The Stone That Moved Mountains: How Bangalore's #FaujiKids Fought for Their Fathers' Honour

This isn't just the story of a memorial. This is a saga of filial devotion, citizen grit, and a battle against apathy waged by the children of India's bravest – the #FaujiKids. It's the story of the National Military Memorial (NMM) in Bangalore, a dream conceived in honour, stalled in indifference, and resurrected through sheer, relentless love #InMyFathersName.

The Promise and the Abyss (2009 - 2017):

On a February day in 2009, hope soared. The Governor and the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for India's first National Military Memorial. It was envisioned as a sacred space: a towering Veeragallu (Hero Stone) symbolizing sacrifice, fluttering military flags, an eternal flame, and a museum echoing with valour. But after this, silence descended. For 12 long years, the project  languished. Promises evaporated into the Bangalore air. The bureaucratic maze thickened. Funds stalled. The heart of the memorial – a majestic 180-tonne Veeragallu – lay forgotten, 42 kms away in Devanahalli, incomplete, unpaid for, a colossal symbol of neglect. While the nation slept peacefully, guarded by the very soldiers this memorial sought to honour, their symbol of remembrance was gathering dust. Tragically, as Bangalore stalled, New Delhi swiftly planned, tendered, and completed its National War Memorial by 2019, stealing the title of "first" – a profound injustice to us who had first conceived the project.

The Awakening: #FaujiKids Answer the Call:

 Enough was enough. In 2018, a band of military brats, led by civic evangelist  Priya Chetty-Rajagopal (herself a fauji kid), refused to let their fathers' and the nation's martyrs be dishonoured any longer. They weren't powerful politicians or high-ranking officials. They were citizens. Services sons and daughters who understood the price of the olive green and the tricolour, and the honour due therein. They rallied under the banner #NMM Citizens for NMM. Alongside Priya stood a coalition of the passionate: style maestro Prasad Bidappa, the revered Justice Santosh Hegde, journalist & writer Sheila Kumar, Surabhi Tomar , policy specialist, Anand Kripalu former CEO Diageo, strategist Akshay Rajagopal, activist Rubi Chakravarti, and countless other citizens whose hearts beat for the cause.

The Relentless Campaign: Grit, Strategy, and Tears:

What followed was nothing short of a citizen-led military operation. Their mission: Move the immovable. Achieve in months what the state couldn't in a decade. Their weapons?

1.  Unflinching Determination: Sleepless nights became the norm. Endless meetings with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the Home Department, and officials like Mr. Rakesh Singh and Mr. Vinay Sugur were marked by polite persistence, sharp strategy, and sometimes, desperate pleading.

2.  Strategic Pressure: They became experts in navigating red tape, securing permissions, negotiating directly with the Veeragallu sculptor, and vetting transportation vendors capable of moving the  180-tonne behemoth. Every hurdle was met with a solution.

3.  The Power of Voice: A relentless #BringTheVeeragallu campaign exploded. Social media (#NMMBangalore) became a war drum. Traditional media was harnessed brilliantly. Articles were written, interviews were given (like Priya's powerful piece on SheThePeople), TV channels were engaged. They made the memorial's stalled state a national shame and the Veeragallu's journey a public obsession.

4.  Groundswell of Support: Events were organized, networks were leveraged, and the public was awakened. They reminded Bangalore, and India, of the debt owed to its soldiers. The hashtag #InMyFathersName resonated deeply, framing the fight as a sacred duty.

The Triumphant Roll: Tears of Relief:

After a year and four days of superhuman effort – exactly what took the government 12 years – the impossible happened. In June 2019, under the watchful, tear-filled eyes of the #FaujiKids and their allies, a massive transporter, bearing the colossal Veeragallu like a modern-day chariot of honour, slowly, majestically, rolled onto the NMM grounds.  The #FaujiKids wept. Tears not of sorrow, but of overwhelming relief, pride, and vindication. The symbol of their fathers' ultimate sacrifice was finally home. Six more months of meticulous effort saw the stone safely installed, standing sentinel beside the towering national flag and the granite walls etched with the names of over 33,000 martyrs.

The Bittersweet Victory and Unfinished Duty:

The #FaujiKids had moved a mountain, literally and figuratively. They had restored a measure of honour through sheer citizen power. Yet, the battle cry isn't fully silenced. The memorial remains technically incomplete: the three service flags wait to fly, the Ashoka Chakra yearns to be placed, the eternal flame remains unlit, and the underground military museum – a crucial repository of memory – lies neglected, "left to rot." The contrast with Delhi's swift completion remains a stinging question mark over political will.

