RIYADH/JEDDAH — The 70th Republic Day of India was celebrated with enthusiasm and joy in Indian diplomatic missions and schools around the Kingdom on Saturday. In Riyadh, Ambassador Ahmad Javed hoisted the national flag followed by rendition of the national anthem and patriotic songs by students of the International Indian Public School. Ambassador Javed read out President Ram Nath Kovind's message to the gathering of over 1,500 members of the Indian community, friends of India and officials of the mission. On this occasion, the ambassador also thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and the Saudi government for hosting a large Indian community in the Kingdom and ensuring their comfort and welfare. The girl students of the International Indian School, Riyadh, presented a number of colorful performances, which were highly appreciated by the audience. In Jeddah, a colorful ceremony was held on the premises of the consulate. Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh hoisted the national flag. The flag hoisting was followed by the singing of the national anthem and reading of the president's address to the nation. A large number of Indian nationals attended the function. Indian community members and friends of India were invited to the ceremony. Children from the International Indian School, Jeddah, enchanted the audience with patriotic songs. The consul general then arrived on the IISJ premises to preside over an elaborate Republic Day function. After hoisting the Indian flag and the rendition of the national anthem, Sheikh and his wife released the "dove of peace" before reading out of the president's Republic Day message to the goodly crowd and the children assembled. Reading Kovind's address to the nation, Sheikh began with the president's reiterating of the occasion being an opportunity to commemorate the values of democracy and republic. "This is an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to liberty, fraternity and equality across our society and among all our citizens. And above all, this is an occasion to celebrate India and the spirit of being Indian," he said. The message continued: "Every Republic Day is precious and every day in the life of our Republic is precious. Yet this year is a little extra special. On Oct. 2, we will mark the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who led us — and who inspired oppressed societies in Asia, Africa and elsewhere — to freedom from colonial rule. "Gandhiji remains the moral compass of our republic; his teachings are still the touchstone to measure our policies and initiatives. His 150th anniversary is not for India alone; it is a joy to be shared with the world. "A few weeks after Gandhiji's birthday anniversary, on Nov. 26, we will mark the 70th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution. This enlightened and far-reaching document laid the foundations of our republic. It was the work of men and women of principle and patriotism — the members of the Constituent Assembly. In particular, we recall the role of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who chaired the Drafting Committee. In his honor, and in our Constitution's honor, the nation will celebrate Constitution Day this year in an appropriate manner. "The values that shaped Indian independence and that continue to shape our Republic — the values inculcated in our democracy and our Constitution — are also the values that uphold the supremacy of the people of India.... "Our country is at a key juncture. In some respects this is as critical and formative a period as the late 1940s and early 1950s. Decisions and actions of today will shape the India of the remainder of the 21st century. As such, this is not just a once-in-a-generation moment — it is a once-in-a-century moment... "Connectivity — in the form of ports and inland waterways, upgraded railways and new metro services, national highways and rural roads, cost-effective air services to the interiors of India, and of course the surge in mobile phones and data access — is bringing us together as never before. India has been united and integrated — now it is being networked. "Leapfrogging technologies and leapfrogging enlightenment are empowering our farmers and equipping our soldiers. They are enabling our traditionally deprived fellow citizens and educating our daughters and our sons. They are exciting the entrepreneurial energies and the infectious start-up culture that has made our younger generation and our India the focus of world attention and admiration..." The president's message stressed India's pluralistic and inclusive nature that has made the nation great. "No conception of India's development can be complete without a salute to our spirit of inclusiveness — of access and opportunity for all; of an expansion and an embrace of those whom we consider our own. This country belongs to each of us and to all of us — every group and every community, every region and every identity. It belongs to every citizen and every individual. India's pluralism is its greatest strength and its greatest example to the world. The "Indian model" rests on a tripod of diversity, democracy and development. We cannot choose one above the other; we must have all three and we will have all three." Sheikh took the salute to a super march past display by the Scouts and Guides contingents of the school. The boys and girls marched precisely to the beats of the IISJ band and this was followed by a medley of patriotic songs. The boys and girls of various sections then highlighted the diversity of the nation through a number of folk dances with the Bhangra resonating the north, the Manipuri warrior dance showcasing the east, the agricultural season highlighted by the dance from Kerala, revealing the flavors of the south and the rhythmic Dandiya from Gujarat displaying the effervescent West to be rounded off by the dancers all symmetrically flowing into the shape of the union dotted by a pyramid in the center with the topmost boy waving the tricolor. Tiny tots from the primary girls block enthralled all with their coordinated movements in a drill display. That highlighted the tri-color of Orange, White and Green and the blue chakra, with another set of girls fluttered like butterflies in a series of color to showcase the color and vibrancy of India.
