India celebrates 80th Independence Day with Vande Mataram at Red Fort; world leaders extend greetings
India celebrates 80th Independence Day. (Image courtesy: X/@narendramodi)
New Delhi: India celebrated its 80th Independence Day on Saturday, with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, hoisting the National Flag at the Red Fort as Vande Mataram was played in full for the first time during the official ceremony. The national song was followed by the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
The ceremony also marked 150 years of Vande Mataram, which played an important role in India’s freedom movement. The Army band performed the national song after the flag was hoisted, while two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters showered flower petals over the Red Fort.
The flag hoisting was synchronised with a 21-gun salute by the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial), using indigenous 105mm light field guns. Captain Sonia Singh Chauhan was a highlight of the ceremony as she assisted the prime minister, Narendra Modi, in hoisting the National Flag.
Key highlights of Modi’s Independence Day address
As RNA Media reported, the prime minister called for faster reforms and implementation, saying India could not afford to slow down its development. He set a five-to-seven-year timeframe for completing work that had remained unfinished for decades. “Our speed cannot come to a halt,” Modi said, stressing the need to change India’s work culture and pace of implementation.
The prime minister placed Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) at the centre of his address, saying self-reliance had become important amid growing global economic and strategic uncertainties. He stressed the need to strengthen domestic manufacturing, supply chains and technological capabilities.
Modi said India was targeting 100GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and would initially work towards launching five nuclear reactors. He also highlighted the expansion of offshore exploration to strengthen the country’s energy security, as reported by RNA Media
The prime minister said defence production had increased four times since 2014, while electronic manufacturing had grown seven times. He called for India to develop the entire manufacturing value chain, from design to production.
Global leaders extend greetings to India
India’s 80th Independence Day drew greetings from leaders, governments and diplomatic missions across the world, with messages highlighting India’s democratic journey, economic growth and expanding strategic partnerships.
US secretary of state, Marco Rubio extended warm wishes to the people of India and said the US-India relationship was “stronger than ever”. He highlighted cooperation between the two countries in defence, energy security, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, space and commerce.
Israeli president, Isaac Herzog also congratulated president, the prime minister, and the people of India, saying he hoped the beautiful friendship between Israel and India would continue to grow. Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, also shared a message highlighting the two countries’ ancient heritage and national revival.
The Singapore president, Tharman Shanmugaratnam conveyed his greetings to Murmu in a letter, describing India-Singapore ties as a strong and forward-looking strategic partnership. He highlighted cooperation in skills development, digitalisation, sustainability and advanced manufacturing.
On the occasion, Nepal’s foreign minister, Shishir Khanal, also greeted external affairs minister, S Jaishankar. He highlighted the deep historical and civilisational ties, close people-to-people relations and multifaceted partnership between Nepal and India, and expressed hope that the bonds would grow stronger in the years ahead.
Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Russia, Finland, Iran and Bangladesh also extended greetings to India, with their messages focusing on longstanding historical and cultural ties, friendship and expanding cooperation.
Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station also sent a special Independence Day message, waving the Indian Tricolour from 408km above Earth and recalling the longstanding friendship between India and Russia.
The celebrations also received recognition in the United States, where governors and local authorities issued proclamations declaring August 15 as “India Day” in several jurisdictions.
Several Indian missions abroad marked the occasion through the #SuryapathTiranga initiative, carrying the Tricolour across countries from one sunrise to the next and linking celebrations across time zones.
