Hyderabad comes to a standstill for mass singing of national anthem

Hyderabad: Citizens of Hyderabad performed a staggering feat by mass singing the National Anthem across the city at 11.30 am on Tuesday.

As part of the two-week Swatantra Bharata Vajrotsavalu programme, the state government had appealed to citizens across the state to stand wherever they are at exactly 11.30 am and sing the National Anthem. The government had announced that traffic signals would turn red at 11.30 am and Metro trains would stop. Large crowds gathered at several major junctions in the city to participate in the event.

Citizens sang the Anthem in chorus at several junctions in the city. A big crowd gathered at the Virinchi Hospitals junction on Banjara Hills Road No. 1 and sang the Anthem together at the stroke of 11.30 am. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao sang the anthem near Abids GPO Circle at the statue of Jawaharlal Nehru.

As the traffic signals turned red, traffic congestion was reported at many places. The disruption was brief, and normal traffic movement has resumed after about 10 minutes, according to a traffic police personnel at Maitrivanam junction. He added that not everyone appeared to be aware of the initiative, as only some people got out of their vehicles to sing the Anthem. Many citizens who had gathered at the junctions just for the occasion were seen taking pictures and selfies post the event.