In a joint initiative to pay tribute to the front line workers who are currently battling the coronavirus pandemic, the Army, Airforce and the Navy organised a series of activities on Sunday the 3rd of May outside hospitals.
Fly pasts by fighter jets, helicopters, flower petal showers, illumination of warships at port cities, and the performances of military bands at major hospitals were a part of this activity to express gratitude to the numerous doctors, nurses, medical staff and paramedics, including other front line workers who have been battling relentlessly against this dreaded disease by taking care of those affected and risking their lives in turn.
The combat Jets and transport aircrafts of the Indian Air Force flew over the state capitals and other cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Lucknow, Thiruvanthapuram and Bengaluru.
Army bands performed outside select hospitals that were treating Coronavirus patients, and the IAF and the Indian Navy helicopters showered flower petals.
The Indian Navy lit up its ships and flare fired in Mumbai and Ships of the Eastern Naval Command illuminated at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh were illuminated. Indian Navy ships of Southern Naval Command were also lit up at The Anchorage in Ernakulam channel in Kochi, Kerala. In Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala the Indian Coast Guard lit up its ships.
In a symbolic show of fighting the Coronavirus the Indian Navy ship INS Vikramaditya punched the coronavirus on its lit deck.
General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff of India had announced before the commencement of this initiative that the tri-services which comprise the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force would conduct various events for the doctors, nurses, media, police, bank employees, delivery personnel, local store owners and government employees to show their appreciation and respect for the selfless service that they were rendering in the wake of the current pandemic.
