Gadkari joins 5,000 students in Vande Mataram chorus at Nagpur
Synopsis
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari joined 5,000 school students at Lakadipul Chowk, Nagpur, for a mass Vande Mataram performance organised by Rashtrajagruti Pratishthan on Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas, the eve of Independence Day.
Key Takeaways
Nitin Gadkari attended the 'Samuhik Vande Mataram' programme at Lakadipul Chowk, Nagpur on 14 August 2026 .
The event was organised by Rashtrajagruti Pratishthan on the occasion of Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas .
5,000 school students participated in the collective national-song rendition.
Senior local leaders MLC Pravin Datke and Nita Thakre were also tagged as attendees.
Nagpur, Maharashtra's winter capital, is a longstanding political and cultural base for nationalist observances.
On the eve of Independence Day, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stood among 5,000 school students at Lakadipul Chowk, Nagpur, and sang Vande Mataram in unison — a collective voice rising from the city that has long been the heartland of India's nationalist tradition.
The event was organised by Rashtrajagruti Pratishthan on the occasion of Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas, a day dedicated to the ideal of a united and undivided India. Gadkari joined the Samuhik Vande Mataram programme — a mass rendition of the national song — alongside the students, marking the occasion with one of the most symbolically loaded patriotic gestures in the Indian civic calendar.
Nagpur's place at the centre of nationalist observance
Nagpur is no ordinary venue for such a gathering. The city serves as Maharashtra's winter capital and has historically been the organisational nerve centre of India's right-nationalist movement. For Gadkari, who has represented the city across decades in politics, turning out for a grassroots patriotic programme on the eve of 15 August is both a personal tradition and a political statement of cultural continuity.
Collective renditions of Vande Mataram — the song composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and adopted as India's national song — are a fixture of Independence Day observances across the country. Bringing 5,000 schoolchildren together for a mass performance amplifies that tradition into a civic spectacle, one that frames national pride as something experienced collectively, not merely observed.
5,000 young voices, one national song
The scale of student participation is the detail that gives this event its weight. Five thousand children singing together in a public square the day before Independence Day is not a footnote — it is the story. Gadkari's presence, tagged alongside MLC Pravin Datke and Nita Thakre, signals that the event carried the endorsement of the city's senior political leadership.
As India wakes on 15 August to flag-hoistings and prime ministerial addresses, the chorus from Lakadipul Chowk is a reminder that Independence Day begins the night before, in the streets, with schoolchildren.
Point of View
000 schoolchildren as the centrepiece, the optics are squarely aimed at the next generation of voters and citizens.
NationPress
14 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas?
Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas is observed on 14 August as a day dedicated to the ideal of an undivided India, marked by patriotic programmes and cultural events across the country.
Where did Nitin Gadkari attend the Vande Mataram event?
Gadkari attended the event at Lakadipul Chowk in Nagpur, Maharashtra, organised by Rashtrajagruti Pratishthan.
How many students participated in the Vande Mataram programme?
Around 5,000 school students took part in the collective Vande Mataram rendition at the event.
Who organised the Samuhik Vande Mataram programme in Nagpur?
The programme was organised by Rashtrajagruti Pratishthan on the occasion of Akhand Bharat Sankalp Dinas.
Why is Nagpur significant for BJP and nationalist events?
Nagpur is the winter capital of Maharashtra and the headquarters of the RSS, making it a historic centre for nationalist organisation and BJP political activity.
