- Monday, February 24, 2025
Baroness Scotland, who will be visiting India later this week, took part in an annual ceremony commemorating the contribution of soldiers from the Indian subcontinent who sacrificed their lives in the two Great Wars.
By: Shubham Ghosh
PATRICIA Scotland, general secretary of the Commonwealth of Nations, on Monday (11) said on the occasion of Commonwealth Day that India not only shaped the birth of the group of nations but will continue to play a vital role in shaping its work.
Baroness Scotland, who will be visiting India later this week, took part in an annual ceremony commemorating the contribution of soldiers from the Indian subcontinent who sacrificed their lives in the two World Wars (1914-18, 1939-45) at the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in London.
This year’s ceremony also marked the culmination of a 100-kilometre charity walk by British Army soldiers from across the Commonwealth, including those of Indian heritage.
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Wishing everyone, in every part of our family of 56 nations, a happy, peaceful and purposeful Commonwealth Day.
Today is an occasion of pride and celebration, and a moment for reflection.
Read my 2024 #CommonwealthDay Message in full ?: https://t.co/cv7BGa6mIo pic.twitter.com/E1TqIAooln
— Patricia Scotland KC (@PScotlandCSG) March 11, 2024
“India shaped the birth of the modern Commonwealth 75 years ago in April 1949, and I anticipate that the country will continue to play a vital role in shaping the work and the direction of the Commonwealth for decades to come,” said Scotland, who has been serving in the position since 2016.
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“So much of our focus on accelerating the use of technology throughout Commonwealth states, including our focus on artificial intelligence, has been inspired by how it has transformed the economy of India and set a platform for the prosperity of its citizens,” she said.
Scotland also wrote on X about her laying a wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates to remember five million men and men who volunteered during the world wars.
This morning, I was honoured to lay a wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates to remember the five million men and women from Africa, the Caribbean & the Indian subcontinent who volunteered to serve with the Armed Forces during the First and Second World Wars.#CommonwealthDay https://t.co/rL1WfEDz9q
— Patricia Scotland KC (@PScotlandCSG) March 11, 2024
The Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March every year since 1977 as a celebration of the 56-member organisation, including a commemorative service at Westminster Abbey.
The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day and the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”.
“In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth,” said King Charles III, the head of the Commonwealth, in a video message for this year’s ceremony as he undergoes cancer treatment.
“My belief in our shared endeavours and the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been. I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey,” he said.
This year’s charity walk saw Commonwealth soldiers carrying 15 kilogram packs, or bergens, to honour their forebears who carried that weight during their service during the two World Wars.
The colourful uniformed march began at the Chattri Memorial near outside Brighton on Friday and culminated at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates in London.
“The Memorial Gates Ceremony on Commonwealth Day commemorates the service and sacrifice of the 5 million volunteers from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in the First and Second World Wars,” said Lord Karan Bilimoria, chairman of the Memorial Gates Council.
This year’s Commonwealth Day marked the 75th anniversary of the London Declaration signed in April 1949, which involved republics and other independent countries as equal members of the Commonwealth – leading to the creation of the modern day Commonwealth of Nations.
“Marking the 75th anniversary alongside the ceremony provides an opportunity to commemorate and remember, as we continually do on Commonwealth Day, and through the activities of the Memorial Gates Council, the significant contribution that those from around the Commonwealth and world have made to the success of our great nation,” added Bilimoria.
The ceremony also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the battles of Imphal and Kohima in British India during the Second World War, specifically commemorating those who served in the Fourteenth Army which spoke 40 languages. They included Sikhs, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and many other religions and of its 13 divisions, eight were Indian, three were African and only two were wholly British.
This year’s ceremony also paid tribute to the late Baroness Shreela Flather, the British Indian peer who served as Lifetime president of the Memorial Gates Council and passed away last month aged 89.
Scotland remembered her saying in an X post, “Remembering the late Baroness Shreela Flather who served as the Life President and founder of the Memorial Gates Council today. She was a true champion of progress and the driving force behind the founding and creation of the Memorial Gates.”
(With PTI inputs)
