British Indians are being encouraged to join the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign this weekend, in the lead up to Indian Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the campaign recently as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Marit Mahotsav – commemorating the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence from colonial rule. As part of the campaign, Indians are invited fly the tricolour in their homes and on their social media platforms to deepen their connect with the national flag.
“Recently, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the call of Har Ghar Tiranga campaign between 13-15 August; I take this opportunity to call upon you to fly the Tiranga and be a part of this campaign,” Sujit Ghosh, the Acting Indian High Commissioner to the UK, said at an Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav event at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Centre in London last week.
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He added: “This journey of 75 years has truly been a remarkable one. Today, India is the fastest growing major economy in the world driven by the mantra of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayas [development for all]. India is home to 1.3 billion people, known for its robust democracy, its diversity, inclusiveness, its credentials as an economic power, together with our strength in science and technology.
“Diversity and inclusiveness are not just concepts for us, these values are there ingrained in our DNA for the last 5,000 years. We don’t study these just for some academic satisfaction, we live it every moment in India.”
The event, hosted by Bhavan Centre Executive Director Dr M.N. Nandakumara and attended by leading Indian diaspora representatives, parliamentarians, businesspersons and philanthropists, is the popular Indian centre’s annual Independence Day celebration in west London.
Councillor Daryl Brown, the Deputy Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, spoke of the west London borough’s historic Indian connect strengthened by the cultural centre.
“More than 3,300 residents in Hammersmith and Fulham belong to the Indian ethnic group and we are delighted to have the Bhavan Centre in our ward. We are also proud of our historic connection to India’s independence and the Bhavan is just a few steps away from where Mahatma Gandhi lived as a law student,” she said.
Other speakers at the event, which included performances by the Bhavan Centre’s students of Indian classical dance and patriotic music, reflected upon the strides and milestones since India’s independence in August 1947.
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Baroness Usha Prashar said: “We celebrate the 75th Independence Day of India – that is three-quarters of a century and quite a landmark. India gained freedom to flourish in its own right and indeed in the last 75 years it has not just flourished but it has thrived.
“India today is progressive, dynamic, confident and an important player on the international stage. It is an exemplar of what a country with democratic values can achieve. India’s success is rooted in its democratic values, its spiritual richness and, above all, its ingenuity and the resilience of its people.”
Amish Tripathi, author and Director of the Nehru Centre in London, noted: “The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is a good occasion to review our journey of where we have come. This year, India’s GDP will cross the GDP of the UK. The last time this was so was 150 years ago. So what we lost in 150 years, we have made up in just these last 30 years… Just the scale of our country means that we will be a superpower.”
*Info: Har Ghar Tiranga
