0 India’s Republic Day celebrated in Bali

Members of the Indian community in Bali observed India’s Republic Day at the Indian Consulate General office on Jl. Raya Puputan in Renon, Denpasar, on Saturday morning. The commemoration ceremony started with flag hoisting conducted by Consul General Amarjeet Singh Takhi, followed by the Indian national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”, performed by all participants. “India has changed more in the last six decades than in the six previous centuries. 

This is neither accidental nor providential: History shifts its pace when touched by vision. The great dream of raising a new India from the ashes of colonialism reached a historic denouement in 1947. More important, independence became a turning point for an equally dramatic narrative; nation-building. The foundations were laid through our Constitution, adopted on 26 January 1950, which we celebrate each year as Republic Day. 

Its driving principle was a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nourished by justice, liberty and equality,” President Pranab Mukherjee stated in the address read out by the consul general after the flag hoisting. “India did not win freedom from the British in order to deny freedom to Indians. The Constitution represented a second liberation, this time from the stranglehold of traditional inequity in gender, caste, community, along with other fetters that had chained us for too long.” 

During the celebration, the Consul also handed over certificates to those who had passed yoga and classical India Bharatanatyam dance courses at the Indian Culture Center (ICC) Denpasar. Amarjeet Singh Takhi said that the Republic Day celebration had a special meaning for Indians living all around the world, including the 150 families now living in Bali. “We want to bring Indian people together, and you know, because they are living outside India, they are coming here and are celebrating our Republic Day, and it is embodiment of nationalism between them,” Takhi said. 

India’s Republic Day is celebrated every year on Jan. 26 to commemorate the date and moment when the Constitution of India came into effect. Although India attained independence on Aug. 15, 1947, it did not have a permanent constitution of its own until 1949 and instead functioned under the laws enacted and implemented by the British. After many amendments, the Constitution was approved and accepted on Nov. 26, 1949, and came full into force on Jan. 26, 1950. 

Thus, Republic Day is the moment to remember the Constitution. Beside Republic Day, Indians also annually celebrate two other important and historical days: India’s Independence Day, celebrated every Aug. 15, and the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. The commemoration of India’s founding father’s birth also marks International Non-Violence Day. This year’s celebration of India’s Republic Day was more special for Indian families living in Bali as it also marked the first anniversary of the Consulate General office here. 

The government of India opened its Consulate General office in Renon, South Denpasar, on Jan. 26 last year. The consular office was expected to forge a stronger relationship with the predominantly Hindu province. The office has provided consular services for Indian citizens in Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Papua, Sulawesi, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan. Data from the India consulate shows that there are now 150 Indian families living on the resort island. Meanwhile, there are also around 2,000 Indonesians of Indian origin living on the island.

source : bali daily