Welcome address by Chairman & Co-Founder Mr Atul Temurnikar at the launch of India@75:

Respected High Commissioner Mr Kumaran, distinguished guests of the High Commission, my colleagues, parents, teachers and students. 

It gives me great pleasure and pride to be standing here today at an important event in our lifetime. 

India marks 75 years as a sovereign nation - and as a representative of the Singapore diaspora, I am happy to be the host for an event that will kick-start the celebrations of this milestone moment. 

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. 

This is an apt tagline given to the celebrations by our honourable prime minister Shri Mr Narendra Modi-ji. 

Commemorating 75 years of a progressive India - the platinum jubilee of freedom if you will - is always a Mahotsav - a mega festival of Freedom. 

It is also a mega festival celebrating the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. 

Over the next 75 weeks, though we are all experiencing tough times, the people of this great nation will celebrate our independence, our journey of freedom, our successes and our development. 

The government is pulling no stops to ensure that while the Covid challenges are dealt with on high priority,  every government sector, private sector, industry, region, province and individual, will feel the pride and the privilege of being part of the land that we call as Bharat.

It is a land where rich cultural diversity goes hand-in-hand with the large-heartedness of its people, the talent of its innovative minds and the drive of its youth. 

Over thousands of millennia, the Indian civilization has survived the ravages of nature, the onslaught of invaders and differences of opinion to emerge stronger and richer in its offering to the world. 

This history combined with a rich heritage is what I call the nucleus of our rich diversity. 

Now At 75, India is a powerhouse of talent and determination. 

The people have not only been instrumental in bringing the country this far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is an embodiment of all that is progressive about India's socio-cultural, political and economic identity. 

It is a universal vision for India shared by Indians from all nations and all walks of life. 

The diaspora has contributed handsomely to this development. 

This includes Global Schools Foundation and the international schools under its umbrella who have ensured that expats from all nations are firmly rooted in their culture even if they are away from the country. 

Over the last two decades, Global Indian International School has taken giant steps to uphold Indian tradition in Singapore. 

One of our biggest contributions is the Global Indian Cultural Centre, which has been giving a platform to many families to stay close to their traditions. 

GIIS has also been helping spread the healthy practice of Yoga and many Singaporeans & expat communities have joined the classes. 

The present foreign minister’s wife Mrs Jaishankar too had her few Hindi classes at GICC in Singapore.

The school has since its inception, also consistently promoted Sanskrit as a spoken language, long before it was formally included by India’ MOE. 

The Mahatma Gandhi museum in our school is one of its kind in Singapore, and a true testimony of GIIS’s belief in the principles of the Mahatma, who spearheaded the fight for independence. 

It is our small contribution to bring the younger generation closer to their roots. 

One of our most humble contributions in this direction was GIIS’s steps to help India deal with the Covid pandemic. 

In early 2020, GIIS has generously contributed S$200k to the PM CARES, to help fight the virus. 

Just recently, we have sent 200 oxygen cylinders onboard Indian Navy ship INS Airavat and also sent 500 oxygen concentrators by Air, to be distributed to small towns and villages through Sewa International. 

We feel privileged to be hosting this great initiative, and helping the High Commission of India in Singapore, to bring it to fruition.

As a catalyst to this initiative, we held a quiz for the students on the freedom movement, and for the next year, we will help in every which way to conduct activities to commemorate this occasion. 

It will be great to see our students from India connect to their homeland, show a keen interest in its rich culture.  

Activities are being planned around dedicated weekly themes for each of the 75 weeks to celebrate the country’s achievements and development across various sectors since Independence. 

They will focus on social, cultural, scientific and technological high points in the country's post-independence trajectory. 

We are extremely proud of the great strides India has taken since independence, and I look forward to an eventful year of national celebrations.  

Thank you!!

To watch the whole speech, click here.