TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Indians residing in Taiwan on Sunday (Aug. 15) celebrated the 75th anniversary of Indian independence with a motorcade parade in Taipei, while virtual celebrations in Taiwan were also held online.
To celebrate 75 years since British colonial rule of India ended on Aug. 15, 1947, members of the Indians' Bikers Club of Taiwan on Sunday launched a motorcycle procession through the streets of Taipei from Taipei City Hall to Liberty Square. Presiding at the start of the event was India Taipei Association (ITA) Director-General Gourangalal Das, who delivered a speech and waved India's national flag.
(Facebook, India Taipei Association photo)
There were also virtual celebrations, such as an event hosted by the ITA that day. During the ITA's online event, a flag-raising ceremony was held, Das delivered remarks, and a group performed a combination of Indian and Chinese instruments including the tabla, erhu, esraj, and pipa.
During his speech, Das praised local Indian expatriates for their endeavors and for "holding high the banner of Team India in Taiwan." He also thanked individual members of the Indian community and Indian associations for their efforts to fight the second wave of the pandemic in India.
(Facebook, India Taipei Association photo)
That afternoon, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) retweeted a video of the motorcycle rally and offered his congratulations to "Indian friends far & wide" on Indian independence day. He saluted the world's largest democracy, saying that it occupies a "special place in my heart," and asserted that India and Taiwan are "great democratic partners holding authoritarianism at bay."
Das (center), standing with musicians who performed at virtual event. (CNA photo)
My warmest congratulations to Indian friends far & wide on #IndiaIndependenceDay. I salute the world's largest & Asia's earliest #Democracy, which occupies a special place in my heart. #Taiwan〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 & #India〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 are great democratic partners holding authoritarianism at bay! JW https://t.co/wcdRGEK70p
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 (@MOFA_Taiwan) August 15, 2021
