Camaraderie, colours & cheers at US I-Day Bash
With red, blue and white banners reminiscent of old celebrations, comfort foods like cornbread and mac & cheese, and decorations celebrating everything American – the US Embassy marked the 249th anniversary of American independence.
For the first time, the celebrations were held at Bharat Mandapam. Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, was the guest of honour.
A toast to family and a touch of humour
Thanking everyone for joining the celebration, Chargé d'Affaires, US Embassy, Jorgan Andrews also made a heartfelt mention of his family. 'On a personal note, I would also like to thank my wife, Sara, and my daughter, Dagny, who are visiting from our home in Virginia,' he said, adding, 'I don't know if you recall, but during his campaign for President way back in 2000, George W Bush used to say that behind every successful man stands a very confused and surprised woman – and since the day I have been successful, no one in this room is more surprised than Sara.
But I owe any success to her.'
You Can Also Check:
Delhi AQI
|
Weather in Delhi
|
Bank Holidays in Delhi
|
Public Holidays in Delhi
Mac & cheese, cornbread & everything American
Highlighting the reflection of American spirit and tradition, Andrews added, 'We are trying to capture basic Americano – everything from red, blue and white banners, reminiscent of the old celebrations; the basics. Even the menu is a reflection of our homestyle cooking. It is a mix of nuts and berries in recipes with agricultural products from California, all the way to Southern-style comfort foods like cornbread and mac & cheese.
These things are unique to certain parts of America, and they resonate with Americans as we celebrate these holidays – as we picnic, as we are in the park, and have fireworks. We are trying to recreate that reminiscent summertime holiday feel, with community, family and friends – with the foods that remind us of home.'
'First US National Day at Bharat Mandapam'
The event began with the US Marines presenting the colours. Jorgan Andrews told us, 'This is the first time we have come to Bharat Mandapam for our National Day celebrations. If I am not mistaken, this might be the first time that any embassy has done its National Day here... This is our 249th anniversary. Next year, it will be our 250th anniversary, so it's going to be a really big celebration. We thought, what more fitting place could we choose to celebrate the unity between our countries and our national birthday than this magnificent, impressive facility.
'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
India negotiates from position of strength, not under deadlines: Piyush Goyal on US trade deal after Congress jab
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal asserted that India prioritizes national interests in trade negotiations, contrasting it with the Congress-led UPA era. He highlighted recent trade agreements with Mauritius, UAE, Australia, EFTA, and the UK, emphasizing India's current strong negotiating position. Rahul Gandhi criticized PM Modi regarding the Indo-US trade deal amidst concerns over deadlines and US claims about India-Pakistan relations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said India negotiates from a position of strength and not under accused the Congress of "negotiating and signing agreements that were not in the national interest" during the UPA government's remarks come a day after Goyal stated that India would accept a proposed trade deal with the US only when it is fully finalised and in the national to reporters here, Goyal said, "India does not negotiate under deadlines. We negotiate keeping national interest in mind, and national interest is paramount in all our engagements across the world."He added, "After the Modi government came to power, we have signed free trade agreements with Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and the four-nation EFTA (European Free Trade Association) grouping-Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein-and now with the UK last month."According to him, India continues to engage with other developed nations, including the EU bloc of 27 countries, the United States, Oman, Peru, and Chile."Today, India negotiates from a position of strength. We are self-confident and can compete with anybody in the world. This is not the weak India under Congress and the UPA, which signed agreements that were not in the national interest," he Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Indo-US trade deal, after Goyal claimed that India would not enter into an agreement "under deadlines."The Congress has been attacking the Prime Minister "for remaining silent" and not countering US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of bringing a halt to hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror had reportedly set a deadline of July 9 to finalise the trade agreement with India.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
India misses marine export target by over ₹37,000 crore under PMMSY
