Indians in Saudi Arabia celebrate Independence Day

JEDDAH: The Indian community in the Kingdom celebrated the country’s 69th Independence Day on Saturday with zeal and fervor. A section of the Indian community here commemorated Independence Day by donating blood.|
The day started with flag hoisting ceremonies held simultaneously at the Indian consulate in Jeddah and the Indian embassy in Riyadh.
In Riyadh, charge d’ affaires Hemant Kotalwar hoisted the tricolour, followed by rendition of the national anthem and patriotic songs by the students of Indian International School.Kotalwar read out the President’s message to the gathering on the occasion.
In Jeddah, consul general BS Mubarak hoisted the national flag in the presence of prominent NRIs and community workers and also read out the President’s message.

The consul general in his speech hailed Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who have earned the goodwill of Saudi Arabia through their hard work, dedication, discipline and law-abiding nature.
Highlighting the strong relations between Saudi Arabia and India, Mubarak said that a strong framework for strategic partnership exists between the two countries. He also said cordial relations between both countries led to a remarkable growth in bilateral trade which was $36.61 billion for the year 2014-15. He also mentioned the Saudis’ interest in the Make in India campaign.
The International Indian School (IISJ) also celebrated Indian Independence Day with a colourful event.
Earlier, members of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ), a community organization from Tamil Nadu, gathered at King Fahad Hospital and donated 50 units of blood on Friday.
Maheen Mohammed of TNTJ said in a statement that the members of the organization decided to celebrate the country’s Independence day in a meaningful way and express patriotism in a way that could help others save lives.
He said that each volunteer has donated 450 ML of blood to honor the heroes of India’s freedom struggle.
To commemorate India’s Independence Day, English-language newspapers in Saudi Arabia published a special supplement showcasing India’s progress in various fields.