Dark clouds fail to deter enthusiasm of people at Red Fort Independence Day event

Red Fort Independence Day celebrations in Delhi, including PM Modi's speech, security measures, and diverse attendees from across India.

Even as dark clouds engulfed the Red Fort on Thursday (August 15, 2024) morning, the enthusiasm was not dimmed for A.N. Reddy and his wife, who travelled from Hyderabad to Delhi to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, with their two young daughters.

“What better way to celebrate our wedding anniversary? My daughters are coming to Delhi for the first time and were very excited…” he said.

Like every year, the Red Fort saw a mix of people from different parts of the country on Independence Day. At 7.25 a.m., a light drizzle began, prompting the crowd to put on their raincoats. However, the event went as planned despite the multiple short spells of rain.

At 7.30 a.m., Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national flag, which was followed by the national anthem and the 21-gun salute. Sporting a multi-coloured Rajasthani leheriya print turban, paired with a white kurta and churidar and a light blue bandhgala jacket, Mr. Modi delivered his longest speech, which was 98 minutes, as he addressed the country from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort.

After his speech, the Prime Minister greeted cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC), who were seated at Gyanpath, opposite the ramparts, in a formation reading ‘My Bharat’ via their tri-coloured shirts. The NCC cadets applauded in synchronisation to many parts of Mr. Modi’s speech, such as his mentions of Viksit Bharat.

Sonam Choudhary, 16, a school student, said, “We have been practising for 10 days and were very excited about this… my favourite part of the Prime Minister’s speech was when he spoke about development and a bright future for the youth.”

Around 6,000 special guests had been invited to the event, including tribal artisans, ASHA workers, and beneficiaries of Central government schemes.