The Indo American Press Club (IAPC) celebrated India’s 68th Republic Day as it formally launched its Atlanta chapter on January 28 at the Global Mall.
The event brought together top community leaders of different faiths, and ethnic groups on a single platform as Indians to celebrate the Republic Day.
“We normally have gatherings in our religious or language based groups. But this was on a wider and higher level platform, where we symbolically expressed our unity in diversity as sons and daughters of the great Nation of Bharat,” said Mustafa Ajmeri, social activist who was one of the honorees at the event.
Nagesh Singh, Consul General of India in Atlanta, was the Chief Guest. Charlotte Nash, chair of Commissioners of Gwinnet County, was the Guest of Honor.
After the Presidential address by Dominic Chackonal, IAPC President of Atlanta Chapter, prominent Indian Americans which included Antony Thaliath, Executive Director Gandhi Foundation USA, Narender Reddy, Political Activist and Community leader, and Veena Rao, Editor of NRI Pulse newspaper spoke on the occasion.
Honoring and recognizing prominent Indo Americans in different fields was appreciated by one and all. Life Achievement award was given to Dr. Sujatha Reddy. Humanitarian Award went to Dr. Jay Sampath. Businessman of the year was Satwant Singh, CEO of Doaba Consulting. Entrepreneur Award was bagged by Joy PI, CEO of Joy TV. Award of Honor was given to social activists Mustafa Ajmeri and Sabu Chemmalakuzhy. Media Excellence Award went to Parthiv N Parekh of Khabar Magazine.
Winner of Photography contest was Siby Karikkampally and Essay writing competitionwinner was Joshua Mathew.
A book written by poet Subini Lawrence was released on the occasion. The paintings by the famous artist Vinod Sharma added color to the event.
IAPC is New York based with several chapters in USA and Canada.
he majestic Rajpath saw a scintillating display of India’s military might and resplendent cultural diversity as the country celebrated its 68th Republic Day January26, with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attending the event as guest of honor. Light rain and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who watched the nearly an hour-and-half-long parade along the imposing
Rajpath, India’s ceremonial boulevard. A major highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from UAE comprising personnel from Presidential Guards, the Air Force, the Navy and Army, led by a band comprising 35 musicians from the Gulf country with which India’s defense and security ties are on an upswing.
Al Nahyan, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, was seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wore a pink colored ‘safa’ (turban). The two leaders were seen sharing some light moments.
Alongside the Crown Prince, the ceremonial parade was watched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the country’s top political and military brass, besides the diplomatic community.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
The tableau of Punjab passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
The tableau of Himachal Pradesh passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi.
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Chief Guest of the Republic Day, The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of U.A.E. Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, returning after witnessing the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
Rajpath comes alive with the dare devil stunts of motorbike riders of Corps of Military Police, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade.
A bird’s eye view of Rajpath on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017
The Madras Engineers Group Contingent passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
Three SU-30 MKI fighter planes fly over Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017.
Tank T- 90 (Bhishma) passes through the Rajpath
Akash Army Launcher passes through the Rajpath, on the 68th Republic Day Parade
Transportable Satellite Terminal passes through the Rajpath
TEJAS, NSG MAKE DEBUT
In a first, the ‘black cat’ commandos of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) participated in the parade which drew loud cheers from the spectators.
A number of weapons systems and aircraft including the Tejas light combat jets and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by DRDO were on display, showcasing India’s military prowess.
The Indian Army’s missile firing T-90 ‘Bhishma’ tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Radar ‘Swathi’ and Akash Weapons System, and Dhanush artillery guns were among the main draw in the mechanized columns. President Pranab Mukherjee took the salute of marching contingents.
The splendid driving skills of ‘Dare Devils’–the MOTORCYCLE acrobatics team of Corps of Military Police was a major attraction of the parade. They performed breathtaking man oeuvres like Salute to President, Ladder, Double Bar, Lotus, Christmas Tree, Aircraft, Sudarshan Chakra, Flower Pot, Pyramid and Wheeling on moving motorcycles.
SPECTACULAR SHOW BY AIR FORCE
The ‘Netra’, an Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft also known as “Eye in the Sky” was one of the major attractions.
