Indian expatriate community in Oman, in association with their Embassy celebrated their Independence Day, the 65th anniversary of freedom, with pride and emotion. Indian Ambassador to Oman HE Anil Wadhwa unfurled the Tricolor, the national flag of the Republic of India, at a ceremony took place at the Indian Embassy premises. Students of Indian School Darsait sang the Indian national anthem and patriotic songs at the celebration. Ambassador Wadhwa presented books to the children who presented the songs. The flag hoisting ceremony was attended by more than 300 people of Indian expatriate community and people of Indian origin residing in the Sultanate.

Earlier in the morning, Ambassador Wadhwa unfurled the Indian national flag of the Republic of India at a ceremony held at Indian School Al Seeb where he read out the Address of President of India Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil to the Nation. The ceremony at the Indian School was witnessed by a large gathering of members of the Indian community. After reading out the President’s address Ambassador Wadhwa gave an account of historical Indo-Oman relations. In his speech Ambassador stated, “India has been successful in building friendly relations with most of the countries in the world. These relations are based on mutual trust, economic and commercial engagements, exchange of technology and sharing of experiences in various fields. As far as Sultanate of Oman is concerned, our friendly bilateral relations have seen a surge in the past few years which have been illustrated by high-level visits exchanged between the countries.”

Highlighting India’s achievements during the past few years, Wadhwa mentioned that India has now become a trillion dollar economy with a per capita income of more than US $ 1000. The foreign exchange reserves stood at US $ 314 billion in July 2011. India is now recognized the world over as a happening place. Many describe it as the future economic powerhouse of the world, Ambassador added.

Noting the cordial support extended by the Omani authorities in order to develop friendly bilateral relations between the two countries, Ambassador Wadhwa said that all round promotion of relations with His Majesty’s Government will always remain a priority for India. Hailing the peaceful, law-abiding and hardworking Indian community in Oman, he said that they are the true ambassadors of India and he is, particularly honored to represent them in Oman.

The celebration in the Indian School was followed by patriotic songs present by the school children and a colorful cultural program that described cultural unity and integrity of India.