Skip to content Skip to navigation

Independence Day in Kuwait

By editor |

Inquisitiveness, curiosity n proudness filled me as I got ready to attend the 62nd Independence Day at Indian Embassy,Kuwait. As we drove to the Embassy at 6.30am to reach and be part of the flag hoisting at 7.10am ,my mind was filled with different thoughts…thoughts of the many Indenpence Day we celebrated in our motherland Assam under the shadow of Assam Bandh . My one year daughter too wake up early that day as if she understood the importance of this special day. As we approach’d the embassy my husband park’d our car atleast 1km from the embassy as there was no space as hundreds of cars were already parked. As we came near the embassy we were pleasantly surprised to see hundreds of Indians from different walks of life and some like me with infants. People had Indian Flags in their hands. I felt so happy and proud when my infant daughter too took a flag and was waving. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat, Mera Bharat Mahan echoed in the air. The “Borah Drummers”, the members are Guajarati Muslims exhibited their talent and skills. Small school children and Doctors community sang patriotic songs. The Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra hosted the national tri-colour flag as we all stood there with proudness. He read out the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh’s message ,the speech which he gave to millions of Indians from the Red Fort .He also read out the various facilities and schemes that the embassy has taken for thousands of Indian workers. After the cultural programme was over ,the Ambassador met the common people and listen to their grievances if any. Deep feeling of proudness enveloped thousands who gathered there to be part of such a celebration. Mughal Mahal, a famous Indian restaurant gave free breakfast (paratha,chola,sweets) to thousands of people who gathered . Free supplements on Independence Day were distributed by The Times(Kuwait’s premier weekly newspaper) and Arab Times(Kuwait’s national daily).


In a foreign country that too in a Middle East Muslim country like Kuwait we celebrated it so much fun, proudness and most importantly without fear, then why not in our motherland Assam??Can’t we be like rest of India and foreign countries in observing our Independence Day???When will such a day come???These thoughts filled my mind as we drove back home.


I remembered Jawaharlal Nehru’s Independence Day speech…. "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again."


Its time for us, all assamese people to defy the Bandh and celebrate it with love, fun and frolic.


by Parimita Barooah Bora, Kuwait

Comments

SKumar's picture

Submitted by SKumar on Mon, 07/09/2009 - 06:37
The Ambassador infact read out the President of India's message and not the Prime Minister's. Anyhow thanks to Parimita for sharing her thoughts. We too feel proud like her to be part of the celebrations of our great nation.
Chintu Nath's picture

Submitted by Chintu Nath on Mon, 07/09/2009 - 14:59
Pom-ba, it was a great coverage for us to know about how NRIs feel about their country and Independence. We Indians are actually, patriotic by birth; it is in our subconscious to feel great and own about our country. No matter where we live in heart we are always INDIANS, and the whole world today recognizes that.We must always endeavor to do better than before wherever we are, and mere that doing only will take our nation even higher and greater. Vande Mataram.
PriyalakshmiB's picture

Submitted by PriyalakshmiB on Thu, 10/09/2009 - 09:28
Woh!such a gathering.

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Rowta violence up escalating; 10 killed, shoot at sight ordered

Atleast ten people were killed, more than 40 others have been injured in the communal clash that broke out between Bodos and Bangladeshi immigrants at Rowta in lower Assam’s Udalguri areas. Security forces have been deployed in the area but by the evening the situation has already spanned out of control.The flare-up broke out on Friday morning and by the evening it was spreading to the adjacent areas Ikarabari, Sonepur, Lalding, Shivpur, Shyambari and Bothaipara under the Rowta Police station forcing thousands of people in the area to leave their house. As many as ten villages have been torched belonging to both the communities. According to information, these people are camping in...

Communal clash in Rowta: 1 killed, 10 injured, 6 houses torched

One person was killed more than twenty five others have been injured and three villages have been torched in a fresh string of communal violence that rocked lower Assam’s Udalguri district on Friday.According to information, the communal clash broke out in Mohanpur area inhibited by Muslim and Bodo people in the morning and later it is spreading to the adjacent areas forcing to step in. Police resorted to firing the disperse the mob but by then the situation was spanning out of control.Muslim people in large number came out openly against the Bodos and the Bodos are also in a retaliation mood. The houses reduced to ashes belonging to the people of both the communities.The condition of...

