Chicago’s Indian Independence Day celebrations kicked off with the revving of motorcycles and the beating of drums, as a few dozen marchers decked out in orange, white and green headed down Devon Avenue in West Ridge.
The annual parade, now in its 46th year, stepped off Sunday afternoon. Local South Asian cultural organizations joined the procession, marking 80 years of Indian independence with music, dance and floats hung with Indian flags and colorful streamers.
This year was particularly special for Rakesh Malhotra, a trustee of the Federation of Indian Associations, which organized the parade. Along with celebrating India, he said he was excited to honor 250 years of American independence.
“The world’s largest democracies are celebrating freedom,” Malhotra said.
Both countries were once colonies under British rule, with India securing its independence on Aug. 15, 1947.
Before the parade began, the group unfurled a giant Indian flag while singing both the Indian national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As they walked along the half-mile route from Western Avenue to California Avenue, many marchers also waved the stars and stripes.
The festivities closed out with a crowd gathering to watch traditional Bhangra and Garba folk dance performances.
For Bharat Barai, chair of the FIA board of trustees, the event was about bridging the gap between India and the U.S. An estimated 5.2 million Indians live in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. Chicago is home to around 238,000 Indians — the second-largest population of any U.S. metropolitan area — according to the Pew Research Center.
Barai, who emigrated to Illinois from India to study medicine 51 years ago, compared the relationship to first-generation immigrants’ experiences caring for family in both the homeland and their new country.
“You can’t forget either of the two,” he said. “This event is about promoting a strong relationship between the two countries.”
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In its early years, the parade took place along Michigan Avenue. However, in the ’90s, it was relocated to Devon Avenue — the Far North Side street famous for its strip of South Asian businesses known as Little India.
Along the route, some members of the West Ridge Community Alliance held posters calling for immigrant support and an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrols. Last fall, during the federal government’s immigration crackdown in Chicago, the neighborhood was the site of multiple arrests.
As an Indian American, Pooja Ravindran, 34, said she felt conflicted about the celebrations and hoped to bring more awareness to social issues in both India and the U.S.
“There’s so much pride, but I wish we could take a step forward and talk about how we can actually support one another,” she said.
The parade featured more than 40 local diaspora groups, Malhotra said, including professional networks, nonprofits and religious organizations.
Santosh Kumar, 76, waved at the crowd from a float decked out with flags and white, orange and green streamers. She emigrated to Chicago with her husband 42 years ago. Now, as the executive director and founder of the West Ridge-based nonprofit Metropolitan Asian Family Services, she works to provide senior care, immigrant support and health care to the local South Asian community.
“It feels like a home here,” Kumar said.