Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, flagged off the first India Day celebrations in the Greater Seattle area as Consulate General of India as Seattle’s Guest of Honor, on India’s 78th Independence Day
Washington: American businessman and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has praised India as a global leader with breakthrough innovations. He made these remarks while participating in the inaugural India Independence Day celebrations at the newly-opened Indian Consulate in Seattle. Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, flagged off the first India Day celebrations in the Greater Seattle area as Consulate General of India as Seattle’s Guest of Honor, on India’s 78th Independence Day, a media release said.
As per the news agency PTI report, addressing the nearly 2,000 plus members of the Indian American community, he referred to India “as a global leader with breakthrough innovations in areas like technology, agriculture and healthcare”.
“From manufacturing safe low-cost vaccines to the remarkable leadership shown by the Indian diaspora to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure – India’s ingenuity is helping not just Indians, but the whole world. Countries across the Global South are leveraging India’s experience to build their DPI systems,” Microsoft founder Bill Gates said.
Other attendees at the India Day celebrations included Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, Congressman Adam Smith, Lt. General Xavier Brunson, Commander of the Americas First Corps in the Pacific Northwest, Rear Admiral Mark Sucato, Commander of the Navy Region Northwest, Washington Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, and Chief Justice Steve Gonzalez of the Washington Supreme Court.
The event, held for the first time in the Greater Seattle area, featured floats and cultural performances representing all states and regions of India, celebrating the theme of Unity in Diversity. Each of the floats were put together by prominent leaders of the Indian American community and reflected some of the important aspects of India’s rich cultural heritage.
In order to mark the occasion, five separate official proclamations were issued by governments/city councils of King County, Bellevue City (Washington), Portland (Oregon), Hillsboro (Oregon), and Tigard (Oregon) to honour the India Day celebrations.
On India’s 78th Independence Day, Mark Gordon, Governor of Wyoming also sent a separate congratulatory message. Some iconic buildings in Seattle and Bellevue also lit up in tricolours to mark the India Day celebrations, the media release added.
(With PTI Inputs)