1. The proposal for a National War Memorial was under the consideration of the government since the early '70s. A Group of Ministers(GoM) had recommended the 'C' Hexagon of the India Gate as the appropriate location for the Memorial in Aug '12. Though a note for the Cabinet was initiated by the then Ministry of Urban Development in '12 and was circulated to the Ministry of Defence(MoD, Department of Expenditure(Ministry of Finance), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Note could not be finalised for Cabinet approval.
2. Therefore, there was no memorial to commemorate the martyrs after independence. The essential need for setting up a National War Memorial was therefore initiated by the government in '14 so as to inculcate a high sense of moral values, sacrifice, national spirit and sense of belonging in each and every citizen of India for paying befitting tribute to our soldiers who laid down their lives, defending the nation during the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962, Indo-Pak wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peacekeeping Operations in Sri Lanka in 1987 and the Kargil Operations in 1999. The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in UN Peace Keeping Missions, during HADR Operations, Counter Insurgency Operations and Low Intensity Capital Operations(LICO).
3. In Aug '14, the then RM inspected the recommended site. Subsequently, a Cabinet Note on the proposal was moved by the MoD. The construction of a National War Memorial in the memory of all Indian soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country post independence received in- principle-approval of the Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister 07 Oct '15. In pursuance of the recommendation by the Union Cabinet to construct the National War Memorial at a prominent site in New Delhi, government sanction for construction of NWM at the 'C' Hexagon of India Gate was issued on 18 Dec '15. The construction of the Memorial was to be completed in 5 years i.e 2020.
4. The Prime Minister spelt out his vision for the Memorial as a state-of-the-art world class monument which would become a must visit site for every visitor to the country.
5. An Empowered Apex Steering Committee under the chairmanship of the Defence Secretary was constituted with members from MHA, MoHUA, HQ IDS among others for making all key decisions relating to the execution of the project including sanction of funds in Dec '15. HQ Integrated Defence Services was entrusted with the task of planning and execution of the National War Memorial as per Defence Works Procedure.
6. A two stage international design competition was conducted in 2016. A jury consisting of eminent architects and personalities from the field of art and literature, headed by Master Architect Prof. Christopher Benninger, was assigned the task of identification of the best design for the NWM. Based on the recommendations of the jury, the results were announced on 03 Mar '17 as under:-
(a) First prize Mr. Yogesh Chandrahasan,
M/s WeBe Design Ltd.
(b) Second prize Mr. Ajay Sethi.
(c) Third prize Mr. Kartikeyan Perumal.
7. The terms of the international competition had envisaged the Memorial at a central location in the national capital as a structure and space depicting the solemnity of the purpose which was to pay a tribute to the brave by combining architectural aesthetics and public sentiment in order to serve as a place for people to show their respect for the soldiers who sacrifice their lives to keep us safe. Accordingly, formal permission from MoHUA was obtained in Dec '16 to construct the NWM at the 'C' Hexagon, east of India Gate. The first prize winner was also appointed as consultant of the project to ensure architectural supervision in the objectives and visions spelt out in the international design competition. Upon completion of the tendering process, the contract was awarded to M/s NCC Ltd, Hyderabad being the lowest bidder, at the total cost of approximately Rs.161 crores. Construction work of the project commenced in Feb '18 and was expected to be completed without any cost overrun.
8. The project was being monitored in the Cabinet Secretariat on e-Samiksha portal for which weekly progress is submitted. The PMO was also regularly monitoring the progress through weekly reports. Further, based upon the directions of the RM, physical monitoring of the project was also done on a daily basis since Oct '18.
9. The design of the Memorial has a layout comprising four concentric circles, namely, 'Amar Chakra' or Circle of Immortality, the 'Veerta Chakra' or Circle of Bravery, the 'Tyag Chakra' or Circle of Sacrifice and the 'Rakshak Chakra' or Circle of Protection. The Memorial complex includes a central obelisk, an eternal flame, six bronze murals depicting famous battles by the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy in a covered gallery(Veerta Chakra). Likewise 16 walls have been constructed in the Tyag Chakra for paying homage to the 25,942 casualties. The names of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets arranged in a circular pattern which symbolises the ancient Indian war formation, 'Chakravyuh'. The outermost circle, the Rakshak Chakra comprises of rows of more than 600 dense trees with each tree representing many soldiers who guard the territorial integrity of the nation round the clock. Above all, busts of the 21 awardees of Param Vir Chakra have been installed at the 'Param Yodha Sthal' which includes the three living awardees i.e. Subedar Major (Hony Captain) Bana Singh, Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Subedar Sanjay Kumar.
10. Located in the heart of the nation's capital, next to the iconic India Gate in the central vista of New Delhi, the National War Memorial is spread over an area of approximately 40 acres which will enrich the green cover. It's the culmination of the collective aspiration of a grateful nation to pay a befitting tribute to the martyrs of the country.
11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Memorial in a solemn ceremonial function, on 25 Feb '19, in accordance with the military traditions.
Tailpiece.
