National Police Memorial dedicated to brave officers

Paying a tribute to the courage and bravery of policemen, Adwaita Gadanayak, Director-General, NGMA, designed 'National Police Memorial', which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 21, 2018. The memorial has been constructed in granite stone.

Gadanayak, a sculptor and one of the most famous students of Balbir Singh Katt, designed the memorial as a memoir which makes it possible to keep past events alive in the common memory through physical representation in a public area.

Talking about the sculptor, Gadanayak said, "I was trying to recreate the idea of selfless service which policemen on duty often are known for. My design is a tribute to the courage and the sense of bravery that is there within the policemen who died in the line of duty. I think the lives of policemen are precious, this is what I wanted to show."

The memorial takes cues from stone-building heritage and is modelled on a cenotaph– tall upright stones erected in ancient history. The policemen who visited the memorial were seeing saluting and bowing their heads in prayer and reverence.

"This is what I wanted," said Gadanayak watching the two police officers at the memorial. "I wanted that human response of anyone coming and bowing in front of a monumental memoir."

The main structure of the memorial is a vertical 30 feet tall granite pillar that is a permanent mark - a signal of a sacred space, for an officer who is always in the line of duty. The single block of granite both polished and unpolished presents the ebony black granite as a reflection of karmic symbolism. 

"The one who serves is a karma yogi, truth to action is his karma and it is the fruit of this selfless action that leads him to the eternal river of life," he added.

The 20 feet of granite over which running water can be seen provides an element of continuity.

"Granite as a stone is in itself a witness to human civilisation," says Gadanayak, adding, "The language of defence of protection is as old as history and the story of dharma in the life of a policeman is clear in the names of the officers on the granite column."

There is also a small burning lamp. "The burning lamp that accompanies the elements exemplifies the living story of service," states Gadanayak. "It symbolises ceaseless union with the spirit. Man is mortal but his actions of bravery and courage in the hour of service are immortal. The entire construction and design philosophy has been taken from the Rigveda," he concludes.