While the 21-gun salute with the homegrown ATAGS howitzers was the highlight of the 76th Independence Day celebrations held at the Red Fort on Monday, the Indian armed forces were also busy with a host of other events to mark the occasion, including making commemorative visits to foreign ports across six continents.
All three wings of the armed forces – the Army, Navy and Air Force – had ramped up preparations early on for this year’s Independence Day celebrations. On Monday, visitors at the Red Fort, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the newly sworn-in President Droupadi Murmu and other Cabinet ministers, witnessed a gallant display of bravery by the Indian military.
After inspecting the Guard of Honour, which comprised one officer and 20 men each from the Army, Navy Air Force and the Delhi Police, PM Modi proceeded to the ramparts of the Red Fort to hoist the national flag. As the Tricolour was being hoisted, the Air Force band played the National Anthem and a ‘Rashtriya Salute’ was presented to the flag. The flag hoisting was synchronised with the ceremonial 21-gun salute by gunners of the 8711 Field Battery.
In a first, an indigenously developed howitzer gun, ATAGS, became part of the 21-gun salute during the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort on Monday. Developed by the DRDO, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) was used alongside the traditional British-origin ’25 Pounders’ artillery guns.
PM Modi also referred to the indigenously developed gun while speaking about the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative of the Centre during his Independence Day speech. Right after the Tricolour was hoisted, flower petals were showered by two MI-17 helicopters in the ‘Amrit’ formation.
स्वतंत्रता दिवस के गौरवशाली अवसर पर 871 फील्ड रेजिमेंट के गनर्स ने पारंपरिक 21 तोपों की सलामी दी।#IndianArmy#AmritMahotsav#IndependenceDayIndia pic.twitter.com/nrMpIF98WH
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 15, 2022
Events organised by the Navy
Apart from the vibrant celebrations at the Red Fort, the armed forces observed ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with great fervour across the country and worldwide.
INS Tabar arrived at Mombasa Port, Kenya, to celebrate India’s 76th Independence Day.
From San Diego in USA (North America) to Perth in Australia, the Indian Navy hoisted the Tricolour across six continents, three oceans and six different time zones.
At the Commonwealth Memorial gates in London, the naval forces will pay tribute to Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the two World Wars. Warships of the Indian Navy are also docked at three other continents – INS Trikand in Mombasa, Kenya (Africa), INS Tarkash in Rio de Janeiro Brazil (South America) and missile destroyer INS Chennai and frigate INS Betwa in Muscat, Oman (west Asia).
🗓️15 Aug 22 🇮🇳
Celebrating @75 years of #Independence, #IndianNavy #warships hoist the #Tricolour across 6 Continents, 3 Oceans & 6 different ⏲️Zones saluting the spirit of #Tiranga.#IndiaAt75 #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav #BridgesofFriendship#MaritimePartnership pic.twitter.com/h2beppN5lh
— IN (@IndiannavyMedia) August 15, 2022
Celebrations by the Army
To mark the occasion, the Tricolour was hoisted at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier, by the Indian Army. Army troops sang the National Anthem after the flag was unfurled.
Marking 75 years of the country’s freedom, the Army had unfurled a 75-ft-long national flag at the Vivekananda Rick Memorial in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu on August 11.
‘TRICOLOUR AT THE HIGHEST BATTLEFIELD’#SiachenWarriors celebrate #IndependenceDay2022 at the Highest Battlefield of world@adgpi@NorthernComd_IA@lg_ladakh@ANI @jtnladakh @ddnewsladakh @LadakhTimes @prasarbharti @PIB_India @ChinarcorpsIA @Whiteknight_IA pic.twitter.com/Z7Iu3bszui
— @firefurycorps_IA (@firefurycorps) August 14, 2022
Sweets were also exchanged between troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers at the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s RS Pura on the occasion of India’s 75th anniversary of Independence.
In West Bengal, the Indian Army’s Eastern Command organised a mega boat race on Friday on the Teesta-Mahananda Link Canal in Jalpaiguri’s Gajoldoba to commemorate 75 years of the nation’s Independence.
