New York Diary

 

 

 

India @80 – A Massive Celebration of Independence

 

It was a pilgrimage of sorts, a journey of the heart.  They came by car and by train, by bus and ferry from the tri-state area. New Delhi is very far from New York, but hundreds of Indian-Americans turned up at 8 am on August 15 to salute the tricolor they had grown up with and loved since they were children.

August 15 was always a joyful day in India, no matter which corner of the country you were in. You watched the magnificent parade in person or on television or on your cell phone, listened teary eyed to the powerful patriotic songs and celebrated with family and compatriots. It was those nostalgic memories which were drawing the crowds to the Indian Consulate, in spite of the tie-ups in Manhattan traffic and street closures.

The Indian Consulate, the beautiful  beaux arts mansion known as New India House, embedded between Madison and Fifth Avenue, was decorated in the festive colors of saffron, green and white, and many of the guests had chosen the colors of the tri-color in their dress. There were speeches and celebrations, music, dance and food to mark India’s 80th Independence Day across India and its Diaspora. After Consul General Binaya Pradhan’s  remarks and the cultural program, many guests lingered to take a selfie with the VIP in the room – the tri-color flag flying high. In fact, there was quite a line waiting to get a photo with the flag and their families. I watched them, people of the older generation as well as children, all with happiness and pride on their faces as. standing in New York, they were in spirit in  Old Delhi at the historic Red Fort.

 

 

I spoke to a mother and daughter, both in New York since three years, but still missing the homeland and delighting in this touch of home provided by the consulate, their home away from home.

 Later all the guests – Indians, Indian-Americans, green card holders and many Indian students along with American neighbors – all shared a hearty Indian breakfast composed of favorite dishes from many states – chole poori, samosas, dhokla, spring rolls, dahi bhallas, idli and even biryani. Indian cuisine is enriched by the foods of various regions, just as the many dialects and languages of India fill the air with their astonishing variety and sweetness. Yet we are all Indians, and instead of a cacophony there is a feeling of unity, especially when we are abroad.

 

 

 

 

 

August 15 is a heady day for Indian organizations and individuals as India’s Independence Day is celebrated in several US states. In New York  iconic landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, Niagara Falls and Bloomberg’s New York headquarters, were illuminated in the colors of the Indian Tricolor.

There was a big celebration in Times Square too, and on Sunday there was the grand parade to look forward to, with thousands of participants thronging the streets of Manhattan. Indians and Indian-Americans like to go all the way, so of course they had to set a Guinness World Record.

The Consulate General of India, New York joined hands with the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) @federationofindianassociations , with the support of @zoho_usa , as the Indian-American community made history in New Jersey by setting the Guinness World Record for the “Largest Flagpole Number” in a Special Celebration of India@80 & America@250!