India celebrates 69 years of independence – plans outlined to strengthen relations with Guyana
Indian High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam (centre) with others who took part in yesterday’s flag hoisting ceremony
Indian High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam (centre) with others who took part in yesterday’s flag hoisting ceremony

 

HAVING won political freedom from the British Empire on August 15, 1947, India yesterday celebrated its 69th year of independence.

In honour of this signal achievement, the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr Venkatachalam Mahalingam, hoisted the Flag of India at the Indian Cultural Centre.

Members who participated in the festivities yesterday
Members who participated in the festivities yesterday

Mr Mahalingam told those gathered at yesterday’s event about some of the ventures that India and Guyana are engaged in.
He noted, “Our relations with Guyana go back to its pre-independence era, and India established relations with Guyana a year before its independence…. Since then, our relations have been growing in all fields, namely political, economic, cultural, educational and consular.”

This year, he disclosed, former president Donald Ramotar visited India and held high-level meetings with India’s Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Governor of Maharashtra.

The visit resulted in enhancing development partnership between Guyana and India. A US$60M line of credit was extended for the project linking the road on the East Coast of Demerara with the road along the East Bank of Demerara.

Guyana, the High Commissioner disclosed, has also been offered a centre of excellence in information technology (IT) in this Region. Assistance was also offered to upgrade Guyana’s sugar industry and its groundnut sector, and to enhance scholarships under the ITEC and Commonwealth schemes.

“We are determined to enhance our relations further with this new Government, which has taken over in May 2015; and [we] will soon offer another US$4M line of credit for Guyana to acquire mobile and fixed pumps,” the Indian High Commissioner said.

High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam sharing a moment with popular Indian businessman Pradeep Samtani at yesterday’s event 
High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam sharing a moment with popular Indian businessman Pradeep Samtani at yesterday’s event

“Finally, I would like to reiterate what I said last year during Independence Day — that we would be very happy to see some individuals coming forward to start an Indian association to help among ourselves in many areas, such as celebrating Indian festivals together, organising cultural functions, helping each other, and so forth,” the High Commissioner said.

Meanwhile, in his Address to the nation, the President of India, His Excellency Mr Pranab Mukherjee, disclosed: “The birth of modern India was a moment of historic exhilaration, but it was also tinged with the blood of unimaginable suffering along the length and breadth of our country.”

President Mukherjee paid homage to the generation of “supreme heroes” who faced the formidable challenge by noting: “The sagacity and maturity of that generation saved our ideals from deviation or degeneration under the pressure of emotion, including rage.”

India’s pride, self-esteem and self-respect, the President asserted, are born from a civilisational wisdom which inspired renaissance that won India’s freedom and was distilled into the principles of its constitution by those extraordinary patriots.

President Mukherjee noted that India being blessed by a constitution that launched its march towards greatness, “The most precious gift of this document was democracy, which reshaped our ancient values into a modern context, and institutionalised multiple freedoms.

“It turned liberty into a living opportunity for the oppressed and impoverished, offered equality to the many millions who suffered from social injustice, and instituted a gender revolution that has made our country an example of progress.”

 

By Navendra Seoraj

(Delano Williams photos)

 

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