Munawarunnisa Nazneen Saudi Gazette RIYADH/ JEDDAH — The 69th Independence Day of India was celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm at the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate general in Jeddah. Charge d'Affaires Hemant Kotalwar hoisted the national flag at the ceremony in Riyadh, followed by rendition of the national anthem and patriotic songs by the students of the International Indian School, Riyadh. Kotalwar read out the president's message to the nation on the eve of India's 69th Independence Day to a gathering of over 500 members of Indian community, friends of India and mission officials. A flag hoisting ceremony was also held on the premises of the Consulate General of India in Jeddah. Patriotic songs such as ‘Ye Mera India', ‘Mera Desh Mera Mulk', ‘Jahan Dal Dal par Soney ki Chidya Karti Hai Basera', echoed in the premises and awakened the spirits of the people as they stepped into the Indian consulate. There was a patriotic fervor in air. Consul General B.S. Mubarak hoisted the tricolor on the occasion and everyone saluted the flag singing the national anthem. Indian nationals, persons of Indian origin, members of the Saudi community and friends of India attended the ceremony. The unfurling of the flag was followed by Mubarak reading out the president's message. Mubarak extended warm greetings to all the participants. “The birth of modern India was a moment of historic exhilaration; the most precious gift of the constitution was democracy, which reshaped liberty into a living opportunity and our institutions are the infrastructure of this idealism,” Mubarak quoted the president as saying. The president recalled Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's speech that the working of a constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the constitution but on the people and the political parties they will set up. He added that the country's rise would be measured by "the strength of our values; our policies must be geared to meet the zero hunger challenge in a foreseeable future." He said: “Peace, friendship and cooperation bind nations and peoples together. And the Indian policy will remain one of zero tolerance for terrorism.” He paid homage to the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives defending India and saluted the courage and heroism of the security forces. He added that India is a complex country of 1.3 billion people, 122 languages, 1,600 dialects and seven major religions. Its strength lies in its unique capacity to blend apparent contradictions into positive affirmations. In Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's words, it is a country held together by strong but invisible threads. This enlightening message was followed by beautiful patriotic songs, which were sung by the nightingales of International Indian School, Jeddah. The lists of songs paying tribute to the nation included, ‘Hum Us Desh Ke Wasi Hain', ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha' and a special patriotic number in memory of the late former president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, ‘Hum Hongay Kamiyab Ek Din' (We shall overcome one day). The ceremony concluded with the wife of the consul general cutting the cake along with the ladies of the consulate and the children present.
