Indians in Netherlands celebrate Independence Day

Members of the Indian community in the Netherlands today celebrated India's 72nd Independence Day here with traditional fervour.

Over 600 Indians and friends of India gathered at "India House" - the residence of Indian Ambassador to The Netherlands - in Wassenaar, on the occasion.

The celebrations began with the hoisting of the national flag by the Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony and singing of the national anthem, a statement issued by the Indian Embassy said.

The Ambassador them read out President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the nation, it said, adding that it was the largest Independence Day gathering ever in the country and organised the second time at the 'India House'.

It was followed by a performance of patriotic songs by the local music group "Madras Chorus" and kathak and Odissi fusion dance performance by the Netherlands Marathi Mandal, the statement said.

For the first time, Mayors of two leading cities of the Netherlands Utrecht and Wassenaar namely, Jan van Zanen and Frank Koen also took part in the celebrations, it added.

India and the Netherlands have a long history of friendly bilateral relations going back to more than 400 years, encompassing many areas of shared interest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the Netherlands in June 2017, while his counterpart visited India in May 2018.