Over 50,000 students sing ‘Vande Mataram’ in Gurugram

Gurugram, Jan 31 (IANS) As many as 51,000 students from 400 schools of Gurugram and surrounding areas on Tuesday created history by singing the National Song 'Vande Mataram' in one voice in Tau Devi Lal Stadium here.

In the 'Voice of Unity' programme organised by the Hindu Spiritual & Service Foundation, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was invited as the chief guest at the event, and waved the National Flag continuously with zeal for a full 10 minutes.

The programme was a preface to the four-day Hindu Spiritual & Service Fair, being organised from February 2 to 5 in the Leisure Valley grounds in Gurugram.

The students also danced to the songs sung by Bollywood Singer Palash Sen with his band Euphoria.

The programme began with the chanting of 'mantras'. Highlighting the history and importance of the National Song and the National Anthem, Khattar exhorted the people to always work for the welfare of the country.

He said the 'Vande Mataram' song played a crucial role in keeping Bengal united in 1905 when the British wanted to divide it.

The first session of the Constituent Assembly, after independence, began with Vande Mataram and concluded with the National Anthem.

He said that this is for the first time in the history of Haryana that so many students participated in such an endeavour.

Before this, about 18,000 students chanted verses from the Holy Gita at the International Gita Jayanti Festival at Kurukshetra in December last year in the state.

Khattar said that Indians worship nature, rivers, animals and consider the earth as their motherland.

The other countries of the world have started giving recognition to Indian ideologies which preach conservation of natural resources, he added.