India marine exports have fallen short of the ambitious target of exporting products worth Rs 1 lakh crore under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) by FY25. The shortfall is due to global economic slowdown, compliance issues, infrastructure bottlenecks, policy gaps, and a lack of product diversification, experts said. In FY25, the total value of marine products exports stood at Rs 62,625.09 crore, according to government data, falling short of the target by Rs 37,374.91 crore. Experts attribute inflation in major importing nations to one of the reasons for reduced demand for marine products. 'Export volumes were greatly hurt by inflationary pressures and decreased consumer spending, particularly in the United States, European Union, and Japan,' said S.S. Raju, principal scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Additionally, the stringent quality standards set by importers has hurt the sector. 'Consignment rejections and delays were caused by problems with antibiotic residue, traceability, and certification requirements,' said Raju. Launched in 2020, PMMSY aimed to double India's marine export earnings to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2024-25 from the 2018–19 baseline, according to the information available on the official website of PMMSY. The scheme 'envisages to enhance fisheries exports to Rs 1 lakh crores by 2024-25,' Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh reiterated in a written reply in Parliament in August 2024. The original baseline export figure for 2018–19 was cited as Rs 46,589 crore, which was later revised to Rs 46,613.03 crore by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). In the Union Budget for FY25, the government allocated Rs 2,352 crore towards PMMSY, which was 89.8 per cent of the total allocation (Rs 2616.44 crore) made for the Department of Fisheries. The shortfall comes at a time when India's fisheries sector is staring at a fresh crisis. The US, the largest export destination for India's marine products, may impose retaliatory tariffs starting July 9. India is currently engaged in bilateral trade talks with the US to avert the impending duty hike. If the tariffs come into effect, 'a billion-dollar sector could be upset by this approach since American consumers might cut back on imports or look for other suppliers,' said Raju. Rajamanohar Somasundaram, founder of Aquaconnect, explained the policy gaps in aquaculture. While the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme addresses the working capital needs of traditional agriculture, its credit limits often fall short for aquaculture farmers, whose capital requirements are significantly higher, said Somasundaram. Besides these, infrastructure bottlenecks continue to cripple the sector. In many coastal states, harbours, processing facilities, and cold chain infrastructure are still operating below capacity, said Raju. Exporters also face issues such as high freight costs and scarcity of containers. 'Shipment delays and higher transportation expenses made it harder to compete in global markets,' he added. Experts and market participants call for both product and export market diversification. Frozen shrimps account for 66 per cent of total marine export value, according to the commerce and industry ministry. 'Because of this over-reliance, the industry is more vulnerable to changes in the market or disease outbreaks', said Raju. Echoing a similar sentiment, Sundaram believes in 'diversifying both our product portfolio and export markets, backed by a value-driven strategy such as promoting high-potential species and deepening our presence in underpenetrated regions like the Middle East and South Korea.' Despite these concerns, marine product exports saw a jump of 20.8 per cent in April 2025. The country exported these products worth Rs 4981 crore in April 2025, compared to Rs 4122 crore during the same period a year ago, government data showed.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Odisha: Dharmendra Pradhan joins mass plantation drive under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'
Deogarh (Odisha) [India], July 5 (ANI): Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday took part in a mass plantation drive in Deogarh district of Odisha as part of the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, which has been gaining momentum across the state. The initiative, aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and increasing green cover, has seen active participation from local communities, especially youth and rural residents. While speaking to ANI, Dharmendra Pradhan said, 'The program' Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' is becoming very successful. Whenever I have visited Odisha in recent days, I have seen a lot of excitement there. Yesterday I was in the Angul district... Today, I am in the Deogarh district, and there is a great deal of enthusiasm here. Lakhs of trees will be planted this time in this district.' The plantation drive is being carried out by the State Forest and Environment Department in collaboration with the District Administration. A day earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also lauded the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative and said that 50 crore saplings will be planted on July 9. CM Adityanath said, 'I remember that in 2017, when we organised the plantation campaign, I was unable to get even five crore saplings. Now, this time, when we are initiating a large plantation drive under the aegis of the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, which we will join on 9th July, we have got 50 crore saplings for planting.' He claimed that by using modern technology, a farmer in Uttar Pradesh is earning a net profit of Rs 1 lakh per acre. 'Our farmer is earning a net profit of Rs 1 lakh in one acre. This shows that he has now started farming in a modern way; the result is visible to us. Similarly, there is new technology sugarcane,' the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said. 'Right now, we have established some centres of excellence for this purpose. Agricultural Science Centres are working in a new way. And to advance these methods, now the Horticulture Department, along with the participation of the forest department and the private sector, has started the work,' he said. (ANI)
