The 73rd Republic Day of India was celebrated in Washington D.C. with a flag-hoisting ceremony on 26 January, 2022 at the India House. The ceremony was attended by a number of Indians, Diaspora members, and friends of India including through virtual mode in view of the pandemic.

 

Ambassador of India, H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, unfurled the tricolor, which was followed by singing of the National Anthem. The Address by the Hon'ble President of India on the eve of Republic Day was played during the ceremony.

 

Highlighting the initiatives of the Indian Government such as Vaccine Maitri (Vaccine Friendship) and in clean energy as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in COP26 Summit in Glasgow last year, Ambassador reiterated that India will continue to be the country that cherishes her foundational values and ideals, and works for global good. He recalled the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Bilateral Summit with President Joe Biden in September 2021 that we were witnessing a transformative period in the India – US strategic partnership driven by tradition, talent, technology, trade, and trusteeship. Ambassador 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 for popularizing Indian cuisine; Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai for their leadership in the technology sector.

 

A short cultural program involving rendition of patriotic songs by students of Gandharva School of Music, Richmond was presented during the ceremony.

 

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Washington, DC

January 26, 2022