By IANS
New Delhi : Mellifluous strains of the sarod by Amjad Ali Khan, patriotic songs by Pandit Jasraj and a poetry recital by Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi will be the highlights of a 90-minute special parliament session on Aug 15 to mark the 60th anniversary of Independence Day.
The special session will be held in the evening at the Central Hall of Parliament and be attended by President Pratiba Patil, the newly-elected vice president, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, said officials in the Lok Sabha secretariat.
After the opening with the national anthem, Amjad Ali Khan along with his musician sons, Amaan and Ayaan, will play Mahatma Gandhi’s two favourite songs – “Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye” and “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram”.
It will be followed by a special poem – “Pandra August” (15 August) – by well-known lyricist Javed Akhtar. Shabana Azmi, a former Rajya Sabha MP, will recite the English translation.
Pandit Jasraj, renowned classic Hindustani singer, will sing a patriotic song – “Aadhi Raat Mein Suraj” (the sun at midnight) – and national song “Vande Mataram”. The audience will include special invitees from various sections of society.
A documentary clip on India’s independence, prepared by Lok Sabha television, and one on first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst With Destiny” speech, will also be screened at the special session.
President Patil, the vice president, who will be elected on Friday, Manmohan Singh and Chatterjee will deliver special messages on the occasion.
Although there were initial plans to hold a midnight session on Aug 14/15 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Independence Day, the government later dropped the idea.
A special midnight programme was held a decade ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.
On May 10 this year, ghazal king Jagjit Singh and classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal and writer Gulzar had mesmerised the parliamentarians to mark 150 years of the First War of Independence in 1857.