Memorials of the Brave 6
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Madras Regiment, 8th Battalion Memorial, Pallavaram. (pic: Sainik Samachar)

In Feb 2002, the 8th Battalion of the Madras Regiment celebrated its 53rd Raising Day. The 8 Madras known as "Gallant Guerillas" was raised in 1948. The unit had seen action in the 1971 war. The battalion was also actively involved in the counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley.

Ten war widows of the martyrs of 8th battalion were the guests of honour during the celebrations held at the Army Camp, Pallavaram. The women along with their kith and kin participated in the memorial service at the Army Camp, all-religion prayer and sainik sammelan. At the sainik sammelan, the Commanding Officer, Col Sunil Bali, recalling the sacrifices made by the martyrs of 8 Madras, exhorted the jawans to put in their best. The Colonel of the Regiment, Lt Gen A.S. Rao was the chief guest.



Maratha Light Infantry, 1st Battalion Memorial, Daman. (pic: PVS Jagan Mohan)

The Memorial is dedicated to the soldiers who shed blood fighting the Portuguese in Daman during the liberation of Goa on 18th Dec 1961. On 19th Dec, the Portuguese surrendered in Daman without giving any fight. The Indian Army captured 600 soldiers and some guns & mortars. The Army suffered 1 JCO and 3 ORs killed and 1 JCO and 13 ORs wounded in the Daman operations.



Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, Amritsar. (pic: India Times)

The Memorial was built to pay homage to the hundreds of freedom fighters who were killed by the indiscriminate firing ordered by British General Reginald Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. The freedom fighters had gathered for a peaceful protest. Read more here.



Victory War Memorial, Chennai.

The Victory War Memorial is situated on Marina beach road, adjacent to Fort St. George in Chennai. It formerly housed the coastal battery and was called "Cupid's Bow". The memorial honours those who laid down their lives in the World Wars. It was originally constructed to commemorate the victory of the Allied forces during World War I(1914- 1918) and later became the victory war memorial for World War II(1939-1945) in the memory of those from Chennai Presidency who lost their lives serving the nation.



Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Memorial, Moirang, Manipur

The Indian National Army Museum in Moirang exhibits letters, photographs, badges of ranks and other articles associated with the INA movement. There is also a bronze statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in uniform. During the Second World War, Moirang was the headquarters of the Azad Hind Fouj. It was here on April 14, 1944 that Netaji hoisted the INA flag on Indian soil for the first time.



Noida Shaheed Smarak, New Delhi. (pic: Sainik Samachar, Tribune news)

In April 2002, the dedication ceremony of Shaheed Memorial took place in Noida. The three service chiefs, Gen S. Padmanabhan(Army), Admiral Madhvendra Singh(Navy) and Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy(IAF) laid wreaths at the smarak in strict military tradition, and saluted the martyrs when audience also stood and observed a two-minute silence. Read more here.



Teen Murti Memorial, New Delhi. (pic: © Medha Malik Kudaisya)

This landmark sculpture in stone and bronze was created by Leonard Jennings, a famous sculptor from London in 1922. His brief from the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army was simple: The statue should commemorate the dead of cavalry and armoured regiments of the Indian Army.

Hence these three handsome statues denoting the soldiers from three Indian states – Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur – were casted and collectively named Teen Murti. The statue represents the Indian soldiers who gave their lives in the First World War between 1914-1919 in Sinai, Palestine and Syria. The statues base carries the names of officers.

The statues stood in front of Flagstaff House, the Commander-in-Chief's residence(pre-independence), who was in those days second only to the Viceroy. The Commander-in-Chief's house was to later become Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru's house and after his death this Imperial building was formally converted into the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. The Rashtrapati Bhavan in the rear is connected with a direct vista to the Teen Murti Bhavan.



Kangla Tongbi Memorial, Jabalpur. (pic: Sainik Samachar)

The memorial was erected on April 15, 1946 by the Directorate of Ordnance Services(DOS) India and Members of Royal Army Ordnance Corps(RAOC) and Indian Army Ordnance Corps(IAOC) in the memory of personnel of 221 Advance Base Depot who laid down their lives to repulse several waves of Japanese attacks and succeeded in safe evacuation of Ordnance stores to an alternate site on 5-7 April 1944 during World War ll.

Made of black Naga stone, the main epitaph reads:

Triumphant over flesh and pain they died our day of peace to Cain.

The memorial was initially located near a village named Kangla Tongbi at Mile 8 on the Imphal-Dimapur road. It was shifted to Jabalpur in 1976 and again shifted to its present location at the College of Materials Management, Jabalpur in 1982.



Martyr's Memorial, Patna, Bihar. (pic: unveilindia.com)

The memorial was constructed in the memory of the seven freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the "Quit India" movement of August 1942. The fighters were shot dead as they attempted to hoist the national tricolour on the secretariat. It is a modern sculpture with life size statues of the seven martyrs facing the Secretariat.



RIMC Memorial, Dehra Dun. (pic: Sainik Samachar)

In July 2002, Gen S Padmanabhan, Chief of the Army Staff was the chief guest on the occasion of the 80th Reunion of Rashtriya Indian Military College(RIMC) held in Dehra Dun Cantt.

The celebrations began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial to honour the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The Army Chief laid the wreath on behalf of the old boys with the plaintive notes of the bugle at the war memorial.

The occasion was marked as a red- letter day in the annals of RIMC because Gen. Padmanabhan was a product of this institute. It was the time for confluence of the old and new, the past and the present and a true blend of the glory and aspirations.



War Memorial at Longewala erected in the memory of the soldiers of 13 Kumaon Regiment.
(pic: Sainik Samachar)



4 Maratha Light Infantry Memorial, Shangshak.
(pic: Sainik Samachar)

Shangshak in Ukhrul district of Manipur had been a witness to one of the bloodiest battles of the Eastern theatre in March 1944. The resistance at Shangshak was sustained by 4 Maratha under the leadership of Lt Col Trim by inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese in order to thwart their attacks on Kohima. In recognition of their valiant stand at Shangshak, 4 Maratha Light Infantry was conferred with the battle honour "Shangshak".

To give a befitting tribute to the soldiers and villagers who laid down their lives in this battle, 25 Assam Rifles raised a war memorial at Shangshak. The people of Shangshak also contributed to its construction.

The memorial was inaugurated by Lt Gen G.K. Duggal, Director General, Assam Rifles in June 2002. The ceremony was attended by a large number of people includings serving officers, jawans and local people. A wreath-laying ceremony was also conducted at the memorial in which war veterans of 4 Maratha Light Infantry who participated in the 'Battle of Shangshak' laid wreaths.