Springfield celebrates India Independence Day with flag raising

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – There will be a flag-raising ceremony where the members of the Indian-American community will raise the Flag of India on Tuesday.

Mayor Domenic Sarno will join Vid Mitta, Dinesh Patel, Ghamshyam Patel, Rajesh Rayonia, and members of the Indian-American community for the flag-raising ceremony. The flag is being raised to celebrate India’s independence.

They will raise the flag on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. on the front steps of City Hall

August 15 is Indian Independence Day, which reminds us of the long battle for liberation against British domination that was championed by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, according to National Today. 

On this day in 1947, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian flag above the Lahori Gate in Delhi. This became a custom, and on each subsequent Indian Independence Day, the sitting Prime Minister raised the country’s flag and gives an address to the nation.

According to Britannica, the saffron, white, and green stripes of the flag of India represent the distinct values of the country and it’s said that they stand for respectively, courage and sacrifice, peace and truth, and faith and chivalry.