National War Memorial to soon have coffee table book

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According to defence sources, the National War Memorial will soon have a coffee table book. The production work has already been commenced, they said. According to a defence official, "The coffee table book is being produced by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). The three services are working in tandem to put together the book. The book will basically be pictorial in nature. It will also contain short tales about the valour of Indian soldiers."

The monument located near the India Gate in New Delhi has been built to honour soldiers who laid their lives in the line of duty after India gained independence from British rule in 1947. Names of the martyrs are inscribed on the walls of the monument.

The memorial was constructed following a Cabinet decision in the year 2015. The memorial consists of an obelisk with an eternal flame known as Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality). It also consists of a shaded gallery known as Veer Chakra (Circle of Bravery) and the Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice). The Tyag Chakra, which consists of granite slabs arranged in a circular manner, has the names of martyrs inscribed upon them in golden letters.

Last week, the Indian Air Force (IAF) included the name of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, killed in a terror attack in Srinagar in 1990, on the Tyag Chakra. Khanna, and three of his colleagues were gunned down by a group of militants allegedly led by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Yasin Malik.

Though the names of Khanna's martyred colleagues had been listed earlier at the memorial, his name had been missing till last week.

(With inputs from IANS)