Gulf NRIs celebrate India’s 80th Independence Day
NRIs and Indian missions across the Gulf region celebrated India’s 80th Independence Day with flag hoisting ceremonies, patriotic programmes and community events. The celebrations included Suryapath Tiranga, Vande Mataram, Har Ghar Tiranga and Bharat Ko Janiye initiatives
By Gulf Correspodent
Dubai: The NRI community across the Gulf Region on Saturday celebrated India’s 80th Independence Day with patriotic fervour.
The Indian missions and Indian schools in the region celebrated Independence Day by hoisting the flag as part of the “Suryapath Tiranga” initiative, marking India’s Independence Day with a symbolic relay of the Tricolour across the globe.
The initiative seeks to carry the Indian flag from one sunrise to the next, with Indian missions hoisting the Tricolour in succession as daylight moves from east to west.
For the first time, Vande Mataram was officially rendered in full during the celebrations. Traditionally, only the national anthem Jana Gana Mana was sung.
Prior to Independence Day celebrations, the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign continued, with scores of NRIs uploading selfies with the national flag. The “Bharat Ko Janiye” quiz was drawing an enthusiastic response from the community, and the winners of the quiz were felicitated during the event.
In Dubai, newly appointed Consul General Dr. E. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy hoisted the National flag and read excerpts from the address to the nation by President Droupadi Murmu. He said that community welfare and enhancing commerce were both among his priorities.
He also revealed that the consulate had cleared its pendency of all passport applications. “We witnessed a huge crowd for the first time in recent history to attend Indian Independence Day celebrations at the consulate,” said community activists Mohammed Masiuddin and SV Reddy of Telangana.
A day prior to Independence Day, “Partition Horror Remembrance” was held at the consulate.
In Abu Dhabi, Ambassador Deepak Mittal hoisted the National flag. In Saudi Arabia, the Tricolour was also hoisted by the newly arrived Ambassador Vipul at the embassy in Riyadh amid chanting of Bharat Mata ki Jai by some community members. In Jeddah, Consul General Fahad Khan Suri hoisted the Tricolour flag.
Similar varieties of celebrations were held in other parts of the Gulf region.