It was followed by the ‘Globe Formation’ comprising one C-17 Globemaster flanked by two Su-30 MKIs. Next in line were the fighters, with five Jaguars fling in arrowhead formation, while five MiG-29 fighters darted through the sky in fulcrum style.
It was followed by the breathtaking ‘Trishul’ formation comprising three Su-30 MKIs.
The flypast concluded with another Su-30 MKI carrying out a ‘Vertical Charlie’ maneuver over the saluting dais. The ceremony concluded with the national anthem and release of colorful balloons.
The theme of IAF tableau was “Air Dominance Through Network Centric Operations” and it displayed the scaled down models of Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, AWACS, UAV, Apache and Communication Satellite.
The grand finale of the parade was a spectacular flypast by the Indian Air Force which displayed various formations like ‘Chakra’ and ‘Vic’ leaving spectators spell-bound. The ‘Hercules’ formation comprising three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft also drew loud cheers.
CULTURAL HERITAGE ON FULL DISPLAY
Tableaux from 17 states and Union Territories and six central ministries and departments showcased the varied historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the country. Interestingly, Goods and Services Tax (GST) was the theme of the tableau of Central Board of Excise and Customs.
Tableaux from states, Union Territories and Union ministries presented the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the country.
Floats from Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir showcased the country’s progress in different fields.
In the children’s pageant section, about 600 boys and girls drawn from three schools in Delhi and a group of school children from South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, performed colorful dances on varied themes.
The Indian Navy’s tableau showcased the lethal Marine Commandos proceeding for action, the indigenously built Kolkata Class Destroyer and the Kalvari Class next generation attack submarines. It also showcased a model of the P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
NEW YORK (TIP): TV Asia Chairman/CEO and prominent Indian American community leader HR Shah was on Wednesday, January 25 named for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honor in the field of Literature & Education – Journalism. Two other Indian Americans are also named for this year’s Padma Shri award – Ustad Imrat Khan in the field of Art-Music and Anant Agarwal in the field of Literature & Education.
The Padma awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of Padma Awards to 89 persons. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 posthumous awardees.
Mr HR Shah is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which is bestowed only on those who display significant contributions to their own communities and to the US at large. He has received more than a hundred awards and citations from across the globe in serving ethnic American communities in different fields. He is a founding member of GOPIO as well as Past President and Trustee of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Ellis Island-National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO). As the Chairman and Trustee of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (USA), the world famous institute of Indian culture, education, music and the arts, he has worked for the upliftment in lifestyle of Indians via education. With TV Asia, Mr Shah is the first NRI to run a 24/7 TV station in North America. He is also the first NRI to own a chain store business anywhere in the world – Krauszer’s Food Stores.
Shah said “I am deeply humbled, honored and overjoyed that the Republic of India has decided to confer on me the Padma Shri”. He said he would “rededicate” himself to help India and US further strengthen their ties.
“I look forward to receiving the Padma Shri in New Delhi later this year and rededicate myself to helping India and the United States further their close relations, as well as to promote India’s rich culture and heritage,” Shah said, January 25 after he was announced as a recipient of India’s prestigious civilian honor.
Ustad Imrat Khan, younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, has established his reputation not only by an absolute mastery of two different instruments, the sitar and the surbahar, but also by the consistent purity and integrity with which he presents every aspect of the great Indian classical genres, spanning the whole spectrum of feeling and expression. He is the senior performer of the Imdadkhani gharana, the school of sitar and surbahar performance named after his grandfather Imdad Khan. He spends a portion of each year teaching classical Indian music and instructing sitar students at Washington University in Saint Louis. In 1988 Imrat Khan received a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the president of India.
Anant Agarwal is currently the president of eDX.com in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. In 2012, he was named by Forbes magazine among the 15 “classroom revolutionaries” who are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally. Agarwal did his early education in city’s St Aloysius College right from std 1 to second PUC (1977). He then moved to IIT-Madras where he did his BTech, and followed it up with MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University, USA. At MIT, he led the development of Alewife, an early cache coherent multiprocessor, and founded Tilera, a fabless semiconductor company focusing on scalable multicore embedded processor design.
