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| Our Group Casting a "AAH103" Shadow on the INA Marker |
Background Information
The Indian National Army Marker, located in Esplanade Park, is a monument erected in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Purpose of the Indian National Army Marker
During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, one of the leaders, Subhas Chandra Bose, who led India during the freedom struggle against the British, visited Singapore to lay the foundation stone of this monument, which was to be dedicated to unknown soldiers of the Indian National Army, fighting in the jungles of Manipur, Assam and Burma. However, the original monument at Esplanade that was erected just before the Japanese surrender was demolished when the British returned. The current Indian National Army Marker erected in 1995 by the government was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Reflections
This was our group's first stop after the cluster by the Singapore River. We walked for quite a while in Esplanade Park before we could find this monument. In my opinion, this marker was not as prominent as the others. I wonder if this was because the contributions of the Indian National Army was not as significant as compared to, say, Raffles. Hence, this shows that the preservation of heritage is rather selective because by placing less importance on a monument, it is a subtle message that the authorities place lesser value in the promoting of the history behind the monument.
Fun Fact
When we reached the monument, we decided to do something creative. We decided to leave our"mark" on the monument by casting a shadow of our course code "AAH103" on the monument!
Suggested Activity
Find out more information of the Indian National Army as well as Subhas Chandra Bose.
