New Delhi: The Indian-American community set a Guinness World Record on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park in Parsippany, New Jersey, arranging more than 1,300 US flags to form the number “250.” The display, organized by the Consulate General of India in New York, marked both India’s 80th Independence Day and America’s 250th anniversary.
The flags, surrounded by Indian tricolours, earned the record for the “Largest Flagpole Number,” according to the Tribune. The event was held in partnership with the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) NY-NJ-NE, with support from Indian technology company Zoho.
“Held at the intersection of India@80 and America@250, the event was a memorable expression of India-US friendship and of the Indian-American community’s enduring contribution to bringing the two nations and their peoples closer together,” the organizers said in a statement.
The consulate credited FIA chairman, Ankur Vaidya, and FIA president, Sreekanth Akkapalli with leading the community effort behind the record attempt.
The gathering was attended by elected representatives, business leaders and members of the Indian-American community. New Jersey lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, US Congresswoman Analilia Mejia, Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan and Parsippany Mayor Pulkit Desai were among those who addressed the gathering.
Several Independence Day events were also held across the New York tristate area over the weekend. The Indian consulate in New York and India’s permanent mission to the UN hosted flag-hoisting ceremonies, which were attended by members of the Indian diaspora.
The FIA also held its annual Independence Day celebration at Times Square, featuring the unfurling of the Indian tricolour and cultural performances.
The New York City mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the city’s first South Asian-origin mayor, attended the Queens India Day Parade in Floral Park. “Mayor David Dinkins once described our city as a gorgeous mosaic. Today, I saw that mosaic in the Hindus and Christians, Muslims and Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs across the Indian diaspora who have helped make our city what it is,” he wrote in a post on X.
New York and New Jersey were among several US jurisdictions that proclaimed August 15 as “India Day” this year, recognising the contributions of the Indian-American community.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, also sent a message to mark the occasion. In a note to the National Alliance of Indian Organizations dated August 13, he called the joint India-US celebrations a reflection of “our shared democratic values,” and said the Indian-American community’s continued connection with India had remained “a source of strength” for the nation.
Landmarks including New York’s Empire State Building and Boston’s Prudential Center were lit up in the colours of the Indian flag to mark Independence Day. The deputy consul general, Vishal Harsh attended the lighting ceremony at the Empire State Building, which was organized jointly with the FIA.
The celebrations are set to continue on Sunday with the 44th India Day Parade on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, organised by the FIA. The cast of the television show “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah” is scheduled to serve as chief guests and grand marshals of this year’s parade.