King Charles III's message community celebrations mark 77th Republic Day in UK

London, Jan 26 (PTI) King Charles III hailed the enduring India-UK partnership in his Republic Day message to President Droupadi Murmu as members of the Indian community gathered at India House on Monday for a flag hoisting ceremony.
    The 77-year-old monarch's letter to the President, posted on social media, reflected upon the "shared values and mutual respect for the Commonwealth" as Indians around the world commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. 
    As a champion of climate action, Charles specifically highlighted the deepening tie-ups in the field of “sustainability through clean energy initiatives, cooperation on climate finance and initiatives on clean tech and green growth”. 
    "The Commonwealth's rich diversity and the energy of its younger generations continue to inspire hope and progress. In these times of global uncertainty, our collective strength and unity are more vital than ever," reads the message from King Charles and Queen Camilla. 
    Reflecting upon further aspects of the 56-member organisation which the King heads, the message looked ahead to reaffirm a “collective vision for the future” at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled for Antigua and Barbuda in November.
    The King also congratulated India on its winning bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
    "I can only commend India's international climate leadership through initiatives such as the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). India is a powerful global voice for this crucial cause, and our collaboration underscores a shared resolve to shape a prosperous, secure, and sustainable world,” the message notes. 
    It came as the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, read out President Murmu's customary Republic Day address to the nation at a vibrant diaspora gathering here.
    Following the unfurling of the Indian national flag and a rendition of the national anthem, there was a special performance of ‘Vande Mataram’ to mark 150 years of the patriotic tune by singers from the Bengal Heritage Foundation in the UK. 
    "It's always special to have the community here at the High Commission celebrating a national day, made more special this time by the fact that everyone participated in singing 'Vande Mataram' to mark the 150th anniversary of that national song too," Doraiswami told PTI. 
    "It wasn't just a performance to remind us of the song, but also reflected the value that the song has in our national mental memory,” he said.
    Reflecting upon the strides made by the India-UK partnership, the senior diplomat hailed 2025-26 as a "banner year” for the ties as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) edges towards implementation in the coming months. 
    “More importantly, we are now definitively reshaping this partnership for a forward-looking and 21st-century-ready one, which is about time. It is very much the vision of the leadership in both countries to try and make the partnership something that delivers in the complicated world that we live in,” he said.
    On India’s wider impact on the global stage, he added: "It's fairly visible in the way in which the world is beating a path India's door for everything from economic partnerships to technology solutions. India will be hosting the AI Summit in a few weeks’ time.
    "The reality is that just as India has always needed a cooperative, functioning world order... a mutually beneficial world order needs a successful India; and we are at that point."

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)