DOHA: The 78th Independence Day of India was marked with great fervour and enthusiasm in Doha on Thursday.
In a ceremony held at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) more than 350 Indians and friends of India in Qatar joined the celebrations.
The official ceremony began with Ambassador HE Vipul hoisting the Tricolour, followed by singing the National Anthem and reading the Address to the Nation by President of India HE Smt Droupadi Murmu on the eve of Independence Day. The full text is available at https://presidentofindia.nic.in/speeches.
The ambassador and community leaders also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
In his remarks, the ambassador highlighted the intense diplomatic exchanges between India and Qatar in recent months including the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Qatar in February 2024.
He appreciated the excellentrole played by the Indian community in the development of Qatar and nurturing India-Qatar ties.
He thanked various Indian community organisations for their support and contributions towards the well-being and growth of the community.
He also expressed his gratitude towards His Highness Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Government of the State of Qatar for their continued patronage and support to the Indian community in Qatar.
On this occasion, Indian community members and school children presented patriotic songs and cultural programmes.
The event was simultaneously live-streamed on social media handles and YouTube channel of the embassy for those who joined the event virtually.
Several other events celebrating India’s Independence Day have also been held over the past week.
One of these was the planting of trees on August 11 at the embassy, ICC and ICBF under the initiative of #Plant4Mother launched by Prime Minister HE Shri Narendra Modi.