New exhibition puts spotlight on contribution of Indian troops who provided medical support during Korean War

New Delhi: Drawing from rare archival images, an online exhibition is currently underway to commemorate the contribution made by India’s ‘60 Para Field Ambulance’ unit that provided crucial medical support to the injured during the Korean War. The exhibition, hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) in New Delhi, also marks the 71st anniversary of the War, and showcases the joint efforts of Indian and Korean troops, using 32 archived photographs, the organisers said. The Korean War, the conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and People’s Republic of Korea (South Korea), broke out in June 1950, in which a large number of people lost their lives. “During this time of war, India supported the UN Security Council Resolutions and deployed a medical troop ‘60 Para Field Ambulance’ that provided medical support to those injured in the war. The troop totalled 627, and was the largest troop of a medical unit during the Korean War,” the KCCI said in a statement. The troop included four combat surgeons, two anaesthesiologists and one dentist. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel A G Rangaraj, the ‘60 Para Field Ambulance’ “provided assistance to an estimated 2.2 lakh wounded during the war, and performed 2,324 field surgeries,” it said. The troop was further divided into smaller support units like Daegu Station and Uijeongbu. Among the 627 medical aid workers dispatched, a total of 10 members of the unit were injured and two lost their lives, the statement said. A spokesperson of the KCCI on 4 July said the exhibition, titled Korean War Special Exhibition - 60 Para Field Ambulance, began on 25 June and will be on view till 25 August this year. The exhibition will be available to all, on an online platform prepared by the KCCI. Through this exhibition, KCCI “expresses their gratitude and pays homage to the ‘60 Para Field Ambulance’ and showcases the joint efforts of the Indian and Korean troops, " it said. “The contributions made by them played an important role in bringing peace and harmony to the Korean Peninsula. The ‘60 Para Field Ambulance’ and the Korean troops also played an important role in strengthening the relationship between the two countries. The Korean Cultural Centre will play its part in carrying this relationship between the two countries forward,” the KCCI said. Initially planned for the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, the exhibition had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, “but we have shifted to an online platform this year, to reach our audience worldwide,” the spokesperson said.