Here is thecomplete list of 2017 Padma award winners. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 Posthumous awardees.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN / Awardee Field of Prominence
Sharad Pawar / Public Affairs
Murli Manohar Joshi / Public Affairs
P.A. Sangma (posthumous) / Public Affairs
Sunder Lal Patwah (posthumous) / Public Affairs
K.J. Yesudas / Art – Music
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev / Others – Spiritualism
Udipi Ramachandra Rao / Science & Engineering
PADMA BHUSHAN / Awardee Field of Prominence
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt / Art – Music
Devi Prasad Dwivedi / Literature & Education
Tehemton Udwadia / Medicine
Ratna Sundar Maharaj / Others-Spiritualism
Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati / Others-Yoga
H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (Foreigner) / Literature & Education
Cho Ramaswamy (Posthumous) / Literature & Education –Journalism
PADMA SHRI / Awardee Field of Prominence
Basanti Bisht / Art-Music
Chemanchery Kunhiraman Nair / Art-Dance
Aruna Mohanty / Art-Dance
Bharathi Vishnuvardhan / Art-Cinema
Sadhu Meher / Art-Cinema
T K Murthy / Art-Music
Laishram Birendrakumar Singh / Art-Music
Krishna Ram Chaudhary / Art-Music
Baoa Devi / Art-Painting
Tilak Gitai / Art-Painting
Aekka Yadagiri Rao / Art-Sculpture
Jitendra Haripal / Art-Music
Kailash Kher / Art-Music
Parassala B Ponnammal / Art-Music
Sukri Bommagowda / Art-Music
Mukund Nayak / Art-Music
PurushottamUpadhyay / Art-Music
AnuradhaPaudwal / Art-Music
WareppaNaba Nil / Art-Theatre
Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary / Civil Service
T.K. Viswanathan / Civil Service
Kanwal Sibal / Civil Service
Birkha Bahadur Limboo Muringla / Literature & Education
Eli Ahmed / Literature & Education
Narendra Kohli / Literature & Education
G. Venkatasubbiah / Literature & Education
AkkithamAchyuthan Namboothiri / Literature & Education
Kashi Nath Pandita / Literature & Education
Chamu Krishna Shastry / Literature & Education
Harihar KripaluTripathi / Literature & Education
Michel Danino / Literature & Education
Punam Suri / Literature & Education
VG Patel / Literature & Education
V Koteswaramma / Literature & Education
Balbir Dutt / Literature & Education – Journalism
BhawanaSomaaya Literature & Education-Journalism
Vishnu Pandya Literature & Education-Journalism
Subroto Das Medicine
Bhakti Yadav Medicine
Mohammed Abdul Waheed Medicine
Madan MadhavGodbole Medicine
DevendraDayabhai Patel Medicine
Harkishan Singh Medicine
MukutMinz Medicine
Arun Kumar Sharma Others-Archaeology
Sanjeev Kapoor Others-Culinary
MeenakshiAmma Others-Martial Art
GenabhaiDargabhai Patel Others-Agriculture
ChandrakantPithawa Science & Engineering
Ajoy Kumar Ray Science & Engineering
ChintakindiMallesham Science & Engineering
Jitendra Nath Goswami Science & Engineering
DaripalliRamaiah Social Work
Girish Bhardwaj Social Work
KarimulHak Social Work
BipinGanatra Social Work
Nivedita Raghunath Bhide Social work
AppasahebDharmadhikari Social Work
Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal Social Work
ViratKohli Sports-Cricket
Shekar Naik Sports-Cricket
Vikasa Gowda Discus Throw
Deepa Malik Sports-Athletics
MariyappanThangavelu Sports-Athletics
DipaKarmakar Sports-Gymnastics
P. R. Shreejesh Sports-Hockey
Sakshi Malik Sports-Wrestling
Mohan Reddy Venkatrama Bodanapu Trade & Industry
Imrat Khan (NRI/PIO) Art-Music
Anant Agarwal (NRI/PIO) Literature & Education
H.R. Shah (NRI/PIO) Literature & Education-Journalism
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The Consulate General of India, New York celebrated India’s 68th Republic day with enthusiasm and patriotic fervor, January 26. The celebrations began in the morning at the Consulate. Consul general of India in New York, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das hoisted the Tri-color. After singing the national anthem, Consul General read out selected parts from President of India’s address to the Nation.
