Remember the fallen, for they fell for you.
– Deepak Paul
₹emembrance day is observed on the 11th of November here in Canada. As an Indian Canadian myself, why do I celebrate this day and what’s the significance of the poppy? Well, why don’t we find out by delving into our topic for today — Remembrance Day!
Remembrance Day is celebrated in honour of the fallen soldiers during World War I. Two minutes of silence is observed followed by recitation of the poem, In Flanders Fields, written by the Canadian soldier, surgeon, and poet, John McCrae. The poem was actually written after the death of John’s close friend in the war.
Okay, why am I wearing a poppy?
The John McCrae poem, In Flanders Fields, starts off like this…
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row…”
What does that mean? During the First World War, enormous artillery bombardments completely disrupted the landscape, infusing the chalk soils with lime. The poppies thrived in the environment, and the flowers often overgrew the mass graves left by battles. That’s why the poppy was chosen as a symbol of remembrance in Canada, Britain, the nations of the Commonwealth, and in the United States for those who served or fell in service of their country.
A little know fact about World War I is India’s contribution to it. As many as 1.3 million Indians served in World War I under the British imperial army and over 74,000 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Please keep in mind, India was colonized by the British at that time and wanted its freedom. Britain used this to their advantage and promised India’s freedom if Indian soldiers fought for them in the war. As history would have it, Britain never kept its promise and it was only in the year 1947 did India get its independence.
It’s pretty disheartening to see that there is still not a single war memorial commemorating the sacrifices and valiant efforts of Indian soldiers during World War I either here in Canada or the West in general. The British, however, had constructed the triumphal arch known as India Gate in New Delhi in the year 1931. This popular monument serves to commemorate the Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting in World War I.
No war is clean, and whether we take sides with the good, the bad or the ugly, wearing a poppy in the days leading up to November 11th is our little way of honouring those unsung heroes who fought on our behalf and sacrificed their lives in the hope our country could exist as the country it is today.
References
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33317368