As India marks its 80th Independence Day on August 15, this year’s celebrations carry several firsts. For the first time, the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ — marking 150 years since its composition — will be sung at the Red Fort. The theme this year is ‘Yuva Shakti’, or youth power. The celebrations will also be witnessed in Chhattisgarh, freed from Left-Wing Extremism since March, the ‘Tiranga Yatra’ will for the first time reach remote villages and schools in former Naxal strongholds, including 92 villages in Bastar that will hoist the national flag for the first time since Independence.
