Houstonians Join the World in Celebrating India’s 77th Independence Day

By Pramod KulKarni

houston: Newly arrived Consul General DC Manjunath led the energetic celebration of India’s 77th Independence Day throughout Houston.

The celebrations began with a flag hoisting at the Consulate on Scotland Street with the attendance of the Consulate staff. CG Manjunath read excerpts from President Doupadi Murmu’s address to the nation. This was followed in quick succession with flag hoistings at the Gujarati Samaj of Houston and India House. In the evening, the Consulate hosted a reception for local political dignitaries and about 250 invited members of the Indo-American community.

Dignitaries attending included representatives of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Sheila Jackson Lee. Congressman Al Green himself attended the flag hoisting at India House. Many of the representatives presented proclamations in honor of India’s Independence Day. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee attended the flag hoisting at GSH.

Both Fort Bend County Judge KP George and University of Houston Chancellor Renu Khator recalled their childhood in India and were appreciative of the education and values they received through their upbringing in India.

Due to a malfunction in the au-

neW delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed people as “my family members”, urging them to declare war on corruption, dynastic politics and appeasement in order to achieve the goal of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.

Addressing the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, the prime minister listed past achievements of the government and laid the roadmap for the future promising to return on August 15 next year to report further progress.

Noting that India was not going to stop in its onward march now, the PM listed “corruption, familybased parties and vote-bank politics as the three evils sapping national capacity and potential.”

“I seek your help to eradicate some evils that have crept into our society in the past 75 years,” said the prime minister listing the need for propriety, transparency and impartiality to make India developed by 2047.

Noting that there was never any dearth of capacity in India, PM said the country could “no longer shut its eyes to these evils”.

“Some aberrations have become such a part of the social system that sometimes we close our eyes to them. This is not the time to close eyes. If we have to counter these evils, we have to look them in the eye and fight the evils,” the PM said.

He said corruption had sapped vitals of all systems and a “war against corruption in all sectors is a must”.

Noting that there was never any dearth of capacity in India, PM said the country could “no longer shut its eyes to these evils”.

“Some aberrations have become such a part of the social system that sometimes we close our eyes to them. This is not the time to close eyes. If we have to counter these evils, we have to look them in the eye and fight the evils,” the PM said.

He said corruption had sapped vitals of all systems and a “war against corruption in all sectors is a must”.

He also spoke of the country be- ing shackled by dynastic politics which “has snatched rights of the people”.

Promising to keep fighting corruption, the PM slammed familybased parties as a “disease”.

After the rendition of Bharat Natyam dances and singing of patriotic songs such as “Vande Mataram”, CG Manjunath addressed the audience of about 150 IndoAmericans and their guests.

“Independence Day is a special occation when we remember our long and hard freedom struggle and remember the sacrifices of those who led India to become a free nation,” explained CG Manjunath. “It is also a day for us to take a stock of the progress we have made as a nation, challenges that we face, and reaffirm our resolve to overcome them collectively.” dio system, there were live renditions of the national anthems of the United States and India. Consul Sandeep Choudhary ably performed “Jana Gana Mana”. HPD Chief Troy Finner was assisted by TV Asia Correspondent Manisha Gandhi in performing the “Star

“India, the largest Democratic nation of 1.4 billion people, stands at the cusp of immense potential and opportunity. India is the fastest growing G20 economy and the largest consumer market globally. with a GDP of $3.7 trillion. By 2030, India will become the third largest economy of the world.”

CG Manjunath also paid a tribute to the contributions of the local Indo-American community to the economy of the United States.

Washington dC: The 77th Independence Day of India was celebrated in Washington D.C. with a flag-hoisting ceremony on 15 August, 2023 at India House. The ceremony was attended by a number of Indians, Diaspora members, students and friends of India.

Ambassador of India H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu paid floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial in Washington D.C. Following this, Ambassador unfurled the tricolor at India House, which was followed by singing of the National Anthem. The Address by the Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji on the eve of India’s 77th Independence Day was played during the ceremony.

In his remarks, Ambassador noted that this year’s celebrations are special, as the commemorations of 75 years of Independence being marked as the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ culminate, and the country continues her march into the Amrit Kaal- the journey into the next quarter century, towards 100 years of independence. This year also marks India’s G20 presidency; guided by ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the country has worked to promote global good and has infused new energy into the international development agenda.

Ambassador emphasized that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Biden, the India–US partnership today is “one of the most consequential relationships” in the world. Prime Minister’s recent State Visit to the United States reaffirmed deep bonds of friendship and provided a new impetus to cooperation between India and the US. The range of initiatives, announced during the visit span all areas of human endeavor and are a testament to the mutual trust between both countries.

Ambassador mentioned that a key pillar of the India-US relationship is the 4.4 million strong Indian Diaspora, including 200,000 Indian students in the United States. Their talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation, contribute to the prosperity of both India and the United States and serve to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

A cultural program involving rendition of patriotic songs depicting India’s diversity was presented on this occasion by young Indian Diaspora from Gandharva School of Music. Winners of the Painting Competition organized by the Embassy on the theme of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ were felicitated during the celebrations. The ‘Meri Maati

Indian