Remembrance Day
Indian national memorial day honouring partition victims on 14 August.
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Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day due to the custom of wearing a remembrance poppy, is a memorial day observed in former British Empire countries and current Commonwealth member states. It originated after the First World War to honour armed forces members who died in the line of duty, and is also marked by war remembrances in several non-Commonwealth nations.
Belgium and France
In most countries, the day is observed on 11 November, recalling the end of First World War hostilities. The fighting ceased at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, following an armistice signed by Germany and the Entente that morning. The war formally concluded with the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
United States
The tradition evolved from Armistice Day. The first observance took place at Buckingham Palace, beginning with a banquet hosted by King George V on the evening of 10 November 1919, followed by the first official Armistice Day on the palace grounds the next morning. During the Second World War, many countries renamed the holiday; Commonwealth nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the United States chose Veterans Day.
Observance in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth observances typically include a one or two-minute silence at 11:00 am on 11 November. The Service of Remembrance often features the sounding of "Last Post," a period of silence, then "Reveille" or "The Rouse," concluding with the "Ode of Remembrance." Hymns such as "Flowers of the Forest" and "I Vow to Thee, My Country" are frequently played.
Wreaths are laid to honour the fallen, and national anthems are performed. The central ritual at cenotaphs is a stylised night vigil, where "Last Post" recalls the close of the military day and "The Rouse" the morning call. This ritual symbolises not only remembrance but also a pledge to guard the honour of war dead, enhanced by the use of cenotaphs (Greek for "empty tomb") and wreath-laying, an ancient tradition of signalling high honours.
In Australia, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November regardless of the day and is not a public holiday. Services at 11 am include the "Last Post" and a one-minute silence. The day declined in prominence after the 1940s, with many Australians observing Remembrance Sunday instead. It was officially revived in 1997 when the Governor-General proclaimed 11 November as Remembrance Day and urged a minute’s silence.
Lore & Background
The Partition was the division of British India into two independent Dominions: India and Pakistan. The partition involved the division of two provinces, Bengal and Punjab, based on district-wide non-Muslim or Muslim majorities, and also saw the division of the British Indian Army, the Royal Indian Navy, the Indian Civil Service, the railways, and the central treasury. The partition was outlined in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the dissolution of the British Raj. The two self-governing independent Dominions of India and Pakistan legally came into existence at midnight on 15 August 1947.
The partition occurred on the basis of religious separatism, demanded by the All-India Muslim League, who propagated the idea that Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus were two different nations—a theory propounded by the Hindu Mahasabha as well. The Indian National Congress, along with the Communist Party of India, All India Azad Muslim Conference, Khudai Khidmatgar, All India Anglo-Indian Association, All India Conference of Indian Christians, and Chief Khalsa Diwan, adamantly opposed the partition. Mahatma Gandhi, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Frank Anthony, Purushottam Das Tandon, Maulana Azad, Tara Singh and Allah Bux Soomro actively worked to oppose the partition. The leader of All India Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, demanded 'either a divided India or a destroyed India' and called for Direct Action Day, which resulted in communal violence that sowed the seeds for the partition.
Though the demand of the All India Muslim League was eventually accepted by the British, the state of India officially rejected the two-nation theory and chose to be a secular state. The partition displaced between 10 and 20 million people along religious lines, creating overwhelming refugee crises. There was large-scale violence, with estimates of loss of life disputed and varying between several hundred thousand and two million. Critics of the partition point to the displacement of fifteen million people, the murder of more than one million people, and the rape of 75,000 women to demonstrate the view that it was a mistake.
Reader's Guide
Partition Horrors Remembrance Day serves as a solemn occasion for India to honour the victims and sufferings of people during the 1947 partition. On 14 August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that 14 August annually will be remembered as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Modi said, 'Partitions pains can never be forgotten.
Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. May the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment.' In 2022, the Delhi Metro honoured the day by setting up an exhibit that included 'panels on the wrecked buildings in Lahore and Amritsar'. The University Grants Commission implored all academic institutions to plan observances.
The University of Kashmir organised a photo exhibition highlighting 'the agony, suffering and pain of millions of sufferers of the Partition'. In 2023, Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi organized presentations, panel discussions, and a Photo Exhibition. The Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division had an exhibition of photographs for the public, as did several railway stations, organized by Thalanad Chandrasekharan Nair, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Remembrance Day (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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