Houston Joins the World in Celebration of India’s 75th I-Day: Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
Hundreds of flag-waving Indo-Americans gathered at India House on Monday, August 15. Along with the Indian flag, dignitaries hoisted flags of the United States, Texas and India House itself.
HOUSTON: For more than two years, we’ve been anticipating the culmination of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The day finally came on Monday, August 15. Houstonians joined with enthusiasm a global audience in celebration of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, despite the sweltering August heat.
The morning of August 15 began with flag hoisting at the Indian Consulate on Scotland Street.
Overnight, the celebration had already begun in the Eastern hemisphere. In Sydney, the opera house was lit up in the Indian tricolors before dawn. In the morning, the celebrations in India were focused on the capitol New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the Indian flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Celebrating together the 75th Independence Day brought great joy to Telfair Indian Senior Group of Sugar Land. Sense of happiness and pride could be clearly seen on the faces of all the people (over 100 gathered in Neighbor bridge).
In his 9th Independence Day speech, PM Modi offered tributes to a galaxy of freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, and Jawaharlal Nehru among others.
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s resilience despite success and failures. In this decade of technology, PM said India has proved its mettle in the world and new opportunities are coming up for our youngsters. To realise the Amrit Kaal, we have to ensure the optimum utilisation of our human resources, he stressed.
In Houston flag hoistings took place at the Indian consulate on Scotland Street, Gujarati Samaj of Houston, and India House.
In the evening, Consul General Aseem Mahajan hosted dignitaries in the Indian community as well as local political leaders such as Fort Bend County Judge KP George and Judge Juli Mathew. Officials were on stage representing Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Congressman Al Green. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee made a personal appearance and presented a Congressional proclamation to the CG.
CG Mahajan spoke about the strong bilateral relations between India, the largest democracy, and the United States, the oldest democracy. Both Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Congresswoman Lee recalled their trips to India.
Jugal Malani, Raj Malani, Bimala Jain and Swatantra Jain. Even the bangles match the tricolor. Photo: Vijay Pallod.