Thousands of Indians in traditional finery celebrated India's 70th Independence Day here at one of the largest parades outside the country with the iconic Empire State Building lighting up in Indian tricolour.
The 36th India Day Parade by the Federation of Indian Associations - New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Sunday ran through about 13 streets in Madison avenue in Manhattan and featured tableaux by various Indian-American groups, marching bands, police contingents and cultural performances by young Indian-Americans.
Chief Guest at the event Yoga guru Baba Ramdev said India represents the glory of the past, the present moment's strength and is moving forward with hopes and dreams of a brighter future.
Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, the Grand Marshal of the parade, said it felt "wonderful" to be the part of India's Independence Day celebrations in New York. Tamil actor Vikram was also the Chief Guest at the parade.
Organisers of the event said they were expecting a crowd of about 75,000-100,000 people for the day-long celebrations, which also included special food stalls, cultural extravaganza and special floats by various Indian organisations based in the US such as Air India and State Bank of India.
On the occasion, the iconic Empire State Building was lit up in the Indian try-colour. People chanted patriotic slogans such as 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' and carried banners, placards along with Indian and American flags as they witnessed the floats and celebrities from the barricaded pavements along the parade route. Indian music and popular Bollywood songs reverberated through the air as people celebrated with a fervour of patriotism.
Families had travelled from nearby states such as Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts to witness the parade, which has been an annual fixture in the city's calendar since 1981. Other cities that celebrated India's independence included Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta, San Francisco and Minneapolis.
