Smritika War Memorial: Citizens queue up to pay tribute
Following its opening, although visitors are allowed only between 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, the footfall has been beyond expectation
The Smritika War Memorial, in the Lucknow Cantonment, was opened to the public on June 20 in a sober ceremony. Following its opening, although visitors are allowed only between 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, the footfall has been beyond expectation.
With a footfall of about 50-60 visitors on weekdays, and over 100 on weekends, a large number of school students and families turn up to soak in the patriotic sentiment, and learn more about the brave hearts of the country. Volunteer personnel are always deployed on the premises to educate and enlighten visitors on the different army men immortalised at the memorial.
The Smritika War memorial features all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees and the 3 Ashok Chakra awardees of Uttar Pradesh, namely, Major Bhukant Mishra, who was martyred in Operation Blue Star on June 6 in 1984, Lt Col Harsh Uday Singh Gaur, who sacrificed his life during Operation Rakshak on November 29 in 1994, and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, who also was martyred in Operation Rakshak on August 24, 2014.
Defence spokesperson Shantanu Pratap Singh said that the response from visitors has been overwhelming. “People have really appreciated the maintenance of the war memorial, and have expressed that the opportunity to lay flowers at the war memorial is one they particularly value.”