‘Reborn to be an immortal’

"Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolor, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure." 
- PVC Captain Vikram Batra

‘Reborn to be an immortal’.
Great sense of pride and victory at the cost of their life!


The National War Memorial (NWM) commemorates the saga of valour and courage by all those soldiers who laid down their lives as supreme sacrifice to defend the interests of the nation.

The memorial is the first-of-its-kind tribute to the soldiers who’ve laid down their lives in the Indo-China War (1962), Indo-Pak Wars (1947, 1965 and 1971), the Kargil Conflict (1999) and other operations

Mostly invisible but strongly present, the NWM is built in a sunken plot to respect the view of the India Gate. 
As we walked past the India Gate, our ears met with the sound of the trumpets which filled our hearts with patriotism.


The layout of the NWM, spread over 40 acres has been fashioned in four concentric circles .

Circle of Protection (Raksha Chakra): 
The arrangement of 690 trees personifies the territorial line of control- The soldiers who are still there trying to safe guard us in places unseen. 


Circle of Sacrifice (Tyaga Chakra):   
It is a concrete structure, with self-interlocking granite blocks placed over it. Each block, out of the 25,700 represents a Martyr, who sacrificed his life post-independence for the nation.


Circle of Bravery (Veer Chakra) 
A semi open corridor and gallery holding the brave stories of significant historic battles in Indian history of the Army, Navy and Air force.


Circle of Immortality (Amar Chakra)
The obelisk carrying the eternal flame symbolizes the immortality of the Jawans that they will never be dead and they will always live in our memory.


The main idea of the design in the words of the architect Yogesh Chandrahasan himself
 is not to mourn death but to raise a toast to the life and sacrifices of Indian soldiers who laid their lives down in the line of duty.

(This post is based on my visit to the NWM, New Delhi on Oct 7, 2k19 added with info from various sources)

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