My Dear Fellow Citizens,
My heartiest greetings to all of you on our 77th Independence Day! It is a glorious and auspicious occasion for all of us. I am overjoyed to see that festivity is in the air. It is a matter of delight as well as pride for us to see how everyone – children, youth and the elderly, in cities and villages, everywhere in India – are excited and preparing to celebrate this festival of our freedom. The people have been celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with great enthusiasm.
Independence Day celebrations also remind me of my childhood days. We could not contain our excitement of participating in the Independence Day celebrations in our village school. When the tricolour was hoisted, we felt an electrifying energy pass through us. With our hearts full of patriotic pride, we saluted the national flag and sang the national anthem. Sweets were distributed and patriotic songs were sung, which kept playing in our minds for many days. I was fortunate in having an opportunity to re-live these experiences when I became a school teacher.