India has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for waving the maximum number of national flags simultaneously, the Ministry of Culture said Monday.
It said 78,220 tricolors were waved at the Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav programme organised at Duler Ground in Jagdishpur in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.
The event was held to pay a tribute to the victory of the then King of Jagdishpur, Veer Kunwar Singh, one of the heroes of the freedom struggle of 1857, the ministry said.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the 75th anniversary of India's Independence.
The attempt was witnessed by representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records and attendees were asked to wear bands for the physical identification. The complete event is documented in video form, the culture ministry said.
The previous world record was of about 56,000 when Pakistani flags were waved at a function in Lahore in 2004.
In his address at Jagdishpur, Home Minister Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned that in 2047, India should lead globally and this can be "our true tribute to all brave freedom fighters like Veer Kunwar Singh".
“Babu Kunwar Singh was also a great social reformer and he had placed the idea of welfare of the backward and downtrodden before the nation at that time. History has been unjust to Babu Kunwar Singh, as he was not given the place he deserved, based on his valour, merit and sacrifice.”
"However, today the people of Bihar have paid their tribute to Babu ji and have once again immortalized Veer Kunwar Singh's name in history," Mr. Shah said.
Union Ministers R.K. Singh, Ashwini Choubey and Nityanand Rai were also present during the program.
Deputy Chief Ministers Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi were also present. Together with thousands of people gathered, they raised the tricolor for five minutes and sang the national song 'Vande Mataram', the ministry said.
