Lest We Forget

(A re-print of my Facebook post on the eve of ANZAC DAY 2020 - with a few additions)
We can't gather en mass tomorrow to mark ANZAC day. But many of us will gather at our letterboxes, at the front door, in our lounge rooms, balconies and driveways to observe a minutes silence at dawn and watch the virtual service after.

 As a Kiwi of Indian origin, ANZAC day is not just about remembering the sacrifices of the ANZAC troops. To me personally it is also about remembering the Indian troops who fought alongside the ANZACS.

 Over a million Indian troops served in World War I. It is estimated that over 15,000 of them were sent to Gallipoli. Approximately 3,500 of them were injured and roughly 1,400 of them died there along side their ANZAC mates.

 For many years, ANZAC day was about standing shoulder to shoulder with my Kiwi friends and neighbors. Many of them had a personal connection to soldiers in the two wars - grandfathers, granduncles and countless relatives lost in the battlefields far from home. For a small island nation like New Zealand and even Australia, the impact of the war was extremely severe.  So for me my first few ANZAC days were all about a sense of empathy, a social consciousness and expressing gratitude for the freedom I get to enjoy in a beautiful country I CHOSE TO CALL HOME. 

 But it was sometime in 2006, that I realized the connection between the country of my birth and the story of ANZAC cove. Suddenly ANZAC day was a bit more relatable to my history, my journey to New Zealand and the history of India, the country of my birth.  

 Very little is known about the contribution of Indian troops in the world wars, primary because the Indian history books appear to have forgotten them. The focus of the history of India from the late 19th century through to 1947 is all about the Indian movement for independence. So with that kind of scant reference to Indian soldiers being sent to help as part of the Empire - the Wars always seemed like something that happened in Europe and parts of Asia with little visible imprint on the effects it may have had on India. Indian history seems to have made heroes of the political and social leaders who spearheaded the Indian Independence movement and who shaped the Nation. I can't remember a special day set aside in India (from my childhood) that paid homage to our soldiers. 30th Jan (Martyrs' Day or one of 6 in India) was all about Mahatma Gandhi. The fallen Indian war heroes and their sacrifice for our freedom were shoved to some remote, hardly mentioned corner of our history. 

 So now  I try to make the effort to attend my local ANZAC service where possible -  to reflect, remember and give thanks to ALL soldiers for their service  .....lest I forget. 

 This post is dedicated to my late uncle Ainsley Bayross (Retd. Wing Commander, Indian Air Force) who served his country in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 and for many years after....a wonderful gentle man ....I shall never forget.

 (Note; the B&W pics below are taken from an ABC ANZAC DAY article written in 2015 and the source of these pics is cited as the Australian War memorial. Captions included with B&W pics).
Two soldiers, one of them an Indian wearing a turban, on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.



An Indian Mountain Battery in action at the back of Quinn's Post at Anzac Cove.



A group of unidentified Indian gunners near the 1st Battalion's rest camp at the foot of White's Valley, Gallipoli Peninsula

Australian and Indian troops pose for a photograph at Gallipoli.
Three Indian troops and a Gurkha (far right) at Walden Grove, Gallipoli Peninsula, April 25, 1915.
Sergeant major of Indian mule transport at Gaba Tep

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