Veer Balak Smarak memorialises the 2001 earthquake victims

Built over an area of 3.15 acres, Veer Balak Smarak has been built in remembrance of 185 school children and 20 teachers who died during the 2001 earthquake at Anjar. It is divided into cultural and social spaces including a museum and memorial amongst others. It invites the local residents of Anjar to commemorate the memory of the lost souls and the younger generation to prepare them for the future.

The founder and creative director of Design Factory India (DFI) Siddharth Bathla said, “Each element of the project aims to create an emotional and meaningful experience for its visitors. The narrative has been laid out in the simplest and most engaging form throughout the project across mediums (pavers, outdoor installations, films, kinetic sculpture, interactive models, immersive scenography, etc) to be able to create an impact on the visitors.”

The design is sensitive to the required context whether it is a study of materials or the behaviour of local people: local stones for flooring, skylit toilets to optimize the use of energy, shaded pathways to combat the heat of Anjar… Facilities such as a cafe, temporary exhibition spaces, a playground cum banquet, and rental auditorium spaces have been developed to create a commercial scope for the appropriate maintenance and upkeep of the project.

The inspiration is the stories of parents and the lost souls of children during the earthquake. The project is driven by narrative design as a tangible space for intangible thoughts and emotions. It is unique in nature as the programme is designed for every age group with an authentic blend of Indian + Contemporary design languages.

Every night a strong beam of light, visible across Anjar, emerges from the central sculpture and reaches out to the sky, paying homage to those who are not with us anymore — prompting us to think about the past, and, at the same time, moving us toward a bright future.