published a star-studded video greeting starring some of the most renowned and distinguished Indian Americans and Indians in America. The complete video is available on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
The celebrities in the video were from diverse backgrounds including tennis ambassador, philanthropist, and filmmaker Ashok Amritraj; US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy; Mira Nair, film director and producer; and Indra Nooyi, author and former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. The other celebrities were Dr. Deepak Chopra, author and health pioneer; Nina Davulur, activist and first Indian Miss America and actor; Zakir Hussain, tabla expert, composer, and music ambassador; and Madhur Jaffrey, food and travel author, television chef, and actor.
The other personalities including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s top medical reporter; Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actor, producer, and philanthropist; and Padma Lakshmi, television personality, producer, cuisine expert, and author, all delivered their messages in the video. Additionally, other celebrities such as Aasif Mandvi, comedian, actor, and television host; Suketu Mehta, literary novelist and journalist; Shruthika Padhy, 2019 Scripps Spelling Bee Champion; and Gitanjali Rao, 2020 TIME Magazine Kid of the Year, scientist, and inventor, also conveyed their messages..
Chargé d’Affaires Patricia Lacina spoke about the US-India ties. She said, “At the core of the US-India partnership are the countless personal friendships formed over the years between individual Americans and Indians as they study, work, live, and learn together”. She added, “The contributors to this video stand at the pinnacle of their respective fields of endeavor, highlighting the many ways that these people-to-people connections have helped both our countries thrive.”
Humanitarian links are a cornerstone of the US-India relationship. In 2019, around 15 million Indian travelers visited the United States, and Americans became the second largest foreign national group traveling to India. According to the mission, over 200,000 Indian students are now pursuing their higher education in university campuses across the United States. The Indian American diaspora is estimated to be four million strong, and about one-third of all immigrant-based businesses in the United States belong to Indians. According to the press release, the US Mission in India has planned to celebrate its 75th Anniversary festivities throughout the year with a variety of activities around the nation.
