Indian community celebrates 75th Republic Day with patriotic fervour

The Indian community in Qatar marked the 75th Republic Day of their country Friday with various programmes. Ambassador Vipul hoisted the national flag, followed by the rendition of the National Anthem by a large gathering at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC).Indian schools also organised separate functions at their premises to mark the occasion and raised the Indian tricolor in the presence of the students, staff and parents.A large crowd was present at ICC where the orgainsers had arranged a short and lovely cultural fiesta. Several office bearers of the apex bodies of the community, prominent community members as well as a number of invitees took part in the programme.Ambassador Vipul, addressing the gathering, read out excerpts from the address of the Indian President, Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day of the country.In her address Marmu said: "The nation is in the early years of Amrit Kaal, the period leading to the centenary of Independence. This is the time of an epochal transformation. We are given a golden opportunity to take the country to new heights. Contribution from every citizen will be crucial to achieve our goals. For this, I will appeal to all my fellow citizens to abide by our fundamental duties enshrined in the constitution.”"Republic Day is an occasion to recall our foundational values and principles. When we contemplate any one of them, we are naturally guided to the rest. Democracy implies diversity of culture, beliefs and practices. Celebrating diversity implies equality, which is upheld by justice. Freedom is what makes it all possible. The totality of these values and principles is what makes us Indian. Guided by the sagacity of Dr B R Ambedkar, the spirit of the constitution, imbued with these foundational values and principles, has led us invariably on the path of social justice to put an end to all kinds of discrimination,” she continued in her address.The envoy congratulated the Indian community for their hard work and dedication and highlighted the community’s role in taking the bilateral relations between India and Qatar forward. "The bilateral relations between Qatar and India are thriving and Qatar is an important partner for India. While India imports LNG from Qatar, India’s export to Qatar is also very important. Indians in Qatar have been able to stand together and support all the noble ventures,” said, Vipul.He also thanked His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Father Amir for their continuous support to India and noted that he could hear very positive remarks in his short stint so far about the community from various leaders of the country."Indian community has been working hard and shown great ability to stand together. Indian students in Qatar are doing very well and they are very important cultural ambassadors of the country. Indian embassy is always a welcoming place for the entire Indian diaspora in Qatar and be assured that it will be your home away from home,” added, the ambassador.The programme included several cultural programmes by children. The ambassador offered floral tributes to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi at the beginning of the function. He also cut a cake with the children and others to celebrate the occasion.