Washington: Indian community here celebrated India's 69th Independence Day with ambassador Arun K. Singh unfurling the national flag and a cultural program of patriotic songs in different Indian languages.

Over 350 community members attended the Independence Day celebrations at Embassy Residence and sang the national anthem.

The ambassador addressed the guests and read out President's Independence Day address to the nation.

In his own message on the occasion, Singh thanked the Indian nationals and the Indian American community for their "dynamic, substantial, and continuous contribution to strengthening the relationship between the largest democracy and the oldest democracy."

"Hailed as the defining partnership of the 21st century in the world, India and the US are enhancing their relationship not only at the bilateral level, but also at the regional and global levels," he said.

With the historic visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in September 2014 and President Barack Obama to India in January 2015, "the leaders of both countries have given a great impetus to the momentum of this relationship," Singh said.

India-US cooperation "has deepened in the established sectors while new fields are continuously added to widen our relationship," he said.

"People-to-people contact is one of the strongest pillars of this growing relationship."

Indian community members also joined flag hoisting ceremonies at the Indian mission at the UN and Indian consulates in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta.

(IANS)