Military veterans’ call for building a war memorial within the Kozhikode city limits is yet to become a reality with the delay in identifying a suitable patch of land. For over three years, ex-servicemen and their associations have been after various departments and the district administration to accomplish their dream and pay obeisance to martyrs on important occasions.
Veterans who campaign for the demand say there are about 30 soldiers from various parts of Kozhikode district who have sacrificed their lives for the country in various armed conflicts. Apart from this, there are nearly 15,000 ex-servicemen, 3,000 widows and thousands of soldiers who have taken part in various wars for the country. A district-level memorial will certainly be an honour for them, they point out.
“Only five cents, preferably on the Kozhikode beach area, is required to start the construction work. Our city corporation can definitely help us realise this dream. It is even possible for the district panchayat to bear the rest of the construction expenses,” says R.K. Nair, director, Calicut Sainik Welfare Trust. He points out that many other districts have already come up with such memorials paying tribute to soldiers.
According to Col. (Rtd) Nair, veterans are now forced to arrange commemoration events in front of small columns or temporarily erected structures in the absence of a district-level monument. “It should change. If interested, the district administration can take the memorial constructed in Malappuram as a model,” he adds.
It was on March 4, 2019 that a district-level veterans’ committee led by Brigadier (Rtd) P.T. Gangadharan took up the project with the district administration. The committee had also designated Colonel (Rtd) P. Mohandas as representative of the committee to be present in official discussions. The estimated cost of the project apart from the land cost was then ₹50 lakh. Though there were initially proposals from administrators to construct it in a village area, it was opposed by the majority of veterans citing access issues.
Members of the Sainik Welfare Trust and various military veterans’ associations in the district point out that the opening of a district-level memorial will help the public easily pay homage to late soldiers on occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day, and the Armed Forces Flag Day. Besides, it can inspire many youths to join armed forces and learn to respect the services of their forerunners, they add.
