New Zealand's Indian community celebrated the South Asian nation's 76th Republic Day on Sunday.
Notable celebrations were held at the Indian High Commission in the capital and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland's Mt Eden neighbourhood, which houses the Indian Consulate.
The Indian national flag was also hoisted at Bharat Bhavan in Wellington's Kilbirnie neighbourhood by the Wellington Indian Association.
India celebrates Republic Day on 26 January each year, as it was on this day in 1950 the country became a republic and adopted its constitution.
This followed India's independence from British rule on 15 August 1947.
Apart from celebrations around the country, a grand parade is organised every year in New Delhi to mark the occasion, as well as showcase India's military might and progress over the decades.
It's also a chance to celebrate India's diversity.
The South Asian giant is divided into 28 states and eight union territories, each having a unique demography, history, culture, cuisine, dress, festivals and languages.
The country has more than 121 "major languages", as well as all the major religions of the world.
Republic Day celebrations at the Indian High Commission in Wellington. Photo: Facebook / India in New Zealand (High Commission of India, Wellington)
India's diversity was on display in celebrations in New Zealand, with organisations representing more than 15 states performing cultural items with patriotic vigour.
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan, who also hosted a reception on Monday, highlighted the deepening ties between India and New Zealand in a message she shared with the community.
"I am very proud of the Indian community in New Zealand, especially the way the community has retained their Indian ethos and culture, and promotes it here," she said.
"On India's 76th Republic Day, I convey my greetings to the Indian diaspora and all friends of India in New Zealand, as well as thank them for their role in strengthening the relationship between our two countries."
Dr Madan Mohan Sethi, consul general of India in Auckland, who has been operating from the Mahatma Gandhi Centre over the past few months, said his office would be fully functional in about two weeks' time.
"This is the first large-scale event the consulate has organised since we commenced operations in September," Sethi said. "I am very happy to see the Indian diaspora in Auckland and beyond attend in such large numbers."
Siblings Sunil Kumar and Ved Rana, who immigrated to New Zealand from the Indian state of Haryana, attend Republic Day festivities every year. Photo: RNZ / Gaurav Sharma
Siblings Sunil Kumar and Ved Rana, who come from the Indian state of Haryana, shared the pride they felt attending these festivities each year.
"Our father was a captain in the Indian Army, so we grew up with a sense of pride in our Indian identify, which has continued even after we immigrated to New Zealand," Kumar said. "We want our next generation to share the same feeling, which is why we attend all the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations with our children."
"[The next generation] should know about India's struggle for independence and how it became a republic," Rana said. "Only then will they appreciate what the tricolour [Indian flag] represents."
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