Watch Independence Day 360-degree VR Celebration Video from Red Fort using official link

The central government has announced a new website to live stream the celebrations for the 74th Independence Day on Sunday. The website to access the stream on August 15 is- indianidc2021.mod.gov.in. According to a government release, Dr Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary, launched the website on August 3 to mark the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. The release further said that the purpose of the website is to help connect with Indians all over the world to celebrate the national festival and that a mobile app to stream the celebrations will be launched as well.

The special VR mode

For the event, the website will be using a virtual reality (VR) feature to show off the Independence Day celebrations from the Red Fort in New Delhi in a 360-degree format. The government release said that people can experience this feature even without having a VR gadget. Apart from the stream for the Independence Day celebration, the website provides other facilities like a special IDC radio, gallery, interactive filters, e-books on deeds of gallantry, 50 years of 1971 victory, and blogs on the freedom movement, wars and war memorials. When logged in, the users will have a chance to learn everything about the Independence Day event.

The government said in the official press release, "the platform is freely accessible to all and provides updates and information regarding activities centred around the IDC 2021. It encompasses the entire Indian diaspora as if they were a part of the celebrations in person. It is an attempt to engage people of all ages, especially the youth.". The Independence Day website uses a web-based RSVP system and will generate a QR code for each invitation card. The user then can use their smartphone devices to scan the QR code and then visit the web portal through the automatically generated web link. The invitees will also be allowed to submit their willingness to attend the function through the same portal. The Independence Day celebration platform aims to imbibe the "culture of togetherness" among the masses so that they can celebrate this landmark occasion and unite under the common identity of being Indians, said defence secretary Kumar while speaking on the occasion.