A proud nation celebrates its 70th Independence Day tomorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August around 7.30 am on this occasion. Several events have been organized in the run up to the Independence Day while activities have been lined up for the day and subsequently to generate the patriotic fervor among the people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Tiranga Yatra on 9th August from the birth place of the freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad in Madhya Pradesh. The Yatra is aimed at invoking the patriotic fervor among the people from all walks of life holding aloft the Tricolour. The Tiranga Yatras will be held till 23rd August in which 75 ministers will visit 150 places associated with the freedom struggle. Seven women Ministers will visit the country’s borders to tie rakhis on soldiers.

A week long Bharat Parv has been organized at the Rajpath Lawns in New Delhi by the Ministry of Culture. Its aim is to generate a patriotic mood, promote the rich cultural diversity of the country and to ensure wider participation of the masses. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated the Bharat Parv at the Rajpath Lawns on 12th August evening, in the presence of I&B Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Culture & Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma. The event is open to the public and entry is free. The highlights of the event include performances by the Armed Forces Bands, a multi-cuisine food court with 50 stalls, handicrafts mela, 17-themed pavilions and cultural performances from various States, Regional Associations/Sangathans/Cultural & Social Organizations etc. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has put on display a photo exhibition titled “Azadi 70 Saal- Yaad Karo Kurbani”.

Several unique initiatives have been undertaken across the country to make the Independence Day Celebrations as the People’s festival. A week long “Independence Day Film Festival” is going on at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi since 12th August. The Festival of Independence theme song “TirangaYatra” has been launched on the same day. For the first time, biography of the composers/writers of patriotic songs like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chhatterjee, Muhammad Iqbal, Kavi Pradeep, ShakeelBadayuni, Naushad, Pitambar Das and others as well as songs in regional languages like Bharatamataku Jey Jejelu in Telugu by Acharya Atreya (1972), along with the brief anecdotal background are being broadcast before the songs. For the first time a webpage on Independence festival has been launched which has archival photos, videos and audio, social media links, facts and graphics on selected heroes, press releases and features besides PM's speeches. Social media platforms viz. Twitter and Facebook among others are being used extensively to create a buzz around the activities planned by the government.

All important monuments in the country are being illuminated in Tricolour. Institutions would be inviting persons of eminence to deliver ‘talks’ on Independence struggle. School children will be encouraged to visit the birth places/statues/monuments in their towns/cities. Mass recitation of the National Anthem by all students will be undertaken at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, 23rd August in all 15 lakh schools and 40 thousand colleges simultaneously. Sporting events will be held in all schools and colleges. Competitions in essay writing, quiz, debates, painting, drawing and singing of patriotic songs to be conducted, wearing attires similar to those worn by national icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and several other freedom fighters.

Colours of Independence – a pan India campaign - is on since 9th August to 15th August. It is being organised at 70 cities/towns of national struggle. For the first time, women Ministers to visit borders and tie Rakhi to soldiers on Raksha Bandhan Day i.e, 18th August. Four border points; namely Tenga and Baishaki in Eastern Command, and Baramulla and Kupwara in Northern Command, have been identified by army for the visit by the women Ministers of Union Government.

Independence Day is also the time to remember the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. The involvement of people in the festive spirit with patriotic fervor have indeed made the celebrations a People’s festival. It will go a long way in generating the patriotic mood promoting the rich cultural diversity of the country and ensuring the wider participation of the masses.