Thousands of people, energetic in celebration of India’s Independence Day, waved their orange, white, and green flags this past Saturday as they took part in the first India Day Parade on Long Island.
Roughly 24,550 Indian immigrants call Long Island home, making Indians the second largest immigrant group in the area behind those from El Salvador. Yet until last weekend, residents had to travel into Manhattan to show their Indian pride.
As I captured the lively people driving by on floats (scroll down for a photo slideshow), I also took some time to ask paradegoers why they felt it was important for the event to happen:
Davinder Singh, Hicksville (left): “It’s showing our strength in Hicksville, so it’s really great.”
Shivani Sharma, Bellrose (left): “It’s India’s Independence Day, so all of the Indian society is gathered together. We see the unity. That makes me feel more excited.”
David Kumar, Bethpage (left): “We are proud to be Indian. We are very proud to be here.”
Here’s a slideshow with images from the parade:
Photo credit: Michelle Gil.
