Suryapath Tiranga carries India's 80th Independence Day across time zones

India marked its 80th Independence Day with the Suryapath Tiranga relay across missions worldwide. The east-to-west flag-hoisting linked the diaspora and embassies in one continuous global celebration.

In Short

• The relay began in Fiji at 1:30 am IST with flag-hoisting
• Indian missions across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas joined sequentially
• Diaspora communities attended ceremonies, cultural events and selfie drives in several cities

On India’s 80th Independence Day, the national flag is being carried across the world in a symbolic east-to-west relay, with the Tricolour being hoisted at Indian missions from Fiji to San Francisco. The initiative, called Suryapath Tiranga, is part of the wider Har Ghar Tiranga campaign that encourages Indians and the diaspora to display the national flag during the celebrations.

The day-long relay began in Fiji at 1:30 am IST, when High Commissioner Suneet Mehta hoisted the Tricolour at India House in Suva, and it is scheduled to end around 8:30 pm IST at the Indian consulate in San Francisco. According to the Ministry of Culture, the initiative is meant to highlight the role of Indian missions and the global Indian community, and to create a sense of one continuous celebration across time zones.

After Fiji, the flag-hoisting moved westward through Indian missions in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The relay then continued across Asia, Africa and Europe, covering Indian missions in Ethiopia, Russia, Kenya, Israel, Egypt, South Africa, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Spain, Morocco and Iceland.

In the Americas, the Tricolour is to be hoisted at Indian missions in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Canada in Ottawa and Toronto, Jamaica, the US in New York and Washington, Peru and Mexico, before the final ceremony in San Francisco. Apart from the major diplomatic hubs in the relay, Independence Day is also being marked at several other Indian embassies and consulates abroad.

In Wellington, more than 500 members of the Indian diaspora and local friends joined the celebrations, where High Commissioner Muanpuii Saiawi hoisted the Tricolour and read the President’s address to the nation. Community members also took part in cultural programmes and the Har Ghar Tiranga selfie campaign. In Beijing, Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami hoisted the national flag at the Embassy of India in the presence of members of the Indian community and ‘friends of India’, despite the rain, and read excerpts from the President’s address. In Tokyo, Ambassador Naegma Mallick also hoisted the Tricolour at the Embassy and read out the President’s address.

The Indian embassy in Spain said in a post on X, ‘Carry the Indian Tricolour from one sunrise to the next, and inspire Indians to spread the fervour of #HarGharTiranga.’ In Dubai, Consul General Vishnu Vardhan Reddy unfurled the Tricolour at the Consulate General of India and spoke about the enduring India-UAE ties and the contribution of the Indian diaspora. Together, the ceremonies form a global Independence Day observance stretching from the Pacific to the US west coast.

With PTI Inputs

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