884 Maratha war heroes enshrined in memorial

PUNE: As many as 884 brave soldiers of the Indian Army’s Maratha Light Infantry (MLI), who had laid down their lives for the country, will be immortalised in the National War Memorial when it is inaugurated in New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The names of these soldiers have been inscribed on tablets at the newly built war memorial. Serving and retired Maratha officers have this is a real tribute to the fallen heroes of the regiment.


“We salute our men who we admiringly and lovingly call ‘Ganpat’.They are rock-sturdy in every situation,” said Lt Gen P J S Pannu, colonel of the MLI and chairman of the memorial’s project management team. Talking to TOI over the phone from New Delhi on Sunday, Lt Gen Pannu said, “The first stanza of our Maratha sfurti geet (inspiration song) is: ‘Mard Amhi Marathe Khare.’ The word Khare is the purest form of a race. They are simple, honest, hardy, brave, loyal and sincere. The next stanza says ‘Dushmanala Bhare Kapre’, meaning the enemy fears their presence.”
General J J Singh, the first MLI officer to become the Chief-of-Army Staff, who also commanded the 9th and 5th battalions of the regiment, said, “The Maratha troops have been continuing the great legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji in terms of war tactics, physical fitness, discipline, grit, determination and many more military values which are essential during the wars and conflicts. Sacrifices of over 800 brave Maratha soldiers is testimony to their highest order of bravery.”