Hyderabad witnesses jubilant and colourful Independence Day celebrations
HYDERABAD: Patriotic songs on loudspeakers, public donning the Tricolour, student rallies and a vintage car show marked the 76th Independence Day in the city, as dwellers came out in large numbers to showcase their patriotic fervour.
Main roads were a sight in hues of saffron, white and green, as pedestrians and motorists carried along the National Flag.
Popular places of Charminar, Golconda Fort, Moazzam Jahi Market, Tank Bund, Necklace Road, Secretariat building, Sanjeevaiah Park, Lumbini Park and NTR Park, were flooded with zealous crowds.
A vintage vehicle show, of cars and bikes, at Sanjeevaiah Park attracted large crowds, who flocked to catch a glimpse of centuries-old vehicles.
Vendors selling National Flags, of varied sizes, were a common sight across the city, as were chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
Crowds raised patriotic slogans at the Gowliguda Road, which is lined up with statues of national leaders, including Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Bharath Mata and Swami Vivekananda.
Surekha, a teenager from Maharashtra, who was selling flags on the pavement at the Tank Bund, greeted all the passersby.
Nita Ben, who had come from Gujarat with her family to see the celebrations in the city, said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my first day in the city today. We visited the Charminar and it was wonderful. We have plans to visit the Golconda Fort and the Film City, and I hope we have the best time in Hyderabad.”
Prerna Mishra, of Moosarambagh, who was visiting the PVNR Marg (Necklace Road) with her one-year-old son and husband, said she wanted her “son to be taken in the colourful celebrations” on a day of great national significance.
Processions also flooded the streets near Moazzam Jahi Market, Old City, Begum Bazaar and nearby areas, where teachers and students from Shurung Rishi School and LMG Smart Kids School danced to the beats of patriotic songs.
Taking forward the spirit of freedom, renowned pastors and evangelists came together to perform a medley, in Telugu, reflecting the freedom of India. Sanjeev Sanju, the composer of the medley, said, “For this song, we got all the important clergy and popularly known evangelists. This song is now viral within the community.”
Major signals and junctions, at Lakdikapul, Nanalnagar, Lower Tank Bund and Masab Tank, among others, were decked with loudspeakers playing patriotic songs.
Around 1,500 students and staff of Resonance Gurukul, Patancheru, as a part of the Independence Day celebration, took out a rally by carrying a 69-metre-long Indian Flag. Renowned Telugu movie director Sekhar Kammula joined this brigade of kids.
Amid the celebrations, bikers on vehicles with multi-toned silencers, rallied at high speeds on heavily crowded roads, creating a nuisance for pedestrians and other motorists.
Google also marked Independence Day by making a doodle on the theme of diverse craft textiles across India, which was designed by Delhi-based guest artist Namrata Kumar. The doodle had a compilation of textiles from 21 states of the country, including Kutch embroidery from Gujarat, Pattu weaves from Himachal Pradesh, Kalamkari block print from Andhra Pradesh, Paithani weaves from Maharashtra, Benarsi weaves from Uttar Pradesh and Kasavu weaves from Kerala, among others
