Tirupati: Denizens of Punganur render national anthem daily

Tirupati: People of Punganur, a small town in Chittoor district in AP, have been practicing the tradition of singing the national anthem daily for the last three years.

The unique fete revealing the patriotic fervoir began on a tiny scale with a group of five persons who daily assembled at the busy Central Lodge circle in the town to sing the national anthem in the town three years back.

The singing starts at 8 am and ends in 52 seconds. Soon the singing of the national anthem drew the attention of the people resulting in the number growing with many joining in the singing while the people in shops, houses also join the chorus at the same time daily spreading the novel practice to the entire town within a few months.

The men behind the laudable effort are PNS Prakash (lawyer), V Deepak (businessman), P Ayub Khan (politician), N Muthyalu (local cable TV owner) and Syam Prasad (tea stall owner) who later formed into a committee christened it as 'Janaganamana Committee' and rendering of the national anthem under the committee after it was formed was first held on August 15, 2018, thus completing three years on Sunday coinciding with the 75th Independence Day.

Impressed over the `Janaganamana Committee' spearheading the daily singing of the national anthem in the town, Municipal Commissioner K Lokeswara Varma arranged mike sets in five select places in the town and saw the singing being done in a systematic manner, duly following the guidelines honouring the national anthem.

Speaking to The Hans India, Municipal Commissioner K Lokeswara Varma lauded the efforts of the five-member group and added that daily singing helps to infuse patriotic fervour and national integrity.

"It is surely unique in the country," he said, adding that the municipality arranged a siren to sound a minute before to alert the people to start singing the national anthem exactly at 8 in the morning daily.

The commissioner said denizens in the town were habituated to the siren alert and they automatically remain standstill wherever they are, sing the national anthem and then resume their work after a minute.

He said this year, apart from taking out a procession of 150-metre-long tri-colour flag , they are going to involve all the denizens of the town (about 40,000 to 50,000 people) on August 15 and they will play the national anthem from their smart phones and also simultaneously render the anthem themselves at sharp 8 am.

It is needless to say, the small town daily echoes with the national anthem daily at 8 in the morning, sending ripples of national spirit, with almost all the residents joining in the singing.