Why Does This Story Matter?

The saga of Bangalore's NMM is more than civic activism. It's a testament to:

   *The Power of Love and Duty:** #FaujiKids fought not for glory, but for the honour of their fathers and all who serve.

   *Citizen Heroism:** Ordinary people, armed with passion and persistence, can move governments and mountains.

   *The Cost of Indifference:** 12 years of delay is 12 years of dishonour to those who gave everything. As Priya and the team poignantly ask: "Why call on the spirits of the martyrs... and then keep them waiting for 15 years? That is not honour; that is dishonour."

   *Unfinished Business:** The fight isn't over until the last flag flies, the Museum is spruced up and the eternal flame burns bright for the NMM's heroes.

Hudson Skywalk affecting Cubbon Park + Stop Noise Pollution at Park

10 July 2025

Smt. Syamla Iqbal

Secretary – Horticulture

MS Building

Ambedkar Veedhi

Bangalore 560001

Dear Ms Iqbal:

Subject : Concern re proposed skywalk coming up at Cubbon/Hudson Circle as well as issue of noise pollution

SKYWALK: As this will dramatically impact  Cubbon park’s delicate biodiversity, it’s greenery, aesthetics and function, we  would earnestly request this issue is taken up by Horticulture and resolved, as it will be damaging to Cubbon Park. I am surprised that Horticultures inputs and suggestions were not incorporated in this pointless and pro-advertiser-skywalk and would request you to kindly intervene and address this at least now.

We understand  that  skywalk is proposed to be built at Hudson Circle in Bengaluru, connecting Cubbon Park to the BBMP head office. This 150-meter skywalk will be the longest in the city upon completion and is designed to apparently improve pedestrian safety and access between these two busy areas. The project is been hurriedly launched without any public consultation and executed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. It is expected to be completed within 12 months. It is unnecessary and actually blocks the existing sidewalks for pedestrians . A version was launched in 2017 and shot down, but it seems to have quietly reappeared.

Location: The skywalk will span from Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, across Kasturba Road, linking to Vokkaligara Sangha Bhavan, and ending at the BBMP headquarters near Hudson Circle (also known as Corporation Circle). 

Purpose: The primary goal is apparently to provide a convenient way for pedestrians, particularly those moving between Cubbon Park and the BBMP office, to cross the busy roads and intersections at Hudson Circle, but it is both ugly, intrusive and does not achieve the purpose.

Design & Timeline : The structure is designed to be modular and built with a PPP model. The project is scheduled for completion within 12 months. 

Public Sentiment: While the project is intended to improve pedestrian safety, walkers at Cubbon etc and residents have expressed concerns about the need for such a structure, suggesting that traffic-calming measures and pedestrian crossings at ground level might be more effective alternatives, according to a report by Deccan Herald and Times of India

Potential Issues: Some concerns have been raised about the potential impact on the park itself, with some arguing that the skywalk could be an eyesore and disrupt the park's biodiversity, delicate ecosystem, aesthetics and tranquillity, according to an online report

We request these be taken up on priority.

NOISE POLLUTION: and Cubbon Park Biodiversity: In addition, we also have major concerns on noise pollution that affects Cubbon Park’s delicate biodiversity. As you know, Cubbon Park has been given the status of a silent zone, with no honking etc. However Bars, pubs and hotels around, are playing loud music, even fireworks  , totally crossing acceptable noise pollution levels and severely affecting flora and fauna. The Supreme Court has issued very strong warning on noise pollution and the then DGP Praveen Sood filed an affidavit to this effect. if police ignore this, it amounts to contempt of court. Recently at Kanteerva Stadium, there was loud, non-green firecrackers (illegal as per Supreme Court) explosions after some big javelin event  even causing death of some birds . We already know the impact of the IPL crowds and the stampede on Cubbon Park’s flora and fauna. Therefore,  we sincerely  urge you to please write a strong letter to the police commissioner/central ACP  to address this issue very seriously, as well as to surrounding areas like Kanteerva Stadium , KSCA, etc  in advance of celebration and noise levels. If we do not take this pre-emptive step, Cubbon Park will lose its biodiversity irrevocably and be at the mercy of these organisations and damaging illegal noise levels on an ongoing basis.

We look forward to your decisive action on this.

