By Elisha Pulivarti
Silver Spring, MD (Jan 28): With 1.4 billion people India has the largest population in the world closely behind China. With 22 official languages and 121 mother tongues, and thousands of dialects, India is home to a culture that differs vastly from state to state. “What binds this diverse country together is its Constitution. A constitution that secures all its citizens justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. So, it’s a great honor to be here to celebrate the world’s largest democracy in the world’s oldest democracy.” Lt. Governor Miller said addressing the Adventist Indian community in Silver Spring at the Southern Asian Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SASDAC) as Guest of honor on the occasion of India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations. The church was packed to capacity.
Other Guests who addressed the crowd included Secretary of State Nominee Susan Lee, Montgomery County Chief Executive Marc Elrich and Ambassador Sipriya Ranganathan, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC.
Aruna Miller (58) was born in Hyderabad, India, came to the United States at the age of seven with her parents, attended New York city public schools, and earned her B.S. (civil engineering) degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology. She worked for Montgomery county public works department and was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010 where she served till 2019 representing the 15th District. In 2018 Miller ran for Congress to represent the 6th Congressional District, but lost the Democratic primary to David Trone.
In 2021 Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee for Maryland picked Miller as his running mate in the Democratic Primary of 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election. On November 8, 2022 the Moore-Miller ticket swept to power. Miller is the first woman of Asian/Indian descent to become the Lt. Governor of Maryland.
Addressing the crowd, Ambassador Ranganathan recalled the sacrifices made by the Indian freedom fighters who fought against the colonial rule to make India a reality. “And looking back over these 75 years of our journey, we can see how far we’ve come… And I think in that context it is a matter of utmost pride to me as a woman, that the women of India have made immense strides. This is something that we take not only a lot of comforts, but also draw a lot of confidence.” Ranganathan congratulated Miller on her historic election and emphasized, “Indian diaspora in the United States is really our pride and strength,” while seeking the diaspora’s continued support in strengthening the US-India partnership.
On the occasion, Susan Lee, the first Asian to be nominated for the top post, presented an official proclamation from the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, declaring January 26, 2023, as the Republic Day of India in Maryland. The proclamation read, “The celebration recognizing Republic Day of India is a long-cherished tradition throughout the world. Maryland is proud to join with the Indian American community in this annual observation of community spirit and harmony as we commemorate Republic
Lee, who commended Miller for exceeding expectations and creating history stressed “I have to say it’s not because she is the first, it’s because she is the best of the best. Don’t you agree? That’s why Maryland is such a great state to live and work and educate our kids.” “When we celebrate the Republic of India and how we got here, and how freedom and justice prevail over a former colonial government, where we could take control, and we could form our own destiny,” Lee said, thanking the President of US-India SME Council, Elisha Pulivarti, and Pastor John Daniel for the invitation to celebrate.
During his address, Elrich praised the civil rights movement and nonviolent resistance by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King for adopting it as a model in the United States. “And that was clearly something that was inherited from the Indian tradition. So, you’ve played a role, not just within your own country… [but for] the rest of the world as a model for how to move forward and how to advance society. So, I want to thank you for all that…” he added
