By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: The Indian Embassy in Kuwait on Thursday celebrated India's 74th Republic Day, one of the most significant days on India's national calendar. Braving the cold morning weather, hundreds of Indian nationals gathered at the Indian Embassy premises to mark the event as they could join the celebration for the first time in four years without the fear of the COVID pandemic and restrictions.

The celebrations commenced at 9 am with Indian Ambassador-designate Dr Adarsh Swaika paying floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, which was followed by unfurling of the national flag and singing of the Indian national anthem. On the occasion, Dr Swaika read out Indian President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the occasion of Republic Day.

Students singing patriotic song.

In his address on the occasion, the ambassador extended greetings to all Indians in Kuwait. He reiterated the well-acknowledged hard-work and contribution of the Indian community and commended various Indian association for their efforts in organizing cultural and sports events in the country.

Talking about the deep-rooted bilateral relations between Kuwait and India, the ambassador-designate said: "The bilateral relations between India and Kuwait continue to be very good because the leadership of both countries attaches high importance to the relationship." These strong relations are reflected in the continuing people-to-people contacts and high-level bilateral engagements at various levels between the friendly countries, he added.

The crowd attend the event.

Bharatanatyam performance

Addressing the community members, Dr Swaika assured the embassy's help to the Indian nationals in Kuwait. "The embassy is always ready to offer every possible assistance to the Indian nationals here. We have 24/7 dedicated WhatsApp numbers for the assistance of the community and you can reach us anytime. We also have the mechanism of weekly open house where I will be personally present and we can find solutions to your unresolved issues," the ambassador-designate added.

The cultural programs presented by Indian students and various socio-cultural groups focusing on patriotism and unity in diversity added a dash of color to the Republic Day celebrations. Performances of the South Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam, Gujarat's Garba folk dance and the Punjabi Bhangra folk dance enthralled the large crowd present on the occasion.