Amar Jawan Jyoti of India Gate merged with the flame of National War Memorial; view photos

New Delhi: The flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti, which has been burning at India Gate since 1972, has now been merged with the flame of the National War Memorial. The flames of both the places became one in a military ceremony. But is it correct? Couldn’t the spices from both the places be burnt together? Many types of questions are being raised and their answers are also coming in different ways.

What is Amar Jawan Jyoti of India Gate?

The British built India Gate in memory of about 84,000 Indian soldiers who died during the First World War and the Anglo-Afghan War. Here’s a tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought for Britain. The flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti was lit on 26 January 1972 at India Gate. It was lit to commemorate India’s victory in the 1971 war and to pay tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. There is a platform with the rifle standing on the barrel and a helmet mounted on top of it. Amar Jawan is written on it. The flame used to keep burning on this platform. But the flame burning from 26 January 1972 will no longer be visible. Now only rifle and helmet will be seen on the Amar Jawan platform of India Gate.

What is the National War Memorial?

The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate was merged with the Amar Jawan Jyoti built at the National War Memorial near it. The National War Memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 February 2019. It was built to commemorate and pay tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in various wars and battles after independence. This National War Memorial has been built at a cost of Rs 176 crore on 40 acres of land near India Gate. The discussion of making it started from the year 1961. It was approved by the cabinet in 2015. This is the only monument in the country, where the names of the soldiers of the tri-service i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force are together.

What’s in the National War Memorial?

The National War Memorial consists of four layers i.e. four chakras. Inside is the Amar Chakra, a 15.5 m high memorial pillar, in which the Amar Jyoti is burning. In this flame, the Amar Jawan Jyoti of India Gate merged. This Jyoti symbolizes the immortality of the soul of our martyred soldiers. He also assured that the country will never forget the sacrifice of it’s soldiers. The second layer in the war memorial is the Veerta Chakra, which describes six important wars fought by the Army, Air Force and Navy. The third layer is the renunciation cycle. It includes the names of more than 25,900 soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. These names are well written on a 1.5 meter wall. The fourth chakra is the Suraksha Chakra, which has 695 trees, representing the soldiers deployed in the defense of the country.

Why the opposition to merging the flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti with the war memorial?

The first argument of those opposing it is that if flames are being lit at two places for the martyrs, then what is the fault of anyone in this? People are emotionally attached to the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. Also it was burnt after India’s victory in the 1971 war. It pays tribute to the martyrs and keeps their memory alive. Those opposing the merger of Mashal also say that it is a tampering with history and a step towards downplaying the importance of the 1971 war. People have been paying homage to the martyrs at this place since 1972.

What does the government have to say?

The government says that the flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti is not being extinguished at India Gate, but it is being merged with the National War Memorial flame. Amar Jawan Jyoti paid homage to the martyrs of 1971 and the martyrs of the second war, but did not name anyone. The names of soldiers who fought for the British in World War I and martyrs of the Anglo-Afghan War are recorded at the India Gate. As it is a symbol of our colonial past. After independence, the names of all the martyred soldiers including the soldiers of the 1971 war are recorded in the National War Memorial.

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Originally published at https://www.bharatiyapatrika.com.