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Naval chief pays homage to martyrs, calls Noida memorial an inspiration
The function was attended by retired officers from the navy, the air force, the army, the district administration and civil society
Celebrating the 16th annual day of Noida Shaheed Smarak Sanstha, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba on Saturday paid homage to martyrs at Shaheed Smarak in Sector 29 and laid a wreath at the memorial.
The function was attended by retired officers from the navy, the air force, the army, the district administration and civil society. Meanwhile, the family members of 38 martyrs also laid wreaths at the memorial and remembered the sacrifice of martyrs.
After paying homage to slain soldiers, the family members of martyrs also interacted with Lanba, who was accompanied by his wife Reena.
She is the president of Navy Wives Welfare Association. On this occasion, she presented gifts to the family members of the 38 martyrs.
Lanba was received and welcomed by senior officers, after which the students of Army Public School sang patriotic songs. After the students’ performance, the naval chief of staff interacted with them and posed for pictures.
In his address, Lanba said it was an honour for him to pay tribute to martyrs. He said tributes paid to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the motherland show the greatness of the nation.
“The Noida Shaheed Smarak is a unique tri- service memorial raised by the Noida township, which is keeping the memories and spirit of martyrs alive. The iconic landmark is an inspiration for the coming generation,” Lanba said.
The idea of setting up such a war memorial to honour martyrs was conceived in 1998. However, it was dedicated to the nation by the three services chief on April 13, 2002.
The existing memorial is an eloquent tribute and homage to all armed forces personnel whose ultimate sacrifice led to several decisive victories since the Independence.
Every year, the sanstha organises an annual wreath-laying ceremony in the month of February to pay homage to martyrs.
Vintage equipment such as air defence guns, naval surface to air missiles and an ISKRA jet trainer aircraft are part of the memorial.
Later in the day, Admiral Lanba also released the Noida Shaheed Smarak annual souvenir, which was followed by a musical performance by the Navy band.
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