Thanking You

Yours Sincerely

Priya Chetty-Rajagopal

Founder , Heritage Beku

CC: Ms Kusuma DD Cubbon Park

CC: Those concerned

Hudson Cubbon BBMP Skywalk Syamla Iqbal.docx

Download DOCX • 92KB

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Why cities like Bengaluru fail to protect heritage

Article in Citizen Matters by Priya Chetty Rajagopal January 24, 2018 Civic

What can citizens do to save heritage in the city?

What can cities like Bengaluru do to save heritage?

Bengaluru bleeds from a million unkind cuts. Any long term resident feels the steady erosion of their city, an unsightly metamorphosis that is not planned, owned or desired.

Heritage is one such. We tend to close our eyes in pain at what’s gone in our city, and try to continue keeping them squeezed shut, at the possibility of the heritage that is further going, as we speak. Ugly plastic protective sheets hang where the remnants of our identity and city heritage used to be.  So what do we do? Is now too late already? Or shall we seize the moment, detach ourselves from the losses already suffered, and attempt to create a framework to preserve not only what is left of the city, but also as a collective insurance for the future, for the next generation?

Frustrated by the sweeping damage to central heritage proposed last year during the Steel Flyover Beda campaign, I set up a change.org petition bit.ly/HeritageBeku. I was pleased to see that one aspect, i.e, focus on advocacy, framework and legislation has been given a hearing. In addition, it was a shot in the arm to see the government focus on Heritage move up from a terse single page in the Revised Master Plan of 2015 to a more broad-based and inclusive 35+ pages in the recent Revised Master Plan proposal of 2031! It impelled a few like-minded people like me, buttressed with academic and expert inputs to set up a core working group called HeritageBeku/Past Forward to flesh out the next steps for a crowd-sourced Citizen Charter on Heritage. So perhaps all is not lost and let us be optimistic that maybe there is resonance and concern on Heritage in the corridors of power.

Yes, over half our heritage in the last ten years is gone, and there is neither collective ownership of heritage nor a mechanism to tabulate and enforce it. We do know that heritage covers not only built heritage, ie buildings and areas around us, but also cultural and natural heritage – our city festivals , our lakes and trees. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi , Ahmedabad and others have created a robust process and thereby managed to conserve a fair amount.

While a good implementation and enforcement methodology is undoubtedly required, one would assume that legislation would be undertaken on a national level. However the National Commission for Heritage Sites, a bill tabled in Parliament in 2009 was withdrawn in 2015 after consultations with  concerned stakeholders, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), National Monuments Authority (NMA) as well as Ministries of Urban Development, Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Mumbai seems to be the only place with real legislation in place. as the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act was amended in 1994 to protect heritage buildings and precincts and penalize unauthorized changes to them.

So we agree heritage is important, but what ails its dissemination?

• It suffers from poor branding. Heritage is often used as a stick that prevents a city’s economic and infrastructure growth. The ‘cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs’ excuse to destroy heritage has been conveniently used and overused by vested interests against heritage conservation. This is laughable as there is no polarized either/or choice. Cities like London, Prague, Hong Kong and several others have demonstrated time and again how economy and infrastructure can grow alongside of a thriving heritage city character.

• It suffers from an elitist tag. Heritage is not something that belongs to a few, but is owned by the city and communities. So a proper mapping, comprehensively covering what is intrinsically important to all community members is important.

• The impact of heritage on tourism has not been leveraged. Heritage creates a robust and constant cash pipeline if  properly promoted. Global Heritage cities are keenly aware of the impact on employment,  growth of ancillary services & industries. The Department of Education too  needs to showcase living heritage as constant reminder of our identity , history and roots.

• Once gone, heritage can never come back in its true sense. Authorities seem to miss this in their rush to achieve economic goals and deadlines. Whether it is a lake or a building that  was obliterated, the sense of identity it gave us, is impossible to reclaim.

• Not enough has been done to familiarize children and future generations about heritage. A mall and a heritage park cannot be enjoyed in the same way.

• Incentivisation for private heritage ownership is a far more complex issue than public heritage, and needs true public discourse and participation to sensitively address. A Heritage fund, tax incentives, endowments, maintenance fund et al are required to work with the custodian, given the absolute and fundamental rights owners have to enjoy their property.

While we can talk about what needs to be done on the overall framework, let’s be appreciative that the Revised Master Plan (RMP) gives Bengaluru a small window of opportunity to properly push through, showcase and reflect citizen’s ownership and views of their own city heritage.