Nov 11 was remembrance day. It is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Remembrance Day is celebrated with ceremonies, a one-minute silence at 11 a.m. on November 11, and the wearing of a poppy. People gather at memorials and cenotaphs, schools hold commemorations, and many tune into broadcasts of services to remember those who died in service.
If one looks up the wikipedia page of remembrance day, it can be see that this day is observed by all commonwealth countries, which does include India. But while I was growing up there, I cannot recall this being observed any year. There is no news coverage either. The world's largest democracy is completely clueless to how close the world was to coming to an end the first time, the great war. India's flag day, observed on Dec 7, definitely has more recognition. Our history textbooks have little coverage of why this day needs to be observed too.
I grew up thinking that India did not really have any role in both of those great wars, we were too busy fighting our own battles with the British crown back then. It was only later, much later, that I got some access to books and articles on the role that at least some Indians played in both World Wars, albeit fighting for the Brits in a strange irony. Approximately 1.3 million Indian soldiers - Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians - served in WW1, and 2.5 million in WW2. Participants from the Indian subcontinent won 13,000 medals, including 12 Victoria Crosses in WW1
By the way, did you know that there were already some Indians living in Australia before the First World War ? In June 1917, Private Nain Singh Sailani and Private Sarn Singh were killed in action on the Western Front. These men were among at least 12 Indian Australians who are known to have enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during the First World War. They were also the only Indian soldiers known to have been killed in action while serving as members of the AIF. Other men, such as Desanda Singh, made it through the war and returned to Australia. We may never know what motivated these men to enlist, but their stories add to the richness of Australia’s wartime history.
History is a strange subject. It is something that is always growing, as everything happening today will become history tomorrow. But the way the subject is taught in schools , especially in places like India renders it completely boring. I remember our teachers used to prepare one line questions like : In what year did X attack Y ? Or when did this war start ? They expected the correct , once word answers, and expected students to memorise all those useless years. We are so focussed on the dates and places in history, that we miss out the real learning we should be focussed on: they mistakes people made, and what we can learn from them.
The world today would look drastically different had the wrong side won both those great wars. Anyone want to imagine a fascist planet earth ? What if the central powers had won the first world war ? That would have changed the language makeup completely.
But the most important thing is this : We owe a un-repayable debt to those brave soldiers who marched bravely to battlegrounds , to fight on behalf of civilians all over the world. And this is why days like 11th November, and 2nd September matter. They died, so that all of us could live. And the world has learnt important lessons ;probably why we haven't had a 3rd World War yet.
And it breaks my heart that most people alive today are so caught up in social media and news cycles, and have no idea that we can only enjoy our freedom today because many millions paid for it with their lives.
Read up on our history. So we don't have to repeat them.
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