Demand to rename the Armed Forces Flag Day as Martyrs’ Memorial Day or Veterans’ Day

Sir,

 The nation celebrates Flag Day on 7^th December every year, which is graced by the President of India. This day was selected by our first Prime Minister, the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, during the early days after Independence. Today, the nation has seriously come of age with over 19,000 post-Independence martyrs on record and more than two million military veterans living, after having sacrificed a lot for the security and integrity of the nation.

However, we still do not have a day reserved to remember and honour the noble sacrifices made by our Armed Forces martyrs, veterans and serving personnel.  India must have a dedicated day to enable citizens to express their gratitude and appreciation, and honour the Armed Forces personnel. 

Therefore, I urge the Government to rename the Flag Day as “Memorial Day” or “Veterans Day”.  This will help citizens understand the importance of the day and demonstrate the nation’s commitment to the Armed forces veterans and their families.

This is also the norm in other countries, such as the USA.