DIWALI CELEBRATIONS AT THE
CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, NEW YORK

A Diwali celebration was held at the Consulate General of India, New York in the evening of Saturday, November 13, 2010.  It was attended by over 200 members of the Indian community in the Tri-State area.

Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Consul General said that this year’s Diwali had an added significance for Indian Americans because of two major factors.  Firstly, Diwali coincided with President Obama’s visit to India which was an outstanding success.  A very large number of bilateral agreements were signed during his visit and the warmth and friendship displayed by the two sides was unprecedented.  President Obama had said that the Indo-American strategic partnership would be a defining relationship of the 21st century, and this indicated the great heights to which the relationship has risen.  Ambassador Prabhu Dayal congratulated the Indian American community for their outstanding role in helping to build such a close friendship between the two countries, and exhorted them to continue playing such a useful role in future also.

The Consul General said that another reason why this year’s Diwali was highly significant was because it came on the heels of India’s victory in the UN Security Council elections.  He recalled that India secured 187 votes, which was the highest achieved by any country not only in this year’s elections but a record for the past several years.  He said that the Government of India, and especially the Ministry of External Affairs had played a stellar role in achieving such outstanding success in the elections.  He also pointed out that Ambassador Hardeep Puri, Permanent Representative to the UN (who was present at the function), and his team deserved accolades and applause for having ensured such a thumping victory for India.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Hardeep Puri warmly reciprocated the Consul General’s sentiments and said that India’s victory had been secured by team work at all levels.  He also said that in several other recent elections in the UN, India had achieved thumping success and registered victories.  He stated that it was only a matter of time before India would achieve the status of a Permanent Member in the UN Security Council.

The assembled audience burst into rapturous applause during the speeches of Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Consul General and Ambassador Hardeep Puri, Ambassador to the UN.