The ‘othering’ of Indian soldiers in colonial times was the biggest disservice to the collective memory of the armed forces; it must be rectified now

In his book Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation, Lt Gen JFR Jacob utilised one page to state: “The rifle and helmet that forms the centrepiece of the Amar Jawan War Memorial at India Gate once belonged to a soldier unknown to history who died on the battlefield on the outskirts of Jessore. There is no inscription on this monument.” Then he recalls the legendary inscription at Kohima which, he says, is “appropriate for our jawans who laid down their lives in the rice paddies of Bangladesh: Let us not forget them”.

India Gate and, under its canopy, the statue of the Unknown Soldier of 1971 war — called the Amar Jawan Jyoti — have become enduring symbols of nation’s gratitude to the armed forces. Inside the India Gate arch are etched names of some Indian soldiers who fought in World War I and Third Afghan war — not the complete lineup of Indians who fought colonial wars of pre-Independence India. The National War Memorial that came up in 2019 recorded the names of all martyrs in wars, and internal stability operations after Independence. The ‘othering’ of soldiers in colonial times was the biggest disservice to the collective memory of the armed forces. The discrimination between British Indian Army and the Indian Army should have been challenged by Service Chiefs when Governments would ignore commemoration of battles fought by Indian troops abroad. Even now, the NWM has no place for the ‘others’ as India Gate was never an inclusive salute as it excluded those who fell in pre-Independence wars.

Thousands are buried across Europe, Middle East , SE Asia and N Africa. India’s contribution to the Great Wars and other campaigns was outstanding. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck said that Britain would not have won the wars without Indian Army’s contribution. Even Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised the unsurpassed bravery of Indian troops. Of the 1.4mn Indians in World War I, 74,000 were killed and 64,350 wounded. About 2,200 decorations were won by Indian soldiers. In World War II, 2.5mn took part; 87,000 were killed with 34,354 wounded. Including 18 Victoria Crosses, 4,000 decorations were awarded.

According to an Army source, the fusion of two flames and shifting the India Gate flame to NWM does not mean that the four urns surrounding the Unknown Soldier will be extinguished. One will continue to glow eternally, celebrating India’s only military victory in 1,000 years. But there will be one NWM, not two. That still leaves several questions. Will one of the four urns continue to burn; will the tri-service guard remain under India Gate; will the statue of the Unknown Soldier be ultimately shifted to NWM? And who will occupy the vacated space. When the NWM was inaugurated, Government said the sanctity of the eternal flame will be maintained at India Gate. We are not sure. Last Sunday, the hologram of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was installed in the empty canopy near India Gate which once contained King George V’s statue. Once his granite statue is sculpted, he will become the top contender for the space under India Gate. Prime Minister Modi said: “The heroes whose memory was being erased post-Independence are now being revived. The country is correcting its mistakes.” One hopes he will rectify the omission of the British Indian Army martyrs from the NWM.

Almost 90 per cent of military traditions and regimental ethos, ethics and values are drawn from pre-Independence period, including Beating Retreat, colour presentations, gallantry awards and battle honours. Nearly 80 per cent of our regiments were raised 150-200 years ago. Almost everything in the military is carry-over of British relics and traditions; we must accept it unhesitatingly. Regiments still celebrate battle honours and gallantry awards that were won in the Great Wars. But we are still arguing about renaming Aurangzeb Roads and railway stations. Britain ruled for more than a century and created an empire that stretched from Belize to Hong Kong, surpassing the conquest of even the Mongols.

Today, Britain’s tiny military has lost none of its sheen though its empire is gone. The entire British Army has dwindled to smaller than our 43 Gorkha battalions. Still, the glory lingers on and will never extinguish due to embedded traditions. India has a lot to learn from its military history. India this year will surpass Britain’s GDP to become the fourth biggest economy. The process of Indianisation has been extremely slow and in the wrong areas.

Beating Retreat is a very solemn ceremony. Introducing Indian instruments and theatrics ill- fit this grand and somber ritual. Dropping the hymn Abide With Me with lyrics composed in the aftermath of India’s humiliating defeat in 1962 is not an enthusing end to the ceremony.

In erasing the past, the Government is committing the mistake of compartmentalising military history; then and now, theirs and ours. The merging of flames and transferring it to NWM is ‘othering’ the sacrifices of the pre-Independence era soldiers. Their valour must not only be acknowledged but a suitable memorial be added to the NWM by the next Republic Day to honour them.

(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal.)