According to the outgoing US Ambassador to India, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the nation of over a billion people has demonstrated to the world that science and spirituality can coexist and that India stands tall as a symbol of peace, innovation, and prosperity. In his speech to local leaders and embassy representatives on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day, India’s ambassador to the US, Sandhu, declared, In his speech to local leaders and embassy representatives on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day, India’s ambassador to the US, Sandhu, declared, “Today, India stands tall as a marker of peace, stability, innovation, and prosperity.” The Republic Day celebrations and the raising of the national flag were held on Friday at the Indian diplomatic in downtown Washington, DC, with the participation of numerous leaders from the Indian-American community as well as diplomatic representatives.
Science and spirituality can co-exist
“India has proved to the world that Science and Spirituality can converge; ancient and modern can converge; unity and diversity can converge; physical and digital can converge; bilateral friendships and plural-lateral bondings can converge. We are unique; Bharati-yatra ensures synergy and convergence, he said. “When we look at our journey of the last 75 years as a nation, we are proud of our achievements; we are equally inspired, to make more strides, in our journey ahead. We have lived the dream of our forefathers; our children give us more confidence and hope to aim bigger,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Our G20 presidency, where we brought together diverse opinions, and generated consensus; Our commitment to being, a voice for the global south, reflected in the Summit as well as in the inclusion of Africa in the G20; India reaching the moon- our Chandrayaan; and the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance, reflecting our commitment to green growth,” he said. “On a bilateral level – Prime Minister Modi’s historic state visit to the US in June last year – the ceremonial & substantive aspects were clearly visible, President Joe Biden’s visit to India in September; Launch of iCET, taking our tech partnership to the next level,” he said.
“Be it technology or trade, space or semiconductors, healthcare, energy, or people-to-people exchanges the two countries are closely cooperating in all areas of human activity. Our engagements in multilateral forums, such as G20, Quad, I2U2, and many others, demonstrate that our partnership delivers, not only for the citizens of our two countries but also for the world at large,” Sandhu said.
The speech was given by the 61-year-old Indian envoy, who will this month retire from the foreign service following 35 years of diplomatic service. One of the main designers of the thriving India-US relationship has been Sandhu. Speaking last week at a farewell reception for the departing Indian envoy, US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) president and CEO Mukesh Aghi noted that Sandhu’s list of accomplishments is still extensive and remarkable.
Aghi stated that when Ambassador Sandhu assumed office in Washington in February 2020, dire times were going to turn around economies and halt daily life, and that a cataclysmic epidemic would present new difficulties for even an experienced diplomat. In addition to assisting Indian students in returning home, Sandhu oversaw the resolution of visa backlogs for the diaspora, and improved vaccine diplomacy between the two nations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
By: Gursharan Kaur