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After 50 years, the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame, also known as the ‘eternal flame’ at India Gate, Delhi will be merged with the flame at the National War Memorial, on Friday. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is just 400 metres away on the other side of India Gate. The ceremony would be presided over by the Integrated Defence Staff chief Air Marshal Balabadhra Radha Krishna who would merge the two flames at around 3:30 PM on Friday. The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame will be moved in a torch to National War Memorial along with Guard Contingent and the two flames will be merged.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed under its arch by the Indira Gandhi government to honour thousands of Indian soldiers who died liberating Bangladesh in 1971. Indira Gandhi inaugurated the Amar jawan Jyoti on January 26, 1972, at the iconic India Gate.
India Gate was built by the Britishers to pay homage to soldiers who died between 1914 and 1921 in World War I, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli, and the Third Afghan War. The Amar jawan Jyoti was later added as an ad-hoc arrangement.
The decision to merge the two flames was taken as there cannot be two war memorials in close proximity to each other and it is the National War Memorial which represents independent India and eternal soldier.
The National War Memorial was built in the India Gate complex by the Narendra Modi government and was inaugurated in 2019.
The National War Memorial has the names of 25,942 soldiers--who have lost their lives in different operations from the 1947-48 war with Pakistan to the Galwan valley clash with Chinese troops. The names of martyrs have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.
