Wednesday, November 12, 2008
In Memoriam
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice was signed to end the Great War, now known as World War I. The armistice was meant to prevent a recurrence of a war which saw about 20 million dead and another 20 million wounded.
Today is the 90th anniversary of this day and the world as one paid tribute to the fallen soldiers. I say the world as one because this was not just a war fought by European and American soldiers. Soldiers from the 'colonial armies' from India and Africa fought side by side with their European counterparts, for a war which was not theirs' in the first place and to which they had little connection. More than 1.5 million soldiers from the Indian subcontinent participated in WWI and more than 70,000 died and another 70,000 wounded. The names of many of the dead are inscribed on the pillars of India Gate in New Delhi, which began as a WWI memorial to Indian soldiers.
R.I.P
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
What about the war memorial in Madras at the far end of Marina? I believe it is also a memorial to the great wars.
Indeed it was most remiss of me as a Madras resident to forget the War Memorial which commemorates the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers in WWI.
Incidentally there is also a Madras War Cemetery, a tribute to the men and women who laid down their lives in WW II. It was set up in 1952 by the Imperial War Graves Commission, which is now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). You can find some details
here.
Oh learned mastah! Thanks for the comment, and also for the link. It is interesting to see that Madras is actually a city of great history and culture. I am told that there is still an Armenian population that still lives in the Georgetown area, on, not surprisingly Armenian Street. I am also told that the first Armenian newspaper came from here. But who knows?! Your humble student.
About the Armenian church, it was recently renovated and opened again to the public. Here
are some details about it.
Post a Comment