India’s Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra emphasized that the real value of celebrating Republic Day lies in the rededication of all Indians to the values and ideals enshrined in the Constitution, which is the foundation of Indian democracy as well as the source of our rights and freedoms.
Dublin, Agency. India’s Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra hoisted the tricolor flag on the occasion of India’s 77th Republic Day at the premises of the Indian Embassy in Dublin. He read out President Draupadi Murmu’s address to the nation. Despite adverse weather conditions, the event was enthusiastically attended by a large number of members of the Indian community and Irish friends from India.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Mishra discussed India-Ireland relations. He particularly emphasized the tremendous growth in overall two-way trade. Trade between the two countries crossed $18 billion last year, while in 2021 it was about $5 billion. He praised the many bilateral relations and the contribution of the approximately 100,000 Indian community in strengthening mutual understanding and goodwill between the people of the two countries. He also praised the community’s strong connection with India and Indian culture and especially emphasized the services of the women of the community, who are not only doing better than their male counterparts in earning money, but also making voluntary efforts to pass on and teach the Indian languages, dance, art and music traditions of their respective areas to the children.
The Ambassador also informed the community about the Government of India’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, which has been the driving force behind all the major cultural and social initiatives of the Embassy. In this regard, he mentioned about hosting 23 events under the Embassy’s State Cultural Series to showcase the cultural richness and potential in trade and tourism of different states. This was possible only because of the active support and participation of artists and community members from different states.
Ambassador Mishra emphasized that the real value of celebrating Republic Day lies in the rededication of all Indians to the values and ideals enshrined in the Constitution, which is the foundation of Indian democracy as well as the source of our rights and freedoms. He emphasized that rights can be created and maintained only when Indian society fulfills its duties. He reminded that the Preamble of the Constitution compels all Indians to promote brotherhood and ensure the unity and integrity of the country. The Fundamental Duties in the Constitution also require all citizens to promote the spirit of harmony and brotherhood among all the people of India, transcending religion, language and regional or class differences, to protect public property and to refrain from violence. He said that for a highly diverse and pluralistic country like India, adopting these ideals and adopting them in everyday life is necessary to create a peaceful, progressive and developed country.
