Army to install Field Marshal Manekshaw statues in Delhi, Wellington

[Rajaraja Chola]

This is a lot better news, than installing statues of elephants, two leaves statues. Good going

 

[kaykay]

He was a true legend!! But it feels bad to hear that no politician went to his funeral and usually hunderds of these go when some cheap politician die...anyway Interesting article.
When Kennedy drove the legendary Sam Manekshaw - Rediff.com India News

 

[janon]

Pls permit a deviation here. In BD and Pakistan, we have cantonments/military bases/ military establishments/naval ships named after Shaheed Tipu Sultan, the hero of heroes. In India they celebrate Wellington who was on the other side. And they call themselves a free country - Mountbatten and Sonia notwithstanding!

If Sonia Gandhi obtained indian citizenship, fought in elections, won them and became a member of parliament (among 789 other MPs), that doesn't mean India suddenly lost its freedom. If an Indian origin person became a governor of an American state (Louisiana), that doesn't mean that Louisiana suddenly became an Indian colony. Please keep the BS to yourself.

Why does Bangladesh have an airport named after an officer of the British east India company (Cox's bazar airport)? Not just an airport, but the whole place is called cox's bazar. St Martin's island doesn't sound like it is named after a native Bangladeshi either.

Anyway, the fact is that many places in India, and especially some of its military cantonments, were established by britishers, and therefore named after them. We do not believe in erasing history or replacing it with a false version. Naming Wellington after tipu sultan will not alter the fact that it was britishers who first built a cantonment there, and not tipu sultan. The Indian military, as well as Pakistan's military, do have much of their heritage derived from Britain. One of the seniromost armored regiments in the Indian army is called 'Hodson's horse'. The Punjab regiment of the Pakistan army, its seniormost infantry regiment, traces its lineage to 1759, when the 3rd battalion of 'coast sepoys' was raised by the east india company. The Indian navy still flies an ensign similar to that of the royal navy, but that does not in any way mean that we are not a free country. These lineages, histories and traditions are important for armed forces. Place names and other such remnants of bygone eras are important for people. Also, we are not so insecure that we need to disown our past in order to have a sense of identity.

Some people feel the need to obliterate the memory of the past by renaming things, as if that would alter the past. It won't. Bettering the present, carving a niche and identity for the nation in the present, and making the nation a prosperous and important force in the world community, is far more important and meaningful than furiously renaming places after people from your own religion. India is doing well in the former, while Bangladesh seems to take pride in the latter. And lets face it, other than being from your religion, tipu sultan was as much a foreigner to Bangladesh as the british. In fact more so, because the british actually lived in Bangladesh. Tipu sultan lived in today's south India, in what was then the Mysore kingdom. I don't see what claim Bangladeshis have on tipu sultan, other than belonging to the same religion. Wellington cantonment in tamil nadu was established by the british and named after one of their most famous commanders. It wasn't Indians who established that cantonment and named it after a britishman - it was developed by the british and named by them, and we never attempted to change the name. The people who established the cantonment named it after one of their own, which is understandable. But Bangladeshis naming their bases after south Indians is inexplicable. It is an open admission that you don't have any heroes of your own, and have to borrow a few from other countries, on the basis of religion. Enjoy your borrowed glory.

 

[third eye]

If Sonia Gandhi obtained indian citizenship, fought in elections, won them and became a member of parliament (among 789 other MPs), that doesn't mean India suddenly lost its freedom. If an Indian origin person became a governor of an American state (Louisiana), that doesn't mean that Louisiana suddenly became an Indian colony. Please keep the BS to yourself.

Why does Bangladesh have an airport named after an officer of the British east India company (Cox's bazar airport)? Not just an airport, but the whole place is called cox's bazar. St Martin's island doesn't sound like it is named after a native Bangladeshi either.

Anyway, the fact is that many places in India, and especially some of its military cantonments, were established by britishers, and therefore named after them. We do not believe in erasing history or replacing it with a false version. Naming Wellington after tipu sultan will not alter the fact that it was britishers who first built a cantonment there, and not tipu sultan. The Indian military, as well as Pakistan's military, do have much of their heritage derived from Britain. One of the seniromost armored regiments in the Indian army is called 'Hodson's horse'. The Punjab regiment of the Pakistan army, its seniormost infantry regiment, traces its lineage to 1759, when the 3rd battalion of 'coast sepoys' was raised by the east india company. The Indian navy still flies an ensign similar to that of the royal navy, but that does not in any way mean that we are not a free country. These lineages, histories and traditions are important for armed forces. Place names and other such remnants of bygone eras are important for people. Also, we are not so insecure that we need to disown our past in order to have a sense of identity.

Some people feel the need to obliterate the memory of the past by renaming things, as if that would alter the past. It won't. Bettering the present, carving a niche and identity for the nation in the present, and making the nation a prosperous and important force in the world community, is far more important and meaningful than furiously renaming places after people from your own religion. India is doing well in the former, while Bangladesh seems to take pride in the latter. And lets face it, other than being from your religion, tipu sultan was as much a foreigner to Bangladesh as the british. In fact more so, because the british actually lived in Bangladesh. Tipu sultan lived in today's south India, in what was then the Mysore kingdom. I don't see what claim Bangladeshis have on tipu sultan, other than belonging to the same religion. Wellington cantonment in tamil nadu was established by the british and named after one of their most famous commanders. It wasn't Indians who established that cantonment named it after a britishman - it was developed by the british and named by them, and we never attempted to change the name. The people who established the cantonment named it after one of their own, which is understandable. But Bangladeshis naming their bases after south Indians is inexplicable. It is an open admission that you don't have any heroes of your own, and have to borrow a few from other countries, on the basis of religion.

Couldn't have been more explicit myself.

For the record :

The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. An officer of the British East India Company, Captain Cox was appointed Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilised to deal with a century-long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. He embarked upon the mammoth task of rehabilitating refugees in the area and made significant progress.

A premature death took Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. To commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him Cox's Bazar ("Cox's Market").

 

[JanjaWeed]

Good initiative... was long overdue.

Field Marshal K M Cariappa

Have seen this man's life size statue at his hometown in Madikeri! He was & is the pride of coorgis.