With over 2.5 lakh people joining the chorus of the national anthem at the capital’s National Parade Grounds yesterday, a large number of people gathered outside the venue as well to share the patriotic fervour.
Since early morning, people fashioning dresses of red-green combination walked towards the venue at Agargaon, as law enforcers shut down traffic movement on the adjacent roads for security purposes. The roads that were closed included Manik Mian Avenue, the road from Khamarbari to Taltola, and the road from Shyamoli to Agargaon.
The entire area donned a festive mood, as people embraced the celebration of Independence Day by waving the national flag and singing the national anthem.
Although it was a long walk to the venue under a sunny sky, no one seemed to mind the extra physical stress as they were keen to be part of the record-breaking attempt.
“Like me, no one has any bad feeling about the long walk towards the parade ground, as we are joining in a great event like singing our national anthem together,” said Syed Arman, a resident of Azimpur who brought his five-year-old daughter to the programme.
When over 2.5 lakh people inside the parade grounds began singing the national anthem at around 11:20am, thousands more standing outside the venue also joined the chorus to celebrate the occasion.
Jalal Uddin, a private service holder, and his ten-year-old son had to join the chorus while waiting near the Agargaon intersection, as they were late to arrive at the venue. However, Jalal expressed his joy at being able to be at least a part of the occasion, adding that his son would learn to love the country from the event.
As the crowd made their way back home after the programme, they held their heads high with pride for a successful celebration of the Independence Day.
The mass singing of the national anthem, “Amar Sonar Bangla,” saw 254,681 people participating at the venue to mark the country’s 44th Independence Day.
People from all walks of life including freedom fighters and personnel from Border Guard Bangladesh, the police, Rapid Action Battalion, Ansar and VDP joined the chorus; while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with her cabinet members, MPs, politicians and cultural personalities, also joined the programme to sing the national anthem in unison.
