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<div align="center">Soldiers Who Gave Their Today For Our Tomorrow (http://indiastandard.com/Opinion/Editorial/Indian-heros.html) [/b] </div>


There is no denying the fact that martyrs of wars and those who sacrificed their lives in proxy wars are not being given their due respect.
The governments over the years has showing little interest in holding services in honour of the slain war heroes. Families of soldiers who died in the Kargil conflict continue to feel lost and isolated amid all false promises. The families feel that they were looked after only initially and now nobody bothers about them. Families of those who laid down their lives in wars and proxy wars feel alienated after some time. Is this the way our society functions? Where are those so called NGO's and other forums? what are we as citizens of this country doing? For how long will we just sit and curse the govrenment machinery for its failure?

do we really understand the value of our independence or are we taking it for granted? Are we as a society doing anything to give back something to the families of those brave soldiers who have died for our future?

It is indeed shameful that independent India has not been bothered to erect a memorial for its warriors. The first thing to do, i guess, would be to construct a memorial on the lines of the Vietnam war memorial in the US where names of all our fallen heroes can be displayed and remembered.

To build a statue or a memorial is not the issue. Point is we do not value our freedom and take things for granted. Even in cases of bomb blasts and other mindless terror acts we just say its sad and move on. Unless we are directly invloved in some way we dont care about what happens.
What we need is a movement which can bond people, perhaps something like what nazi movement did in germany(i am not justifying Hitler's torture). Our patriotism should not be limited to some specific days. We dont pay our taxes, we litter our surroundings, we dont demand our rights(how many of us have used RTI act), we dont report corrupt officials. We just crib that we have a faulty system.
Who makes this system? are we not part of this system? If charity can begin at home, so can revolutions. Try to go a day without bribing or breaking traffic laws or without littering ur city or without calling people state centric names.

To build a statue or a memorial is not the issue.[/b]

But at least its a start. And we have to start somewhere. A memorial is something concrete. Its something people can touch and feel and look at. They can see the names of the their fallen heroes. See that the martyrs came from different parts of the country and then start believing in India's oneness, unity ......... otherwise you would again end up with some hollow grandiose philosophy like secularism about which i am sure ninety percent of the population knows nothing about.

What you suggest is excellent in principle but then these are not principled times.

Building a memorial is bit like idolatry. We all know that God is one, we know he does not have any physical form yet we need to see his face.

A memorial would be like a temple. It would be a place of pilgrimage for nationalists. A place of pride for the families of the martyrs.

A memorial is essential. If we can build one for every member of the Nehru Gandhi dynasty then surely we can afford to build one for our soldiers.

yeah ive seen birds shitting on statues of young kargil heros.

yeah ive seen birds shitting on statues of young kargil heros.
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Man, I could say so many things right now, but i really don't want to get banned!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

R Screamer

You can say without fear. This site will never ban any free expression. The idea of debate and open forum is to express what is felt deep within. Anchor may disagree but he is not imposing his views.

R Screamer

You can say without fear. This site will never ban any free expression. The idea of debate and open forum is to express what is felt deep within. Anchor may disagree but he is not imposing his views.
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Aw, forget it. :) The moment's passed.

" i have seen birds shitting on the statues of Kargil Heroes "

So you don't build a memorial or a statue? They shit on temples as well so why build them? Is this what he wants to say?Man!

yeah noone bothers about the war heroes and their families. A statue or a memorial is left to rot. Instead of a memorial we can have an election commission like agency to manage the finances for families of those suffered in war/terror attacks.

Screamer: i saw Mahatma Gandhi's statue in a park in Bhopal. Kids had cut a part of the head and planted grass using Gandhi's head a flower pot. Symbolicaly its the same as birds shitting

yeah noone bothers about the war heroes and their families. A statue or a memorial is left to rot. Instead of a memorial we can have an election commission like agency to manage the finances for families of those suffered in war/terror attacks.

Screamer: i saw Mahatma Gandhi's statue in a park in Bhopal. Kids had cut a part of the head and planted grass using Gandhi's head a flower pot. Symbolicaly its the same as birds shitting
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Indian, we already have such funds.

Some of them are:
1. The Army Central Welfare Fund.
2. The Indian Naval Benevolent Fund.
3. The Air Force Central Welfare Fund.

These funds are established by the armed forces for the welfare of the past and present members of the forces or their dependants.

If you contribute to them you can even avail of a deduction under section 80G of the Indian Income Tax, 1961 while paying your annual income tax.

Besides I believe there are certain regimental funds as well which particularly cater to widows of soldiers fallen in combat. Here is a link:
http://indianarmy.nic.in/arwelf2.htm


What I want to see is a memorial in the heart of our capital. Almost 60 years have gone by, four wars have been fought, hundreds of soldiers have laid down their lives so that India can preserve its independence and the Indian Government lays a wreath on a memorial constructed by the British. Isn’t it ironical? What I wish to suggest is not a small statue in a garden where kids can desecrate it but an eternal flame that has a guard of honor. A park which will have stambhs (towers) or something similar which can display the names of the soldiers who fallen while defending their motherland. There should be a museum displaying photos and pictures of India’s martial history. A library in which research scholars can get any book on Indian history or military or military strategy written by Indian or foreign authors.

Every country has such monuments why not us?

A Memorial is a good idea but the real issue is to ease out the hardships faced by families of martyrs. Families who are already undress stress are made to run from pillar to post and sometimes its just all too little too late. If we take care of the families of those who have died, its higher than any memorial we can ever build.

Dear Resident Screamer and Indian

You both have noble thoughts and good intent.
The idea is to first create an environment where we can respect the real heroes of India.

Not this langoor monkey sha ruk khan and similar creeps. The real Heroes of India are all the uniformed forces of India who are at least not corrupt and they choose to be on duty to protect rest of the community.

The children of India should respect them and put their posters instead of these filmi flimsy actors. That is only possible when WE all project the truth and give due respect to all our good and noble civil servants, leaders and armed forces.

The idea of a national memorial has been confined so far to the India Gate flame that is manned but its more like a disrespectful traffic island than anything where people can really go and pay homage like Resident suggested.

I am sick of seeing all these so called dignataries being taken and paraded on Gandhi samadhi who should be respected but the real memorial should be dedicated to all our national heroes who gave their lives in young age, leaving their families and dependents on the mercy of some disgusting, selfish babus in the ministry that tortures with its useless, mind boggling bureaucracy to pay a few hundred ruppees and that even is not sent while millions or billions of dollars are paid as bribe to a Rajiv Gandhi and the Italian agent.

The reality is that we are still an immature nation with very little self esteem.

President A P J Abdul Kalam inaugurated a War Memorial in Chandigarh which is dedicated to military personnel killed on duty since independence and is built through a people's initiative.

Referring to the demands for a National War Memorial, Kalam promised to work on such a monument dedicated to all those who sacrified their lives in defence operations since 1947.

President A P J Abdul Kalam inaugurated a War Memorial in Chandigarh which is dedicated to military personnel killed on duty since independence and is built through a people's initiative.

Referring to the demands for a National War Memorial, Kalam promised to work on such a monument dedicated to all those who sacrified their lives in defence operations since 1947.
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That, I didn't know. Thanks Indian.

a simple answer to the question----- not only the politicians but also an average indian dont give a damn to those who died for the nation