Shri G. Kishan Reddy attended the Retreat Ceremony at the National War Memorial
Shri G. Kishan Reddy Honble Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER on 18th January 2022 attended the Retreat Ceremony at the National War Memorial, New Delhi and paid tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Nation and displayed distinguished acts of valour during wartime. He also observed the Next of Kin ceremony at the Memorial which is held every evening before sunset. Shri G. Kishan Reddy took a round of the Memorial and saw the murals depicting epic battles and Operations of the Indian Armed Forces to protect the country.
In his media interaction after the ceremony, the Union Minister appealed to everybody especially the youth to visit National War Memorial built in the memory of martyrs who died in the line of duty. And as we celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Shri Reddy urged that the students of all the States & Universities and citizens must come and visit the National War Memorial, which imbues everyone with a patriotic zeal.
The National War Museum represents the gratitude of a nation to its Armed Forces. The Memorial helps to strengthen the sense of belonging, high moral values, sacrifice, and national pride in our citizens. It shall testimony to the sacrifices made by our soldiers during various conflicts, United Nations Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Operations since Independence. Since its inauguration in 2019, the NWM has become very become very popular among citizens and tourists visiting Delhi.
National War Memorial was inaugurated and dedicated to the nation by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 25 Feb 2019. The memorial complex is in harmony with the existing layout and symmetry of the majestic Rajpath and Central Vista. Solemnity of the ambience is maintained with an emphasis on landscaping and simplicity of architecture. Apart from the main memorial, there is dedicated area for busts of 21 soldiers who have been conferred with & ParamVir Chakra’, the Nation & highest gallantry award in war. The design of the main memorial exemplifies that supreme sacrifice made by a soldier in the line of duty not only makes him immortal, but also depicts that the spirit of a soldier remains eternal.
The memorial has distinct scheme of concentric circles as (i) Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality) This has an Obelisk with Eternal Flame. The flame symbolises the immortality of the spirit of fallen soldiers with the assurance that the Nation will never forget their sacrifices, (ii) Veerta Chakra (Circle of Bravery) This circle depicts the Bravery of Indian forces in the form of a covered gallery that exhibits six bronze murals, depicting valiant battle actions of Indian Armed Forces , (iii) Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice) This includes circular concentric walls of honour, which symbolise the ancient war formation & Chakravyuh. The walls are clad with granite tablets where an independent granite tablet is dedicated to each soldier who has made the supreme sacrifice. Each name on the tablet is etched in golden letters, (iv) Raksha Chakra (Circle of Protection). The outermost circle made of rows of trees in the Raksha Chakra is a reassurance to the citizens of the country about their safety against any threat, with each tree representing the soldiers who ensure the territorial integrity of the Nation, round the clock.
To augment the reach of the National War Memorial (NWM) to a younger and wider audience, the digital appeal of the Memorial has been enhanced with creation of National War Memorial Website, Mobile App and placement of Interactive Screens. The NWM Website and App showcase the Memorial history, significance, concept, and details of the Battle Casualties. The features incorporated in the website / app include multilingual interaction in 21 regional languages to facilitate easier comprehension for visitors from all over the country, user friendly features for specially / differently abled persons, creation and integration of 166 Bluetooth Beacons for location and live mobile mapping with virtual tour guide, audio commentary in 21 languages providing information on various battles/ wars, Param Vir Chakra awardees and guided routes within the Memorial, High-Definition 360 degree view of the National War Memorial including Param Yodha Sthal, search facility to locate individual names amongst 26,368 battle casualties, online quizzes/ events and provision for online donations to Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund. To enhance the digital appeal of the National War Memorial and display information for a wholesome experience to the visitors, four digital screens have been installed. Besides providing information to visitors, the digital screens facilitate paying of virtual tributes at the National War Memorial with Augmented Reality (AR) feature which incorporates provision of virtual photograph with Battle Casualties, Roll of Honour of 26,368 Battle Casualties and OTP-based registration of visitors.
Many activities take place around the year such as Ceremonial wreath-laying to commemorate important days/events, Wreath-laying by senior dignitaries from foreign countries, daily Retreat Ceremony in the evening, Daily NoK (Next of Kin) Ceremony by Next of Kin of martyr just before Retreat ceremony 30 minutes before sunset etc. The entry to memorial is free (Entry is restricted on certain days / timings) and open all days for visit during November to March 9 am - 7.30 pm (Last admission 7 pm) and during April to October 9 am - 8.00 pm (Last admission 7.30 pm). More details about the Memorial, timings, activities, facilities and aids etc are available on the official website : https://nationalwarmemorial.gov.in
