(Image source from: Jammu Links News)

The India Day Parade this year on August 19, with the central message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family), hopes to bring together for the first time communities from other South Asian and Caribbean nations to participate in the largest parade outside India with an intent to mark the country's independence.

The 38th India Day Parade, which is organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, will run through several streets of Madison Avenue in the heart of Manhattan, featuring tableaux by various Indian-American organizations, marching bands, police contingents and cultural performances by Indian-American children.

India's Consul General in New York, Sandeep Chakravorty, said that the parade has come to reflect and symbolize the strength, vibrancy, and diversity of the Indian community in the U.S. It also highlights the role the community has been playing in strengthening India-U.S. relations.

Alluding to the current immigration environment, Chakravorty said it is important to showcase to the U.S. as well as to the world that India and the Indian diaspora bring a lot to the table. "It is important to assert our presence, our identity and show that we are united. The golden days of immigration are over, we have to now make this our home and strike roots here. We have to show that we are responsible citizens of this country."

Every year thousands of people from the Indian diaspora converge in the heart of Manhattan in their traditional finery to celebrate India's Independence Day. The day-long celebration also includes special food stalls, cultural extravaganza, and floats by various Indian organizations based in the US.

Popular celebrities and artists from India are invited every year as chief guests and grand marshals for the parade. Actors Arjun Rampal, Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunny Deol and Raveena Tandon have attended the parade in previous years.

By Sowmya Sangam