Delhi's Teen Murti Chowk renamed Haifa Chowk. But what really is Haifa?

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has renamed Teen Murti Chowk Haifa Chowk after the city in Israel. Sadly, few know what Haifa is and why it should be remembered. Former Finance, Defence and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh is indisposed but he would have been the first to applaud — and explain. On September 23 every year, the Indian Army celebrates Haifa Day and its own part in winning that battle (for Haifa) for the Allied Powers in World War I. Next year, the Army will celebrate 100 years of the battle.

On September 23, 1918, the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was ordered to capture Haifa. The Jodhpur Lancers, who were part of the Brigade, entered the field from the south while the Mysore Lancers (also part of the Brigade) attacked the town from the east and north. They had to take on the Turks, who were supported by German machine gun troops and Austrian soldiers manning field guns. After an incredibly brave action, they overtook the enemy and captured the town, along with 1,350 German and Ottoman soldiers, artillery and machine guns. Jaswant Singh’s father, Thakur Sardar Singh Rathore, was part of that battle. The battle of Haifa paved the way for the victory of the British Army and, 30 years later, the creation of Israel. 

As foreign minister, when Jaswant Singh visited Israel in 2000, he made it a point to climb the hill to Haifa to pay homage to the memory of the Indian soldiers who died. With Narendra Modi’s imminent visit to Israel (in June), it is appropriate that Haifa should be remembered. If only the government had the grace and vision to explain why.