Hyderabad to honour WW1heroes

Centenary celebrations of War World War I (WW I) tomorrow

The Telangana government, Alliance Française of Hyderabad, Goethe-Zentrum, British Deputy High Commission, Consul General of France and Consul General of Germany will jointly organise a homage ceremony at the World War I (WWI) Monument in Chaderghat on Friday to raise awareness on the disastrous effects of the war and to recount stories of Indian soldiers who fought in the war. The idea of the event is to spread a message of peace.

As part of the event, there will be a short présentation on ‘World War I - Indian soldiers’ by INTACH convenor Anuradha Reddy which will be followed by a guard of honour by the police. School children will sing peace songs and release 100 white balloons.

2014 marks the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, a tragic conflict that shaped world history ever since. The impact of the First World War on the colonies was profound and wide-ranging. A conflict that began in the Balkans turned into a general European war in July and August 1914, and then took on extra-European dimensions. An estimated 6,50,000 colonial troops fought on European battlefields.

The conflict had special relevance to the Indian subcontinent as Britain, the ruling colonial power, mobilised about 1.5 million Indian soldiers during the war, of which about 75,000 were killed. Some 1,50,000 Indian soldiers were deployed in Europe from September 1914.

Last but not the least, World War I spelt the beginning of the end of colonial powers, as they could no longer entertain the myth of their so-called ‘superiority’ and had betrayed the promises they had made to justify massive recruitment. The war concluded in 1918.