Chief minister Mamata Banerjee attended the parade to mark the 79th Independence Day on Red Road on Friday.

Mamata hoisted the Tricolour and received a guard of honour ahead of the
event, which included a parade and cultural presentations capturing the heritage and unity of India.

School students marched with placards showcasing different Bengali alphabets.

The heat and humidity were too much for some of the children.

Over 35 of them reported sick at the end of the show and had to be taken to SSKM
Hospital.

Mamata visited the students at the hospital with Calcutta police commissioner Manoj Verma and other senior officers. She said the weather left some of the children
dehydrated.

The students were later discharged from the hospital.

The show was a procession of diverse people, cultures and practices, with an emphasis on unity among people.

There were Chhau and folk dancers, who shared space with a fleet of Kolkata Police motorcyclists.

Tableaus depicting the state government’s social welfare initiatives brought the two-hour programme alive despite an on-and-off drizzle.

Diplomats of several countries, senior officers from the tri-services, bureaucrats, ministers and hundreds of people attended the pageant.