President to pay tributes to WW1 Indian jawans
TO COMMEMORATE WAR CENTENARY, AS AN OUTREACH TO ARMY VETERANS AND THE SIKH COMMUNITY, RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN TO HOST DANCE BASED PLAY ‘USNE KAHA THA’
NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind will host army veterans and prominent names from the Sikh community, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday to pay tribute to Indian soldiers who took part in World War I (WW1), a senior official said.
To commemorate the centenary of the war, seen as an outreach to army veterans and the Sikh community, the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be hosting a dance performance based on Chandradhar Sharma Guleri’s 1915 short play ‘Usne Kaha Tha’, a story of love and loss in the backdrop of the First World War. The centenial ends this year.
‘Usne Kaha Tha’ is considered one of the first short stories in Hindi literature.
Approximately 1.5 million Indians took part in WW I, fought between 1914 and 1918.
Atleast 62,000 Indian soldiers died during the war. The dance performance will be performed by Akademi, a noted south Asian cultural group from London.
“The play was chosen because it represents a classic of Indian literature. Also, as the Supreme Commander of Defence Forces, it is the President’s outreach to the military community. The story covers an episode from first world war, which is symbolic of the history and valour of Indian soldier,” said Ashok Mallik, President Kovind’s press secretary.
The play is the story of a Sikh soldier who went to Europe to fight in the war and got killed trying to save his superior, who happened to be the husband of the woman he loved.
“Through western contemporary dance, the artists will be interpreting Guleri’s short story. The play is a piece of fiction but we chose it as a metaphor for the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers who took part in the war,” said Akademi’s director Mira Kaushik.
UK’s Army Museum and the Imperial War Museum have helped Akademi by providing film footage, photographs and letters that will be shown during the performance. “Real picture of soldiers from the war will be juxtaposed against the dance being performed on stage,” she added.