CM KCR leads mass singing, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ resonates in Hyderabad city

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao led the state in singing the National Anthem as part of the ‘Swatantra Bharat Vajrotsavalu’ celebrations at the Jawaharlal Nehru statue in Abids GPO Circle at 11.30 am on Tuesday. A large number of people gathered at the venue to join the Chief Minister in singing the National Anthem.

Incidentally, the location where the Chief Minister sang the National Anthem is located near the home of Hyderabadi freedom fighter Abid Hasan Safrani, who, together with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, coined "Jai Hind”.

Hundreds of people of all ages walked to the venue while schoolchildren in uniforms rallied, waving the National Flag and chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai”. People had arrived to watch the celebrations, and the elevated platforms and rooftops of the nearby buildings were crowded with viewers.

Other roads were used to redirect traffic away from the congested Abids Circle.

For the occasion, the department of culture organised cultural performances with bonam and drums, which made for an amazing spectacle. Ravi Kumar, supervisor of the cultural team from Warangal, stated, "We had 200 artists at the event, including drums and dafli performers. Since today is an important holiday, the performance showcased the main Telangana tradition.”

A group of local drummers also played on the occasion. "Our group, Nagara Bheri, performs in the Independence Day celebrations every year," said event manager Lingar Srinivas.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by home minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Cinematography Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and city police commissioner C.V. Anand.

In other parts of the city, tens of thousands of people stopped at traffic signals, government buildings, Metro trains and stations, schools, and colleges to sing the National Anthem at 11.30 am. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad echoed with the full-throated rendition of ‘Jana Gana Mana’.

Traffic was halted for the mass singing after the government appealed to the people to join in the "Samoohika Jateeya Geeta Alapana”. Hundreds of Tricolours fluttered in the air as the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ played on the loudspeakers resonated across the city.