Speaking to The Indian Panorama, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das said, “I would like to wish the Indian American community a very happy Republic day. This is our 68th Republic day. I just read out the President’s message addressed to both Indians in the country and Indians abroad. It’s a very inspirational message. While we have achieved much, still we have a lot to do. And we count on the support of Indian American community as we move forward for progress and prosperity of our wonderful democracy, our wonderful nation.”
In the afternoon, Ambassador rang the closing bell at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). She was accompanied by Deputy Consul General Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra and other dignitaries. John Tuttle, Global Head of Listings at NYSE welcomed them.
Consul General reading out selected parts from President of India’s address to the Nation
Consul General rang the closing bell at New York Stock Exchange
A view of the gathering
Consul General with Padma Shri HR Shah (to her left). Also seen is Padma Shri Dr. Parikh, among others
In the evening, there was a huge gathering at the consulate where about 150 people were present from the tri-state area.
Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations told The Indian Panorama, “The Republic day comes at the beginning of the year and at a time when there is change in the air at the United Nations. Now we have a new secretary general and a new president. So, we expect change in the UN as well as in US. In these changing circumstances our goal is to protect and promote India’s national interest. Therefore, we seek the support of Indian community because India’s interest is not only promoted by diplomats but promoted by everyone who is Indian. So, we seek the support of Indian community to protect and promote India’s interest.”
At the reception, the CG gave a welcome address and highlighted the significant achievements India has made in the last few decades.
NEW DELHI (TIP): President of Republic of India, in his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day,on Wednesday, January 25, spoke about the need for simultaneous elections to Parliament and assemblies, saying that it is the Election Commission who has to move forward in consultation with political parties.
The President also brought up the issue of demonetization in his speech and said that currency ban may have led to “temporary” slowdown in economy but it will bring more transparency in the system.
The official celebration of Republic Day spans over four days. It is marked by illumination of Raisina Hill area, address by the President, parade past the India Gate and the Beating Retreat ceremony.
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyanwould is the chief guest for the parade.
Highlights of President’s address to the Nation.
President Pranab Mukherjee extends his greetings to all forces and pays his tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
We waited till January 26, 1950 — when the Indian people got their constitution… On that day, we became the biggest democracy of the world,” the President says.
Indian democracy has been a scene of oasis in a region troubled by unrest, says Pranab Mukherjee.
President Mukherjee lists out the strides made by India in the fields of economy, development, education since its Independence.
Our economy has been performing well despite global challenges…. we are showing sustained recovery, says Mukherjee, who was also the former finance minister of India.
Demonetization may have led to temporary slowdown of economic activity, but it will improve the transparency of economy:?Mukherjee talks on the contentious issue of currency recall. The Narendra Modi-led government had demonetized old Rs 500/1000 notes in an announcement on November 8 last year. The Opposition, including Congress party, have maintained vigilant attack against the Modi government, saying that note ban has hurt the poor.
Ahead of Assembly elections 2017 in which five states go to polls this year, the President says “time is ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms”.
As our Republic enters her sixty-eighth year, we must acknowledge that our systems are not perfect #President Mukherjee – President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) January 25, 2017
Mukherjee enumerates the benefits of Clean India initiative, MGNREGA, Digital India, Start-up India, National Skill Development mission.
Hailing the plurality of India, Mukherjee says ideas, tolerance and respect for others are values inherent to India. We are the “argumentative India”, not the “intolerant Indian”.
“Our tradition has always celebrated the ‘argumentative’ Indian; not the ‘intolerant’ Indian… Multiple views, thoughts and philosophies have competed with each other peacefully for centuries in our country.”
“We are a noisy democracy, yet we need more, not less.”
We have to work harder because our pluralistic culture and tolerance are still being put to test by vested interests #PresidentMukherjee President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) January 25, 2017
Referring to the recent Budget session that ended on December 16, Mukherjee slams parliamentary disruptions and says that legislators lost time arguing.
In his speech, the President talks about the issues facing India, including ensuring the well-being of security personnel, women’s safety, ecological degradation and food security.
“Our motherland asks each of us in whatever role we play to do our duty; with integrity, commitment & unflinching loyalty,” the President says, ending the speech swiftly.
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