What a spectacular event this was, where the many guests, including the Minister of the Interior, Ms Kajsa Ollongren; the Mayor of Utrecht Mr Jan Van Zanen; many of our member Ambassadors and friends of India, gathered in the Nieuwe Kerk.

As H.E Venu Rajamony, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, stated: “It is particularly appropriate that the celebration of India’s 69th Republic Day takes place amidst this wonderful exhibition “We have a dream – Gandhi, King and Mandela.” The Republic Day marks that day in 1950 when the people of India adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves the Constitution of India. And, the Indian Constitution fully enshrines the ideals that Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela stood for, struggled for and for whose achievement they dedicated their lives.”

He pointed out that “Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” is the mantra of modern day India and how proud he is to be able to claim to India being the largest democracy in the world.
Not only that, but to quote His Excellency: “India has shown that democracy and rapid economic growth can go hand in hand. According to the World Bank and the IMF, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world, growing at a rate of 7.4 to 7.8% this year and expected to continue to grow at this rate for the rest of this decade.”

His Excellency emphasised the close link with the Netherlands, ever since they were one of the first to recognize independent India in 1947.

2017 was a special year, which saw Foreign Minister Bert Koenders visit India in May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi return the compliment in June. Investments from the Netherlands since 2015 now amount to US$ 8 billion making the Netherlands the fourth largest investor in India.

Concerning Indian companies in the Netherlands: Tata Steel, the largest Indian company here which merged with Germany’s Thyssen Group, will keep its Headquarters in the Netherlands; TCS, India’s biggest IT firm celebrated 25 years in the Netherlands: Basmati rice, LT Foods opened an ultra-modern rice milling plant in Rotterdam and Synthite, the world’s largest supplier of spice oils and oleoresins opened operations in the Food Valley, Wageningen.

To celebrate all of this positive news, guests were then treated to an absolutely incredible sit-down dinner and sent home with an amazing goody bag provided by Dr. Viju Jacob of Synthite food Industries, our hearts and hands full of the wonderful scent of ‘incredible India”.

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