Suryapath Tiranga global relay spans 54 Indian missions from Fiji to San Francisco

On India's 80th Independence Day, the Indian tricolour undertook a first-of-its-kind global relay, Suryapath Tiranga, starting at the High Commission in Suva, Fiji at 1:30 am IST and concluding at the Consulate in San Francisco at 8:30 pm IST. The Ministry of Culture said the initiative connected 54 Indian missions across the Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with each mission hoisting the flag and then tagging the next mission in a digital sequence.

The relay was part of the broader Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. Telanganatoday.com reported that Indian missions in over 30 countries participated, including in New Zealand, China, Japan, the UAE, the UK, and Canada. In several locations, members of the Indian diaspora joined flag-hoisting ceremonies, cultural programmes, and mass singing of Vande Mataram and the national anthem.

Separately, iconic landmarks such as Dubai's Burj Khalifa and New York's Times Square were illuminated in saffron, white, and green to mark the occasion, drawing large crowds. The Burj Khalifa display highlighted the strong ties between India and the UAE, home to an estimated 4.5 million Indian expats, according to Hindustan Times.