Gigantic Tricolour hoisted on tallest flag mast in Bangalore

Bangalore, Jan 23 (IANS): A gigantic Tricolour, measuring 48x72 feet and weighing 31 kg, was hoisted Thursday at a dizzy height of 65 metres at the National Military Memorial here.

Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj dedicated the Tricolour and the Rs.40-lakh war memorial to Indian soldiers who laid their lives for the country.

The event coincided with the 117th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Made of polyester fabric and stitched with the Chakra (wheel) in about two months in Mumbai, the Tricolour cost the Delhi-based Flag Foundation of India Rs.50,000.

The tall flag pole, weighing 12.5 tonnes, was manufactured in 20 days by 160 people. It was fabricated and painted with epoxy resin at the historic location in eight days.

The day is also significant as the Supreme Court Jan 23, 2005 permitted the hoisting of the National Flag in public places.

"As a 24x7 monumental flag, the Tricolour will not be lowered after sunset and will flutter even during night. With the memorial illuminated, the flag mast can be seen from far away," National Military Memorials Committee chairman Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on the occasion.

Names of about 24,000 martyrs have been inscribed in plaques on the memorial's walls.

Models of weapon systems are on display at the 10,000 square feet underground motivation hall in the memorial park. The 700-tonne monolithic granite flagstaff is 70 feet high and has been named "Veeragullu" (brave stone), a traditional stone memorial installed for slain warriors.

Chandrasekhar is a leading Bangalore-based businessman and an independent lawmaker in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

While the Karnataka government built the memorial, Chandrasekhar spearheaded the project in recognition of the bravery and sacrifice of the armed forces.

The memorial is divided in two sections - one being the emotional and commemorative segment to honour post-independence martyrs and other in the underground motivational hall to inform, educate, arouse curiosity and develop a national security psyche.

"A military memorial by citizens is a fitting tribute to martyrs and their families. Armed forces are a dedicated group of people who give up their today for tomorrow with a selfless service and nationalism, which is a matter of pride and dignity for the nation," Chandrasekhar said.

India Gate in New Delhi is the only military memorial in public area which displays names of 70,000 Indian soldiers who were martyred during the World Wars.

"But India Gate was built by the British, while the Indian government did not build even one such national memorial in a public area since independence," Chandrasekhar said.

As one of the largest armies in the world, the Indian military has 13 lakh men and women, with 11 lakh reservists and 13 lakh paramilitary forces.

In addition, there are 25 lakh ex-servicemen across the country for whom the war memorial is a mark of respect.