How
does a nation such as Britain whose indigenous written language which developed
only in the 9th Century control a country such as India whose
written history dates back 4000 years….. or even dream of ruling India’s 200
million population with its meager 16 million in 1850?
How
did the British East India Company (which was owned by wealthy merchants and
not the British Government) who first landed on Indian shores in Surat in 1608
for trade, manage to take over the entire country for centuries?
Imagine
how India would have been if the British with their superior weaponry and obsessive
profit-motive had not come to India or had not got the imperial patronage of
the Mughal Emperor Jahangir for a commercial treaty which infact gave the British a
territorial foothold in mainland India for centuries!
Well
for one, we would not have had Independence Day which we now celebrate every
year on 15th August since 1947!
It
was one thing to be subjected to subjugation by foreign traders-turned-tyrants
for hundreds of years and it was totally another to volunteer to disintegrate
as a nation – partitioning the country of India into three
Since
we’ve gotten used to saying ‘past is past’….well past….is past and we
commemorate the biggest part of our country’s past in all our futures – the Independence
Day.
And
while we hoist our flag and raise a toast, we also remember those who gave us this
reason to celebrate – our soldiers – our freedom fighters, who were not afraid
to bite the bullet.
The
15th of August each year should mean more than just saluting the
Indian Flag and singing the National Anthem. It should mean offering
condolences to those who have sustained injuries or lost their loved ones to
wars. It should mean acknowledging their bravery and sacrifice. It should mean visiting
their families who’re left wondering if it was worth the sacrifice. It should
mean paying respects to our soldiers.
21 Gun Salute to our Heroes!
Some of the War Memorials that you could visit:
1. The India Gate – New Delhi – commemorates 90,000 soldiers
who lost their lives fighting for the British Raj in World War I and the Third
Anglo-Afghan War.
2. Chandigarh War Memorial – Chandigarh, Punjab - commemorates
the thousands of Martyrs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union
Territory of Chandigarh.
3. Dras War Memorial – Kargil District, J&K – commemorates
1200 soldiers who lost their lives in the Kargil War (Operation Vijay) as well
as 1000 soldiers who were wounded and 1000 permanently incapacitated.
4. Tawang War Memorial – Arunachal Pradesh – commemorates
soldiers who lost their lives in 1962 Sino-Indian War.
5. Anglo-Sikh War Memorial – Firozpur, Punjab – commemorates
the hundreds of Punjabi soldiers who lost their lives fighting against the
British troops.
6. Darjeeling War Memorial – Batasia Loop, Darjeeling, WB – commemorates
76 Gorkha soldiers who lost their lives in Operation Pawan; Operation Meghdoot
and Operation Rakshak.
7. Victory War Memorial – Chennai, TN – commemorates
soldiers of Chennai presidency who lost their lives in World War II.
8. Jammu War Memorial – Jammu, J&K.
9. Dharamshala War Memorial – Himachal Pradesh.
10. AP War Memorial, Parade Grounds, Hyderabad, AP.
11. War Memorial - Brigade Road, Bangalore, Karnataka.
12. Kottayam War Memorial – Kottayam, Kerala.
13. National War Memorial – Pune, Maharashtra.
Some unusual photos of Indian Independence:
 |
| Pandit Nehru with Lord Mountbatten on Independence Day in 1947. |
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The First Prime Minister of India - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru gives his first speech holding an Indian Flag on 15 August 1947.      |
Pix courtesy: indology, post.jagran, sikhphilosophy, freevisuals4u, lazydesis, wikipedia, warbirds, punjabilokvirsa, timescontent, mobile.scrapu, ataworld.
