Bikes, flowers and familiar beats to mark I-Day

BANGALORE: After months of rehearsals, on Independence Day, Manekshaw Parade Ground played host to a combination of song, dance and theatre programmes by children from various schools in the city. The ritual was customary on the 65th Independence Day. The flag was hoisted at 9 am by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda followed by his Independence Day address. The children sat patiently listening to the new goals and ambitions that the new Chief Minister has planned for the coming year.It was an illustrious parade that followed the Chief Minister’s speech. Thirty  nine contingents took part in the parade including teams from Karnataka State Reserve Police, City Armed Reserve, National Cadet Corps, Bharat Seva Dal and Students’ Association for Road Safety. With the band marching at the end of the parade, the ground was being prepared for the children for their performance. Everyone in the audience paid their respect to the state’s anthem performed by Kaikeri Krishnamoorthy and group. This was followed by a ‘Raithageethe’ (Farmer’s song) called ‘Negilayogi’ performed by the same group.As per tradition, the children dressed up as citizens from various parts of the country, danced to a compilation choreographed by Ramya Nagarak and group from the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Aptly titled ‘Punya Bhoomi Bharata’, the performance had 450 children dance to the various tunes from each state in India.This was followed by a classical dance programme by the students of Government High School in Sarakki. Choreographed by Mahesh Kumar, 600 students presented a combination of Mohini Attam, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Rasana Katha. Dressed in beautiful colourful costumes, this performance celebrated the native classical traditions of the country.Paying tribute to the Mundaragi Bhimaraya, a freedom fighter from Karnataka, the students of BBMP High School in Kasturibainagar and Chamarajpet, staged a dance drama depicting Bhimaraya’s valuable role in the history of India’s independence. Around 600 students took part in this performance choreographed by Malatesh Badigera and Chaya Bhargavi.The crowd had waited eagerly for the last performance. The ground was cleared for the bikers from Army Service Corps who called themselves Tornadoes. Performing some marvelous stunts like the surya chakra, the ladder pyramid and the human pyramid, these bikers were a real treat for the audience.