As buglers sounded the Last Post at an emotional wreath-laying ceremony, President A P J Abdul Kalam today dedicated the Chandigarh War Memorial to the nation and promised to lend his support for another one in the national capital.

Names of 8,500 martyrs from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal, etched in gold lettering on black granite walls, glinted in the sunlight as the Supreme Commander walked past them.

Calling it a historic occasion, Kalam said that the memorial, a people’s initiative led by The Indian Express, “will be a constant reminder of the great sacrifices made by brave soldiers in 13 operations since Independence.”

The President, who had in his inimitable way intervened in this initiative by asking The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief and CEO Shekhar Gupta to collect funds for war widows as well, said the nation should work to ensure it’s invulnerable to invasions by land, sea, air, and in future, from space as well.

Earlier, welcoming Kalam, Shekhar Gupta said the inspiration of the President, who had kicked off the newspaper’s India Empowered campaign, and the spirit of Chandigarh had made the memorial possible. “It’s an expression of our gratitude to the people in uniform,” he said.

Calling the memorial an institution, Gupta said it linked the past with the present, and also the future since part of the walls had been kept empty to display names of those who will sacrifice their lives for the nation.

Although the dais had a distinguished line-up of the political cream of the region—present on the occasion were two Chief Ministers, three Governors and a Deputy CM—it was the day of the soldier.

... contd.