New York Governor Kathy Hochul. (File)
New York:
Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have inspired others, including Dr. Martin Luther King, about democracy and nonviolence, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday. emphasizes that the values of inclusion, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech and religion bind India and America together.
Addressing members of the Indian-American community at the Queens Museum during an Indian Independence Day event, Ms. Hochul said India and the United States stand by a common understanding of What is it like to reject colonialism?
“This marks 75 years since India liberated itself from the yoke of colonialism and everyone can start on the road towards true democracy,” Ms. Hochul said.
“In the United States, we stand by that common understanding of rejecting colonialism, embracing democracy, and promoting our shared democratic values such as inclusion, pluralism, equality. , freedom of speech and of course, freedom of religion. So these are the values that bind us together – India, the United States of America. It’s shared and we learn from each other.” , she said.
Ms. Hochul added that we also learn from celebrating multiple languages and religions. By 1.2 billion people, but it’s also a declaration of a rising community, a rising world.
“And leaders who have inspired others, like Gandhi and Nehru. Those are the names we learned in our schools, about the meaning of struggle and about accepting peace. of democracy, about nonviolence and those are the words that are still spoken today Dr. King frequently quotes the great leaders of India who inspired him to learn. all about nonviolence,” she said.
The governor added that “this is what we value here today. We honor this, our people, our values, our democracy.” While India’s Republic Day and festivals like Diwali are celebrated every year with statewide fervor, Ms Hochul said she is “very proud” to be the first New York governor to officially celebrate India’s independence day.
Ms. Hochul, who began her remarks with ‘Namaste’ and ended them with ‘Jai Hind’, handed the proclamation to Consul General Randhir Jaiswal declaring that August 15, 2022 will be officially declared as India’s Independence Day.
Ms. Hochul also welcomed the Indian-American community and contribution to the state and fabric of New York, adding that the state is “proud” that nearly 400,000 Indian-Americans call New York home.
“We’re lucky in New York to have so many Indian-Americans represented in all levels of our government. There are so many firsts and communities that have long been underrepresented in our society. , those barriers have been broken, and so they’re doing, she said.
Ms Hochul said Indian doctors, scientists, engineers, businessmen, lawyers, artists, writers, tear restaurateurs, shop owners “create this beautiful fabric” and “really really” make New York great and vibrant.”
Recognizing the contributions of Indian doctors in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, she said “so many Indian-American healthcare professionals, from doctors to frontline nurses, have showed up, they showed courage, they were there when we needed them and they literally saved lives,” she said to applause from the audience.
Mr Jaiswal said that India’s success as a democratic country is an inspiration to all freedom lovers around the world and added that “we are all equally aware of work lies ahead and we look to the future equally feeling more confident and optimistic to meet the aspirations of our people and contribute to global peace and harmony.”
Mr. Jaiswal noted that ‘India at 75’ is a celebration of a vibrant democracy and also a celebration of Indo-American friendship. Bilateral relationships have always been nurtured and embellished by shared democratic information.
He said the pages of history are filled with how India’s freedom fighters and builders of modern India drew inspiration from the American people, American thought and American institutions. .
He noted that Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by the great American philosopher Henry David Thoreau, architect of the Indian Constitution Dr. BR Ambedkar was an alumnus of Columbia University, Swami Vivekananda founded the Vedanta Society in New York to bring Indian universal thought to America, Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Indian Family Rules federation in New York, social reformer Pandita Ramabai crossed the East Coast for months together, and Lala Harddayal founded the Ghadar party in San Francisco.
“These are just a few of the many impactful connections that our liberal movement shares with the United States,” he said, adding that on the other hand, American leaders from Howard Thurman to Martin Luther King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. “The people-to-people relationship is really the foundation of our special relationship and continues to do so even as we mark 75 years of India-China diplomatic relations,” said Mr. Jaiswal. period this year”.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
