The flag at Salt Lake’s BD Block was hoisted by the local elderly ladies. “I’m very happy to see such respect for the old generation,” said Sunanda Mazumdar, a resident of BD Block who hoisted the flag. “I was born in 1941 and remember the night India became free. My father had a gun, that he fired at midnight. The fireworks in the sky that night could beat Kali Puja celebrations of today,” she smiled in reminiscence. “But it’s also true that Indians who haven’t lived under British rule will never truly appreciate how precious independence is.”
Ward co-ordinator Ratna Bhaumik delivered a speech asking residents to stay united and led the gathering in singing Dhano dhanyo pushpe bhora, D.L. Roy’s song on the natural wealth of India.
“Despite the pandemic, quite a few residents came for the ceremony today,” said the block’s joint secretary Amitava Dutta. “We also celebrate Republic Day and Netaji’s birth anniversary as patriotism is something the younger generation needs to inculcate.”