American businessman and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has called India a global leader in breakthrough innovations. He made this statement while joining Indian Americans to celebrate the inaugural India Independence Day event at the new Indian Consulate in Seattle.
Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, kicked off the first India Day celebrations in the Greater Seattle area as the Guest of Honor at the Indian Consulate. The event marked India’s 78th Independence Day, according to a media release.
In his speech, he described India as a worldwide leader with “breakthrough innovations in areas like technology, agriculture, and healthcare,” addressing the assembly of more than 2,000 Indian Americans.
Gates also noted, “From manufacturing affordable, safe vaccines to the impressive leadership of the Indian diaspora and India’s digital public infrastructure, India’s innovation is benefiting not just its own people but the entire world. Countries throughout the Global South are drawing on India’s experience to develop their own digital public infrastructure systems.”
Representative Suzan DelBene, Representative Kim Schrier, Representative Adam Smith, Lieutenant General Xavier Brunson, Commander of the America’s First Corps in Pacific NorthWest, Rear Admiral Mark Sucato, Commander of the Navy Region of North West, Washington Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court, and Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck were among the attendees of the India Day celebrations.
The event was the first of its kind in the Greater Seattle area, featuring floats and cultural performances that represented all states and regions of India, celebrating the theme of Unity in Diversity.
The floats were organized by prominent leaders from the Indian American community and highlighted key aspects of India’s rich cultural heritage.
In honor of the occasion, five official proclamations were issued by the governments and city councils of King County, Bellevue City (Washington), Portland (Oregon), Hillsboro (Oregon), and Tigard (Oregon). Mark Gordon, Governor of Wyoming, also sent a congratulatory message for India’s 78th Independence Day. Additionally, several iconic buildings in Seattle and Bellevue were illuminated in tricolor lights to celebrate India Day, according to the media release.
