Site of Netaji's 'Delhi Chalo' call in Singapore's Padang to be a national monument

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday, Singapore's National Day, the renowned green site Padang, where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose delivered the slogan "Delhi Chalo" in July 1943, will be designated a National Monument of Singapore.

The famous location will be the first green, open space to join Singapore's list of 74 other national monuments.

Given its "great national, historical, and social significance," the monument will be conserved and given the highest level of protection in Singapore under the Preservation of Monuments Act, the National Heritage Board (NHB) announced on Monday.

"The Padang stands as a testament to Singapore's historical journey, anchoring our Singaporean identity and reflecting our place in the world," said Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, who attended a preview of some of the commemorative initiatives on Monday.

The historic site is associated with key milestones in Singapore's history, including the victory parade celebrating the formal surrender of the Japanese in Singapore on September 12, 1945; the victory rally of the first fully elected Legislative Assembly on June 3, 1959; the installation of Yusof Ishak as the first Malayan-born Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) and the unveiling of National Symbols on December 3, 1959, as well as the inaugural National Day Parade on August 9, 1966.

The Padang is also one of Singapore's oldest spaces for public recreation and celebrations and has been hosting sporting events since the early colonial period.

Professor Rajesh Rai, Head of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, elaborated on Padang's link to Indian National Army (INA).

"The Padang has special significance for the Indian community in Singapore. It was here that Indian sepoys first established their campsites when the British established their outpost on the island," he said.

"This was also the place where Netaji delivered several speeches to the tens of thousands of INA soldiers and the local Indian population. It was here that he gave the Delhi Chalo slogan, set up the Rani of Jhansi regiment, and called for the total mobilisation of Indian resources to free India from British rule. Just before the war ended, Bose established the INA memorial at the southern edge of the Padang. Today, a historical marker for the INA remains at the site," he said on Monday.

There have also been celebrations honouring the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, royal birthdays, jubilees, coronations, lunar new year Thaipusam (an annual Holi festival in India), and royal birthdays.

The Singapore Cricket Club (SCC), which was founded during the colonial era, and the Singapore Recreation Club (SRC), which is located on each end of the Padang, are two important local organisations involved in the upkeep and use of the area.

The site of two football fields, which are converted into two cricket grounds and hockey pitches, hosts major sporting events such as the Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens and serves as the starting and end-point of the Singapore Marathon among other events.

The Padang, as an open area, appeared in the Jackson Plan, drawn up from Raffles' instructions between 1822 and 1823 as an 'Open Square'.

The huge expanse, which is now a part of the Central Business District, was called the Plain, the Esplanade, and then, in 1907, the Padang.

With PTI inputs