Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
The iconic Gadar memorial, reverberating with the chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, was on a Sunday drenched in the hues of saffron, white and green as the Indian tricolor was unfurled at the San Francisco City destination. The official Flag hoisting ceremony was held at the iconic Gadar Memorial, San Francisco with participation of the Indian-American community and friends of India joining in the virtual celebrations due to COVID-19. Consul General Ambassador Dr Nagendra Prasad unfurled the flag, which was followed by the playing of the Indian national anthem.
Celebrating the beginning of the Amrit Mahotsav, Dr Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India, SFO, greeted the Indian diaspora congratulating everyone on the special occasion. Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav is a series of events to be organized by the Government of India to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence. During the celebrations the country will not only remember all the important milestones, important times during the freedom movement but also gain new energy for the development of our future. India and the US are two of the world’s leading democracies and our relationship has been
Due to the current pandemic caused by COVID-19, the event was telecast live through the Consulate’s social media platforms. The event was viewed virtually by around thousands all across the West Coast. The cultural program was also conducted in a virtual format. The program included singing of patriotic songs and poetry recitation.
Performers at the event:-
- Padma Shri Ms Aruna Sairam,
- Ms Archana Panda
- Ms Alka Bhatnagar
- Ushanjali School of Dance – Vinaya Prabhu, Ritu Kirsur, Rhea Manjunath, Sindhoori Kalavacharla, Maya Mankude. Choreographed by Ms Naina Shastri
- Dancekarishma- Asmita Jain, Hetal Gandhi, Jaya Sharma, Ruchica Behl, Shalini Panday, Srishti Tewari, Rupsa Das. Choreographed by Ms Jaya Sharma
- Panchavadyam- Anoop Jayasankaran, Madhu Mukundan, Hari Balakrishnan, Sajesh Ramachandran, Harikrishnan Pudusseri, Karthik Nath, Kiran Ashokan, Sujith Viswanath, Suresh Chandra, Rajesh Konanganparambath.
- Savithri Arts Academy- Mariya Jim, Shreeja Ravilisetty, Zita Jim, Anushka Rane, Briel Jim. Featuring Shalini, Tanvi, Jayashree, Alisha, Yenuli. Choreographed by Dr Sinduri
Later in the day, Consul General hosted a special lecture “Rebuilding India” by Prof. Solomon Darwin, Executive director, Center for Growth Markets, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley at Amber, Los Altos. UC Berkeley is working with Niti Aayog and 38 participating firms on three long-term initiatives to move India forward. The first initiative is to establish India as the second manufacturing hub for diversified global supply chains.
The second initiative is to develop digital infrastructure for early education and skill development for job creation. This can be achieved only if we build and strengthen trust among four key stakeholder groups: industry, government, academia, and customers, added Prof. Solomon. His book ‘Resetting the Jewel in the Crown’ lays out a business model for rebuilding India based on open innovation strategies and presents a roadmap for that rebirth and transformation. The event was attended by community leaders and media.
Padma Bhushan Dr. Paul Raj Arogyaswami, inventor of 5G also delivered his remarks on potential for India in semiconductors, IT & Innovation.
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