‘Miss hoisting the tricolour’
This is my second Independence Day away from home. The University of Texas has an Indian Cultural Council which organises events for Independence and Republic Day. All the Indians in the college come together for a fun evening with some Indian songs, movies and food. Sadly though, we don’t hoist the flag and that makes me miss my school days a lot, when we would get ready in the morning, dress up and go to school to hoist the tricolour. I especially miss India whenever there is a festival. I miss the chaos of the market and how everything is decorated as per the celebration. Here, you can’t make out if its Navratri, Diwali or Holi.
— Damini Singh, student, University of Texas, Arlington
I-Day is very special
Singapore has a huge Indian community, so each year on Independence and Republic Day, one can see a lot of celebrations happening across the city. We all go to a ground where we hoist a flag and distribute sweets. Instead of playing Bollywood patriotic tracks, we sing the tracks we have grown up listening to, such as Saare Jahan Se Accha and Vande Mataram. I have a two-and-a-half year old daughter, Anishka, who is too young to understand the importance of such days, but I plan on telling her everything about our freedom struggle. I wish to take her to India for one Independence Day
— Jyotsna Behura, working professional, Singapore
‘A bitter-sweet occasion’
Being abroad on Independence Day or Gandhi Jayanti is always bittersweet. Especially when the Indian Independence Day comes so soon after the US Independence Day (on July 4) which is celebrated with so much fanfare, fireworks etc. We intend to attend the India Parade which runs through Madison Avenue in NYC on August 19. While you get many “popular contemporary” representations of Indian culture during Indian Independence Day events in the US, as a history aficionado, I miss the simple childhood experience of hoisting the Indian flag in school grounds.
— Aarthi Anand, New York based corporate attorney
‘Never a dull day in India’
Independence Day reminds me of my school days. Inevitably, the day would come during the monsoons, but even heavy rains couldn’t dampen our excitement to hoist the flag. I shifted to the US three years back and while I was studying in the University of Arkansas, we used to organise a little party on every Independence Day and hoist the tricolour. What I miss about India the most is the way our society is. There is no dull day, you are always surrounded by people. Here in the US, people just keep to themselves.
— Chandan Singh Rana, Software Developer, Cargo Sphere, North Carolina, US
