PM Modi pays homage to Indian soldiers martyred in World War-I

Neuve Chapelle: Prime Minister Narendra Modi commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle at the World War I Memorial near the northern French town of Lille.

Arriving at the venue in windy and rainy weather, the Prime Minister was first presented a guard of honour before being escorted to the memorial where he laid a wreath at its base. The memorial commemorates the memory of some 4742 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Army during the First World War (1914-18).

Among the martyred Indian soldiers whose names have been engraved on the memorial were Kali Gurung, Tamang Singh Gurung, Dhanvir Thapa, Ganga Singh Gurung, Baga Singh and Fateh Singh.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by senior French dignitaries and defence personnel, and spent over 15-minutes at the venue. He also engaged in a brief conversation with his hosts.

Indians shouted slogans such as "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and Prime Minister Modi also joined them for a short while doing the same.

Later, writing in the visitors` book at the venue, the Prime Minister wrote, "Hat ova trapasya swargam jitva wa boshaktya mahim". (Either by being slain, you will attain the heavenly worlds`, or by gaining victory, you will enjoy the earth.)

"I am honoured to pay homage to the Indian soldiers here at the Indian memorial at Neuve Chapelle. Our soldiers`, who fought in foreign lands in the Great War, have won the admiration of the world for their dedication, loyalty, courage and sacrifice. I salute them. I would like to express my gratitude to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWWGC) for the excellent care and maintenance of this monument dedicated to Indian soldiers. I also thank the Government of France for the conduct of this solemn ceremony," Prime Minister Modi wrote further before signing off his full name in Hindi.

This year marks the centenary of the beginning of the allied offensive in the town of Neuve Chapelle in Northern France. Over a million soldiers from undivided India formed a part of British India`s troops. Nearly every sixth soldier in the British Indian contingent was an Indian. They died fighting for a war that was not theirs to fight, thousands of miles away from home, and were buried in unmarked graves without religious ceremony or goodbyes.

Yesterday in Paris, while meeting with French and Indian CEOs, Prime Minister Modi recalled, "a hundred years ago, hundreds of Indians died here in France fighting a war that was not theirs, for a people who were unrelated to them, such was their commitment. That was their duty to do. They linked us forever...linked India and France. Our commitment for a just world order."

Last month Prime Minister Modi had laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate to honour the million-plus Indian soldiers who fought in the war and the 74,000 who were martyred.

From the 10th of March onwards, several commemorative events are being held in India and France to mark the centenary of the World War 1 and the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in which the Garhwal Brigade and the Meerut Division of the Indian Corps participated.

In their jottings about the war, the soldiers, who had never been outside their villages and towns let alone continent, were shocked by the horrors of the war. Some compared it to the end of the world. They turned to their religious rituals for solace from the hardships of fighting a war in an alien land.

Their names are inscribed in the circular enclosure.

The memorial, which was unveiled in 1927, was designed by the famous British architect Sir Herbert Baker. There is a pillar in the centre plinth which is 15 feet high and inspired by the Ashokan pillars in India. The column is on a Lotus capital, the Imperial British Crown and the Star of India. There are two lions on either side. At the bottom, it is simply inscribed-India.

Under that is inscribed `God is One, His is the Victory` in English, Arabic, Hindi and Gurmukhi. Perhaps, the only thing that united the troops....God. Their religious diversity often a cause of conflict, ultimately in a war that seemed doomed to fail, there was just that one constant: Faith.

The white marble glistens in the enclosed setting, which gives the impression of a white temple in the French countryside.

War memorials in India too are simple in design but the government now plans to construct a grand National War Memorial and Museum in New Delhi to honour the armed forces killed in various operations since Independence. It is expected to cost about Rs.400 crores, though Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last year sanctioned Rs.100 crores in his budget.