6-Ft Tall Statue Of Sikh Soldier Unveiled In UK, To Honour Indian Soldiers In World Wars I & II
More than 83,000 Sikhs were killed and many more wounded during World War One and World War Two. Several Indian soldiers also fought the war and laid down their lives. To honour those thousands of Sikh soldiers a statue was unveiled at a West Yorkshire park UK. The statue depicted a Sikh serviceman carrying a rifle which stood on a 6ft granite plinth.
Described as ¡®war to end all wars¡¯, World War I and II were one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of the world. Several Indian soldiers also fought the war and laid down their lives. And, to honour those thousands of Sikh soldiers, a statue was unveiled at a West Yorkshire park, UK.
The statue was unveiled at the Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, UK and the 6-ft statue was unveiled at Huddersfield because of its ¡®vibrant¡¯ Sikh community, BBC reported. Kalvinder Bhullar, of the Sikh Soldier Organisation, told BBC, "It is a stunning sculpture and an emotional piece.¡±
"We've accomplished our mission to get the statue put in place. The support has been overwhelming," he added.
A special ceremony was held at the park to acknowledge the role of Sikh soldiers in the war as well as their contribution towards society and to unveil the ?65,000 (Rs 60,60,388) bronze statue.
The official account of The Yorkshire Regiment shared the picture of the bronze statue on their account. Here¡¯s the picture:
Unveiling of the #Sikh soldier memorial in #Huddersfield. Supporting the @yorkshire communities we serve and @LordLtWY @SikhCouncilUK @SikhPA @ExaminerHTAFC @HXCourier @bradfordmdc pic.twitter.com/1cMsZpgVZz
¡ª Yorkshire Regiment (@YORKS_REGT) November 30, 2019
Last year, a 10ft bronze statue of a World War One Sikh soldier was installed in a high street in UK to commemorate 100 years since the end of this conflict that ripped the world apart. "These men volunteered to serve and fought to defend the freedoms we enjoy today. said Jatinder Singh, President of the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick. "The memorial will ensure that this part is never forgotten," he added.
The statue depicted a Sikh serviceman carrying a rifle, which stood on a 6ft granite plinth with inscriptions that name the regiments in which South Asian soldiers served.
Exciting plans announced by @GNGSmethwick today for a statue of a Sikh First World War soldier opposite the gurdwara in Smethwick High Street. #WW1 pic.twitter.com/hlGmbsGVxY
¡ª Sandwell Council (@sandwellcouncil) June 20, 2018
Not just UK, France also unveiled two memorials to commemorate and honour the martyrdom of the Indian soldiers in World War I and II and mark Armistice Day, which is celebrated as it was the end of the deadly war in 1918.
The statue was a seven-foot bronze statue which was planned by the Inter-Faith Shaheedi Commemoration Association (IFSC). The statue was unveiled near the cemeteries where the bodies of the Indian soldiers are buried. Another memorial was unveiled on November 10, 2018 by the Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu at Villers Guislain in France.
Picture Courtesy: Twitter
"This marks the commencement of our project to establish 57 such statues near all cemeteries where our Indian soldiers lie buried in France," said Col. (retd) Deepak Dahiya, who served the Indian Army for past 23 years and is now in Paris for the smoother functioning of the IFSC project.
More than 83,000 Sikhs were killed and many more wounded during World War One and World War Two.
