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Rain or shine, Indonesians in India celebrate independence

Proud citizens: Indonesian Ambassador to India Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro (right) salutes the national flag during a ceremony to commemorate 74 years of Indonesia’s independence in New Delhi on Saturday

Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post)
New Delhi
Mon, August 19, 2019

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Rain or shine, Indonesians in India celebrate independence

P

roud citizens: Indonesian Ambassador to India Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro (right) salutes the national flag during a ceremony to commemorate 74 years of Indonesia’s independence in New Delhi on Saturday.(JP/Tama Salim)

Light showers and a cool breeze set the scene as hundreds of Indonesians from across India gathered to take part in Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day celebrations at the Indonesian Embassy compound in New Delhi early on Saturday.

Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, Indonesia’s ambassador to India and host of the day’s processions, led a flag-hoisting ceremony in front of hundreds of people from the Indonesian diaspora, including embassy staffers, students and guests and friends of Indonesia.

The ceremony kicked off at 9 a.m. local time with the backdrop of light showers — in parts of India considered a symbol of renewal — as the Indonesian community slowly gathered onto the ceremony grounds clad in brightly colored batik.

The ceremony featured Paskibra (national flag-hoisting squad) comprising a gaggle of young Indonesians who were selected as first-time participants and inaugurated by the envoy before the beginning of the processions.

In an interview with visiting media on the margins of the event, the envoy heaped praise for the young flag-hoisters, who now bear the torch in upholding the values of their forefathers.

“They stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, who in turn stand on the shoulders of our founding fathers,” Sidharto said.

This year, Indonesia celebrates its 74th year of independence and the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations with India. A national day reception in New Delhi is slated for November, so as not to clash with Indian National Day celebrations that took place just a few days prior on Thursday.

After the flag ceremony, Embassy officials took turns reciting the Proclamation of Independence and the first few opening paragraphs of the 1945 Constitution, followed by prayers.

The ceremony concluded with the Ambassador bestowing honors to 10 embassy staffers deemed worthy of distinction, including seven local Indian staffers who have been working with the embassy for a number of years.

“Thank you all for your services,” Sidharto said.

The rain did not appear to dampen the spirits of the hundreds of participants, as the festivities continued with a “folk party” featuring Indonesian delicacies and independence day games.

Scores of young Indonesians competed with one another to take selfies with Indonesian YouTube sensation Kevin Hendrawan, who was also in attendance.

More than a few visitors came from out of town to take part in the festivities.

One of the Paskibra participants, Ahmad Syarifudin, is a second-year student at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh, almost 150 kilometers southeast of the Indian capital. He is among 60 Indonesian university students living there.

You can feel the sense of conviviality here,” he said of the Independence Day celebrations.

Another visitor, Widdiyawan Dwi Putranto, flew in from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, almost a 1,000 km away, to join the party before heading off to Oman. He is a pilot with SpiceJet, a budget airliner based in Gurgaon.

“This is my second time [participating in an Indonesian Independence Day celebration]. I rarely come unless there is a big occasion — I’m here for the food,” Widdiyawan said jokingly.

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