Wing Commander Sushmita Sekhon, who commanded guard of Honour at National War Memorial inauguration here, said that looking at the names of fallen soldiers on National War Memorial gave her goosebumps.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Wing Commander Sekhon said, "Names of fallen soldiers are imbibed throughout this memorial which gives me goosebumps. And I am part of this historic moment. This is a feeling that I cannot describe in words."
Delighted to get the opportunity for commanding the guard of Honour at the inaugural event of the memorial, she said, "I basically belong to a Defence family. My father is in vigilance department; my brother is in the Army. My husband and I are in the Air Force, brother-in-law in Navy, and father-in-law was in Navy. We all know the importance of this moment."
After 72 years of Independence, India got its first National War Memorial, a state-of-art monument spread over an area of approximately 40 acres. It is a tribute to Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the country post-independence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the memorial on Monday by lighting the eternal flame positioned at the bottom of the 15.5-metre tall obelisk.
The memorial is dedicated to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during Sino-Indian war in 1962, Indo-Pak wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999.
The National War Memorial will be the place for wreath-laying for all designated events in the future. It also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in UN Peace Keeping Missions, during HADR Operations, Counter Insurgency Operations and Low-Intensity Capital Operation (LICO).
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The monument has four concentric circles, namely, the 'Amar Chakra' or Circle of Immortality, the 'Veerta Chakra' or Circle of Bravery, the 'Tyag Chakra' or Circle of Sacrifice, the 'Rakshak Chakra' or Circle of Protection.
The complex also includes a central obelisk, an eternal flame, six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy in a covered gallery (Veerta Chakra).
Likewise, 16 walls have been constructed in the Tyag Chakra for paying homage to the 25,942 battle casualties.
The names of soldiers who have made supreme sacrifice have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets arranged in a circular pattern which symbolises the ancient Indian war formation 'Chakravyuh'.
The outermost circle called Rakshak Chakra comprises rows of more than 600 dense trees with each tree representing many soldiers who guard the territorial integrity of the nation round-the-clock.
The complex also has graphic panels and stone murals. Busts of the 21 awardees of Param Veer Chakra have been installed at Param Yoddha Sthal which includes three living awardees -- Sub Maj (Hony Capt) Bana Singh (Retd), Sub Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Sub Sanjay Kumar.
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