As the country entered the ninth day of nationwide lockdown, residents of a housing society in Ahmedabad were in for a surprise as a local singer performed live for them in a bid to spread some cheer amid the challenging times in the wake of the highly contagious disease COVID-19, which has infected over a million people across the globe.
The singer, in a video shared by news agency ANI, was seen performing famous numbers of legendary musicians Kishore and Mohammad Rafi as the building residents were seen enjoying and clapping the artist from their balconies.
The performance was a part of an initiative started by the Vastrapur police in Ahmedabad. They have hired the local singer and a speaker mounted DJ vehicle to cheer people up.
"We have hired a DJ truck and a singer, who also plays guitar, to entertain people who are feeling stressed out because of the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown. We keep moving from one society to another," Vastrapur police inspector Manoharsinh Jadeja was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The Gujarat Police are also using their band to lift the spirits of people amid the coronavirus crisis. In Bhuj town of Kutch district, the police band marched in a housing society, playing the tune of the song ''Hum honge kamyaab'' (we will succeed).
In a video shared on social media, a team of Kolkata Police's Gariahat police station was seen singing songs to create awareness about the novel coronavirus.
Sixty-two coronavirus-related deaths were reported in the country today, said the government even as the worldwide number of fatalities shot past 53,000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a 21-day lockdown on the country from March 24 midnight that will end in mid-April, in an attempt to contain the spread of the global pandemic.
The Prime Minister, on his radio show "Mann Ki Baat" on COVID-19 related issues last week, had apologised to the countrymen for taking the tough decision of complete lockdown.
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