Indian ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu underlines Diaspora as an important pillar of India- US relationship
Members of Indian community, Diaspora members, and friends of India celebrated the 73rd Republic Day of India in Washington, DC, with a flag-hoisting ceremony at the India House on Jan 26.
Many more around the country watched Indian ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu unfurl the Indian national flag, through virtual mode in view of the pandemic.
Read: Overflow crowd for India’s 70th Republic Day celebration at Indian Embassy in Washington (January 26, 2019)
It was followed by singing of the National Anthem. The address by the Indian president, Ram Nath Kovind on the eve of Republic Day was played during the ceremony, according to an embassy press release.
Sandhu underlined that the Diaspora was an important pillar of the India-US relationship, through their achievements in diverse sectors and by contributing to India’s development journey.
He noted that three of the distinguished diaspora members, have been conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards by the Government of India.
Madhu Jaffrey got the award for popularizing Indian cuisine; Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai for their leadership in the technology sector.
Sandhu recalled the remarks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the bilateral summit with President Joe Biden in Sept 2021 that we were witnessing a transformative period in the India–US strategic partnership driven by tradition, talent, technology, trade, and trusteeship.
Read: Indians abroad celebrate 73rd R-Day; greetings pour in from global leaders (January 26, 2022)
Highlighting the initiatives of the Indian Government such as Vaccine Maitri (Vaccine Friendship) and in clean energy as announced by Modi in COP26 Summit in Glasgow last year, Sandhu reiterated that India will continue to be the country that cherishes her foundational values and ideals, and works for global good.
A short cultural program involving rendition of patriotic songs by students of Gandharva School of Music, Richmond was also presented during the ceremony.