International Day of Nowruz

20 March 2018

INDIA STATEMENT

by

Ambassador Tanmaya Lal, Deputy Permanent Representative

Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Friends,

It is wonderful to see this festive and joyous spirit bringing us together here at the United Nations ahead of the International Day of Nowruz tomorrow.

On behalf of the Indian Mission, may I extend to all of you our warm wishes on this very auspicious and happy occasion.

India is happy to join the group of 12 countries as co-hosts for this special event, as in the past years. 

Tomorrow peoples in several parts of the world will celebrate Nowruz that marks the beginning of a New Year and the onset of spring.  Although spring still appears to be a little shy in reaching these shores. 

Excellencies,

The festival of Nowruz is a longstanding cultural tradition that welcomes the annual onset of spring that symbolizes a rebirth or renewal and hope and prosperity.  Similar traditions and festivals of farming communities continue to be celebrated across the world since millennia. 

Such festivals are, therefore, part of our civilizational heritage and link us to our ancestors across time. They tell the story of the cyclical nature of time. They remind us of humanity’s place in the nature and bring out the inherent unity of peoples across geographies.

In India, Nowruz or Navroz is celebrated, particularly by the Parsi community, who arrived in India more than a thousand years ago.  Despite their relatively small numbers, their contribution to building modern India continues to be inspirational.  Their story is a fine thread that provides strength to the Indian society through its diversity.

The story is also one of hope in the present troubled times as the world struggles to manage conflicts, large number of people on the move to seek refuge, and narrow nationalist tendencies that appear to be on the rise.

Excellencies,

By emphasizing the value of harmony with nature, Nowruz and other such festivals also remind us of the importance of pursuing sustainable lifestyles, themes that have started to resonate internationally through the collective work done by all of us at the United Nations.

Let us, therefore, celebrate Nowruz that helps bring out such universal values as also mutual understanding and compassion that are at the core of different faiths of the world. 

Let us celebrate this festival that brings hope and joy to peoples and renews our basic optimism despite the adversities of life.

Thank you.

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