00:03Nechal Singh remembers playing with these medals at his grandmother's house in India.
00:08This is called the Victory Medal.
00:10It wasn't until he migrated to Australia that he learnt their story.
00:14My great-grandfather was an ANZAC, so he was part of the Australian force.
00:18Private Dasandar Singh served with the 3rd Light Horse Regiment towards the end of World War I.
00:23He was one of a handful of Indian migrants who enlisted as Australian authorities relaxed rules around recruiting soldiers from
00:32non-European backgrounds.
00:33To be able to go and enlist for the country and serve the country, that tells me the loyalty, courage,
00:39determination to serve as adopted country and give back.
00:45Tomorrow, hundreds of Indian Australians will take part in ANZAC services around the country. Many of them are Sikhs.
00:52We're known to be a martial race and that's reflected in the fact that we join the military because we
00:59defend honour and defend the right thing.
01:02It's sort of instilled in our blood to serve the country that gives you everything.
01:07An estimated 15,000 Indian soldiers also served alongside Allied troops in Gallipoli.
01:14They left their legacy in the Puggery, the pleated hat band on the slouch hat worn by every Australian soldier.
01:22The Puggery, as I say it and in our language, stands for turban.
01:27And the Puggery, as Australians call it, is a seven pleated band that goes around the slouch hat.
01:33And that seven pleated band, its history is actually from India.
01:36Today, the ADF is represented by members from at least 190 different cultural backgrounds.
01:44Sikhs make up around 1% of the armed forces.
01:47We're a minority community, but the thread of our narrative is, it's etched into the fabric of this nation since
01:55World War One.
01:56We have to remember that Anzac Day and Australia is much more diverse than we've traditionally understood.
02:02So it's important for a new, modern, diverse Australia to understand that Anzac Day too has a diverse past.
02:08We might be in a different country now, but to represent the same goal and the same mindset is a
02:13very, very proud thing for me.
02:15I puff off my chest every morning when I put my uniform on.
02:17A proud legacy that continues today.
02:26Himself!
02:26It works.
02:27Words!
02:27Words!
02:27Words!渚!
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