I was puzzled when PM Modi did not go to India Gate on this Republic Day but laid the customary wreath and observed the two minutes of silence in some other place near Raj Path. When it finally dawned on me that a new war memorial had been built, I was ecstatic. It always felt weird to see Prime Ministers and Presidents of India over the years visiting India Gate, a memorial built by the British colonizers to honour the Indian soldiers who had been forced to fight the First World War. But this time, it has been set right. The new war memorial honours soldiers who laid down their lives in armed conflicts of Independent India. Just in time for this Republic Day, even the names of the 20 soldiers who died in the Galwan valley conflict in June 2020 have been added to the memorial.
I now dare to hope that the larger historical narratives of India will also be corrected in my lifetime.
I now dare to hope that the larger historical narratives of India will also be corrected in my lifetime.
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