Amb.Garcetti presides over US National Day celebrations in Chennai

Indian actor Kamal Hassan attended the space-themed celebrations as the guest of honor.

[L-R] Actor Kamal Haasan, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, and U.S. Consul General in Chennai Chris Hodges. / US Embassy in India

United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti presided over the 248th U.S. National Day celebrations in Chennai on July 18. The American National Day, also known as the Fourth of July, commemorates the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The space-themed event, organized by the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai was attended by Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who represented Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, U.S. Consul General in Chennai Chris Hodges and guest of honor actor Kamal Haasan.

Addressing the gathering, Garcetti praised the growing U.S.-India partnership, especially in space exploration and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and commended South India's crucial contribution to these projects, especially the U.S.-India space collaboration on the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission.

The Ambassador also mentioned plans to send an Indian aboard a U.S. rocket to the International Space Station. “Space takes away and adds to who we are. It takes away our narrow identities and connects us across borders and oceans. It’s building a special relationship here in the Indo-Pacific, but it also makes us better than that by becoming one single human family together,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Minister Poyyamozhi said, “As we commemorate the milestone in American history, let us reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship between Tamil Nadu and the United States. Let us continue to embrace the spirit of partnership and cooperation leveraging the resources and expertise of the American Consulate for a prosperous future of our youth and communities.”

The superstar Kamal Haasan praised the space-themed National Day program as a powerful unifier and acknowledged the significant contributions of women in recent space expeditions.

At the event, emerging singer Aaina Padiath performed the U.S. National Anthem, while vocalist Pavithra Chari sang the Indian National Anthem.