The celebrations featured the fifth International India Day Parade and Freedom Festival, highlighting Indian culture and the growing India-US partnership…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Boston’s iconic Prudential Center was illuminated in the Indian tricolour for the first time as the Foundation of Indian Americans New England celebrated India’s 80th Independence Day with its fifth International India Day Parade and Freedom Festival.
The celebrations were held at Boston Harbor, with organisers saying the tricolour illumination transformed the city skyline into a symbol of the growing partnership between India and the United States.
The event also received a message from Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. In a letter to FIA New England president Abhishek Singh, Shah congratulated the organisation on the parade and extended his greetings to its officials, volunteers and members of the Indian diaspora.
Shah said the programme celebrated Indian culture, democratic values and the enduring friendship between India and the US. He added that such events helped Indians living abroad remain connected with their cultural heritage.
The minister highlighted India’s cultural legacy, democratic traditions and the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, or the world is one family, saying it carried a message of unity, peace and coexistence.
He said members of the Indian diaspora were strengthening cultural, economic and social ties between India and the US through their work, talent and values. Such events, he added, also provided younger generations with an opportunity to connect with India’s civilisation, culture and national ideals.
Shah said India was developing a new global identity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, drawing on its cultural heritage, democratic values and international cooperation.
He also said the government was strengthening engagement with the Indian diaspora worldwide and promoting cultural links and development partnerships under the vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” and “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”.
The parade was inaugurated by Raghuram S., Consul General of India in Boston. Maggie Lemay of the US Navy and retired Indian Army Colonel Inderpreet Singh served as grand marshals, while community leaders Ram Gupta and Meetu Gupta also led the procession.
The event featured colourful floats showcasing India’s cultural diversity and the shared values of India and the US. An American veterans’ band and a Marathi Dhol-Tasha group added music to the procession.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued proclamations recognising August 15 as India Day. According to FIA New England, it was the fifth consecutive year that the occasion received such recognition.
The procession travelled through India Street, a historic part of Boston associated with the city’s early maritime trade connections with India. Organisers said the route reflected the longstanding links between the two countries through commerce, people and ideas.
The celebrations were held near Boston Harbor, which is closely associated with the Boston Tea Party of 1773, a protest against British taxation that became a defining episode in the movement leading to American independence.
The Prudential Center, one of Boston’s most recognisable skyscrapers, joined a growing list of prominent landmarks around the world illuminated in the Indian colours to mark Independence Day in cities with sizeable Indian diaspora communities.
The celebrations highlighted the role of the Indian-American community in preserving cultural traditions while contributing to stronger social and people-to-people ties between India and the United States.
