New York’s Indian-origin mayor Zohran Mamdani leads India Day parade

Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Indian-American mayor, attended the Queens India Day Parade in Floral Park on Saturday as Indian-American communities across the New York tri-state area celebrated India's 80th Independence Day. In a post on X, Mamdani called the parade "an experience I will never forget" and praised the city's diverse Indian diaspora, saying he saw "Hindus and Christians, Muslims and Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs."

In neighbouring New Jersey, more than 1,300 US flags were arranged to form the number "250" at Veterans Memorial Park in Parsippany, setting a Guinness World Record for "Largest Flagpole Number." The event, organised by the Consulate General of India in New York in partnership with the Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-NE and supported by Zoho, marked both India's 80th Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the United States. Consul General Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell, US Congresswoman Analilia Mejia, and Parsippany Mayor Pulkit Desai attended.

The Indian Consulate in New York and India's Permanent Mission to the UN also held flag-hoisting ceremonies, while the tricolour was unfurled at Times Square. Several US states issued proclamations recognising August 15 as "India Day," and landmarks including the Empire State Building and Niagara Falls were illuminated in Indian colours. The FIA will host its 44th India Day Parade in Manhattan on Sunday, featuring the cast of "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" as chief guests.