An Anachronistic Observance

May 30 is observed as a national holiday in the USA. To begin with, it commemorated those who were killed in the Civil War that broke out on the abolition of slavery. A few southern states, which had been against it, did not show the required enthusiasm. It was considered discreet to keep including in that national remembrance all the Americans who lay down their lives from time to time in active service. The list is kept updated.

The corresponding event in India is Army Day which marks that an Indian officer took over as commander-in-chief of the army of independent India on January 15, 1949 fulfilling the aspiration of Indianization of army.

On January 26 (Republic Day) and August 15 (Independence Day) the Prime Minister of Socialist Secular Sovereign Democratic Republic of India, prior to his participation in the main celebrations, goes to the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate to lay a wreath there. That monument commemorated those native soldiers who got killed in the First World War to save UK and its allies from the onslaught by Axis Powers. Later the names of those who fell in the Second World War were also added. Both the wars were not a part of our freedom struggle. The title of the inscribed entries endorses that. The laying of wreath by the Head of the Government of India on that monument, in spite of its changed name, amounts to paying obeisance to our once fetters of slavery.

The national pride enjoins that a new memorial be erected. The remembrance list may begin from the day the Indian Army landed at Srinagar to drive out the tribal raiders. History is the judge that the Indian army saved Kashmir and Kashmir in turn upheld the secular fabric of India.

The Diamond Jubilee of independence of India falls in 2007. It will be appropriate to raise a befitting memorial before these celebrations begin. The Army Day be observed as a national event on January 15 every year.

A befitting memorial be also set up to acknowledge the contribution of Indian National Army to our freedom struggle. The site for that be arranged near the Red Fort as ‘To Delhi’ was the war cry of INA. The existing memorial at India Gate be classified as a place of archives.

The school textbooks seek corresponding revision. The Saragarhi post (NWFP) adventure was an act of rare valour in which more than twenty native soldiers of Indian Royal Army laid down their lives while fighting against a besieging tribal horde. They were given each posthumously the highest gallantry award, Victoria Cross. The episode has been recently included by the Central Board of School Education in the textbooks. Do not we have any memorable event from our glorious freedom struggle for highlighting the deeds of patriotic zeal? The post-independence generations may feel thrilled greater on learning about the outstanding deeds of our martyrs, revolutionaries and the INA heroes.

The national celebrations should reflect the aspirations of an independent nation. The mentality of feeling proud of our achievements as staunch loyalists of the Raj needs to be discarded.