A parade celebrating India’s Independence Day was held in Fremont, California, on Aug. 16, drawing residents from Fremont and neighboring cities.
Attendees included elected officials, cultural organizations, and people from various ethnic communities.
Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan told The Epoch Times that it was an “exciting day” and an important moment for the local community, as America recently celebrated its 250th birthday and now India is celebrating its 80th Independence Day.
“We’re trying to bring all of our community members together, all ethnicities, all backgrounds, and creating an environment that’s positive for everybody,” he said.
Salwan said that Indian culture has a very long history and includes rich family traditions, values, concern for fellow human beings, and spirituality.
He mentioned the Indian cultural concept of the interconnectedness of humanity, saying that such traditions can make a positive contribution to American society.
“We are one humanity,” he said. “We’re all connected with one God … and so I think it’s a great culture that has much to give.”
Salwan was sworn in as mayor in December 2024, becoming Fremont’s first Indian American mayor.
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton also attended the celebration. Hilton told The Epoch Times that he has maintained close ties with India and Indian friends throughout his life.
“I love India so much. I’ve spent many, many wonderful times in India,” he said.
Hilton said he grew up in England.
“Obviously, in England, there’s a close relationship between India and the U.K.,” he said. “So all my life, I’ve had very close friends from India.”
After coming to California, he said, he also made many Indian friends and was proud to join them in celebrating the special occasion in the Bay Area. He said cultural diversity is what California is all about.
“Indian people have made such an incredible contribution to the success of California, especially in technology here in Silicon Valley and in business everywhere,” he said.
Fremont City Councilmember Yang Shao told The Epoch Times that the Indian Independence Day celebration was not only an occasion for the Indian American community to celebrate its traditions, but also an opportunity for people of different ethnic backgrounds to work together to build the community.
He said the presence of elected officials from Fremont and other cities demonstrated that the event has become an important platform for multicultural exchange in the Bay Area.
As a Chinese American, Shao said the Chinese American community can similarly understand the importance of cultural identity. Members of that community celebrate the Chinese New Year as well as American Independence Day, he said.
“We and other ethnic groups are working together to build a better home,” Shao said.
Kitty Moore, mayor of Cupertino, also attended the celebration. She told The Epoch Times she had participated in the parade several times and considered it one of the largest Indian Independence Day celebrations outside India.
She said that celebrating America’s 250th anniversary and India’s 80th Independence Day at the same time made it a “very exciting” moment.
The marching band from American High School in Fremont joined the parade. The band is made up of students from different ethnic backgrounds, including a significant number of Indian American students.
Band director Richard Wong said the composition of the band largely reflects the demographics of the community surrounding the school.
“We’re happy to be here—excited to be here and play,” Wong told The Epoch Times.
Many Indian cultural organizations participated in the parade.
Samskrita Bharati is an organization that promotes Sanskrit education around the world. Ajay Mohan, a volunteer with the organization, said Sanskrit is an ancient language and that the group hopes to introduce it to more people.
He said one of the important benefits of learning Sanskrit is that it allows modern people to gain direct access to ancient texts written in the language.
“You can read a historical book and you can unlock the treasures,” he told The Epoch Times.
Mohan also said he believes Sanskrit has potential value for research in cutting-edge fields such as computer science and artificial intelligence.
Chandra Nayak, a representative of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, told The Epoch Times that the organization he belongs to is a nonprofit social and cultural organization that has operated in the United States for more than 30 years, with branches in multiple states and universities.
He said the organization emphasizes peace, and one of its most important goals is to ensure that the next generation carries on Indian culture while becoming responsible citizens of society and the world.
More than 60 percent of Fremont’s population is of Asian descent, with Indian Americans and Chinese Americans among the city’s largest ethnic communities. Some Chinese American organizations also participated in the day’s celebration.
A parade contingent made up of Chinese American Falun Gong practitioners included a lion dance team, a waist-drum team, and a Falun Gong exercise demonstration team.
Joel Ng, head of the Bay Area Falun Buddha Association, told The Epoch Times that the spiritual discipline Falun Gong is also practiced by people in India. He said his group hopes that through its participation in community events, more people can learn about Falun Gong and its values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
David Shi, who participated in the parade with a group representing Gan Jing World, told The Epoch Times that the multilingual online platform is based on traditional values that strictly excludes pornography and violent content. The platform provides news, education, culture, entertainment, and information services.
He said the reason his contingent participated in the Indian Independence Day celebration was that the platform’s values are consistent with respecting, appreciating, and embracing different cultural traditions.
