Colours of India at Red Fort; 2,500 cadets and volunteers sit in ‘Naya Bharat' formation
Around 2,500 male and female NCC cadets (from Army, Navy and Air Force wings) and volunteers of 'My Bharat' — a youth connect initiative by the government — participated in the celebrations. They were seated on Gyanpath, opposite the ramparts.
New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) From Bihar to Maharashtra, guests hailing from different regions of India attended the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort complex here on Friday, many bringing with them their signature cultural elements to the event, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing it as 'mini-India'.
Many had come wearing traditional costumes or accessories reflecting the sartorial diversity of the country, while several others wore tricolour-themed clothes.
Vedika Konkane, 5, daughter of a paramilitary personnel from Maharshatra, was dressed in a tricolour design frock. 'I really liked the floral petal shower from above (the helicopter),' she told PTI.
One of the two Mi-17 helicopters that showered petals on the crowd carried the logo of Operation Sindoor.
Sandeep Dherenge, sarpanch at a village in Pune district, attended the I-Day celebrations, along with his wife, and 12 other family members and acquaintances from his home village.
They all wore a matching traditional white 'topi' worn by Marathi natives with a tricolour scarf thrown over the shoulders.
'We are 14 people in total. We came a couple of days ago to Delhi to attend the celebrations at the Red Fort. As our native state is known for forts, we felt very happy and proud to be part of our 79th Independence Day event in Delhi,' Dherenge told PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebrations at the Red Fort complex, where he unfurled the national flag and addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Mughal-era monument.
The success of Operation Sindoor was the defining spirit at the Red Fort complex here, with special artworks dedicated to India's military action being showcased as part of the celebrations.
Operation Sindoor was launched early in May by the Indian armed forces to destroy multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
Several Union ministers, various members of the diplomatic corps, senior officials of the armed forces — Army, Navy and Air Force, including many of whom had taken part in Operation Sindoor, also attended the celebrations.
Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to India, shared a picture of him at the event and posted on X, 'Happy Independence Day! Honored to attend the celebration at Red Fort with Indian friends.' Denis Alipov, Russian ambassador to India, said, 'Dear Indian friends, heartiest congratulations to you on the occasion of 79th Independence Day! 'On the anniversary of the milestone of this global history, I wish that all the aspirations of the Indian nation moving ahead on the path of development and public welfare be fulfilled. Jai Hind. Jai Russia,' he said in a post in Hindi.
Guddi Kumari, a school teacher hailing from Bihar's Katihar district, attended the celebrations along with his son. Her son took a picture of her as she stood against the backdrop of a large banner of Operation Sindoor that had a bilingual caption — 'Rashtra Pratham Nation First'.
'Every time we married women apply sindoor (vermilion), we invariably also think of Operation Sindoor,' she told PTI.
View cutters installed at the complex near the ramparts carried the Operation Sindoor logo in a giant font with a floral artwork around it representing silhouetted images of armed forces personnel symbolising them as guardians of the nation.
As many as 2,000 male and female NCC cadets (from Army, Navy and Air Force wings) and 500 'My Bharat' volunteers participated in the celebrations.
The cadets and 'My Bharat' volunteers, wearing white or saffron clothes and caps, were seated on Gyanpath, opposite the ramparts and made a 'Naya Bharat' formation. The ones wearing saffron formed the word 'Naya Bharat', while the ones in white provided contrast.
'These cadets have worked very hard in the past two weeks, practising every day from early hours till dawn and beyond, rain or shine,' Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh, Director General, NCC, told PTI. He attended the celebrations along with his son.
Vidhi Chawla, 14, who studies in class 9 at a school in Delhi, said, 'The idea of 'mini-India' is indeed evident at such an occasion, where people from different places, having different cultures and languages, become one.' Besides, the official invitation cards issued to guests attending the grand event carry the logo of the operation, and a silhouetted image of the iconic Chenab bridge, an engineering icon, depicting the rise of 'Naya Bharat' (new India).
'As the nation is making giant strides towards realising the government's vision of 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, the theme of this year's celebrations is 'Naya Bharat'.
'The celebrations will serve as a platform to commemorate the continuing rise of a prosperous, secure and bold 'Naya Bharat' and provide renewed power to surge further ahead on the path to progress,' the defence ministry said on Wednesday. PTI KND ARI SKY SKY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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