District Minister to lay foundation stone in city on July 29

Mysore/Mysuru: Ending the 22-year-long wait for the construction of a grand War Memorial in Mysuru, the time for the actual construction has at last come with District Minister S.T. Somashekar scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the same on July 29 at the NCC Parade Grounds adjacent to the DC’s Office, which is right in front of NCC Group Headquarters.

Sources said that Somashekar will perform guddali puja for the War Memorial project, that is estimated to cost Rs.1.41 crore, at 12 noon on Friday, a day after Ashada Month concludes on July 28.

The Memorial will come up at a plot measuring 40’x40’ ft in the NCC Parade Grounds. Although it was planned to perform guddali puja before the commencement of Ashada Month, it could not be done as the District Minister was on an official foreign tour.

Setting the tone for the construction of the War Memorial, the PWD had issued the work order on Apr. 25, 2022, setting Aug. 24, 2022 as the deadline for the completion of the construction. The Kannada and Culture Department has already released Rs. 50 lakh for the project.

Details: The War Memorial will be 43 ft. tall, including the 10 ft. foundation, with a 5 ft Sanaranth Ashoka Emblem on all four sides. The Memorial that will be in square shape will have the elements of the city’s heritage characteristics. The main entrance depicts the symbols of the three wings of the Defence Forces — Army, Navy and Air Force — while three other sides will have the insignia of the Armed Forces and the Armoury that include Army tanks, Fighter aircraft, Navy ships, Guns, Artillery and other weapons.

The Memorial will be built out of green stones of Hassan and black granite stones sourced from Chamarajangar that are lying near the site for the past several months. The District Administration is looking for a sculptor from Mysuru to sculpt the War Memorial in the desired shape, it is learnt. 

H.M. Puttamadaiah, owner of the stone quarry that has supplied granites, has donated the stones free of cost, which  otherwise would have cost over Rs.1 crore. Also, the granite stones were cut into shape at SVV Granites in Chamarajanagar, owned by A. Srinath for free, including transportation of the stones to the site at Mysuru.

C.L. Ananda, during his tenure as Chamarajanagar Additional DC a few years ago, had taken great pains to ensure that the Memorial comes up in Mysuru. Doing his bit for the cause, Ananda, himself an Ex-serviceman, had convinced the quarry owner to donate the granite stones needed for the construction for the Memorial. Ananda, a KAS Officer who had also served as Assistant Commissioner in Mysuru, had completed the process for getting the approval of the State Government  after Mandetira N. Subramani, President of VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust, Mysuru, had submitted a proposal to the State Government and as well to the District Administration in the year 2000, to build a War Memorial in Mysuru, as a mark of respect for the sacrifices made by the Defence Forces. Subramani, who had proposed to name the Sainik Aram Ghar near  the DC Office after Squadron Leader Ajjamada Bopayya Devayya, MVC (Posthumous), had also pursued the cause for allotment of land for the Memorial.

The then War Memorial Trust Chairman Maj.Gen. (Retd.) C.K. Karumbaya too had taken the initiative for the construction of the Memorial that also features an auditorium at the site.