School bands to perform at National War Memorial; CBSE to prepare schedule

New Delhi: The Defence ministry on Thursday said school bands will be allowed to perform at the National War Memorial on a regular basis to inculcate in them the values of patriotism, devotion to duty and courage. "A decision to this effect has been jointly taken by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education," it said.

The tentative date to begin performances by the school bands at the war memorial is from February 22, ahead of the third anniversary of its dedication to the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dedicated the National War Memorial to the nation on February 25, 2019. It said the Ministry of Education has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to prepare a schedule of school bands in consultation with the MoE and the government of NCT of Delhi.

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"The place, themes, tunes etc of the band can be decided in coordination with Directorate of National War Memorial and Museum, Headquarter Integrated Defence Staff keeping in view the sanctity of the memorial," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the Ministry of Education has also requested the education departments of all states and Union Territories to select one band from the schools of their respective states to perform in coordination with National War Memorial and Museum as a part of the regular schedule. The ministry said the CBSE will coordinate with the schools for performances by their bands at the war memorial in coordination with the Ministry of Defence.

"The objective of this initiative is to inculcate the values of patriotism, devotion to duty, courage and sacrifice among the school children and increase the participation of people, especially the youth so that they experience the various facets associated with the iconic war memorial," the ministry said.

"It carries forward the vision of the Veer Gatha project which was jointly organised by ministries of defence and culture to raise awareness among children about the gallant stories of the war heroes and instil the feeling of nationalism in their formative years through enhanced exposure," it said.