The tricolour was hoisted at the Indian High Commission premises in Wellington to mark Republic Day on January 26.
Addressing the gathering, High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan said : “This year we are celebrating 75 years (and plus) of our Independence. We have already entered the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, by which we hope to become a developed country by 2047.”
The high commissioner added that India and NZ were engaging at multiple levels, including political, business and education.
She then read out the address to the nation by Indian President Droupadi Murmu, delivered on the eve of this 74th Republic Day.
High Commissioner Bhushan quoted the Indian President as saying that India, though home to one of the oldest living civilisations, was also a young modern Republic that faced challenges, such as poverty and illiteracy, which were the “ill-effects of the long foreign rule.”
“We have succeeded as a democratic republic because so many creeds and so many languages have not divided us, They have only united us. That is the essence of India,” President Murmu’s message said.
The President paid tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar, who headed the Drafting Committee of the Constitution. She also highlighted the role of jurist B N Rau, who had prepared the initial draft, as well as that of “other experts and officers who helped in the making of the Constitution.”
“We are proud of the fact that the members of that assembly represented all regions and communities of India and that they included 15 women too,” the President said in her address to the nation.
President Murmu said India had become the fifth largest economy in the world, despite the global economic uncertainties. She said India’s growth trajectory had continued despite the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. Poor families enjoyed food security despite the outbreak of Covid, thanks to the implementataion of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna scheme announced in March 2020.
The President praised the National Education Policy which prepared “the learner for the 21st century.” She highlighted the Digital India Mission, which successfully bridged the “rural-urban divide”, as well as the Gaganyaan programme which will take Indian astronauts into space.
In that context, President Murmu applauded the Mars Mission which was “powered by a team of extraordinary women.” Women’s empowerment and gender equality were no longer mere slogans, she said.
Public participation in the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign had ensured its success, with women’s representation in every sphere of activity on the rise. There are valuable lessons in protecting the environment to be learnt from Tribal communities, the President noted.
India’s presidency of the Group of 20 nations augured well for the growth of democracy and multilateralism worldwide.
The G-20 was an ideal forum to discuss and find solutions for global challenges such as climate change and global warming, President Murmu observed.
The President closed her address to the nation by saluting “ our jawans who guard our borders and are ready to make any sacrifice for the country.”
The function at the high commission concluded with an assortment of song and dance programmes drawn from various states that depicted the rich cultural diversity of India.
Indian flag hoisted at AIA in Auckland
India’s seventy-fourth Republic Day was celebrated on the morning of 26 January at Auckland Indian Association’s Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland. Though it was a working day, some forty people gathered to hoist the flag and sing the national anthem.
Auckland Indian Association Vice-President Pushpa Lekinwala addressed the guests with a welcome speech and other eminent members of the association as well as guests visiting from India delivered brief speeches.
After the singing of the national anthem, some members sang a few popular patriotic songs and the mornings proceedings concluded with snacks and beverages.
India’s national flag was also hoisted alongside the New Zealand flag on the terrace of the main building of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre.