Government promotes ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ anthem

As India commemorates its 75th year of Independence today, the government issued a clarion call to hoist the national flag at every home. With its ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, the government urged every Indian to be a part of this national movement. And, what better than an anthem to drive the message home?

A part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ (AKAM) initiative, organised by the Union Ministry of Culture, Home Minister Amit Shah released the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ anthem video during the ‘Tiranga Utsav’ in New Delhi on August 2.

Composed by Devi Sri Prasad, and also sung by him along with Asha Bhosle, Amitabh Bachchan and Sonu Nigam, it features celebrities from the sporting and entertainment fraternity from different parts of the country. The video features sportspersons like Kapil Dev, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, PT Usha, MC Mary Kom, Mirabai Chanu, Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, and Neeraj Chopra. Bollywood celebrities include Anushka Sharma, Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Ajay Devgn, Prabhas, among others.

The anthem is reminiscent of the iconic song ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ in more ways than one. The 1988 national integration song was also released on Independence Day. Though their themes are different, the treatment is quite similar. Both the songs have celebrities from all walks of life. They are sung in multiple Indian languages, and shot in different parts of the country.

Moreover, both the songs were created by the same person - filmmaker Kailash Surendranath. This time, Surendranath has worked with his son Angadveer and wife Aarti. It doesn’t end here - both the songs feature Dev and Bachchan.

The song attempts to instill pride towards the national flag. The stunning visuals of the flag hoisted in different parts of the country, urge us to take part in the movement.

The government is targeting a mass display of 20 crore flags across the country, from residences, offices and commercial establishments from August 13-15. As a part of the initiative, India Post offered the flag at 1.6 lakh post offices. Other flag makers like Khadi units, self-help groups and entities in the small and medium sectors, also sold them.

The state governments also took active measures to ensure the ‘Tiranga’ reached every person.

To further amplify the campaign, the Ministry of Culture has created an interactive website where citizens could pin a digital flag and upload selfies with it. It also guides users on how to use the flag as a profile picture on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and how to apply the ‘Tiranga’ filter on Stories and Reels. In fact, a list of suppliers where national flags are available, is put up on the campaign website with contact details.

Though the official celebrations are scheduled from August 13-15, events as a part of the campaign, started from August 2, when the anthem was released.

On August 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the profile picture on his social media handles to extend his support to the initiative. He also invited the public to replace their social media profile pictures with those of the Indian flag.

“It is a special 2nd August today! At a time when we are marking ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, our nation is all set for #HarGharTiranga, a collective movement to celebrate our Tricolour. I have changed the DP on my social media pages and urge you all to do the same," he tweeted.

The campaign is an important part of the government’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The Union Budget allocated Rs 110 crore for the 75th anniversary celebrations. AKAM celebrations began on March 12, 2021 at Sabarmati, Gujarat. After a 75-week countdown to the 75th anniversary of Independence, it will end on August 15, 2023. Since the start, more than 13,000 events have been held.

The government aggressively promoted the campaign. Apart from the regular traditional and digital mediums, like print, television and radio ads, it also conducted in-flight announcements and door-to-door marketing.

Many brands also joined the bandwagon. Asian Paints launched an ad on the theme, titled ‘Har Ghar Garv Se Kehta Hai’. Truecaller, the global communication platform, is promoting the Tricolour Independence logo in key user frames of the app and other communication. Chingari, in association with MyGov, urged users to create videos to celebrate the occasion.