Tag: 75th

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Variety of events to mark 75th anniversary of Independence

The harrowing sequence of events from a father

The government has rolled out several programmes to mark the culmination of year-long celebrations of the 75th Independence anniversary.

A 100-ft national flag, the “Wall of Sacrifice” (memorial for freedom fighters) on the Goubert Ave beachfront and mass distribution of national flags for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign are among the government-led programmes.

The Tourism Department is also hosting several events running up to Independence Day.

The Azadi Flea Market near the Le Cafe joint on the beach is one such initiative that will be on till August 16 to showcase products of local bakers and vendors.

The department has also devised long-weekend tour packages to destinations such as Neyveli and Chettinadu, a ‘navagraha tour’ of temples and a ‘hills tour’ that extends to Coimbatore.

The Central Prison joined the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav mood by initiating art and rehabilitation projects for the inmates led by Inspector General of Prisons, Ravideep Singh Chahar, and Superintendent of Prisons V.Baskaran.

As part of a collaboration with Sri Aurobindo Society and NGO Sharana, city artist Christina Joseph undertook a prison beautification drive.

“As part of the outreach, we also trained some of them in various painting methods,” she said.

Four prisoners, including under-trials and convicts, worked on wall murals inspired by the Gond tribal, spanning over 200 feet of the prison walls.

In addition, two Khadi handloom banners with motifs and collages painted by hand will feature on the entry facades.

“The inmates found this a great source of enjoyment, relief and a way to discover and hone skills that can hold them in good stead when they complete their terms and return to society”, Ms. Christina said.

Future plans include holding art therapy sessions, workshops and group activities for interested inmates.

Tagor Government Arts and Science College on Friday organised an awareness programme on the national flag that was led by Sasi Kanta Dash, principal.

Aurodhan, an art and culture centre, has also been hosting a series of events to celebrate the Sri Aurobindo sesquicentennial and the 75th Independence anniversary.

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75th anniversary, innovation highlight NBA All-Star events

75th anniversary, innovation highlight NBA All-Star events

Just as the NBA’s 75th anniversary has driven league marketing this season, the celebration also will play a key role at this year’s All-Star weekend in Cleveland this week.

“We built a custom event for Cleveland that amplifies everything about our values and vision and celebrates our 75th anniversary, and importantly, energizes our fans,” said Kelly Flatow, NBA executive vice president and head of events. “We’ve taken a very fan-centric approach to our planning this year to celebrate the evolution of our game.”

The HBCU Classic is new to this year’s All-Star Weekend and will see Morgan State take on Howard.

New to All-Star weekend is the HBCU Classic, which will be held Saturday afternoon at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. The game between Morgan State University and Howard University will be aired live on TNT and ESPN2, with coverage featuring a lineup of talent that includes HBCU alumni. 

Flatow said the game is “incredibly important to us at the league to continue to shine a light on our initiatives for the HBCU community.” In addition to the game, there will be “unique retail collections that are coming out that celebrate the HBCU community, specifically that support Black colleges,” she said.

With the goal of creating an All-Star weekend that is “tech forward and inspiring,” the NBA unveiled the first citywide shoppable, non-fungible token art gallery, allowing fans to purchase NFTs minted from art displayed on billboards and buildings at 10 locations across the city.

These NFTs feature courts from the four All-Star Games that Ohio has hosted: 1966 in Cincinnati, 1981 in Richfield, and 1997 and 2022 in Cleveland. A total of $100,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the NFTs will go to the Funders Collaborative on COVID Recovery. 

In addition to focusing on innovation, one of the league’s priorities with the event is to support local businesses. The main avenue for this has been the NBA All-Star Rewards Program, which has 200 participating local businesses, with more than 70% of them identifying as being minority- or woman-owned. Through this program, fans have been able to visit the businesses and scan a QR code to redeem points to use toward various rewards. Flatow described the program as a “citywide scavenger hunt for the last six months.”

Fans can purchase NFTs of courts used in the four All-Star games held in Ohio.nba

Along with implementing the rewards program, the league brought back its NBA Crossover fan event, which has been a part of several All-Star weekends. Flatow said Crossover will be in an iconic location at Public Auditorium.

“What really makes this year’s Crossover so exciting is all of the fan-sourced experiences that go with it,” Flatow said. “Each fan can customize their package of how they want to experience Crossover this year, and there are personalized offerings and also scarcity-driven add-ons.”

These options include behind-the-scenes access, early entry, drop shops, licensed merchandise, and limited-edition collectibles. The NBA also is launching a Hall of Legends, which will feature programming and performances only available to people buying that package.