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India Independence Day celebrated at Fresno State


Members of the Theeyan dance group, sponsored by the Punjabi Cultural Association perform for attendees during the 2014 celebration of India Independence Day at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union. The 69th celebration is Saturday, August 22, 2015.
Members of the Theeyan dance group, sponsored by the Punjabi Cultural Association perform for attendees during the 2014 celebration of India Independence Day at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union. The 69th celebration is Saturday, August 22, 2015. ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Fresno State will host the 69th annual India Independence Day celebration at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Satellite Student Union.

The Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, former attorney general and premier of British Columbia and former federal minister of health for Canada, is one of the honored guests at the ceremony.

Dosanjh, born in Punjab, India, worked as a lawyer and politician in British Columbia. He served in various cabinet positions, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Security, Public Health and Emergencies.

The Hon. K. Venkata Ramana, consul of community affairs, information and culture for the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, also will speak

Independence Day is one of three national holidays in India observed in all Indian states and territories. It began with a hoisting of the flag on Aug.15, 1947, the day India became an independent nation, said event organizer Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, Fresno State professor emeritus of social work.

The Independence Day celebration concludes with a dinner at 7 p.m. at the Elephant Lounge, at 80 Shaw Ave. in Clovis. Tickets for the dinner cost $35 and a RSVP is requested by Thursday. For more information, contact Kapoor at 559-435-2212.

Megan Ginise: 559-441-6614

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 11:13 PM with the headline "India Independence Day celebrated at Fresno State."

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