US Independence Day: Envoy Garcetti raises toast to US-India Dosti

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti raised a toast to the deep 'US-India Dosti' during a celebratory event in Mumbai to mark the 247th US Independence Day.

"What a memorable evening! It was my pleasure to return to Mumbai for the 247th #USIndependenceDay celebration. From honouring our commitment to women's economic empowerment to raising a toast to the deep bond of #USIndiaDosti, it was a joy to experience this momentous occasion in the #MaximumCity," the US Ambassador tweeted on Monday.

Garcetti while addressing the event in Mumbai on Thursday said: "I am Eric Garcetti and I get to serve as President Biden's ambassador from the United States to India. I have to say, it is the most fun job I have ever had in my entire life. I'm going to eat my way through India. I'm going to advance my way through India. But more importantly, together with you, we are going to write a new chapter on US-India relations."

He further stated that India and US relationship is not defined by the closeness between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden but is reflected by the "closeness" between the people of the two countries.

Garcetti said, "The US-India relationship is often defined sometimes by the closeness of our leaders or of our government. But they really reflect the closeness of our people. And it's not a new friendship. It goes back years and decades before the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) visited Washington."

"At the historic state visit just a few weeks ago, I wrote a briefing to the President of the United States and I said, the United States, in a recent poll, has an 80 per cent approval rating in India, which is higher than the United States approval rating in the United States. So thank you for loving us even more sometimes than we love ourselves. And it's a good reminder to see that the Indian dream and the American dream are really flip sides," he added.

The US ambassador to India recalled his visit to Ahmedabad and said that it is still the best visit he ever had since he came to India.

He also remembered his Mumbai chapter and said, "I can't wait to see Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who not only gave me a wonderful meeting when I came here but fed me some of the best food that I've had here anywhere."

"India is so proud village by village, state by state, region by region of its food. Don't ask me where the best is because it's everywhere but here. I appreciate the leadership that he and the state government of Maharashtra have given and the collaborations that we have together here in Gujarat, Goa, and throughout the region that is represented here," Garcetti said.

In the past several months, Garcetti had gone to various states and tried their local authentic and delicious food.