MUMBAI: India's 74th Republic Day celebrations saw the city wearing its heart on its sleeve to honour the sacrifices made by the nation's defence forces.
On the evening of January 26, the city's first Ganeshotsav mandal at Girgaum that was inspired by Lokmanya Tilak, invited decorated officers of the Indian army, navy and air force to conduct a seminar for students on making a career in the defence forces. Each year on Tripurari Purnima, members of the Shree Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Sanstha felicitate groups like manual scavengers, or fire brigade, BMC and railway workers.
Mangesh Pokle, vice president, said, "This being the 75th year of India's Independence, we conducted a unique programme on Republic Day. Senior mandal members personally visited 60 colleges to invite students to meet defence personnel. We approached the NSS and NCC and disseminated news of this workshop on social media and in WhatsApp groups. We wanted youngsters to benefit from the experience of these achievers and explore a career in defence.''
The workshop was held at Sahitya Sangh, Girgaum. Group captain Nilesh Dekhne of the air force, Capt. Kaustubh Gosavi, a Shaurya Chakra and Nausena Medal winner from the navy, and Subhedar Santosh Rale, a Kirti Chakra awardee from the army, held fort and shared their personal experience. Unfortunately, the hall with a capacity of 800 had much room left as attendance was sparse.
Meanwhile in Tardeo, students of Aditya Birla World Academy school from higher KG to Class XI presented a treasure trove of hundreds of handmade greeting cards -- with handwritten notes in each -- to the armed forces. Head girl Vriddhi Goenka was part of the delegation that met the officers. Her heart melted when she read a quote in the meeting room that said, "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today."
Singer Javed Ali performed a musical tribute at NCPA, helping a women's NGO Inner Wheel District 314 to raise funds for the families of martyred jawans. The group donated a collection of Rs 1.5 crore to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the 'Bharat Ke Veer' initiative.
