Indian Independence Day Lord Mayor praises Indian culture in Bonn
Bonn · The German-Indian Association celebrated Independence Day in the Schmitthalle on Sunday morning.
70 years ago, on 15 August 1947, India gained independence from the British Empire. The nation had been under colonial rule for almost a century before it was declared an independent republic after a long fight for freedom. The Indian Association Bonn celebrated the 71st Independence Day on Sunday morning with a cultural programme in the Schmitthalle in Duisdorf.
Bonn’s Lord Mayor, Ashok Sridharan, who has Indian roots, addressed the German-Indian community, which had gathered for the celebrations. In his speech, Sridharan emphasised the significance of Independence Day as an important symbol of open-mindedness and tolerance between different cultures and religions.
The work carried out by the Bonn Indian Association is of particular importance to the politician, whose father is from India. “Thank you, that a part of Indian culture can be experienced in Bonn through the Indian Association,” he said.
Jayanti Srinivas, President of the Indian Association, also praised the international exchange that characterises Bonn in her speech. The city is truly welcoming, uniting citizens from 180 nations and bringing foreign cultures closer together. Srinivas said it was for this reason she was so happy to celebrate Indian independence on this Sunday morning in such a cosmopolitan city. Like India, Bonn provided “unity through cultural diversity.”
This diversity was again reflected in the event’s cultural programme that followed the speeches. Traditional Indian dances from Punjab and Pakistan alternated with modern choreography inspired by Bollywood films. The programme finished with a mimed tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi, one of the key figures in the Indian independence story. The acrobatic, expressive dance depicted Gandhi’s relentless and peaceful fight for freedom, his important work and finally his assassination.
Traditional and modern, regression and progress, suppression and freedom: the Indian Association’s festivities celebrated a nation full of contradictions, although no mention was made at the event of internal social conflicts, corruption and the oppression of religious minorities.
The organisers also did not broach the issue of the unrest that directly followed the declared independence in 1947 and the division of the country into Pakistan and India, which led to the mass flight and displacement of millions of people.
(Original text: Judith Nikula. Translated by Kate Carey)
