India and Indians have been celebrating the diamond jubilee of India’s independence from the British. Of course, all of India was decked with Indian flags as households, businesses, and street hawkers displayed the tiranga with great pride. But it was prawas bharatiya who were quite organized in their display of patriotism.
In the US, where most of the Indian diaspora live, various communities got together to celebrate the historic milestone. Dressed in the colors of our Indian flag and flaunting their tirangas, they marched on the streets and shouted slogans of aazadi.
The celebrations were particularly jubilant in New York, New Jersey, and Times Square. The speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly spoke of the journey of the Indian community and their strong contribution to businesses out there.
There was also a lot of activity on social media, where people posted hordes of pictures with the Indian flag and wearing the colors of our flag. The 18th India Day Parade was also celebrated in Edison.
But one thing that stood out during the parades was the usage of bulldozers with posters of Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath. In fact, one banner read, “Baba ka bulldozer.”
Many on social media criticized that it was a paid PR by the BJP supporters in the US to create a perception among the Indian NRIs. Also, the bulldozer idea promotes violence and injustice against a particular religion.
