'Sare jahan se achha' played in White House

NEW DELHI: The White House's Marine Band played "Sare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara" twice at the annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month reception attended by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The patriotic song, penned by Mohammad Iqbal during India's struggle for independence, was performed at the request of Indian Americans invited to the event.
Indian American community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria expressed his delight at being greeted by the musicians playing the song as he entered the White House.
He noted that this was the second time in less than a year that the song was played at the White House, with the first instance being during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic State Visit on June 23. The Marine Band had practiced the song in preparation for the State Visit.
Bhutoria emphasised that the playing of this song during the AANHPI Heritage Month reflects the importance President Biden and his team place on the India-US relationship and Indian Americans.
He described the US-India relationship as one of the strongest, with President Biden recognising India as one of the most consequential partners. Bhutoria also discussed the growing trade relationship between the two countries with US trade representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, who acknowledged the search for new partners to balance China.
The India-US relationship is growing at all levels, from people-to-people ties, with the 4.4 million Indian Americans serving as the backbone, to business-to-business and government-to-government interactions.
Bhutoria highlighted the recent signing of new defence agreements during Prime Minister Modi's visit and the potential for further growth in trade between the two nations.