NEW YORK: The world’s largest ‘India Day Parade’ outside India kicked off on Sunday afternoon in New York City, with the celebration witnessing huge floats and marching groups comprising members of the Indian-American community.
Supporting the spectacle were several members of the diaspora including spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Jacqueline Fernandez an New York City Mayor Eric Adam.
The parade began at 12 pm (local time) at 38th Street and Madison Avenue in New York. It was organized by the Federation of India Association in New York as part of the 41st World Largest India Day Parade.
With many holding the Indian tricolour and dressed in celebratory attire, and performers dancing and playing drums, the parade served as a vibrant convergence of cultures, patriotism, and shared values that unite India and America.
Actor Jacqueline Fernandez, during the parade, was seen waving the Indian tricolour.
Randhir Jaiswal, the Consul General of India in New York, also joined the parade. He said that India and the United States have shared democratic values and that the message of India is that they want to be a “force for global good.”
This year’s tagline is “Mission Life”, the same name as a mass movement launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Mission life is lifestyle about the environment. We want to tell the world that we must change our behavioural habits. We must change the way we live if we care about the planet,” Jaiswal said.
He further added that the global community is celebrating the year of millets which are considered superfoods that can also help the planet because they can be grown with less water than other foods.
Regarding Mission Life, PM Modi highlighted that climate change goes beyond only government responsibility and needs contributions from individual, families and communities. The Prime Minister underlined that Mission LiFE makes the fight against climate change democratic, in which everyone can contribute with their respective capacities.
Samantha, who will next be seen in the movie ‘Kushi’ with Vijay Deverakonda, called it an honour to witness such a rich representation of Indian culture and heritage.
“It is truly an honour for me to be here today…you have made me realise how rich my culture and heritage is and what I have seen today will last me for a lifetime. Thank you for all the support through the years. Thank you USA for supporting every film of mine,” Samantha said.
Many Indian celebrities have been invited to the parade in the past; including Arjun Rampal, Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunny Deol, Allu Arjun, and Raveena Tandon. (ANI)