Indian expatriates in the Kingdom celebrated the 64th Independence Day of their country here on Sunday with traditional gaiety and patriotic fervor. Talmiz Ahmad, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom, hoisted the Indian national flag in the capital and read out a message from President Pratibha Patil. In his address, the ambassador expressed his commitment to further strengthening the multi-faceted Indo-Saudi bilateral relations and rendering best possible services to the Indian Diaspora in the Kingdom as well as redressing their grievances. In Jeddah, Sayeed Ahmed Baba hoisted the national flag at a colorful ceremony in the premises of the Consulate General of India. Children from the International Indian School, Jeddah sang patriotic songs and enchanted the large gathering of Indian nationals. In his message on the occasion, Consul General Baba said India today was an economic power and the world recognizes that the Indian route to economic progress has been a more stable and sustainable one. On the Indo-Saudi ties, the Consul General said since the historical visit of King Abdullah to India in January 2006, both India and Saudi Arabia have been working toward upgrading their bilateral relations in the fields of political, economical as well as people-to-people interactions. The visit of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the Kingdom in February this year has heralded a new era in Saudi-India relations, the consul general said. Meanwhile, John Thomas, Managing Committee chairman of International Indian School Dammam hoisted the national flag in the boys' section of the school. IISD principal in-charge and school registrar Gangesh Tiwari read out President Patil's message to the nation which was followed by national anthem sung by schoolchildren. IISD students sang patriotic songs and took part in a cultural program.
