Several hundred people attended the Independence Day celebrations and the India Day Parade organized by the India Cultural Society of Rockland (ICSR) in New City, New York, August 19.

The parking lot at the New City Library reverberated with slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Vande Mataram as the parade took off. It wound through Main Street to the Courthouse grounds where ICSR president Charu Krishan hoisted the Indian flag. It followed a meeting attended by several elected officials, including County Executive Ed Day, State Senator David Carlucci, Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, and County Legislator Dr Aney Paul who showed their support to the community. A cultural program was the highlight of the event.

â€œICSRâ€™s community-driven, multigenerational, multicultural and public celebrations like the India Day Parade and the upcoming India Day Festival reflect economic success, community aspirations and demographic shifts among the Indian community in Rockland and surrounding areas,â€ Krishan said in her opening address. â€œDiasporic renderings of India Day are symbolic of the confidence and growing aspirational energy of global Indians. Well beyond promoting Indian samosa-curry-n-saree culture, and giving the world a Satya Nadella, an Indra Nooyi or a Sunder Pichai, we showcase the collective capital that Indians bring to their adopted homelands.

â€œAs we celebrate the independence of India, let us remind ourselves to use our freedom and privileges wisely. Freedom, my friends, is very seldom ever free; someone has fought and died for the freedoms that you have today. The least we can do is to be mindful of what we do with it. Use your freedom to be a positive influence in the community you are in, to be a voice for the voiceless and help for the helpless.â€

ICSR is committed to its mission of honoring those real heroes who respect this freedom and enrich our experiences of living, working and raising families in Rockland County, she said. At the annual India Day Festival on September 30, the organization plans to put the spotlight on the unsung heroes of Rockland -- the workers and volunteers behind-the-scenes who often go unrecognized, she said. She requested people to nominate persons or organizations that have had a positive influence on the community.

Lauding Krishanâ€™s speech, County Executive Ed Day saluted the work of the soldiers for protecting the freedoms everyone enjoys. He noted the contributions of the Indian community in making the county a better place to live.

Other officials said they were happy to have the community in the county. Senator David Carlucci presented a proclamation by Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaiming August as India Heritage Month in the state. A resolution for this was introduced in the Senate by Sen Carlucci, and in the Assembly by Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski. Both houses passed it unanimously.

County Legislator Dr Aney Paul thanked the officials for supporting the community and attending the parade. She said that the community is peace-loving, hardworking, and lives in harmony with others. County Legislature chair Toney Earl, Legislator Harriet Cornell and Legislator Alden Wolfe too acknowledged the work of Indian-Americans.

County Sheriff Lou Falco; Clarkstown Judge Scott Ugell; Human rights Commissioner, Constance Frazier; Supervisor, Stony Point, Jim Monahan; Clarkstown Councilmen Frank Borelli and John Noto, Spring Valley NAACP president Willie Trotman; and Mayor of Montebello, Lance Millman, also attended the parade.

Poonam Mohan, ICSR president-elect, joined Krishan in leading the parade. Basavaraj Balapal (secretary), Anil Babu Mandapaka (joint secretary), Alka Shah (treasurer), Heena Mehta (joint treasurer), and Ravi Ravichandran (PRO) were also part of the celebrations.

The Federation of Kerala associations in North America brought a large contingent for the parade. It was led by Philippose Philip, Paul Karukappalli, Leela Maret, Sreekumarbabu Unnithan, Varghese Olahannan and others.

Jeevan Jyothi, a seniors group in the area, and several organizations marched behind their banners.

There was some criticism over the smaller number of attendees. Rockland County is home to more than 5000 Indian families, yet only a minuscule of the community attended such an important event, they noted. The parade is a way to show our strength and unity which will bring more respect for the community. Sadly most of the people did not see it that way. The organizations too failed to take the message to the people. Anyway there is time to improve in coming years, the critics noted.

Hundreds attend India Day Parade in New City, New York