It was a historic day for thousands of schoolchildren, who wearing saffron, white and green-coloured track suits and matching caps, made ‘Jai Bharat’ formation much to everyone’s delight to mark the 69th Independence Day at the Red Fort where Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national flag.
As many as 3,500 schoolchildren had turned up at the spot. Of them a few got the chance to shake hand with the Prime Minister, who breaking away from his high-security cover, and then walked along the fence of a VIP enclosure, waving at the crowd on the occasion.
In an encore of the last year’s Independence Day celebrations, Modi, sporting a traditional safa (headgear), got down from his car while leaving the venue of the function at Red Fort and broke away from the SPG security cover to meet a group of schoolchildren, who had assembled there. Amid loud cheers, the Prime Minister ventured forth among the children and shook hands with a few of them.
For lisa Dubey,13, a class VIII student of Francis Girls Senior Secondary School, it was a lucky day as she got the chance to shake hand with the Prime Minister.
“This is the second time I am participating in the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort. I was lucky to get an opportunity to shake hand with the PM,” said lisa.
For Neha and Komal, students of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, it was like dream come true. “We had never thought that we would be able to meet the PM and talk to him…We will not be able to forget this day ever,” they said.
Filled with zest and zeal, students enjoyed the celebration. Students were taught 15 patriotic songs which they were tuning in.
While, the whole celebration was performed to perfection amid tight security, extensive arrangements and support from all quarters, people outside the historic Red Fort were seem relishing the moment.
With their faces painted in tri-colour, thousands of public thronged around Red Fort. Street vendors too were spotted at every next step selling artificial national flags, tri-color caps.