the Cavalry week

No comments:

Disclaimer

The contents posted on these Blogs are personal reflections of the Bloggers and do not reflect the views of the "Report My Signal- Blog" Team.
Neither the "Report my Signal -Blogs" nor the individual authors of any material on these Blogs accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused (including through negligence), which anyone may directly or indirectly suffer arising out of use of or reliance on information contained in or accessed through these Blogs.
This is not an official Blog site. This forum is run by team of ex- Corps of Signals, Indian Army, Veterans for social networking of Indian Defence Veterans. It is not affiliated to or officially recognized by the MoD or the AHQ, Director General of Signals or Government/ State.
The Report My Signal Forum will endeavor to edit/ delete any material which is considered offensive, undesirable and or impinging on national security. The Blog Team is very conscious of potentially questionable content. However, where a content is posted and between posting and removal from the blog in such cases, the act does not reflect either the condoning or endorsing of said material by the Team.
Blog Moderator: Lt Col James Kanagaraj (Retd)

Resources