For a change, the politicians and bureaucrats sat back and listened as artistes, sportspersons and eminent citizens did the talking.

An event organised by the Home Ministry to express peoples’ solidarity against terror saw a fair sprinkling of politicians and ministers at the India Gate lawns on Sunday.

But the evening belonged to the large number of prominent personalities from different fields who got together to send out a message against terrorism and express their solidarity with the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

It was the first of a kind event organised by the Home Ministry to mark the first anniversary of the culmination of 26/11 operations.

Actors Shahrukh Khan and Nandita Das, sports icons Abhinav Bindra and Sania Mirza, renowned musician Dr L Subramaniam and a host of other eminent citizens participated in the event and read out their messages of hope and triumph over terrorism and violence.

Noted author Javed Akhtar read out his latest poem, which, he said, he had written just three days ago, on November 26.

Artistes Shilpa Rao, Shankar Mahadevan and Kavitha Krishnamurthy also gave short performances.

Urging people to unite in the fight against terror, Shahrukh Khan said he was sometimes surprised to be asked about his opinion on terror. “Because there can never be two opinions about terror. It has to be rejected in all forms,” he said.

The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta said the best response to terrorists can only come from the people. He said by indulging in violence, the terrorists were trying to decide how some of us would die and the most apt way to deal with that would be not to allow them to dictate how everyone should live.