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In a first, Indian tricolour hoisted atop Seattle's iconic Space Needle
Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta along with Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell and other select dignitaries from the Seattle city leadership, joined the historic and landmark occasion.
"No greater honour than this ! Raising the Tiranga on top of Seattle skyline at Space Needle," Gupta said in a post on X, along with a video of the tricolour flying high atop the iconic Seattle monument with sprawling views of the city below.
Calling the commemoration a "historic first in Seattle", the Consulate General of India in Seattle said the celebration underscored the contributions of the Indian-American diaspora in shaping the city's journey as a tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest.
Later, a community reception was hosted by the Consulate at the scenic Kerry Park, with India's flag on top of the Space Needle in the backdrop.
A large number of Indian-American community members turned up to witness the historic sight, the Consulate said in a press release.
The reception was attended by several dignitaries including US Congressman Adam Smith, Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court Debra Stephens, Seattle Port Commissioner Sam Cho and Superintendent/Director of Seattle Parks and Recreation AP Diaz.
Addressing the gathering, Smith welcomed the historic celebration, noting that the Indian tricolour's hoisting atop the Space Needle is a tribute to the region's diversity and the strong bonds between India and the Pacific Northwest.
In a special gesture to honour India's Independence Day in the Greater Seattle area, King County, which covers 39 cities, along with Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Bellevue, issued official proclamations marking August 15 as India Day.
Separately, several iconic buildings across Seattle were also lit up in the Indian tricolours. These included the Lumen Stadium, T-Mobile Stadium, Westin, Seattle Great Wheel and Space Needle.
The Indian flag was also hoisted at the prestigious Tacoma Dome, Tacoma City Hall and at the Headquarters of Tacoma Police and Fire Departments, the Consulate said.
A vibrant cultural extravaganza featuring national anthems, along with dance performances showcasing the rich diversity of Indian art forms as well as a poetic recital by renowned artist and actor Piyush Mishra also enthralled those attending the special celebrations.
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Tavleen Singh writes: August 15 musings
My deadline for this week's column fell on Independence Day. I woke early to catch every moment of the Prime Minister's speech because I believe it is the most important speech that prime ministers give. As I watched Narendra Modi mount those famous ramparts in a saffron turban, I remembered other prime ministers, other speeches. In days when security was not a problem I would toddle along to the Red Fort and sit in the humidity and heat among an audience of ordinary people who all felt the need on this day to invoke feelings of patriotism and pride. A truly memorable Red Fort moment was to listen to Indira Gandhi on August 15, 1975. This was barely six weeks after she had declared the Emergency, jailed Opposition leaders and made journalists like me redundant because of press censorship. I remember noticing that she had a nervous twitch on one side of her face and she looked scared. Probably because she must have just been given the news that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family had been massacred that day. The Bangladesh story was beginning to unravel in an ugly and violent way. To return to the present, may I say that I thought Narendra Modi began his speech in a prime ministerial way by painting a picture of India's future that was optimistic and hopeful. I liked very much to hear that there would be major economic and governance reforms coming and that by the end of this year we will see the first Indian-made chip on the market. But the speech was too long to be outstanding. He lost me when he switched to sarpanch mode, and meandered on about obesity and fitness. One big reason for Modi having become prime minister were his speeches. In 2013, during the Rajasthan election campaign, I remember wandering through remote villages in which people said they would vote for Modi next year. When I asked how they had heard of the Chief Minister of Gujarat, they said that they had heard his speeches on the radio and liked what he said. This was in that time when he was pitted against Dr Manmohan Singh, whose manner of speaking was usually too mild to be inspiring. In any case, he was, by then, acting as regent for Rahul Gandhi, who had just told the world that India was not a country but a beehive. Modi used this baffling comment to great effect in the general election in 2014. Twelve years on, the Prime Minister needs to find a speech writer who understands the word precis. Not even the world's greatest orators can hold an audience's interest for more than 45 minutes. If Modi continues to be seen as India's tallest leader today, it is because when compared with the Opposition leaders on offer, he seems instantly statesmanlike. Every time I watch our Opposition leaders protest outside Parliament, I become convinced that dynastic democracy must go. It is ridiculous that 40 per cent of our MPs are dynasts. This time, as I watched them march towards the Election Commission shouting slogans and behaving like schoolchildren, I noticed that it was as if they were on a family picnic instead of making a political point. This family picnic mood was heightened by the presence of the mummies and daddies of some of the sloganeering younger ones. Their cause was legitimate, their methods childish. They were right to try and get the Election Commission to understand that there was something seriously wrong with its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. And Rahul Gandhi made a valid case when he pointed out the glaring discrepancies in the electoral rolls of a constituency in Bangalore. The Election Commission has some answering to do. What mystifies me is why, if the BJP was being helped to cheat in elections, did they not cheat more efficiently and get a full majority in last year's general election? The BJP spokespersons in those screeching TV debates have done much harm to the Election Commission by speaking for it. It is not their job. And the BJP argument that it is wrong to attack a constitutional body is specious. There have been rigged elections in the past, especially in Kashmir and Bihar, and we in the media have pointed this out every time. What is worrisome about the revision going on in Bihar is that the documents being asked of some of our poorest citizens are documents they could not possibly have. This does not mean that 'democracy is dead' as Rahul Gandhi has declared ad nauseam for 10 years. It might mean that dynastic democracy's enormous privileges enjoyed by his own family are dead, but this means that democracy has gotten stronger, not weaker. One way or another, our Opposition leaders, when they next meet for chitchat and breaking bread together, should allow themselves a moment of deep introspection. If in election after election the Congress party, which is the only national opposition party, finds itself unable to persuade voters of its message it could be because there is no message to give. I may no longer be a Modi Bhakt but concede that although the Prime Minister's speech from the Red Fort was too long, its message was reassuring and unambiguous. It was a message that sought to convince Indian voters that their future is safe in his hands.
