India’s war memorials

In 1914 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi declared unconditional support to the British war effort and proposed raising an Indian ambulance corps, according to military historians. He had done so earlier as well and had also served as a British army sergeant major during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and in the Zulu War in 1906. In 1918 he started campaigning aggressively for the war effort as a recruiting officer. Some historians believe that "Gandhi was an opportunist who tried to use the Great War to extract political concessions from Britain. Unfortunately when Britain backtracked on its assurance of granting self-government to India he lost faith and he and others began to view Indian soldiers who volunteered as mercenaries, which robbed the Indian soldier of his rightful place in history.”
This is the root of antipathy towards the Indian defence forces and the reason why India has no war memorial established by the nation. Ironically, the only war memorial, at India Gate in Delhi, was built by the British. There are a few established by defence units in memory of their colleagues who fell in the line of duty and one built by villagers in Haryana to commemorate those of their own who had sacrificed their lives in the wars. The only major war memorial is the majestic cenotaph (pictured) located at Khareghat Colony in Bombay, constructed by the Parsis way back in 1926 in memory of those members of the community who had lost their lives in World War I.
Cmde MEDIOMA BHADA (Retd)
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