Folklorists have long studied the nature of ephemeralities in a range of vernacular responses to tragic events. This paper extends the scope of ephemeralities by arguing that the tangible representations, such as buildings and objects, are important anchors for socially reconstructing historical events. Focusing on the site of a cold-blooded genocide in India—Jallianwala Bagh—the present analysis transcends a predominant western frame of reference to highlight the imperativeness of preserving the trauma site, as it happened. The analysis reveals that a critical esthetic aspect of the site is the tangible absence of bodily ephemerality—an aspect that is intricately tied to martyrdom as opposed to victimhood. With the rise of transgressions that potentially rupture esthetics of memorial sites, it becomes essential to look for alternate tangible representations that transcend the spatial confines of the trauma sites. The quest ends with Khadi Marigolds that embody the essence of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and holds the key for perpetuating the memories of the martyrs for years to come in the service of “never again”.

民俗学家长期以来一直在研究一系列对悲剧事件的民间反应中短暂性的本质。本文通过认为建筑物和物体等有形表征是社会重建历史事件的重要锚点，扩展了短暂性的范围。本分析聚焦于印度冷血种族灭绝发生地贾里安瓦拉园，超越了西方主导的参考框架，强调了保护创伤现场的必要性。分析表明，该网站的一个关键的美学方面是身体短暂性的明显缺失——这一方面与殉难而不是受害者有着错综复杂的联系。随着可能破坏纪念场所美学的越轨行为的增加，寻找超越创伤场所空间限制的替代有形表现形式变得至关重要。任务以卡迪万寿菊结束，它体现了贾里安瓦拉巴格大屠杀的本质，并掌握着在未来几年为“永不再发生”服务的烈士们的记忆永存的关键。