August 15, when the expat heart beats for India

Distance lends enchantment to the view, they say, and for the expatriate living away from home, this is never truer than on a national holiday.

And on Indian Independence Day, the country’s citizens who make their home in the UAE celebrate in a variety of different ways, from flag-themed parties to classical music concerts.

Gaurav Chakraborty, a 30-year-old sales manager for oil and gas contractors Petrofac, will take the day off today to watch his wife’s choir performing at the Indian consulate. “I’m looking forward to singing the national anthem,” he says. “I’ve lived here for four years, but have not been able to go before this because of travel and family commitments.”

His wife is part of Malhaar, a classical Indian choir that is singing a programme of patriotic songs after the traditional flag hoisting at the consulate today. “Taking a day off is the least I can do,” he tells Emirates24|7.

India celebrates its independence from British rule on August 15 each year. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in New Delhi, where the country’s Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development.

In the UAE, the Indian missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will celebrate the day with similar ceremonies. Members of the Indian community and friends of India have been invited to participate in the celebrations. Independence Day programmes have also been arranged at several other institutions, including schools and cultural centres.

Media professional Sheetal M, 31, says she will celebrate the 64th anniversary of India’s independence by wearing traditional Indian clothes to work. She usually takes Indian sweets in to work, but with the holiday falling within Ramadan this year, she’s decided against that. “Such occasions are the best time to remember the place that made you what you are, to remember home. Whether I’ve lived in Dubai for two years or 20, I will always be Indian,” she says.

Television professional Jogiraj Sikidar, who is conductor of Malhaar, says a lot of it is about nostalgia. “When you’re in India, you tend to take things for granted. But when you’re outside, you realise that there are things you don’t get here, things you can’t do, such as, say, going kite flying every August 15, which we did in Delhi.”

For others, such as 38-year-old Subhashish Gupta, an executive with power transmission and distribution company Areva, it is a chance to educate their children about their heritage. “It’s important that Abhinav knows what his country is about, so he can value his independence,” Gupta says, referring to his eight-year-old son whom, he’s afraid, may grow up with little or no connection to his homeland. “Since he was six months old, it’s been important to me that he is connected to his roots,” he says.

He will help Abhinav reconnect by taking him to the consulate for today’s event where hopefully, the boy will learn something of the country’s ethos. 
 
Ambassadors

Like Chakraborty puts it, events such as Independence Day lead to a celebration of all things Indian. “For office-goers in India, Independence Day is just another holiday. But for us here in the UAE, we tend to appreciate the democratic society we have in India and the values it teaches us.”

Sikidar takes it one step further. “We’re all ambassadors of our own country. When people look at me here, they know I’m Indian,” he says, in explaining why his choir is taking the day off to perform for free at the consulate. “And so you try to make your country proud, to do what you can, while at the same time sending a message to other nationalities about your values and your culture.”

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