3 weeks ago
Centre to build Partition victims memorial at Sealdah railway station
The government of India is building a special statue, called a memorial, at a big railway station in Kolkata named Sealdah.
The statue is to remember people who had a very hard time long ago, during something called the Partition.
In 1947, India became free from British rule, but the land was split into two countries: India and Pakistan.
Many people had to leave their homes and move across the new borders, and many people were hurt or lost their lives.
That sad event is called the Partition.
The new statue will be in an abstract form, which means it is not a picture of a person but a shape that shows feelings.
It will show the pain and suffering of people who went through the Partition.
The statue will especially remember people from West Bengal and a place called East Pakistan, which is now the country of Bangladesh.
The government hopes the statue will be finished by November.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced a memorial statue for 1947 Partition victims at Kolkata's Sealdah railway station.
Indian Railways has allotted space for the memorial, which the Culture Ministry expects to complete by November.
The memorial will be an 'abstract form' statue representing the agony of those who suffered during the Partition.
The announcement came at a curtain-raiser for the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, observed August 9-17 ahead of the 80th Independence Day.
August 14 will be marked as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, with big events planned in Amritsar, Punjab, and Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Who
- Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Culture Ministry, with space allotted by Indian Railways; IGNCA Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi shared design details.
- What
- Construction of a memorial statue at Sealdah railway station in Kolkata to commemorate the victims of the 1947 Partition.
- Where
- Sealdah railway station, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
- When
- Announced on Thursday evening; expected completion by November; 'Har Ghar Tiranga' runs August 9-17 and Partition Horrors Remembrance Day falls on August 14.
- Why
- To honour those who suffered during the 1947 Partition, especially people of West Bengal and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) who were forced to leave their homes and migrate.
Key facts
- Announced by
- Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- Location
- Sealdah railway station, Kolkata
- Space allotted by
- Indian Railways
- Expected completion
- November
- Memorial design
- Abstract form statue representing the agony of Partition victims
- Commemoration day
- Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, August 14
- Har Ghar Tiranga campaign
- August 9-17, ahead of the 80th Independence Day
- Remembrance events
- Amritsar, Punjab and Kolkata, West Bengal
Quotes
Sachchidanand Joshi
Member Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
“the memorial will be an "abstract form" and the statue will represent the agony of the people who bore the brunt of the tragic Partition”
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