Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks at Flag-Raising Ceremony for India

August 15, 2024

Video available at: https://youtu.be/6N7ZYCsRKeQ

Mayor Eric Adams: …over and over again. You know, New York City is the New Delhi of America. We have one of the largest Indian populations. And I recall in my trip to India, and the most significant part of that trip that I remember, I remember watching the last footsteps of our leader, Gandhi, and where the assassin took his life, and how we have a responsibility and obligation to continue those footsteps. We have to fulfill what he thought we should do as we lift up humanity. And it's so important, but also diversity. 

I'm so proud that we have the first Indian American and Deputy Mayor Meera  Joshi as a deputy mayor in the city of New York. We're so proud to have her as part of our team, as she manages the challenging infrastructure of this City. But we're also proud that it took 110 mayors before the Indian flag was raised here at Bowling Green when I came into office. This is the oldest democracy, so we should be proud to lift this flag up in the democracy of New York City. And I call on the community to continue to inspire and achieve at the levels… When you look at the number of professional business owners, health professionals in the medical field, educators, teachers, it shows the clear presence of the Indian community. You do us proud here in this city and in our entire country. 

And we cannot overlook what you all should feel a wealth of support for, that we are on a historic moment of potentially electing the first woman president of Indian descent. This is a major, major accomplishment. It shows you that in America, everything is possible. Let's continue to lift each other up. 78 years of independence. Let's continue to be dependent on each other as we move forward. Thank you very much. Happy Independence Day.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Thank you. Hi, I'm Meera Joshi, deputy mayor of Operations and the first Indian-American to hold this position in New York City. And when we talk about 78 years of independence, my father passed when he was 89 in 2017. But he lived in India before independence. And so he tells me what the before and after was like. And it is a wonderful thing to celebrate here in New York City, the heart of independence, minutes away from our harbor, what independence really looks like. 

And it looks like what you see around you, everybody, all different nations, all different religions. But one thing that's unique about New York City, we have more Indian Americans here than anywhere else in the country. Even Edison, New Jersey. So I think that's a good thing. And I want to echo what the mayor said. There is nothing that is more exciting to me personally, and I'm sure that my feeling is reflected in those in the groups, to hear, see, and think about the possibility of someone holding the highest office in this nation. And for me, very personally, also being half Indian. 

So I think it's an exciting moment for our nation. It's an exciting moment for our community. And it's an exciting moment for inclusivity. It's a really important thing to understand that as a city and as a nation, we evolve as we grow together. So I'm very excited about that. I also want to first give a proclamation to our president of the Indian Cultural Association of North America. Siv, here we go. This is in recognition of all the work that you do representing a vast, diverse, and important culture in a city where it is hard to compete for attention, but you get it. So thank you very much for your work. 

Sivadasan Nair, President, Indian Cultural Association of North America: Thank you very much. Thank you. I really appreciate the support from Mayor's Office and mayor for this event. Thank you. 

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Thank you. And now I'd like to bring on our own consul general.

Consul General Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consulate General of the Republic of India in New York: The most popular mayor of New York City, Mr. Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, my friend, Commissioner Ed Mermelstein, all the distinguished guests here. Let me begin by wishing everybody a Happy Independence Day. This is the 78th Independence Day that we are celebrating here today, and I couldn't imagine to be in a better place to celebrate this rather than being with the mayor of New York City to celebrate it here. 

So Mr. Mayor, today we are celebrating the Independence Day of India, but we are also celebrating three other things along with the independence of India. So it's also the rise of India that we are celebrating, the growth story of the last 78 years, the fabulous journey that India has made in last 78 years [inaudible] where my country people feel very safe, and like deputy mayor said, it hosts the largest contingent of Indian-American community. 

But it's also a story of Indian people coming here, working hard, contributing to the nation-building of the United States in a tremendous way, and this is something we remember in India, we celebrate in India. And the third important thing is the rise of Indian-American partnership. If President Biden says that this is the most consequential partnership of the 21st century, we in India echo that. We strongly endorse that and we strongly believe in that. We believe that it has reached a point of inflection where now the Indians and the United States, we are working on all sectors of human endeavor. 

So this is a day when we are celebrating our independence, our friendship with the United States, and also the success of the Indian-American community. Let me conclude by thanking the organizers, Indian Cultural Association of North America, Mr. Sivadasan Nair, the president of the Bowling Green, and other organizers who have made it possible, but also special thanks to the mayor, Mayor Eric Adams. Thank you so much. 

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