Indian Consulate in New York hosts Indian Americans, others for 75th Republic Day celebrations

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The Indian Consulate held 75^th Republic Day celebrations at the Consulate in New York Jan. 26, 2024, that included a flag hoisting, and a grand reception in a whole day of activities marking the historic day.

“Celebrating the 75th Republic Day of India with stakeholders from across sectors at the @IndiainNewYork reception!” the Consulate tweeted.

The events were attended by among others, Congressman Mike Lawler, Edison Township Mayor Sam Joshi, NJ State Senator Raj Mukherji, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick sending warm greetings broadcast via a video message.

Entertainment included Grammy Award winner Falu Shah and her team, and Maheshwari Jagabattul who performed live.

India’s new Consul General in New York Binaya Srikant Pradhan, unfurled the Indian flag and read the address of the President of India Droupadi Murmu.

“We look forward to strengthening the Partnership even further in this #AmritKaal,” the Consulate tweeted.

In his speech to the assembled gathering, CG Pradhan called it a special day when traditionally, the nation remembered the forefathers and those who fought for the independence of India. It was also the day the Indian Constitution was adopted after 3 years of hard work by the architects of the document including Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

“The first five words of the Constitution of India signify the spirit of India – We the people of India – And these five words encapsulate the spirit of our country, our democracy, and the Constitution which has stood the test of time, which has kept us united, and has also helped make India a robust democracy,” the CG said.

“We also celebrate on this day, the India-US partnership,” he added and dwelt on the relationship “becoming stronger, closer, and more dynamic than ever.”

In a true sense, it is the defining partnership of the 21^st Century, he noted, echoing the words of the leaders of the two nations over the years. “… it goes beyond the realm of government-to-government relationship to areas of business, culture, academics, knowledge partnership, space … you name it.”

The Mayor of Edison Township, Sam Joshi was one of the main speakers at the event. He called it “truly humbling” to be present and to interact with the CG’s office. He spoke of how far the Indian community had come, specially in Edison where Indians are the largest concentration of any township in the United States.

“It is something to be especially proud of. We’ve come so far and we’ve made Edison Township, our 32 square miles, the 6^th largest municipality in the state of New Jersey – (where) the Indian community has become successful in nearly every single industry, every single professional community you can possibly think of.” But, he added, “it’s time to give back.”

He praised the earlier generation of Indian immigrants for their culture and values, and emphasized the need to give back by instilling those same values in the 2^nd generation, people like him. “As now a 2^nd generation comes up, we want to make sure they have the same values as you have. That’s why we have so many cultural events. We want to make sure that the mandirs and the temples grow in Edison Township, so that we can be comfortable.”

Governor Kathy Hochul in her prepared video message congratulated everyone on Republic Day. “Each year, on January 26, we celebrate the day the Constitution of India was enshrined into law, setting the country on a path to liberty and prosperity. We honor the sacrifice of those who spoke out against British colonial rule over many years, and who bravely fought for India’s freedom,” the Governor said.

“This is also a moment for us to express our deep gratitude for the immeasurable contributions of the Indian people every day since, throughout the world, and here in the state.” She noted that New York houses more than 400,000 people of Indian descent, “who have made countless contributions to our culture and our economy, and our neighborhoods.”

“So thank you for making New York a beacon of light to other states, just as India, the world’s largest democracy, is a beacon of light to the world,” the Governor concluded.

India’s Deputy Consul General Dr. Varun Jeph spoke to ITV Gold about the evening reception attended by business leaders, leaders of the media, including Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman and CEO of Parikh Worldwide Media/ITV Gold. He called it an “exciting time for us as India embarks on its journey to Amritkal.”

He said India looked forward to a very strong and robust partnership between India and the US, one in which Indian Americans have played a “pivotal” role.

“We seek your continued support,” he said, adding that the Consulate for its part would keep making “people-service” a priority.

Dr. Parikh wished everyone a Happy Republic Day and welcomed Consul General Pradhan to the country.