On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 lives were lost and many were scarred for life in the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the US. Remembering the magnitude and impact of the fateful day, people from different walks of life participate in various events across the country. Similarly, an important event to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was hosted at the iconic Times Square in NYC by the Indian American organisations.
At the event, which was organised by Indian American organisations in association with the Federation of Indian Associations of NY NJ CT NE, a moment of silence and prayers were held to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11.
The event was attended by Consul General of India NY Randhir Jaiswal; Deputy Consul General NY; Dr Varun Jeph; Jaipur foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari; FIA President Kenny Desai; FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya and Chairman of Bihar Foundation of North America Alok Kumar; Howdy Modi fame sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma amongst others.
At the event, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi were preached. CG Jaiswal emphasised the need to embrace peace-filled harmony and non-violence, which are the preachings of India's father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi.
Protesting against hate crimes in US
Indian diaspora attended the peaceful, non-religious, non-political gathering, expressing their concerns about the recent incidents of hate crime. The community representatives expressed their concerns about the recent attack on Mahatma Gandhi's statue in NY city and other US cities.
RANA President Prem Bhandari noted that there is a lot to learn from the values that Mahatma Gandhi and strongly condemned the recent incidents of vandalism. He demanded strict action by the Government to punish those responsible.
CG Jaiswal paid his tribute to the victims of 9/11 while emphasising on the need for renewed commitment and resolve to be vigilant against hate crimes and terrorism. FIA chairman Vaidya highlighted the importance of working peacefully with a committed resolve to abolish extremism and hate-crime.
Last month, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of a temple in New York was toppled and smashed in the attack on the memorial. Six men destroyed the statue at the Sri Tulsi Mandir with a sledgehammer and painted hate-filled words, around it and on the road. A combination of leftists and Khalistanis have targeted Gandhi statues across the US, sometimes by circulating petitions for removing them, as in the case of another statue in New York City that was also vandalised by placing a shroud over it and at other times by damaging them. The community gathering will also express concerns about the hate crimes against Indian Americans.
