Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ reverberate from Australia to Middle East as Indians celebrate 77th Independence Day

Indians all over the world are celebrating the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday, marking 76 years of freedom from British rule.

Waving the Indian tricolour, thousands of members of the Indian diaspora marched on the streets of major cities of Australia, including capital Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, long before dawn.

The main flag hoisting ceremony took place at the High Commission of India in Canberra where High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra read President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the nation and also administered the ‘Panch Pran’ pledge holding ‘maati/diya’ in hand.

On the occasion, Indian diaspora members from different corners of India shared stories of their growing up years in India and presented beautiful performances in Indian regional languages.

Patriotic fervour also enveloped Melbourne where hundreds of Indians chanted slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is due to visit New Delhi for the G20 Leaders’ Summit next month, also extended Independence Day greetings to India.

“All Australians applaud India’s successes, and the many achievements that define this great country and its people,” said Albanese.

Indian Naval Ships Kolkata, Sahyadri and a P8I Maritime Patrol aircraft are currently participating in Exercise Malabar off the coast of Sydney which brings together six ships, several military aircraft and about 2000 personnel from navies of Quad partners India, Australia, Japan and the USA.

“As I said in Mumbai in March, standing aboard INS Vikrant, it’s a privilege for Australia to host Exercise Malabar for the first time. And, of course, I’m grateful to Prime Minister Modi for passing the baton to Australia. It’s an important demonstration of the strength of the defence relationship between our countries,” Albanese said while hosting participating crews at Kirribilli.

In Perth, an India Day parade was held on Sunday to celebrate the festive spirit of independence and showcase the rich and vibrant culture of India.

In neighbouring Fiji, a large number of Indian diaspora joined the ‘Mitti Ki Khushboo-Mitti Ki Yadein’ session organised by the High Commission of India in Suva, reminiscing on years growing up in India and remembering the ‘veers’ who sacrificed their lives for the country.

In Tokyo, the Indian diaspora and friends of India in Japan, joined the Independence Day celebrations hosted by the Embassy of India in Japan. As part of the celebrations, a photo exhibition by school children and a ‘Hindustani music workshop’ was also organised at Vivekananda Cultural Centre.

In Phnom Penh, the vibrant Indian diaspora in Cambodia joined Ambassador Devyani Khobragade at the Indian embassy to celebrate the day symbolizing unity and solidarity.

Closer home, in a significant gesture, High Commissioner and officers of High Commission of India in Colombo paid homage at the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial on India’s Independence Day.

The memorial is a ‘Shilaphalakam’ (memorial plaque) for the 1200 Indian soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) who who made the supreme sacrifice defending peace and unity of Sri Lanka in the country’s fight against the LTTE.

Meanwhile, in Dubai, the iconic Burj Khalifa dazzled in Indian tricolor at midnight to celebrate the country’s Independence day.