War Memorial
The year 2014 is being celebrated as the Centenary year of the commencement of WW I and towards this end the British HC in India along with MEA, represented by the United Services Institution, New Delhi, is planning to digitalise as much information that they can on the contribution made by Indians in this war effort.
They were surprised when I informed them that the OLDEST (1926) and the ONLY War Memorial (other than the one at India Gate, New Delhi) established by the civilians, is the one built by the Parsis, inscribed with the 46 names of those of their community who sacrificed their lives in WW I. This cenatoph stands at the Khareghat Colony, Hughes Road, Mumbai. Please see the attached photograph. Next to the main structure stands a smaller memorial built later by the BPP in memory of those who lost their lives in WW II & the subsequent Indo-Pak wars.
The very next day a crew from their production department was sent to Mumbai to photograph the monument & get more information on it. They are very interested in collecting and collating more information on the involvement of Parsis in WW I.
Through this mail I request you and all addressees to send me as much information that you may have on this count, by way of letters, pictures, medals etc, etc, which I can pass on to the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research or you may send it directly to cafhr@gmail.com with a cc to me.
Incidently, every year on All-Souls Day as per our Zoroastrian calender (Farvedin Month & Fervadin Day) which was on 5th Sep this year 2014, a wreath laying ceremony is held with a bugler in attendance playing the Last Post & the Reveille. A photograph taken at the venue this year is also attached.
Fond regards,
Commodore Medioma Bhada
E mail: mrbhada@gmail.com