India Day Parade in New York City draws thousands
NEW YORK(TIP): August, named after Augustus Caesar in 8 BC brings every year on the 15thof the month ripples of joy to Indians in India and abroad, as it is the day when in 1947 India became a free and independent country. The struggle for freedom was long ang grim. 15thAugust is a day of fulfillment of a dream for which hundreds of thousands of Indians lost their precious lives.
In India, it is the 1.3 billion Indians who celebrate the day with fervor across the length and breadth of the country. Indians abroad are much more enthusiastic about celebrating independence of India. It is evident from the number of events and the number of people participating in them. Wherever there are a few Indians, there will be festivities on the occasion.
In the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut where one finds a high concentration of Indians, there is a multiplicity of celebrations. In order that most people find it convenient to attend as many events as they possibly can, Independence Day celebrations are planned by various organizations, avoiding conflicts of date. Thus, the celebrations are spread over almost the whole month of August. By the way, so it is with Dussehra, Diwali and Vaisakhi. These festivals are also celebrated all through the month they fall in.
Besides the official Independence Day celebrations at the Consulate General of India in New York and the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, Independence Day celebrations are organized by various organizations in the Tr-State area.
The most popular and the largest event in the Tri-State area is the India Day Parade which is taken out in New York City. It is organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA of NY/NJ/CT). The parade this year was taken out on August 19. Despite of threatened rain, there was a huge turnout. With 40 floats and a 50 marching groups/ bands, and a huge participation of people, the parade indeed was impressive. As usual, there were film stars to lend attraction and grace to the parade. Legendary actors Kamal Hassan and Anupam Kher, great singer Kailash Kher, and the Cineworld heartthrob Shruti Hassan added to the joy of the crowds. Sir Vivian Richards, the legendary cricketer also graced the event, as did the upcoming singer Shibani Kashyap.
The motto of the India Day Parade was “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” (the world is a family). The spirit of this Vedic Sanskrit philosophy was seen throughout the parade. Madison Avenue became fusion of different cultures who chanted “Vandey Maatarm”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jay”, and “Jay Hind” along with folk songs as well as folk dance performances. Street was painted rainbow with different colored outfits from different parts of India.