From Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, eminent Indians from different walks of life on Sunday came forward to express their solidarity against terror.
Saluting India's diverse culture and its uniqueness to absorb all differences, Khan said he was proud to be an Indian because "we are an impossible achievement in the world".
"Indian civilization does not distinguish in terms of religion and it celebrates the uniqueness and absorbs all differences and faiths in its blood.
"We are not just an example to ourself but we are an impossible achievement in the world and that is why I am very very proud to be an Indian," Shah Rukh said at the event organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs at India Gate, Delhi.
The hour-long event was hosted in the memory of the victims and heroes of November 26 Mumbai attacks and other similar incidents.
Sportsman Bindra said that the country is facing a huge challenge to keep the terror at bay. "We are nearly a bomb away.
I understand the sense of disparity but we can't afford it and being a sportsman I believe that life is all about winning," he said. Tennis player Sania Mirza evoked Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem 'Where The Mind is Without Fear' to express her support for the fight against terrorism.
Lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar read a poem 'Jab Kabhi Aatank Ke Nazare Dekhta Hoon' to pay a special tribute to the victims of the terror attacks.
King Khan termed terrorism a religion of devils saying, "While all civilised religions celebrate and respect life this new barbaric terror religion loves only death and unfortunately all human faiths now face a challenge." Singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and Shilpa Rao performed Mahatama Gandhi's favourite bhajan 'Vaishnav Jana', 'Rahgupati Raghav' and Rabindranath Tagore's 'Ekla Chalo'.
Violin maestro L Subramaniam performed 'jugalbandi' with son Ambi Subramaniam and was later joined by wife Kavita.
The event was attended by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, I&B Minister Ambika Soni, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan and actress Nandita Das.
King Khan termed terrorism a religion of devils saying, "While all civilised religions celebrate and respect life this new barbaric terror religion loves only death and unfortunately all human faiths now face a challenge." Singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and Shilpa Rao performed Mahatama Gandhi's favourite bhajan 'Vaishnav Jana', 'Rahgupati Raghav' and Rabindranath Tagore's 'Ekla Chalo'.
Violin maestro L Subramaniam performed 'jugalbandi' with son Ambi Subramaniam and was later joined by wife Kavita.
The event was attended by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan and actress Nandita Das. PTI
