Washington: Scores of diplomats including ambassadors of four of the fivepermanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France andBritain attended one of the largest Republic Day receptions outside Indiaat the UN headquarters, besides events across the US as well.
The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, was the only P-5 country envoynot to attend the impressive Republic Day reception hosted jointly by thePermanent Mission of India to the UN and the Indian consulate in New York.
Haley, who was not in town, sent one of her top diplomats to the event,which was attended by several hundred Indian Americans, officials of the UNand envoys of scores of countries at the UN.
Prominent among those were Miroslav Lajcak, the President of the GeneralAssembly, and Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed.
Maleeha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN,surprised many by her presence at India’s Republic Day celebrations at theUN, which was marked by an impressive dance performance at the UN DelegatesDining Room.
“Though far from India’s shores, the young sing about the ‘land thatnourished and nurtured’ as we celebrate India’s#Republicday2018@IndiaUNNewYork,” Syed Akbaruddin, India’s PermanentRepresentative to the UN, said in a tweet.
“We are grateful this evening that several distinguished officials, as wellas representatives, have joined us. I am grateful to the President of theGeneral Assembly who is here with us, also to the Lt Governor of New York,who is with us and the Deputy Secretary-General, who is with us,” he saidas he was joined by other dignitaries in lighting the lamp.
For many UN observers, it was one of the largest gatherings of ambassadorsat a public event at the UN.
Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna, paid floral tributes tostatues of Mahatma Gandhi outside the Embassy in Washington beforeunfurling the national flag, in the presence of embassy staff and membersof the Indian American community.
Akbaruddin unfurled the national flag at the UN mission in New York, withIndia’s other diplomatic missions in the US – in New York, San Francisco,Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta – also hosting events.Diego Gomez Pickering, the Consul General of Mexico in New York was theguest of honour at the Indian consulate celebrations in the city.
“Honored to participate in the celebrations of the 69th #RepublicDay at@IndiainNewYork along with Consul General Chakravorty and the vibrantIndian community of #NYC. #Mexico and #India partners, friends and allies,”he tweeted.
Illinois Lt Gov Evelyn Sanguinetti joined the Republic Day celebrations inChicago along with Indian Americans.
Officials of the Indian Consulate in Houston posted a special video ontwitter “Jai Hind. Happy Republic Day”. Congressman Pete Olson appeared ina traditional kurta at the Consulate and joined Indian Americans in theRepublic day celebrations in the Indian Consulate in Houston.
“Great to celebrate the 69th India Republic Day at the Consulate General ofIndia this morning!” he said.
“#OTD in 1950, the largest democracy on earth was born when the Indianconstitution was adopted. I look forward to many more years of friendshipbetween our two great countries!” Olson tweeted.
A number of Republic Day celebrations have been scheduled by IndianAmericans across the country over the weekend. The day was also marked inthe South African city of Johannesburg.
“2018 is a wonderful year for us because it commemorates various importantoccasions for India and South Africa,” Consul General K J Srinivasa said.
“It commemorates the 125th anniversary of the incident at Pietermaritzburgwhen Mahatma Gandhiji was evicted from the train that led to hisinvolvement in the struggle against discrimination and which in turn led tothe independence of India and many other nations.
“2018 also marks the centenary of Madiba’s (Nelson Mandela’s) birth, the25th year of resumption of formal diplomatic relations with South Africa,and the 20th year of a strategic relationship between South Africa andIndia,” he said.
India’s High Commissioner Ruchira Kamboj reminded the audience ofexpatriates and South Africans, most of them from the local Indiancommunity, that India was the world’s largest democracy, the world’sfastest-growing major economy, and one of the most liberal economies in theworld for foreign direct investment.
In the Netherlands, a 15th-century royal church ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ in Amsterdam,which is the official venue for the Dutch Royal investiture ceremonies, litup in the Indian tricolour on Friday to mark the 69th Republic Day of India.