Indians across the world enthusiastically celebrated India‘s 77th Independence Day on August 15 by gathering at the diplomatic missions, where they exchanged greetings and sang the national anthem and patriotic songs.
In Beijing, the Indian diaspora and officials of the Indian embassy jointly celebrated Independence Day.
India’s Consul General in Shanghai, N. Nandakumar, hoisted the tricolour at the Consulate General of India in the eastern Chinese metropolis and read out President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the nation.
“77th #IndependenceDay of India was celebrated in Shanghai with patriotic fervour & colourful cultural performances. On the occasion, CG Dr N. Nandakumar unfurled the flag & read out Hon’ble President’s address to the nation,” India in Shanghai posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In Australia, High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra hoisted the tricolour flag, followed by President Murmu’s address.
“On the occasion, Indian diaspora members from different corners of India shared stories of growing up in India and presented beautiful performances in Indian regional languages. HC also administered the #PanchPranPledge holding maati/diya in hand,” the High Commission of India, Canberra, posted on X.
Also, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent his best wishes to communities across Australia that are celebrating India’s 77th Independence Day.
“In 2023, India can reflect on the pride of its success in pursuit of Nehru’s dream. Whether as students, entrepreneurs, professionals, or building families and communities, Australia is grateful for all the experiences and ideas you have shared. We are a richer country because you have made Australia your home,” the message read.
“The warm friendship between Australia and India reflects the deep bonds between our people. My aim is to bring our two nations even closer together in the future. We will do that through the strength of Australian-Indian communities,” it said.
Albanese also said,” On the 76th anniversary of India’s Independence, let us celebrate our shared democratic heritage.” Also, French President Emmanuel took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express France‘s solidarity with New Delhi.
“Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend Narendra Modi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of India’s Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always,” Macron posted on X and also shared some glimpses of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France last month, where he took part in the Bastille Day Parade.
In Singapore, Acting High Commissioner Pooja M. Tillu led more than 1,000 Indian diasporas and communities, along with crew members visiting INS Kulish, in celebrating Independence Day at the chancery.
The INS Kulish band played musicals and band members sang patriotic songs with students from local Indian schools.
INS Kulish arrived here on Monday for exercise with Singapore counterparts and the independence day celebrations.
Foreign Minister of Nepal NP Saud on X conveyed greetings on India’s 77th Independence Day.
“As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I would like to convey warm greetings and felicitations to H.E. @DrSJaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. Wish Happy Independence Day to the people and Government of India!,” Saud said.
In Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and officers of the High Commission of India paid homage to the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial.
“High Commissioner and officers of High Commission of India pay homage at the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial. The memorial is a #Shilaphalakm for the Veers of Indian soldiers of IPKF who made the supreme sacrifice defending peace & unity of Sri Lanka,” the High Commission of India in Colombo posted on X.
The Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest skyscraper, in Dubai lit up with India’s Tricolor to commemorate India’s 77th Independence Day. The official Instagram handle of Burj Khalifa shared a clip showing the skyscraper lit up in the colours of India’s Tricolour — saffron, white and green.
Messages like “Happy 77th Independence Day To Mother India” and “Long Live India and UAE Friendship” were also projected on the skyscraper along with a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Tonight, #BurjKhalifa commemorates the Republic of India on their Independence Day. Wishing the people of India a day filled with celebration and pride as you celebrate the rich history and diverse culture of your nation. May India continue to shine brightly with progress, unity and prosperity. Happy Independence Day!” said the caption of the video.
The Day was celebrated by the High Commission of India in Bangladesh. A large number of Indian community members took part in the celebrations at the Chancery building in Dhaka. High Commissioner, Pranay Verma hoisted the national flag and read out excerpts from the President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the Nation. Reports of Independence Day celebrations have also come from Indian Embassies in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Hundreds of people of Indian origin gathered at the High Commission of India in London to celebrate the 77th Independence Day, with patriotic renditions and chants of “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.
Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami arrived at the event riding a Ducati motorbike alongside a group of riders as a curtain raiser to the MOTO GP Bharat race, to be hosted in India for the first time next month.
The celebrations opened with the unfurling of the Indian national flag and singing the national anthem, followed by the High Commissioner delivering the customary extracts from the speech of President Droupadi Murmu broadcast overnight.
“Essentially, the idea was to give people more of a space to celebrate Independence Day and I believe today we had 400 people come, which is much larger than anticipated,” Doraiswami told PTI.
