Ram Mandir float joins diaspora celebration of nation’s diversity at New York India Day Parade

New York, Aug 19: The Indian diaspora joyously celebrated their homeland’s cultural richness and religious diversity at the 42nd India Day Parade honouring the nation’s Independence. A float depicting the Ayodhya Ram Mandir was featured in the parade on Sunday, along with tableaus of Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs while groups of Indian Jews and Buddhists marched under their banners.

Men and women, in a cascade of colours, beat traditional drums from Maharashtra heralding the Ram Mandir float, and along the route, people rushed spontaneously past barriers to greet it. The parade with thousands marching and many more watching it wended along Madison Avenue in a kaleidoscope of colour rejecting attempts by a group led by a Muslim organisation to disrupt it.

The Indian American Muslim Council organised a campaign with other groups, which said they were representing Sikhs, Christians and Hindus, against the Ram Mandir float, calling it “Muslim hate, bigotry”, and appealing to public officials to ban it.

But the confluence of India’s diversity of religions, regions and languages at the parade jubilantly proclaiming the nation’s unity was a contrast to their targeted attacks on the Ram Mandir, amplified by thinly veiled Hinduphobia in the US media that had declared ahead of the event that it was controversial or “marred’ by the float’s presence.

Swami Adveshanand Giri, the head of the Juna Akhada, said to be the oldest and largest organisation of sanyasis, was the chief guest while actress Sonakshi Sinha was the Grand Marshal and actor Zahir Iqbal was the VIP guest. The New York Police Department sent a contingent of officers and their band to march in the parade. NY Police Department Desi Society marched with their own banner. A group holding the Indian tricolour was flanked by two mounted police.

“Stop Hindu Genocide in Bangladesh” was the theme of a float calling for an end to attacks on the minority community in that country. One of those protesting against the Ram Mandir float was a Bangladeshi American City Council member Shahana Hanif. A man with an Israeli flag joined the group holding the float’s anti-genocide banner.

At several points along the parade route, Jews and Israelis, who are also the targets of the groups ideologically similar to those campaigning against the Ram Mandir float waved Israeli flags and cheered. The International Organisation of Bene Israel USA representing the Jews of India was one of the groups of marchers. There was a float dedicated to Guru Teg Bahadur, another from Muslims for Peace proclaimed: “Love to All, Hatred to None,” while one from the National Association of Indian Christians in the USA said: “Jesus will bring good news.”

A float depicting B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution and a Dalit with links to the city where he studied, was accompanied by people distributing his tract on ending casteism. A group demanding justice for the woman doctor recently raped and killed in Kolkatta walked in the parade. Many organisations like those of doctors, businesses and media also had floats.

Several Indian folk dances and music added to the parade's festivity. The protests against the parade did not materialise, save for a video truck hired by the Indian American Muslim Council displaying its messages, “New Yorkers Say No Place for Islamophobhia” and “NY Against Hindutva,” that drove around before the parade started.