Ms. Lucia Mariya Vezhaparambil (President of Be Friends Switzerland),
Ms. Pushpamma Thadathil (Secretary of Be Friends Switzerland),
Ms. Sangeetha Maniyeri (Treasurer of Be Friends Switzerland)
Mr. Christian Darbre, (Head of Private Customers, Raiffessen Bank - Egg Branch),
Father
Executive Committee members, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon to all of you present here! Wishing you all a very happy Onam!!
- I am delighted to celebrate Onam in Switzerland, yet again with ‘Be Friends’, and take this opportunity to congratulate the team for organizing this Annual ONAMAHOLSAVAM 2024, in a grand scale, just as in previous years.
- ‘Onam’ is marked by the happiness, excitement and enjoyment among all sections of society as Keralites all over the world, irrespective of their religion, celebrate Onam with immense enthusiasm.
- It gives me immense pleasure to note that the Malayalee community in Switzerland are highly successful in developing a strong community and in spreading the ethnicity of our culture and sports among the Swiss society through various cultural programs.
- Firstly, I wish to congratulate the Executive Committee for taking a big step towards women empowerment by electing an ‘all-women’ team this year and take this opportunity to express my admiration to all the member families of ‘Be Friends Switzerland’, for their unceasing efforts in promoting and nurturing Indian culture and traditions in Switzerland and for playing a key role in integrating the Indian community in Switzerland.
- With the ‘ever-increasing’ number of member families and their active participation in organizing special cultural events and arts competitions every year, ‘Be Friends’ not only nurtures the younger generation with our values and culture but also promotes greater understanding of our culture among the local community. For this, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all the members of ‘Be Friends’, for their unending efforts.
- Here, I wish to highlight a few things. India is an ancient civilization but a young republic. In 75 years, we have made impressive progress in all spheres. Today, India is the world’s 5th largest economy, among the top manufacturing nations of the world, offers a dynamic ecosystem for start-ups and is home to more than 100 unicorns.
- India is working with great speed on 5G mobile connectivity, opening doors to new opportunities and has witnessed an enormous shift in digitization of payments, reaching even the country's remotest corners with ease.
- We have one of the world's leading space programs, having sent 342 satellites of 32 countries in space, and have reached Moon, Mars and the Sun.
- The Indian semiconductor market, valued at approximately $23.2 billion and projected to reach $80.3 billion by 2028, shows India’s emerging prominence as a Semiconductor Superpower.
- Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi introduced the concept of Amrit Kaal or ‘The Era of Elixir’ to the entire nation on India’s 75th Independence Day. Amrit Kaal is the Prime Minister’s vision 2047 for ‘New India’, a new dawn for the country which will bring with it the chance to fulfill the nation’s aspirations. He envisioned the coming 25 years to restructure all fragments of the Indian economy through rapid profitable growth, better living conditions for all, infrastructural and technological advancements, and re-awakening the world’s trust in India. The Panch Pran or the 5 fundamentals of Amrit Kaal include the goal of developing India, elimination of any trace of the colonial mindset, honour and pride in our roots, development of unity and a sense of duty among citizens.
- The Indian diaspora around the world, reflects the full multiplicity and variety of the rich cultural, social, ethnic and religious tapestry of India. Members of the Indian Diaspora have done remarkably well across the world and I am sure your contribution will continue to play a significant role in cementing India-Switzerland ties.
- Before I conclude, I thank the organizers for having me here today. My renewed warm wishes and greetings to every one.
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Happy Onam.
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