Freedom Fighter Powal Barua to attend GPC programme

Veteran freedom fighter Powal Barua will attend the 'Guest of the Month' programme of Guwahati Press Club tomorrow (2nd October). During the program, staring at 12 noon in the GPC auditorium, Barua, 85, will interact with the member-journalists. The GPC members are requested to attend the same.

306 ULFBV bid farewell to arms before Gogoi

Altogether 305 rebels of the United Liberation Front of Barak Valley laid down their arms before the authority in Assam at function organized in the city on Tuesday.Led by their President Pancharam Apeto, the rebels surrendered before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who welcomed the move and asked ULFA to follow the suit.The rebels received a bunch of rose each when they laid down their arms and ammunition including three AK-47 rifles and .22 rifles, one m-16 rifle, dbbl gun, .32 pistol and .22 pistol, four .303 rifles, 60 twelve-bore guns, seven 9mm pistols, two 2-inch launchers, four each of single shot revolvers and grenades and two mortars.They further submitted 158 AK-series ammunition,...

Assam human rights violation reaches global focus

The human rights violation cases in Assam has even reached international scene when the state’s lawyer and human rights activist and PCG spokesman Arup Borbora was participating the recent conference of the Human rights Commission under the United Nations.Addressing a press conference in the city on Tuesday, Borbora said 40 countries who participated in the conference organized by a London based organisation Libertion, expressed solidarity with the human rights violation cases in south east Asian counties more specifically in Assam.Borbora said while interacting in the the September 16 conference presided over by Interpret International chairman Dr Charles Gery, he raised the...

Joint operation: ULFA rebel killed in Sivasagar

A suspected ULFA rebel died at a joint operation by police and Army in upper Assam's Sivasagar district on Tuesday morning. According to information, acting on a specific information, Army's 318 Field Regiment jawans and Charaideo police launched the operation at Rangalibatuwa area under Kakotibari police station in the district at around 3 in the morning. The rebel who died on the spot has yet to be identified. Police recovered a 9mm pistol, a magazine, three rounds of live ammunition, four electric detonators, some explosive materials and PEF sticks. Details are awaited.

300 Barak valley rebels to lay down arms

At least 300 rebels belonging to the United Liberation Front of Barak Valley will surrender at a function in Guwahati a short while from now.According to information, these rebels will also deposit thier arms and ammunitions before the authority a the function being organised at the Machkhowa ITA Centre.

Godhra Panel Report

“There is no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with terrorism. Just a choice: Defeat it or be defeated by it.”– Tony Blair (Former PM of Britain)“Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight (terrorism). We’re Americans. We’ll never surrender.” – John McCain (US Senator)The burning of coach no. S-6...

UPA fails on all front: Advani

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani makes a clarion call for the people of Assam to favour his party to help the state bail out of the problems confronting the state for decades.Addressing a mammoth gathering at the Sonaram Field on Sunday, the BJP veteran said Assam is plagued by two main problems. One he said is the Bangladeshi infiltrators who has been posing a serious threat to the nation’s integrity. “This has already disturbed the region’s demographic set up,” said Advani. For the former deputy prime minister, the next is the flood waves that remain a perennial problem. Over the years, the UPA government in Delhi has been failing to deliver the...

AGP pins hopes on Advani help for LS poll

The Opposition Asom Gana Parishad pins hope on help from BJP L K Advani to steal the show in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.Talking to Assam Times, senior AGP leaders said they will be holding a crucial meeting with Advani on Sunday afternoon at the Hotel Brahmaputra to finalise the poll pact. The details of the meeting have already been chalked out on Saturday afternoon when BJP's Assam unit leaders hold talks with AGP leaders. Notably, the AGP-BJP poll pact has reached a crucial stage and barring a few seats, seat sharing has almost completed.