Pay homage to the war heroes at the National War Memorial
Located near MG Road within the sprawling cantonment area is the National War Museum. Serene and unique the war memorial is a must visit for all patriotic citizens who wish to pay a silent tribute to the war heroes who have fought bravely for our country.
Built at the Morvada Junction, the main pillar constructed here is in cherry-brown granite and is a 25-foot stone pillar that juts into the sky. At the top, it opens out to form four forks which can portray different meanings to different people. It seems as if the soldier is either presenting the flower to the needy or using it as a tri forked trishul to ward off the evil enemies.
The memorial is surrounded by eight feet tall marble panels on all three sides. Each of the panels has names of all the soldiers, airmen and sailors inscribed on them who laid down their lives in the defence of the motherland since independence of our country. Presently there are around 1200 names inscribed on the panels and there is still enough space, for some new inscriptions. The names of 75 martyrs from Maharashtra who died in counter-insurgency operations between 2001 and 2004 are immortalised in two marble plaques.
The National War Memorial was a citizens’ initiative in memory of the martyrs and was dedicated to the nation on the Independence Day of 1998. This monument was possible due to the funds collected under The Indian Express umbrella through the specially set up Express Citizens’ War Memorial Committee. Everyone right from the ordinary common citizen to the big corporate companies, have contributed whole-heartedly for the memorial. In fact funds of over Rs 27 lakh were collected from the public.
Currently the Southern Command is maintaining the memorial and therefore a proposal was put forth regarding renaming it to Southern Command War Memorial. But it was called off, when it received strong objections from all over.
The memorial underwent renovation under the supervision of the Southern Command and was executed by HQ Pune Sub Area and Pune Cantonment Board. The new memorial boasts a new wall, a gate, pathways, a Vijayanta Tank and landscaping. The stone galleries here have engravings on them providing accounts of major battles and the names of war heroes giving a recount of their heroic tales.
Citizens of the city often visit the place and pay homage to those who laid down their lives. So if you want to show your gratitude to the soldiers who lost their lives for the country, don’t forget to visit the Memorial.
More articles by Ishna Nerurkar
- Rajni-kant take Can’t! He is the Boss! - January 4th, 2010
- Green Christmas - December 22nd, 2009
- Spirit of Christmas - December 21st, 2009
- Sketching and Painting Workshop at Aperture India - December 10th, 2009
- Achilles and Me - December 9th, 2009
