Paralympics bronze-medallist high jumper Sharad Kumar visited the National War Memorial today to pay tribute to Param Vir Chakra recipient Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, who was commissioned in third battalion regiment of 1st Gorkha Rifles, which was part of the 3000-soldier Indian aid to the U.N. Peacekeeping Force during the Congo Crisis of 1961.
While paying the tribute, Sharad recalled his school days in Darjeeling where he also grew up listening to stories of the bravery of the Gorkha regiment and said, “An interesting fact about this regiment is that there were about 10 Gorkha regiments serving during the British India Army. Out of which, six of them were transferred to the existing Indian Army but rest are still with the British Army under the UK Government.”
“They are known to be so loyal that even now they’re with the Queen of England and protecting her. This is one thing the Gorkha Regiment always believes in, Loyalty,” said the Olympics medallist.
He also observed the Next-of-Kin ceremony at the Memorial, which is a wreath laying ritual by a Next-of-Kin of a martyr every evening prior to the Retreat Ceremony before sunset. This ceremony entails the lowering of flags with the bugle call of 32 seconds.
He took a round of the Memorial and saw the murals depicting epic battles and operations of the Indian Armed Forces.
The National War Memorial which is around 400 metres from the India Gate has the names of all the Indian soldiers from various infantry regiments of the Indian Armed Forces who have lost their lives in different battles, wars, operations and conflicts of Independent India.