The 79th Independence Day of India was celebrated with great enthusiasm last Friday (August 15) at India House, the house of the Indian Ambassador to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar, in Waterkloof, Pretoria. A large number of Indian residents from the Laudium area and friends of India, participated in the National Day celebration with a sense of pride and a spirit of patriotism. Also present on behalf of the South African Government, was Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi and members of the diplomatic corps. The National Ceremonial Guard Military Band mesmerized those in attendance, with melodious Indian and South African patriotic songs. Ambassador Kumar extended heartiest greetings to all attending the Independence Day celebration in Pretoria, adding “It is a matter of pride for all of us that Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by every Indian with zeal and enthusiasm. These are the days that especially remind us of being proud Indians.”
South Africans join hands in celebrating 79th Independence Day of India
The 79th Independence Day of India was celebrated with great enthusiasm last Friday (August 15) at India House, the house of the Indian Ambassador to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar, in Waterkloof, Pretoria.
A large number of Indian residents from the Laudium area and friends of India participated in the National Day celebration with pride and spirit of patriotism. Also present on behalf of the South African Government was Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi and members of the diplomatic corps. The National Ceremonial Guard Military Band mesmerized all those in attendance by playing melodious Indian and South African patriotic songs. Ambassador Kumar extended his heartiest greetings to all attending the Independence Day celebration in Pretoria, adding “It is a matter of pride for all of us that Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by every Indian with zeal and enthusiasm. These are the days that especially remind us of our being proud Indians.”
He added, “The 15th of August is a date etched in our collective memory. During the long years of colonial rule, generations of Indians dreamt of the day of independence. Men and women, old and young, from all parts of the country, yearned to throw away the yoke of foreign rule. Their struggle was marked by robust optimism, which has continued to propel our progress since Independence too. As we salute the tricolour tomorrow, we will also be paying homage to the memory of all freedom fighters whose sacrifices won India Independence on the 15th of August, 78 years ago. After regaining our freedom, we also became a democracy with universal adult franchise. In other words, we the people of India put the power to shape our destiny in the hands of each of us, without any restrictions of gender, religion and other factors that had barred many people from voting in other democracies. In spite of many challenges, the people of India made a successful transition to democracy. The transition was a natural reflection of our ancient democratic ethos. India had the oldest republics in the world. It is rightly acknowledged as the mother of democracy. When we adopted the Constitution, it provided the edifice of democracy. We built democratic institutions that strengthened the practice of democracy. We prize our Constitution and our democracy above everything else. As we look back on the past, we must not forget the pain inflicted by the partition of the country. Terrible violence was witnessed, and millions were forced to relocate due to Partition. Today, we pay tributes to the victims of the follies of history.”
