Boston comes alive in India colors

Governor Maura Healey proclaimed August 15th to be India Day in Massachusetts during the event.

India Day parade bustling through Boston's India Street. / FIA-NE

Indian cultural richness and patriotic fervour came alive in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, during the third International India Day Parade organized by the Foundation of Indian-Americans (FIA) New England on Aug.10.

Glimpses of the International India Day Parade / FIA NE

The event commemorated India’s 78th Independence Day with a colorful display of tradition and unity. Former Miss World Diana Hayden, political leader Geoff Diehl, Consul General of India in New York Binaya S. Pradhan, Arjun Awardee and former Indian Cricket Team for Blinds Captain Ajay Reddy, and Hollywood actress Neetu Chandra took part in the event along with participants from 32 countries.

Governor's proclamation. / FIA-NE

In a dual celebration of independence and education, the event honored veterans, law enforcement officers, and senior citizens in collaboration with the Kota Foundation while scholarships were awarded to outstanding students by the Sudhir Parikh Foundation. Supporting small businesses was a prominent theme of this year's event as it provided a platform for over 40 small enterprises to display their products, fostering local and global economic engagement.

Dignitaries honored veterans and law enforcement officers during the event. / FIA NE

Abhishek Singh, president of FIA, in his speech emphasized, “Freedom is a right for all, not a privilege for the few. We honor the sacrifices of freedom fighters from both India and the USA and strive to empower our small businesses, the backbone of our communities.” His words were met with enthusiastic applause.

A flag hoisting and cultural program by various talented groups including Northeastern and Sankalp at Boston Harbor followed the parade.

Flag Hoisting ceremony. / FIA NE

FIA-New England’s board of directors and executives, including Jyoti Singh, Deepak Rathore, Amol Penshanwar, Anupama Debroy, Manisha Kumar, and Priyanka Wadhwa organized the programme .

Global participation in the parade. / FIA NE

Booth management was handled by Shova Sharma, Archana, and Girish Soni while the Volunteer Committee was led by Jay Natarajan, Naveen Setty, Vishant Mahajan,Vijay Agarwal, Abhinav Yadav, Sapna Gupta and Sarvesh Sahasrabudhe Rider, coordinated with over 100 volunteers.

At the event's conclusion, FIA-New England executive vice president Sanjay Gokhale, along with Nikhil Wadhwa and Anand Sharma, expressed gratitude to all partners, guests, celebrities, and vendors who assisted in organizing the event.