We have National Holidays; We celebrate important days for the Nation including The Independence Day (Aug 15th ) Republic Day (26th Jan) – we recall the birth and death days of important National leaders. A day more important than most of them is … 16th December – must be a much celebrated day commemorating the victory in an important battle for the honour of the Nation.
December 16 is a special day this year, the 50th anniversary of an event that never fails to inspire: Vijay Diwas or Victory Day. We people from the south of India have not seen much of wars or for that matter, our Nation’s borders ! – our Independent Nation’s defence history perhaps starts with the J&K War of 1947–48 where the Indian Army fought for the first time for the nation and delivered a decisive ‘Indian victory’. Pakistan’s attempts at strategic surprise through the use of Frontier tribesmen to capture J&K were defeated but our victory proved insufficient to wrest the entire territory before a ceasefire was brought in place. Yet heroics were not limited. Famous battles at Badgam, Pattan, Mohra, Uri, Naushahra, Poonch, Tithwal and Zojila should be of great interest in the current run of patriotism and contribute towards India’s inspiration. In 1962, before we were born came the bitter frustration of Sino-Indian border conflict.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji this morning led the nation in paying tributes to "the warriors" of the 1971 war. "The citizens are proud of the brave warriors who wrote unparalleled tales of valour...," he said while attending the special event at the National War Memorial in Delhi to mark "Swarnim Vijay Varsh" - 50 years of India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. At the solemn gathering, the sacrifice of the soldiers of the Indian Army and Bangladeshi freedom fighters was recalled. Bangladesh, which was earlier a part of Pakistan, became an independent country after the 1971 war. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accompanied the Prime Minister at today's event.
For the Nation, today, 16th Dec marks the 50t year of victory over Pakistan resulting the liberation of East Pakistan now called Bangladesh. Commemorating the victory, Vijay Diwas is being celebrated in many parts of the country. On this day in 1971, the Pakistani Army surrendered to the Indo-Bangladeshi High Command in Dhaka, ending the 9 month-long Bangladesh Liberation War and 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. General AAK Niazi, the Commanding officer of the Pakistani Armed Forces located in East Pakistan, surrendered his forces to Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, the Allied forces commander.
This is not to be confused with “Kargil Vijay Diwas” named after the success of Operation Vijay – which on - 26th of July 1999, India successfully took command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days, ended on 26th of July.
Today, i.e., 16th December, India pays tribute to its martyred soldiers who died in 1971 war. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, 10 million men, women and children from then East Pakistan took shelter in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya. The Liberation War, as it is called in Bangladesh, later turned into a full-scale India-Pakistan war, leading to surrenders of thousands of Pakistani soldiers in December 1971. India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh. The war started on 26 March 1971 between the State of Pakistan and East Pakistan, India intervened on 3 December 1971. Armed conflict ended on 16 December 1971 and resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh. The war broke out when army units directed by the State of Pakistan (then controlled by West Pakistan) launched a military operation called Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan against Bengali civilians. On 16 December 1971, the allied forces of the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini defeated the West Pakistani forces deployed in the East.
The Nation remembers all the Gallant soldiers of the 1971 Indo-Pak war for their supreme sacrifice. "It is essential that we salute our heroes. We feel secure in our homes because of our armed forces and this is an occasion to remember their courage and sacrifice.
Today many of us went to War Memorial and paid homage to our soldiers. Victory War Memorial, formerly called the Cupid's bow, is a memorial in Chennai, originally constructed to commemorate the victory of the Allied Armies during World War I and later became the victory war memorial for World War II, 1948 Kashmir Aggression, 1962 War with China and the Indo-Pakistan Wars of 1966 and 1971. This famous place is located to the south of Fort St. George and marks the beginning of the 13-km-long Marina beach. It is a circular rock and marble structure built in the area that formerly housed the coastal belfry. Within what was once called Cupid's Bow stands a flag post with the Tricolour aflutter, and a squat tower that lances the sky. Beyond the red-and-gold pennants that line the path are steps that lead to a plaque replete with the names of men from the Madras Presidency who fell in two World Wars and those that followed Independence. The towering National Flag is visible over a long distance instilling a feeling of patriotism.
This day, we remember the martyrs of our Armed forces, the brave ones who guard the Nation and those who laid down their lives to safeguard our borders from Pakistani intruders.
Jai Jawan, Jai Hind……… Saluting the Warriors guarding us and saving
our Nation….
With love for the Nation & Great respect to Soldiers – S. Sampathkumar.
16th Dec 2021.
YES...This day, we remember the martyrs of our Armed forces, the brave ones who guard the Nation and those who laid down their lives to safeguard our borders from Pakistani intruders.
ReplyDeleteJai Jawan, Jai Hind……… Saluting the Warriors guarding us and saving our Nation….