War History: Important Lesson for Generations to come

It was last Sunday when I visited one of the most amazing places ever, National War Museum of Ukraine. The place is situated at the highest point in the terrain of the capital city, Kiev. At the top of the museum building stands a 62 m. long statue of “Mother of Ukraine”, with a shield and a sword in hands, symbolizing the great historical wartime achievements of the country.  I had always seen or read about the condition of European countries during World War II. This was my first ever encounter with the real heroes and brave hearts who fought for their country with all the zeal to liberate themselves from Nazi clutches, namely those who fought in the Great Patriotic War.

  

Visiting this museum was an extraordinary experience. The ambience starts changing and you feel like entering a war depot as soon as you step in from the entrance of the 500m radius campus of the museum. You are welcomed by the small Howitzers and T10 tanks of the Soviet Union era. To carry on the war filed like look many of the tanks that took part in the action on the field are showcased nearby. The best of the artillery which attributes to the success of the Great Patriotic War, which includes “Katyusha multiple rocket launchers” and “152 mm howitzer-gun M1937“, are showcased for the people to come and revisit their past. They have named this hub of glorious military Equipments as “The Fame of Glory”.  

The best part of the museum was that it showcased the names of the soldiers who have received the Highest Gallantry Awards for the Great Patriotic War. This was motivating and inspiring too. This last part of the museum made me think if I had ever seen a memorial of such kind for the 21 Param Vir Chakra Winners in India. The answer to me was a kind of disappointing one. In a country 5 times bigger than most of the countries in Europe, a country which has fought five full fledged Wars and which has one of the best forces of the World on its land still commemorates the soldiers who died fighting for the British, encrypted at the India Gate. Pity!! What our History books contain is the struggle of our freedom fighters and the details of political activities going inside the congress at that time.

  

Every coin has two sides. If we praise Mahatma Gandhi by remembering him every year at Raj Ghat then we should also remember our Gallant Heroes who not only commanded us to the victory but also gave up their lives for our cause. A national War Memorial is still in papers in our country and there is no place where the coming generations could go and learn about the brave hearts that made India what it is today. War Success is rarity and our forces have achieved it every time they were put on test. But success in war is not the end of it. Cherishing the Success is what counts and builds the morale of the coming generations.

In this country where I am now, people are very much aware of what their ancestors have gone through during the fateful days of WW2. They know how their heroes, in difficult times, made it possible for them to live happily now. They respect them and they cherish their Valor and not only this, they get inspired by this to serve their country in some or other manner.

Lastly, I think this one line from a famous Bollywood movie of Kargil War would say it all. The martyr says

“JAO JO LAUT KE TUM

GHAR HO KHUSHI SE BHARA

 BUS ITNA YAAD RAHE

EK SAATHI AUR BHI THA”