‘For someone who found his patriotism for India while living in America, this is a very momentous occasion.’
Photograph: Kind courtesy Adivi Sesh/Instagram
Key Points
- On August 15, Adivi Sesh will join India’s Consul General in New York Binaya S Pradhan for the flag-hoisting ceremony at Times Square.
- Sesh will participate in the India Day Parade on Madison Avenue on August 16, riding on the America 250 float.
- Sesh expressed that representing India as the Grand Marshal feels like ‘life has come full circle’, recalling his childhood admiration for Amitabh Bachchan’s similar role.
Adivi Sesh will represent India at New York’s Independence Day celebrations.
On August 14, the Major actor pulled the ceremonial lever to illuminate the Empire State Building in the Indian Tricolour, in association with the Federation of Indian Associations.
On August 15, Adivi Sesh will join India’s Consul General in New York Binaya S Pradhan at Times Square for the flag-hoisting ceremony. It will be followed by patriotic songs, dance and cultural festivities, filling Times Square with the spirit of India.
On August 16, Sesh will participate in the India Day Parade on Madison Avenue, from 34th Street to 23rd Street. It is the largest India Day Parade outside India.
He will ride on the America 250 float alongside elected officials before taking his place at the podium and waving to nearly 55 passing floats, as an estimated three lakh people line the streets waving Indian flags and cheering for India.
A Personal ‘Full Circle’ Moment
Speaking from New York, Adivi Sesh tells Subhash K Jha, “It’s a momentous for me because I remember when I was a kid in the late ’90’s, Amitabh Bachchan sir was the chief guest for the FIA. He was the Grand Marshal.
“There are a lot of memories associated with this event for me as a child growing up in America, who loved his Indian heritage. I remember a bunch of my friends would go to the nearest store to get those Kodak disposable cameras to take those photographs with him. All my friends were doing that and I was too shy to go in. We were trying to get admission into the dance programme so we could perform in front of him.”
Now, Adivi Sesh is standing where Mr Bachchan once stood.
“I’m going there as the Grand Marshal, and it feels like life has come full circle,” he add.
“In addition to that, this idea of pulling the lever on the Empire Building, and the whole building lighting up in the Indian Tricolour… I remember there was a show called Namaste America. It used to come on the weekends in the States and I saw A R Rahman’s Vande Mataram for the first time. Whenever that song would come up, I would stand up. So for someone who found his patriotism for India while living in America, this is a very momentous occasion.”
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
