NASHUA, NH – Residents of Indian heritage gathered before Nashua City Hall on Tuesday with Mayor Jim Donchess to commemorate the 78th year of Indian independence with a flag-raising ceremony. The city will fly the flag over city hall for the next week to honor and celebrate the more than 7,000 Nashua residents of Indian heritage.
The event was organized by the India Association on New Hampshire (IANH) and the India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) local civic groups that promote Indian culture
The Mayor and State Representative Latha Mangipudi hoisted the tri-coloured national flag of India over City Hall. The three colors of the flag represent the values of the nation. Saffron for strength and courage, white for peace and truth, and green for fertility in growth. In the center is a blue chakra symbol, the Dharma Chakra, the “Wheel of Law.”
Indian Independence Day is celebrated each year on August 15. India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, ending 200 years of British rule, and became a democratic sovereign nation. On this day Indian citizens remember and honor the freedom fighters from the long struggle to gain that status. 2024 marks the 78th year of independence.
Tanu Phoenix the President of IAG, served as master of ceremonies. She described the significance of the ceremony and the connection to her native India,“Back home in India flag hoisting is a ceremony, it is a festival that is in our hearts.”
Mayor Donchees read a proclamation from the city honoring the event. Phoenix presented Donchess with a shawl, a traditional way to honor a dignitary and friendships.
Manoj Chourasia the Vice President of IANH reflected on the history of Indian independence and the effort to achieve it.
“Folks, freedom doesn’t come free. The struggle for Indian independence was not a day, a week, a year, or a decade of work. It was the work of an entire century,” Chourasia said.
Describing the origin of the new nation and the contemporary experts who did not believe it would last because of the myriad of religions, languages, and cultural identities the nation contained would inevitably end in conflict.
For him that diversity is the strength of India and a major factor in its endurance as a democracy.
“You do not have to speak the same language or have the same religion to be successful as a country. In fact, diversity teaches people to be more tolerant, and teaches them to understand others better which makes the nation successful,” he said.
Not a bad lesson from the world’s largest democracy to be heard in the world’s oldest democracy.
