India will celebrate its 69th Independence Day on the 15th of August when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation in a massive function at the Red Fort. Dubbed the Master of Ceremonies, Modi government has its eye set on making this year's event, the biggest in its history. Armed forces along with other government departments are apparently pooling in their resources to make I-Day as special as it could be.
“We want to make a people's event. Effort would be to increase participation of public on this great occasion,” defence minister Manohar Parrikar said. In a run-up to the main function at the iconic Red Fort, armed forces' bands organised concerts in over 100 cities across the country to generate larger public interest. Military bands of Army, Navy and Air Force also organised similar events in the national capital at various public places like malls, parks and centrally located chowks.
The Parliament will be illuminated on the occasion, and will be fully decked to celebrate the day in a big way. There are also plan to install boards, hoardings and gates showcasing government's flagship programme and its achievements from the past 15 months.
All the officials invited to the function at the Red Fort, have been asked to be present, failing which “a serious view” will be taken of their absence, government has said. “The Independence Day flag hoisting ceremony at the Red Fort is an important historic and national function held every year on August 15. Considering the importance of this national function, at which the Prime Minister addresses the nation, it is expected that all the officers who are invited attend the ceremony,” Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha said in a communiqué to all secretaries of central government ministries.
The capital also has plans to indulge in a 3-day fervour, where martyrs will be paid tributes by Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's 'Swaraj Parv' will begin on the eve of August 15. “The government of Delhi has decided to celebrate this Independence Day with the people. The Swaraj Parv will be celebrated at Delhi's Central Park in Conaught Place,” said Delhi tourism minister Kapil Mishra.
It will include 'Hindi Kavi Sammelan', 'Urdu Mushaira', performance by 12 Indian bands and artists, qawwali show and musical drama. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also participate in the celebration and address a gathering at the park on August 15.
Events that once used to be conducted by different departments under the Delhi government, has been centralised and put under one umbrella event, the Swaraj Parv. “We want to bring art, culture and heritage to the masses. This is the reason that all the language academies, Sahitya Kala Parishad and Delhi Tourism have combined their synergies to make Swaraj Parv, an event that Delhi's citizens will cherish and remember,” Mishra said.
“This is only the first instance of Delhi Government's plan to transform the state of tourism, art and culture in Delhi. Swaraj Parv will end with a tribute to our beloved former President A P J Abdul Kalam with an evening of Urdu poetry titled 'Shaam-e-Kalaam',” he added.
Southern state of Andhra Pradesh has its own plans of making the day special, as arrangements to celebrate 15th is at a venue like no other. The government has selected scenic Ramakrishna beach road in the port city of Vishakhapatnam for the main function. “Probably, this is the first time in the country that the Independence Day is going to be celebrated on a beach road,” Parakala Prabhakar, Advisor to the state government said.
“We don't have a proper capital. Secondly, we also thought that each year we should hold it in a different place. This year, we are celebrating in Visakhapatnam. When we have the Ramakrishna beach and the beach road, why should we go for a small stadium leaving such a beautiful location.”
Food and Culture Event: Bharat Parv
Over the next few evenings, there will be a mega showcase of culture and cuisines at various venues in Delhi, as the culture ministry's flagship programme 'Bharat Parv' will commence, winding up on August 15, Independence Day.
“State-centric food stalls will be set up to give people an opportunity to experience cuisine from different parts of the country. Artistes from all over India have been invited to perform folk dance forms such as birha gayan, badhai, ghoomar, phag dance and bhaangda,” said an official from the Culture Ministry, which has collaborated with Delhi Tourism and NDMC for the event. A highlight of the event will be the phase at at the Garden of Five Senses where popular street vendors from 13 states have been invited to put up their stalls.
Approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the programme will “revive the cultural milieu in urban India'. “With Bharat Parv, the aim is to replicate such events in India as well. We will start with the metros first, and then assess if such events can be scaled up to smaller cities as well,” said the official.
Universal Health Insurance Plan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may announce a universal health insurance plan, this Independence Day, most probably without any subsidy, which will cover all members of a family under a single sum insured. An official from a state owned general insurance company said, “We are still working on the proposed scheme and fine-tuning the premium. The new scheme may be announced by the PM this weekend.”
Apart from four state-run non-life insurers, private players like ICICI Lombard, Bajaj Allianz, Iffco-Tokio Marine and HDFC Ergo are also reportedly in works with the government. The proposed scheme will be available to all families not exceeding five members, including those families headed by senior citizens and the entire family will be covered under a single sum insured, as per the draft.
During his previous I-Day address, Modi had announced the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana under which, banks have so far opened over 13 crore new accounts. He later announced a low-end life, accident and pension covers at highly subsidised rates as well.
Also catching popularity, prior to the main event, are Narendra Modi and Barack Obama kites, which will cover the sky prior to the 15
th. Two types of kites depicting pictures of Modi; one mentioning 'Mahanayak' and 'Acche din', and the other one with pictures of Modi and Obama together. However, the raging theme seems to be Bollywood, with Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and other television actors, selling in the market.
Outside India, the 69th Independence Day celebrations have already commenced in United Kingdom as Bhavans, West London organised an independence day event last week. The High Commission of India has put together an open event in honour of the wide Indian diaspora in the country. Organisation Pravasi Bharat has organised a flag hoisting ceremony, in front of the recently unveiled Mahatma Gandhi statue at Tavistock Square in London.
Organisations in the UK who have celebrated the Indian Independence Day, are invited to send us pictures and a 100 word press release to feature on our next issue.
