Foundation stone laid for National Military Memorial
Bangalore : In a show of reverence for martyrs and respect to soldiers in the armed forces, the Karnataka government on Tuesday became the first state to have a national military memorial, the first in the country after Independence. The monument, beside the Indira Gandhi musical fountain in the city, represents the spirit and valour of the forces.
Laying the foundation stone, governor Rameshwar Thakur said such memorials were needed to recognise the service of men and women who, despite personal discomfort, relentlessly maintain a vigil. "I have no doubt this memorial will become an inspiration for thousands of young boys, girls, men and women to become committed citizens," he added.
The memorial, to be maintained by a trust set up by the state government, will have a landscape where the only visible elements will be the three displays from the Army, Navy and Air Force. An interior symbolic walk will begin with the Veera-Gallu monument. It will also have an amphitheatre and a museum where film documentaries will be screened, a Hall of Fame, reference material and a memorabilia section. It could be ready by January 26, 2010.
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, Union minister of state for defence M M Pallam Raju, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Lieut. Gen. A K Lamba, members of Parliament Ananth Kumar, Rajeev Chandrashekar and several ex-servicemen and serving officials attended the ceremony.
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Comments: Cdr Krishnan Punchhi
It is even more significant because this Bengaluru Memorial will be the first instance of a Military memorial being built in Independent India - a fact that sometimes surprises many, given the many conflicts fought by our forces and the many lives laid down and sacrifices made.
The Armed forces are one of them - and the men and women who make up the forces. I strongly believe and have always believed that the forces are the last of the few professional, secular institutions that are still driven by a sense of nationalism and duty and live and die by the simple idea of Nation First! - Values that unfortunately have disappeared or are disappearing from almost all other areas of public service.
I believe that we don't value enough - our living soldiers, serving or retired. You need to only look at the protesting Ex-servicemen in Jantar Mantar, Delhi and see how little the media and civil society has bothered to question, why men of such great honor and record of service, are being forced to return their medals. It's a sign that as a nation we are not caring enough or valuing their service enough. I consider it our duty to protect and nurture the forces and personnel and their families and have worked to the best of my ability in my few years of public service for this and I hope many- many more in civil society and media will be motivated by this memorial to do so today and in the future.
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