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A week before a sea of humanity was to descend Aug 21 on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York, to watch celebrity-studded traditional parade marking India’s 70th Independence Day, celebrations had begun in earnest all over the United States, including in New Jersey, Illinois, California, Connecticut and some small town and cities across the Tri-state.
In New York, the Indian Tricolor that was hoisted in front of the consulate by Consul General Riva Ganguly Das on the morning of Aug. 15, became a symbol of patriotic pride for all those present. The ceremonies later in the day spread to places like the United Nations as well as the Nasdaq stock exchange where events marking the day took place.
After unfurling the Tricolor at the consulate in a ceremony, and in the presence of community members and officials, Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar briefly addressed the gathering. “Freedom is engrained in our Constitution. Nobody can take away our freedom,” Akbar, a former journalist, said. “Our mission for the next 70 years is very clear. It is to turn India and put it on the high table of prosperity not just for some but prosperity for all. That is true nationalism,” he said. The group of some 80-odd people, who gathered outside the consulate, cheered.
Akbar later went to the NASDAQ Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell, sending a symbolic message to Wall Street and the world of business and finance about India’s uninterrupted strides towards development and prosperity.
Akbar also used the occasion to criticize countries that use the “façade of human rights” to sponsor “barbaric terrorism”. He did not, however, name any particular country although his message was loud and clear. India, he said, represents the very essence of human rights, noting that the Indian Constitution, created under the “inspiration” of Mahatma Gandhi and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, represents a “template” of modernity, a template for the future and for the whole world. People nodded their heads in obvious agreement.
Among those present at the event included New Jersey Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, and some community elders. Ganguly Das read out the Independence Day message from President Pranab Mukherjee in which he had touched on a number of key issues influencing the fate of India, including collective concerns of securing territorial integrity.
Akbar later went to the United Nations to open an exhibition of photographs of M.S. Subbulakshmi, the legendary Indian vocalist whose birth centenary was celebrated at the U.N., coinciding with India’s Independence Day. The world body also released a stamp commemorating Subbulakshmi, the first ever musician from India to perform at the U.N. in October 1966. Later, music maestro A. R. Rahman paid a musical tribute to Subbulakshmi who died in 2004.
The main official celebration of the Independence Day Aug. 15 was in Washington D.C. with a flag-hoisting ceremony at Embassy Residence that was attended by around 400 members of the community. As Ambassador Arun K. Singh unfurled the Tricolor, India’s National Anthem was sung by all. Singh then addressed the guests and read out President Mukherjee’s address to the nation, followed by a brief cultural program comprising rendition of patriotic songs. Commemorative videos highlighting India@70 were also displayed.
The Independence Day was also celebrated in New Jersey and Connecticut, although not exactly on the same day. In Stamford, Mayor David Martin hosted the Independence Day celebrations at the Stamford Government Center Aug. 13, organized with the Connecticut Chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin. Indian Consular official Sandeep Kumar was the chief guest at the event. Mayor Martin spoke about how diversity with people of Indian origin living there had enriched Stamford. Congressman Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, and State Rep. William Tong, complimented the Indian-American community for its contribution to America. Children sang Indian patriotic songs, and there were colorful folk dances. Flags of India and the U.S. were hoisted and national anthems of both the countries were sung.
A day before, the New Jersey Business Association held the India Day Parade in Oak Tree Road in Edison where thousands of people came for the 12th Annual India Day Parade. With 24 floats and dozens of marching groups, this year’s parade was said to be the largest in the history of the event. More than 100 New Jersey based community, professional, business, and religious organizations participated in the lively parade that included ethnic bands, music, and live performances.
IBA President Dhiren Amin said the parade was a statewide celebration of the Indian community, celebrating New Jersey’s little India and the common history, traditions, and culture.
In Illinois, the Consulate General of India hosted the flag-hoisting ceremony in Daily Center Plaza in downtown Chicago Aug. 15 where more than 200 people attended the event. Spiritual leader Archarya Lokesh Muni joined the ceremonies as a special guest of Consul General Ausaf Sayeed. A patriotic atmosphere was enveloped the venue as Sayeed raised the Tricolor and participants chanted the “Vande Mataram” as they watched the Indian flag wave in all its glory.
Later that evening the Consulate General hosted a private reception at the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago. More than 400 people attended the event, including a number of dignitaries like mayors of several area municipalities, consuls general from other countries, delegations representing governors and mayors from the Midwest states, representatives from the local government in Chicago, prominent business leaders and community leaders. The reception concluded with a cultural program and dinner.
The spirit of celebrations also gripped the community in California where Indian-Americans celebrated the occasion with enthusiasm. In Freemont a parade and festival were organized by the local community a day before the actual Aug. 15 anniversary. It was attended by about 5,000 people along Paseo Padre Parkway in Fremont.
According to a Mercury News report, the parade capped off the 10-day Festival of Globe, formerly known as the Festival of India that included a film festival, fashion show, dance competition and other events.
Bollywood star and producer Gulshan Grover narrated the action as the grand marshal, as more than a dozen brightly colored, pristine convertible Thunderbirds rolled by, along with several floats.
“”It’s really great we can still celebrate here in the U.S.,” Dr. Anjali Kamat, a native of India who has been staying in Fremont while looking for a residency, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
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