Cenotaph literally means an empty tomb or monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.
Located on the Northern end of the Kolkata Maidan the Glorious Dead Cenotaph is the most well known of the World War I Memorials of Kolkata .This historical monument was designed by architect Herbert William Palliser.
Originally known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day commemorates the signing of the peace agreement that ended World War I at 11am on 11 November 1918. It is a time to remember and honour the memory of those who served, are currently serving, and those we have lost to the cause “Lest We Forget”.
Remembrance Sunday is a special day set aside to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by all those who laid down their lives for peace and freedom in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. It is held every year, at 11 am on the second Sunday of November.
A two-minute silence is held at 11am to remember the people who have died in wars. You will see poppies being worn or used as a symbol of Remembrance Sunday. The reason poppies are used is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields of Flanders where the First World War was fought and where so many lost their lives.
The British Deputy High Commission Kolkata, like every year, organised the Remembrance Sunday Commemoration at the Cenotaph, Maidan today, to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives.
A wreath laying ceremony took place at the Cenotaph today.
Britsh Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata, Nick Low said: “Remembrance Sunday is our opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedoms. This year our commemoration has particular immediacy and relevance. We live in a fractured and fractious world, a world in which those who care little for the rules-based international system threaten the freedoms we take for granted. Today we re-commit to a positive and peaceful future for all.”
This event was attended by senior representatives from the Government of West Bengal, the Indian Armed Forces, West Bengal/Kolkata Police, Ex-Services Associations, Consular Corps, War Graves Commission, members of the public and media.
(With inputs from British Deputy High Commission Kolkata)
(Pratyusha Mukherjee is a Journalist based in Kolkata. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and Indian media awards for Journalism.)