The year 2020’s Independence Day (I-Day) celebrations will be unlike any we have seen before.
Traditional I-Day events will have to be restricted with social distancing rules in place. But, that does not mean we cannot celebrate a day of nationalnational pride with the same enthusiasm.
Here, we look at all the unique ways we can make this independence day special by celebrating our nation’s rich culture online.
From movie aficionados to music and history buffs, we have something for everyone.
Immerse yourself in the country’s history
The Ministry of Tourism launched an interesting series of webinars titled ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ in April this year. The series looks at the history of different cities but for Independence Day, they have come up with special themes that focus on the freedom struggle.
Three webinars are already available and for the special occasion, two more would be out soon that would focus on the subject. The ones available in the public domain include “Memoirs of 1857 – A Prelude to Independence”, “Cellular Jail: Letters, Memoirs & Memories” and “Lesser-known stories of India’s struggle for Independence”. To access the series, click here.
Patriotic Film festival
Source: A still from Malayalam film ‘Uttarayanam’ that showcases the independence struggle in flashback through the lens of the protagonist
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has initiated an online screening of films that embody patriotism. The first-ever online film festival is a part of Independence Day celebrations by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It began on 7 August and will continue until 21 August.
The film festival would also showcase movies in different regional languages like Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati and Malayalam in addition to Hindi.
Some of the films in the line-up include Gandhi Se Mahatma Tak by Shyam Benegal, Udayer Pathey by Bimal Roy, Malayalam film Uttarayanam by G Aravindan, Tamil film Veerapandiya Kattabomman by B. R Panthulu, and Roja by Mani Ratnam, among others. The movies are being streamed here for free.