77th Independence Day: NCC cadets shake hands with Modi at Red Fort; say 'best Independence Day ever'

NEW DELHI: Nineteen-year-old NCC cadet Vandana Kumari could not contain her excitement after shaking hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort, saying "it was my best Independence Day ever". She was among the lucky few spectators at the Red Fort whom Modi interacted with after delivering his address from the ramparts of the Mughal-era monument. "It was a great experience (meeting the PM). We feel very proud," said Delhi-based Kumari, who is enrolled with the army wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

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The NCC cadets, who took part in the celebrations, sat on chairs in a neat formation of rows and columns, wearing matching white uniforms. Modi moved around some of the cadets and waved at the group. With a youthful energy, he even dashed to the top step of the galleried sitting area where male cadets were sitting. As he moved around, the excited cadets shouted and chanted slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram". "Though he (PM) did not say anything to me, I was just happy to meet him and shake hands with him," an elated Kumari said.

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The NCC cadets, clad in matching white uniform with caps bearing 'Amrit Kaal ki NCC' and back of their shorts bearing 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', sat in front of the ramparts of the Red Fort, producing a sea of white in among the spectators gallery. Anjela Dutt, 19, a Delhi resident, said, "It was absolutely mesmerizing, he walked right past us and seeing a PM so up, close and personal, itself is a big thing. A third-year student of B Com, she said all cadets worked very hard for this day to become a reality.

Haneshawr, another cadet said, "We chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind'." Modi, in his nearly 90-minute address, called for waging a war against the "three evils" of corruption, appeasement and dynastic politics, stepped up the OBC outreach with a mega scheme and exuded confidence he would return to address the nation from the Red Fort next year. It is a "new India" brimming with self-confidence and dedicated to fulfilling its resolves, he added.

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"Today we have demography, democracy, diversity, and this trifactor has the potential to make every dream of India come true," he said. West Bengal native Ritika Bhatra, an undergraduate student at Kamla Nehru College under the Delhi University, and an NCC cadet, said for her, the key points from the address was that India as a "demographic dividend" and that the government has set a vision to make India a developed nation by 2047. NCC cadet Saksham, a second-year student of BSc at Dyal Singh College here, also shared his sentiments. "We chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' with him (PM). Memorable experience," he said.