Major Highlights Of Independence Day 2020 Celebration In India

“Freedom is not a mere matter Of Political decision or new Constitutions…..it is of the mind and heart and if mind narrows itself and is befogged and the heart is full of bitterness and hatred, then freedom is absent.” – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Independence Day 2020 – Owing to the pandemic situation and restrictions in India, this time the Independence Day celebration is kept a low key affair with striking the right balance between maintaining the dignity of the event and following Covid-19 protocols. The social gatherings all over India are cancelled. Instead the government offices and educational Institutions would webcast their events and celebration.Extra safety precautionary measures such as security ring, elite SWAT commandos and kite catchers in adherence to social distancing norms have been taken care of. Over 300 cameras have been installed for security of the event with round the clock monitoring. Dedicated staff has been assigned to usher and help the dignitaries to settle in their designated enclosures. Ambulances are stationed and adequate medical booths are set up for providing instant medical facility.

The major highlights of the celebration at Red Fort are as follows:

• President Shri Ram Nath kovind will address the nation one day before i.e on 14th August and twenty-five Covid warriors have been invited to the ‘At Home’ ceremony to be hosted by President Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 15.
• On 15th August PM Shri Narendra Modiji will arrive at the Red Fort at 7.21 am.
• The Prime Minister will unfurl the national flag at 7.30 am and address the nation. Major Shweta Pandey will assist the prime minister. The unfurling of the flag will synchronise with 21 gun salute firing.
• A guard of honour by the Army, Air Force and Navy comprising of 22 soldiers.
• 32 soldiers and officers will take part in the national salute and 350 Delhi Police personnel will be present.
• Speech by the prime minister, singing of National Anthem and release of tricolour balloons.
• School children are refrained from attending the event but instead NCC cadets have been invited to witness the event at Gyanpath.
• The invited diplomats would be seen seating following the guideline of “Do Gaz Ki Doori”
• Photographers from news agencies and official media will be permitted, cameramen from private media companies will not be allowed.

Unique activities on the eve of I- Day in India

Garbage-free India campaign – Last week, PM Modi launched a week-long garbage-free India campaign in the run-up to Independence Day and asserted that the Swachh Bharat Mission has been a big support in the fight against coronavirus.

Pataangbazi – Every year on I-Day, several parts of India, organize “Pataangbazi” or Kite Flying competition wherein kites with different social messages fill the skies demonstrating patriotism of the countrymen. Before Independence, kites were used as a medium of protest by the patriotic Indians. This year the colourful kites have pamphlets with Covid symptoms to watch out for, importance of using masks and hand sanitizers stuck on them. In addition a kite maker Mr. Mohammad taqi has made kites with a special message: “Don’t use Chinese manjha (thread) for flying kites.” Chinese manjha has known to cause many accidents on Independence day.

Sound Of India -In a unique initiative called “Sound Of India”, Google had asked Indians to send their recordings of National Anthem to google which will be converted into instrumental music.The tech giant announced a collaboration with Prasar Bharati and Virtual Bharat to create one master track with the voices of thousands using AI (artificial Intelligence) which will be released on August 15 to mark 74th Independence day. The experiment runs on the browser and on-device using TensorFlow and no personal identifiable information is collected or stored.

India from Above – National Geographic has announced a two-part special series India from Above with actor Dev Patel (Slumdog millionaire fame) as the narrator to celebrate the country’s 74th Independence Day.The series will showcase the geographical, cultural, technological, and historical aspects of the country highlighting India’s mystic culture.The series has been shot across one year and four seasons, across different terrains. Must watch !!!

Hope you make the utmost use of the information in my blog and celebrate Independence Day from the safety of your homes and revel in patriotism. Have some delicious Tricolour recipes and have a wonderful day.That would be the true spirit of Independence Day 2020. Happy Independence Day !!!!!

“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!”- Mark Twain (Writer, America)