Mumbai: The State celebrated the 71st Independence Day with patriotic fervour on Tuesday, though heavy rain lashed Mumbai and Konkan region.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unfurled the Tricolour near Mantralaya. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu Governor C.V. Rao spent the day in Chennai where he was scheduled to take part in various I-Day functions, said a Raj Bhavan official.
Flag-hoisting ceremonies were organised at the Bombay High Court, and headquarters of the Central Railway, Western Railway and the Konkan Railway.
Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar hoisted the flag at the BMC headquarters, in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta. The Mayor inaugurated a special mural gifted by Argentina to adorn the entrance of the Humboldt Penguins enclosure. Acting Consul-General of Argentina Alejandra Zothner Meyer, Deputy Consul-General Andrea Alba Gonzalez, and mural artist Pablo Ramirez Arnol were present.
There were colourful functions organised by the armed forces stationed in Mumbai, various airlines, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Abhinav Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli, paid homage to 191 police personnel, who laid down their lives in the Naxal-hit regions of eastern Maharashtra.
At the Gadchiroli collectorate, Guardian Minister Raje A. Atram hoisted the Tricolor and honoured brave police personnel fighting the Maoists.
Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam hoisted the flag at functions in the city.
In a unique event, Shanmukhananda Fine Arts Sabha honoured five war widows and father of a war hero from Maharashtra at the hands of Lt. Gen. Vishwambar Singh, GOC, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. An exhibition was organised at Shanmukhananda Hall.
The widows — Reshma Davale, Anjana Balaji, Sunita Shamrao Mane, Ujjwala Jadhav and Misha Ghadge — and Savan Mane, father of a soldier, were presented with a shawl, a lamp, a statute of Goddess Mahalakshmi, and a cheque for ₹2 lakh each.
Parivartak, a heritage walk, was organised by NGO Awestrich’s historian Siddhartha Fondekar, covering important landmarks linked with the independence struggle in south Mumbai. Besides, a peace march between Girgaum Chowpatty and August Kranti Maidan was organised by Akhil Kinner Seva Samiti to support transgenders’ rights.
