Red Fort on I-Day: A cultural melting pot and a vision in camaraderie

New Delhi
An overcast sky and light drizzle could not dampen the mood at the Red Fort, the centre of Independence Day celebrations on Thursday that served as a microcosm of the diversity of India on the day. Waves of people, mostly colour-coordinating to resemble the Indian Tricolour, gushed into the venue from the early hours to catch the Prime Minister hoisting the national flag, in a tradition dating back to 1947.
The celebrations kicked off with the assembly of the National Cadet Corps(NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving shortly after through the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort.
A thunder of applause erupted from the audience as the PM unfurled the national flag, which was followed by the Army band playing the national anthem and a 21-gun salute by the National Guard.
Within minutes, two Indian Air Force helicopters swooped across the sky, showering flower petals, adding to the audience’s excitement.
Among the crowd, dressed in a white and green sari, was Laxmi Shukla, a first-time attendee. She and her family, from Bihar, planned their vacation around Independence Day. “In March, my husband told me that he was planning a vacation to Delhi. I wanted to experience this (event) at least once in person, so I insisted that we visit Delhi in August,” she said.
Twenty-four-year-old Asma (who goes only by her first name), an NCC cadet and a student of Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi, said, “I loved how it felt like when the flower petals were raining from the sky.”
A student of food technology, she said the entire experience was heartwarming. “We have been coming to Red Fort for 15 days now, to practice. We had to reach here by 4am. This was my first time participating,” she said.
Another student, Pratyush Kumar Tripathi, said the highlight of the day for him was shaking hands with the PM. “My entire family has served in the Army and Air Force. I shook hands with the Prime Minister and he even asked me how I was doing and whether I enjoyed the experience. Being able to talk to him, even briefly, made this one of the best days for me.”
Following the PM’s address, saffron, white and green balloons were released into the sky, earning more excited gasps and applause from visitors.
As the celebrations came to a close, people lined in front of the enclosures at the decked-up Red Fort to click pictures. “I bought this dupatta especially for today’s outfit,” said Shakshi Sharma, a 23-year-old Delhi University student, excitedly showing her tricoloured dupatta that she was wearing over a white salwar suit and a set of orange earrings.