NEW DELHI, Aug 15: It was a time for a million celebrations. From tricoloured dhoklas in Ahmedabad to a mile-long flag in Chennai, from a peace march in Guwahati to felicitating a tree in Mumbai, Indians all over the country did their own thing.

For today, despite a few anxious moments in some regions, the nation was truly united in a spirit of joy, as tricolours fluttered on cycle rickshaws and Cielos, in humble teastalls and five-star coffee shops.

For Chief Ministers all over the country, it was their special moment, as national anthems were sung and flags unfurled. In Srinagar, for the first time in eight years, there was an elected Chief Minister presiding over the official ceremonies.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah added a touch of emotion to the proceedings by stating that though Pakistan-aided militants may ven kill him, ``they cannot take Kashmir from India.''

His words had a special significance as the All-Party Kashmir Hurriyat Conference had given a curfew call in the Valley. In Jammu, only the weather played spoilsport, as peace reigned in the area.

Punjab was tense with intelligence reports having come in that militants were planning a major strike. The official ceremony in Chandigarh, which took place under tight security, passed off without a hitch.

The same could not be said for Assam, with militants setting fire to several government offices and attempting to destroy two railway stations. A major bridge on the National Highway 31 was also blown off in Nalbari district, Lower Assam.

What was heart-warming was despite this, and the ULFA's curfew and boycott call, 400 people participated in a procession through the Guwahati's main streets protesting against the cult of violence.

Amidst tight security, the official celebrations at Guwahati got off to a start at the historic Judges Field. Chief Minister Mahanta, who deviated five times from his written speech, assured the militants that the government was prepared to hold talks anywhere in a foreign country if they so desired it.

While Mahanta was wordy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi his eloquent self, Bihar's Rabri Devi was the epitome of brevity. Dressed in a white khadi sari with a yellow border, Rabri Devi delivered her 15-line speech in about 140 seconds.

The speech was prepared by noted Hindi scholar Dr Kumar Vimal and Rabri Devi memorised it under the supervision of a speech therapist. There was apprehension that with her strong Bhojpuri accent, she would not be able to pronounce complicated words like swantantrata and swadhinta.

The tutoring seems to have paid off. Despite the occasional jeers that a section of the audience threw at her, the lady assisted by DM Verma, passed the test, much to the elation of her supporters.

While most were content to wave paper flags (although it was reported that Delhi suffered a major dearth of them), two Hyderabad youngsters came out with a mammoth flag measuring 270 feet by 70 feet, and named mera tiranga mahaan.

But their thunder was stolen, alas, by some over-enthusiastic members of the DMK who came up with one measuring (hold your breath!) 1,050 m - or more than a kilometre - in length. The flag was flagged off with due ceremony from the samadhi of DMK mentor, CN Annadurai.

There were of course a lot of dancing and even prancing - as Kalaarippayattu artistes brightened up ceremonies in Pondicherry, where Chief Minister R.V.Janakiraman hiked pensions for the 717 freedom fighters in the region.

Nostalgia sat heavily on Shimla, once the summer capital of the British Raj. The excitement had begun on the night of the 14th as crowds thronged the streets and the major historical buildings beckoned them with their illuminations.

Calcutta, never to be outdone, also saw crowds on the streets at the historic midnight hour. As the gong struck, sirens sounded, ships on the Hooghly hooted, and the sound of conchshells rent the air.

While the lights shone brightly in saffron and green on Hyderabad buildings and parks, Kochi in contrast was willy-nilly forced to be more spartan thanks to the precarious power situation in the state.

But that in no way dulled the ardour of Kerala's patriots, many of whom took to distributing national flags free of charge to passing motorists.The one group of people who benefited everywhere were those serving jail terms. Many convicts all over the state were released and the sentences of many others shortened.

There was a distinct mood of charity in the air as medical kits were distributed to public hospitals and blood donation camps organised.In Mumbai, the 40-member team of the teleserial Mahayagna even pledged to donate their eyes. As lead actress Rohini Hattangadi put it: ``This is a small token from our unit for the country.''

Tokens of course are in order, provided they are not forgotten. Mumbai felt more than a little pleased to have ``re-discovered'' an almond tree that had been planted in the premises of the old secretariat by the then Chief Minister BG Kher.

As if to make up for lost time, the tree was profusely garlanded and got all the attention it deserved. How long this enthusiasm will last is anybody's guess, even as saplings were planted in cities all over the country.

So from all indications, fifty years from now there will a lot of trees that will be re-discovered like Mumbai's almond tree was.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.