Had got up along with the alarm and we went about our chores and were ready on time. Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst with Guruvayoorappan. After her return, I'd gone to my favourite dentist, Dr. Chary, to have a filling done. Realised later that I should have gone to him much earlier.
The Whirlpool guys - Mahesh and Akhil - came close to sunset to service the air conditioners.
2. Therefore, there was no memorial to commemorate the martyrs after independence. The essential need for setting up a National War Memorial was therefore initiated by the government in '14 so as to inculcate a high sense of moral values, sacrifice, national spirit and sense of belonging in each and every citizen of India for paying befitting tribute to our soldiers who laid down their lives, defending the nation during the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962, Indo-Pak wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peacekeeping Operations in Sri Lanka in 1987 and the Kargil Operations in 1999. The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in UN Peace Keeping Missions, during HADR Operations, Counter Insurgency Operations and Low Intensity Capital Operations(LICO).
3. In Aug '14, the then RM inspected the recommended site. Subsequently, a Cabinet Note on the proposal was moved by the MoD. The construction of a National War Memorial in the memory of all Indian soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country post independence received in- principle-approval of the Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister 07 Oct '15. In pursuance of the recommendation by the Union Cabinet to construct the National War Memorial at a prominent site in New Delhi, government sanction for construction of NWM at the 'C' Hexagon of India Gate was issued on 18 Dec '15. The construction of the Memorial was to be completed in 5 years i.e 2020.
4. The Prime Minister spelt out his vision for the Memorial as a state-of-the-art world class monument which would become a must visit site for every visitor to the country.
5. An Empowered Apex Steering Committee under the chairmanship of the Defence Secretary was constituted with members from MHA, MoHUA, HQ IDS among others for making all key decisions relating to the execution of the project including sanction of funds in Dec '15. HQ Integrated Defence Services was entrusted with the task of planning and execution of the National War Memorial as per Defence Works Procedure.
6. A two stage international design competition was conducted in 2016. A jury consisting of eminent architects and personalities from the field of art and literature, headed by Master Architect Prof. Christopher Benninger, was assigned the task of identification of the best design for the NWM. Based on the recommendations of the jury, the results were announced on 03 Mar '17 as under:-
(a) First prize Mr. Yogesh Chandrahasan,
M/s WeBe Design Ltd.
(b) Second prize Mr. Ajay Sethi.
(c) Third prize Mr. Kartikeyan Perumal.
7. The terms of the international competition had envisaged the Memorial at a central location in the national capital as a structure and space depicting the solemnity of the purpose which was to pay a tribute to the brave by combining architectural aesthetics and public sentiment in order to serve as a place for people to show their respect for the soldiers who sacrifice their lives to keep us safe. Accordingly, formal permission from MoHUA was obtained in Dec '16 to construct the NWM at the 'C' Hexagon, east of India Gate. The first prize winner was also appointed as consultant of the project to ensure architectural supervision in the objectives and visions spelt out in the international design competition. Upon completion of the tendering process, the contract was awarded to M/s NCC Ltd, Hyderabad being the lowest bidder, at the total cost of approximately Rs.161 crores. Construction work of the project commenced in Feb '18 and was expected to be completed without any cost overrun.
8. The project was being monitored in the Cabinet Secretariat on e-Samiksha portal for which weekly progress is submitted. The PMO was also regularly monitoring the progress through weekly reports. Further, based upon the directions of the RM, physical monitoring of the project was also done on a daily basis since Oct '18.
9. The design of the Memorial has a layout comprising four concentric circles, namely, 'Amar Chakra' or Circle of Immortality, the 'Veerta Chakra' or Circle of Bravery, the 'Tyag Chakra' or Circle of Sacrifice and the 'Rakshak Chakra' or Circle of Protection. The Memorial complex includes a central obelisk, an eternal flame, six bronze murals depicting famous battles by the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy in a covered gallery(Veerta Chakra). Likewise 16 walls have been constructed in the Tyag Chakra for paying homage to the 25,942 casualties. The names of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets arranged in a circular pattern which symbolises the ancient Indian war formation, 'Chakravyuh'. The outermost circle, the Rakshak Chakra comprises of rows of more than 600 dense trees with each tree representing many soldiers who guard the territorial integrity of the nation round the clock. Above all, busts of the 21 awardees of Param Vir Chakra have been installed at the 'Param Yodha Sthal' which includes the three living awardees i.e. Subedar Major (Hony Captain) Bana Singh, Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Subedar Sanjay Kumar.
10. Located in the heart of the nation's capital, next to the iconic India Gate in the central vista of New Delhi, the National War Memorial is spread over an area of approximately 40 acres which will enrich the green cover. It's the culmination of the collective aspiration of a grateful nation to pay a befitting tribute to the martyrs of the country.
11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Memorial in a solemn ceremonial function, on 25 Feb '19, in accordance with the military traditions.
Tailpiece.
Had got up along with the alarm and we went about our chores and were ready on time. Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst with Guruvayoorappan. After her return, I'd gone to my favourite dentist, Dr. Chary, to have a filling done. Realised later that I should have gone to him much earlier.
The Whirlpool guys - Mahesh and Akhil - came close to sunset to service the air conditioners.
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