2 crore Maharashtra students set world record with patriotic song exercise on Republic Day

MUMBAI: Under the 'Rashtra Pratham' initiative, more than two crore students from one lakh schools in Maharashtra simultaneously presented a simultaneous and coordinated exercise to patriotic songs on Republic Day, setting a world record, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said.

The World Book of Records, London, has officially recorded this initiative, establishing a world record, he added. Under the 'Rashtra Pratham' initiative, a collective exercise march by school students to patriotic songs was conducted in all divisions of the state after unfurling of the national flag.

"In this initiative, over two crore students from one lakh schools presented a disciplined and coordinated exercise to patriotic songs at the same time. Seven lakh teachers also participated," Bhuse said. The minister added that students' exercise march rehearsals had been ongoing for the past few months. For this, the School Education Department provided a 14-minute instructional video to all schools in the state.

"All students presented a beautiful and disciplined exercise simultaneously. Additionally, in connection with the district-level initiative conducted in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district, separate world records have been registered by two prestigious organisations- Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records," Bhuse said.

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The 'Rashtra Pratham' initiative was implemented statewide in a planned and organised manner with the aim of instilling this culture in students' minds, strengthening intense patriotism, discipline, and unity. Effective planning was done at all district, taluka, and school levels.

For the successful organisation of this initiative, valuable cooperation was received from various service-oriented organisations in society, district administration, health, police, fire brigade departments, and education enthusiasts, he said.

The initiative not only established a world record but it has also sown seeds of intense nationalism in the minds of future generations. Every Saturday, a collective exercise to patriotic songs will be conducted in all-medium, all-management, and all-linguistic schools, the minister added.