NEW DELHI: On the 75th Independence day, the Red Fort was all decked up in tricolours, flowers and murals depicting key events that led up to India’s freedom. To mark the celebration, flower petals were showered by MI-17 helicopters for the first time at the Red Fort just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech.
The entrance was guarded by two mechanised elephants operated by a man sitting inside each of them, which became a big draw for people who were seen clicking selfies with them after the programme ended.
A bunch of tricolour balloons were also released in the air from the Red Fort.
For the first time in 75 years, an indigenously developed howitzer gun was also used during the 21-gun salute at the Red Fort. NCC cadets were dressed in their respective state’s traditional attire and were seated at the ‘Gyan path’ enclosure of the Red Fort forming the Indian map.
Before leaving the premises, the PM also took a stroll around the area where the NCC cadets were seated and interacted with them. In a spirited way, scores of people gathered outside the 17th-century Mughal monument wearing tricolour caps and holding national flags.
A total of 792 NCC cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) from different schools across the country took part in the festival. Speaking about their experience, NCC cadet from West Bengal, Akash Jana said that they were thrilled to meet the Prime Minister after the programme.
“We have been in Delhi for the last 15 days for this programme. This was a huge opportunity for us and I hope we get to attend such programmes again. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech was very inspiring for all of us,” Akash said.