India’s flag is raised during a ceremony on Aug. 25 at City Hall Plaza to celebrate the country’s independence.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — India celebrated its 80th anniversary of independence on Aug. 15, and in Chicopee, the city hosted a flag-raising ceremony to honor the milestone on Aug. 25.
Mayor John Vieau, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Chicopee, Longmeadow and Agawam city councilors, and members of the Indian community and Indian Association of Greater Springfield gathered at City Hall Plaza to celebrate the occasion.
“India’s independence is a story of courage, perseverance, sacrifice and hope,” Vieau said at the ceremony. “We remember the many people who worked and sacrificed for freedom and the future of the union of India.”
Vieau also talked about the importance of recognizing different cultures in the city and the contributions they have made throughout Chicopee and the region.
“One of the things we do best here in the city of Chicopee is we recognize heritage, we recognize individuals and what they stand for,” Vieau said. “Today’s about Indian Americans, and I think it’s really important that the Indian American community here in Western Mass. and here in Chicopee continue to keep their beliefs, their goals, their heritage active, and that’s what it’s really about.”
Neal highlighted the impact India and its community have had in the country and Massachusetts.
“I think a rhetorical question I might ask is, in this valley, where would we be without Indian doctors? We are so enriched by their arrival and what they’ve done for all of us across America, but particularly here in the Pioneer Valley,” Neal stated. “In a time when across the globe Democracy is receding in so many places, India seems to plow ahead, full forward with those democratic ideals of representative democracy, and I think as we look to allies and friends on the global scene, India has been a fast and loyal friend to the United States.”
Vieau read a proclamation to declare Aug. 25 as India Independence Day in the city of Chicopee and encouraged residents to “join and celebrate the history, the culture, the heritage and the achievements of the people of India and the Indian American community.”
He presented the proclamation to Chicopee business owners Kamy and Raj Sanghvi.
Raj Sanghvi took the time to thank those who attended the event and celebrate India’s Independence Day.
“It’s a lot of Chicopee people who have accepted us like we are family, so this shows that America, whatever is said and done, whatever people say right now, it’s the best place in the world for people who come here, and they’re most welcomed to come here and settle down and make their life and their future for themselves and their kids,” Sanghvi said.
The ceremony ended with the raising of India’s flag while members of the Indian community sang their national anthem. Guests were invited inside the Hub at Market Square for light refreshments.
