GUWAHATI, Jan 24 � Even though several extremist groups have urged the public to boycott the Republic Day, more people than ever are expected to hoist the Tricolour in and around the city.
Sushmita, a young professional, said that she would not only raise the national flag but urge her friends to do the same. �Although I am a late riser, on the 26th I will wake up early and hoist the Tricolour at my place,� she said.
It would be a rare day for noted conservationist and bureaucrat Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury, who would witness two flags being hoisted in separate venues. Grandson of freedom fighter Abdul Matlib Mazumdar, who was also a Minister in the Gopinath Bardoloi cabinet, Dr Choudhury says that at home the Tricolor would be unfurled in the morning with his entire family in attendance.
�It has been a long tradition in our family, and it creates a nostalgic feeling in all of us,� he said. Later he would attend the official celebrations at Latasil.
One of the oldest continuing ceremonies would be witnessed in the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust premises at Sarania Ashram. Republic Day would be observed with due solemnity by senior Gandhians, including Shakuntala Choudhary, Hema Kakoti, and Preetikana Das, among others.
�We would have a thin attendance as many of our members are away at home, but as on previous occasions, local children and their guardians will be taking part in the flag hoisting,� said Hema Kakoti.
Senior doctor and Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Gauhati Medical College Hospital, Dr Dhiman Choudhury is keen to show his respect for the national flag. �It is something that we had learnt in our childhood, and it is an opportunity to express our patriotism,� he said, adding that his entire family will be together when the Tricolour is raised.
As usual, defying the diktat of militants, members of the journalist fraternity will observe Republic Day and hoist the national flag at 11 am on the premises of Guwahati Press Club.
The journalists and other like-minded people are taking the lead in organising celebrations during both the Independence and Republic Day in the city. They reason that every patriotic Indian should celebrate both the occasions to pay tribute to all martyrs of the freedom struggle.
Ceremonious hoisting of the national flag would take place in many institutions and schools, as well as clubs and other social gatherings.
