NSG Black Cat rally gets rousing welcome in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The National Security Guard's (NSG) Black Cat rally, 'Sudarshan Bharat Parikrama,' was accorded a rousing welcome here with many cultural events marking their arrival on Friday.

Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who flagged off the car rally, said if people feel safe in the country, it is because of the soldiers. "I want to salute every soldier of our country. If we are safe today it is because of the sacrifices made by our soldiers, who are braving extreme weather and standing 24x7 to safeguard our country. I am happy to be part of the Sudarshan Bharat Parikrama Rally, conducted as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence," Ashoka said. He said the rally will help understand the unity in diversity as the participants will come across different culture, religion and languages in different regions of the country.

Arjuna Awardee and Olympian in shooting P N Prakash, wildlife photographer Giri Cavale and on behalf of late Ashoka Chakra awardee Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, his parents, were felicitated on the occasion. The NSG Car Rally was flagged of by Union Home Minister Amit Shah from the Red Fort in New Delhi on October 2 as part of nationwide celebration of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. According to the Director General of NSG, M A Ganapathi, the rally will cover a distance of 7,500 kilometres covering various states and important cities of India. So far the rally has covered 4,705 km and reached Bengaluru, Ganapathi said adding, in Karnataka it has covered about 700 km.

"The rally has paid homage to many known and unknown martyrs, who sacrificed their valuable lives for the freedom of the country. Surely, this rally will play an important role in awakening the spirit of patriotism in the next generation and the youth of the country," the IPS officer said. The participants paid tribute at the Kakoki Memorial in Lucknow, Mangal Pandey Memorial in Barrackpore, Netaji Bhavan in Kolkata, Gandhi Hill in Vijayawada and many other places, Ganapathi informed the audience.