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Where Indian war dead are remembered

Amit Baruah

Growing interest in memorial rebuilt by German city of Zossen

ZEHRENSDORF (Germany): Only agarbattis, or incense sticks, were provided by the Indian Embassy; everything else at the simple, but solemn, ceremony to honour the Indian war dead during World War I was done by the Germans.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee drove some 40 km from Berlin early on Wednesday morning to place a wreath at the restored Zehrensdorf cemetery, where 206 Indian soldiers are buried and honoured.

It's entirely possible that relatives of Thakur Singh (89th Punjabis Regiment), Zer Gul (Baluch Light Infantry), Amarisng Gurung (The Sirmoor Rifles) and Daulat Khan (59th Scinde Rifles) back in India (or Pakistan, or Nepal) don't know that these men are remembered in the Zehrensdorf cemetery.

The plaques name these men and their comrades and mention the dates on which they passed away in the prisoner of war camps in Halbmond and Windberg.

War Graves Commission

According to information provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, as German forces advanced across France and Belgium, 1,60,000 men of the British Indian Army were deployed.

Two infantry divisions, the 3rd Lahore and 7th Meerut, were sent to Europe. They fought at Ypres, Neuve-Chapelle and Loos. During the battle of Neuve-Chapelle, some units suffered casualties as high as 80 per cent.

Whatever be the ambiguities of honouring the war dead who fought in the colonial British Army, time and distance must allow for a more long-term assessment of their deaths.

The city of Zossen, next door to the war cemetery, has taken a particular interest in rebuilding the war cemetery, which fell into disuse after the Soviets took control of the area in the 1940s.

Schreiber, the Mayor of Zossen, told the Indian Defence Minister that they decided the soldiers — Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims — should not be separated and their headstones stand all together in neat white columns.

Ms. Schreiber also said there was a growing interest in the memorial with as many as 60 Germans and foreigners visiting the place every week.

"Their Name Liveth For Everyone. God Is One. His Is The Victory. In Memory Of the Brave Hindus, Sikhs And Muhamadans Who Sacrificed Their Lives In The Great War For King And Country," reads the message over which Mr. Mukherjee placed his wreath.

As the Minister stepped forward, a small detachment of the German Guards saluted him with a roll of drums. A bugle sounded as the ceremony came to an end.

Another column in the memorial read: "Here Lie Soldiers Of The British Empire Who Died In Germany During The 1914-1918 World War. The Earth, Dedicated To Their Graves, Shall Constitute A Resting Place For All Eternity, Secured As It Is, By A Treaty Made With The People Of Germany, That Their Remains Should Rest Forever In Glory."

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Where Indian war dead are remembered

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