Hyderabad reverberates with 'Jana Gana Mana'

Hyderabad: For the first time in the recent years, Telangana came to a standstill for a minute on Tuesday for mass recital of national anthem as part of the ongoing fortnight-long celebrations to mark 75 years of India's Independence.

As the clock struck 11.30 am, the traffic lights at junctions turned red as people joined the mass recital. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao led the state by joining the mass recital at the statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Abids in the heart of the city.

Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives, political leaders and officials participated in the programme held across the state.

People at traffic junctions, markets, offices, educational institutions, malls and other public places across villages and towns participated in the programme.

In Hyderabad, scores of people including the school and college students holding national flags gathered at GPO at Abids junction and recited the national anthem along with the Chief Minister. Vajrotsava Committee Chairman K Keshava Rao and Ministers Mohammed Mahmood Ali, V Srinivas Goud, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Vemula Prashant Reddy, E Dayakar Rao, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and others were also present.

Patriotic fervour gripped the entire area. The place reverberated with the slogan of 'Bolo Swatantra Bharat Ki Jai'. There was tricolour all round. Huge flags were adorned the entire area and some people were seen their faces painted with tricolour at Abids and across the city.

People at junctions switched-off their vehicle engines to recite the anthem. At every traffic junction, in educational institutions, government offices and markets, people participated in the mass singing.

At Abids, a siren sound was played before the singing of the national anthem, which was about to start alerting people, so that they stood up and participated. Cultural programmes, bands were also witnessed at various parts of the city. Students of schools and colleges also joined the mass recital. Hyderabad Metro trains were also stopped for a minute for recital. The national anthem was also sung at the metro stations.

Public representatives across the city organised a mass gathering for the programme in their designated places. For 10 minutes, the entire roads were at a standstill and people were standing quietly at their places. In major junctions, hundreds of people were observed reciting the anthem.