“It was also nice to have some people to showcase, we wanted to showcase the visually impaired cricket team that’s touring the UK. And then there’s the first formal NCC [National Cadet Corps] tour of the UK. And, of course, India this year will host for the first time the Moto Grand Prix – the Motorcycle Grand Prix – in the Buddh circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. So, we got the organisers to have a small bike entrance also to showcase that,” he said.
Spread out across a large courtyard towards the back of India House at Aldwych in central London, the aim was to make Independence Day even more of a celebration, particularly for young pravasi Indians to recognise that exciting things are happening in India, according to the envoy.
“So that was a ‘Ducati Scrambler’, it’s one of the five fastest bikes on the planet. It’s a terrific bike to ride on, it’s light, it’s got great acceleration. My only regret is that it wasn’t my own because I think my wife would never let me buy one. But as anybody who likes motorcycles knows, the idea of being out in the open, generally the joy of being out in the countryside, the motorcycle is one of the nicest ways to do it,” he shared, with reference to his own entry to the festivities riding a motorbike.
Referencing the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ and ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaigns, Doraiswami noted that the intention behind the initiatives was to connect people of Indian origin to the idea of home.
“It’s (Meri Maati Mera Desh) a powerful theme, particularly for the diaspora. And the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’, young Indians want to be able to showcase who they are as a statement of pride and the flag is a really important part of that. So, it’s intended to celebrate the fact that every Indian has the freedom and the right to feel their sense of identity by flying the flag,” he added.
The High Commissioner felicitated members of the visiting National Blind Cricket Team and was also presented with a special beeping cricket ball by them. The visiting NCC cadets were also felicitated on the dais before the Bharatiya Vrund Gaan choir, led by British Indian musician Rakesh Joshi, performed a series of patriotic renditions.
Independence Day celebrations were held at India’s missions in Canada.
Official celebrations were held in Calgary in the province of Alberta for the first time, with India’s Consul General in Vancouver Manish flying there for the event. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joined the celebrations and addressed a gathering of the Indo-Canadian community. This was the first time official Independence Day celebrations were held in Calgary. Joining the event was Premier (the equivalent of Chief Minister) of Alberta Danielle Smith.In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described India as “a key partner for Canada in the promotion of our shared values of democracy, pluralism, and progress.”
“We are committed to building on this rich history of collaboration, including under India’s presidency of the G20 this year. Looking ahead, as Canada strengthens its presence in the region under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, we will continue to work together to preserve the rules-based international order, promote multilateralism, and grow our economic ties to benefit people in both our countries as well as the region at large,” it said.
Canada’s minister of foreign affairs Mélanie Joly also took to Twitter to send her greetings. She said: “Canada and India’s relationship is based on strong and longstanding ties between our people and our shared interests on the world stage.”
Her cabinet colleague Anita Anand, president of the treasury board said, “As we sing Jana Gana Mana like my mom always did, we recognize and honour the many contributions of Indo-Canadians to our communities.”
The Queenstown chapter of Bhartiya Samaj celebrated Indian Independence Day on Sunday, 13 August, at Lake Hayes Pavilion with the hoisting of the Indian flag and some inspiring performances by community members including a kids fancy dress show.
National MP for Southland Joseph Mooney attended the event, who in his brief speech, remembered the peaceful resistance that Mahatma Gandhi inspired during India’s struggle for freedom and said, “This principle of empowerment of people to make decisions for themselves and to have an involvement in political decisions that affect their lives is really important and something that New Zealand and India share.” Bharatiya Samaj Queenstown Charitable Trust also hosted a vibrant Haryali Teej celebration on Saturday, 12 August. The packed women-only event was a great success, with around 150 community members coming to enjoy the festivities.
World leaders extended their wishes as India celebrated its 77th Independence Day on August with President Emmanuel Macron saying New Delhi can count on France as a trusted friend while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said India can reflect with pride on its success in pursuit of the dream of country’s first elected leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
Macron referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris last month while congratulating Indians on the 77th Independence Day. In a post on X, he said the two set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of India’s Independence. Modi thanked Macron for the wishes. “I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties,” he said in response.
Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth congratulated Modi for taking India even further in its stride towards progress. “Mauritius is proud of our brotherly ties.” He added Independent India has shown the world the unmatched resourcefulness, ingenuity, and resilience of its people.
In a post on X, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said his government and the people of Maldives join him in conveying best wishes to President Droupadi Murmu, Modi, and the Indian people. “May India always be blessed with lasting freedom and prosperity.”