By IANS
New Delhi : The yearlong celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1857 uprising will begin Sunday with a gala cultural programme in Meerut, a Uttar Pradesh town near the national capital.
On May 7, nearly 30,000 people will start a march from Meerut over five days to reach the historic Red Fort in Delhi on May 11 for a grand celebration here.
"The celebrations formally kick starts on Sunday evening with a mega cultural event comprising dance and drama," said S.A. Khan, director general of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), said.
NYKS, an autonomous body under the ministry of sports and youth affairs, is organising the cultural programme and the rally at Meerut.
The programme would be would be participated by freedom fighters, members of the local administration, officials of the ministry of sports and youth affairs at the Victoria Park renamed as Jung-e-Azadi Park.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will flag off the rally Monday morning.
"The rally will cover a total distance of 80 kilometres from Meerut to Delhi, and will be completed in five days. It will have halts in Modi Nagar, Murad Nagar, and Ghaziabad, on its way to Delhi. Various programs will be organised in all these places," Khan told IANS.
The 1857 uprising is also known as India's First War of Independence.
The event will celebrate the great achievements and remind our young generation of its glorious tradition and history so that they get infused with the feeling of patriotism. "And aspire for a stronger and prosperous India," he said.
The gala rally would culminate in Red Fort here on May 11. Nearly 7,000 more people are expected to participate in the rally in Delhi.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi would be among those who will attend the programme at the Red Fort.
Former prime ministers A.B. Vajpayee, V.P. Singh, H.D. Deve Gowda, Chandra Shekhar and I.K. Gujral have been invited along with many freedom fighters.
The government had sanctioned Rs.1.5 billion to celebrate the occasion.
There would also be special functions at the Red Fort and Vijay Chowk here Aug 15 and commemoration of the Quit India Movement in Mumbai on Aug 9.