Surat, May 1 (IANS) Surat became the focal point of state celebrations on Friday as the 66th ‘Gujarat Gaurav Diwas’ was marked with a large-scale police parade, cultural performances and public participation led by Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

The celebrations began with Governor Acharya Devvrat taking the salute at Y Junction before formally flagging off the grand parade towards Lalbhai Contractor Stadium.

The event was attended by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, alongside senior leaders from the state Cabinet, Parliament, Legislative Assembly and top administrative and police officials.

The parade featured more than 750 personnel from 18 platoons of the Gujarat Police, led by IPS officer Dr. Naveen Chakravarty.

It combined ceremonial drill formations with thematic tableaux highlighting Gujarat’s development journey.

Police motorcycle stunts formed part of the procession and drew attention from spectators gathered along the route.

At the start of the ceremony, the Governor took the salute before the parade commenced.

The Chief Minister and other dignitaries participated in singing “Vande Mataram”, while the atmosphere was marked by repeated slogans of “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” from the crowd. Cultural performances formed a key part of the programme, with Garba and tribal dance presentations showcasing the state’s traditional art forms.

A musical segment by singer Bhavin Shastri and his band included patriotic performances such as “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat”, organised as part of the district administration’s evening programme.

Large crowds gathered at various points along the parade route to witness the event.

Those present included Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Energy Minister Rushikesh Patel, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia, Health Minister Praful Pansheriya, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Purnesh Modi, MP Mukesh Dalal, and MLAs Arvind Rana, Mohan Dodiya, Sandeep Desai, Mukesh Patel and Sangeeta Patil.

Senior officials in attendance included Chief Secretary M. K. Das, Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Dr. Vikrant Pandey, DGP Dr. K.L.N. Rao, District In-charge Secretary Shalini Agrawal, District Collector Dr. Saurabh Pardhi, Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot and Municipal Commissioner M. Nagarajan.

–IANS

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