Melba Pria, Mexican ambassador to India, inaugurated the celebration of Mexico National Day on September 9 in the traditional way — with the ringing of the bell and the Cry of Dolores. “I declare you all honorary Mexicans, at least for the next half an hour!” Pria said at the start of her speech. “It is customary to say Viva, which means ‘long live’, followed by the names of those that gave us our fatherland or motherland. Some of us say motherland, some of us say fatherland. And then we say ‘Viva Mexico, Viva Mexico, Viva Mexico’! This is done everywhere throughout Mexico, to remind us that once upon a time we had very courageous people who said ‘enough, we want to be free’.”
Sumit Mazumder, the honorary consul of Mexico in Calcutta, spoke about the growing relations between Mexico and India. “Both countries feel that there should be a stronger connection between the two,” he said. Pictures: Rashbehari Das