KARIMNAGAR: IN a bid to instil patriotism in the younger generation, residents of Gopalraopet village in Ramadugu Mandal have been conducting a recitation programme of the national anthem every day, for the last seven months. Every morning at 9 am, the residents gather at the village crossroads and sing the national anthem and Vande Mataram.
Under the aegis of the Nitya Janaganamana Committee, the villagers will mark 200 days of singing the national anthem every day on August 13. The committee is headed by one, Mahipal Reddy, who recently returned from the Gulf and launched the programme in the village. When asked why he started such a programme, Mahipal says, “Patriotism is on the decline in the country, especially in the younger generation. Most people cannot recite the national anthem or Vande Mataram anymore. Daily practice will help improve this.”According to Mahipal, the programme was received quite enthusiastically by the villagers. “We have also requested the owners of commercial establishments to just stand up in honour of the national anthem since they cannot make it to the crossroads,” he adds.
When the programme completed 110 days of running successfully, the villagers invited Commissioner of Police VB Kamalasan Reddy to participate in the celebrations. To mark the 200th day, they are now inviting collector Sarfaraz Ahmed. “On August 13, we have invited the district collector Sarfaraz Ahmed for the day Janaganamana programme will complete 200 days,” said Mahipal. Inspired from Gopalraopet, the nearby village of Namapur has also started a daily singing programme of the national anthem.
Voluntary social work
The Nitya Janaganamana Committee is a voluntary organisation headed by Gulf-returned Edavelli Mahipal Reddy. Every morning at 9 am, the committee conducts the 'singing of the national anthem' programme at the village crossroads. The committee has also been conducting another social activity on Friday wherein it distributes cloth bags to the villagers at the weekly market. This is done in a bid to cut down the use of plastic in the village