Indian-Americans commemorate 68th Republic Day at NYSE, India's Consul-General rings closing bell at bourse

The New York Stock Exchange on Thursday witnessed Indian-Americans commemorate the 68th Republic Day, with the country's envoy in the city ringing the closing bell to signal the end of day's trading.

India's Consul-General in the city Riva Ganguly Das rang the ceremonial closing bell at the sprawling stock exchange in the heart of New York's financial district yesterday evening.

Das was joined by prominent members of the Indian-American community, including leading entrepreneur and media mogul H R Shah, who is the recipient of this year's Padma Shri award and attorney Rajiv Khanna.

The guests cheered and applauded as Das, flanked by NYSE officials, rang the closing bell at 4pm local time, signalling the the end of market day.

Some shouted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' as the bell rang. The Indian tricolor was hoisted alongside the American flag on the stock exchange's imposing facade in honour of the Republic Day.

The Indian Consulate and India's Permanent Mission to the UN held flag-hoisting ceremonies to mark the Republic Day. Welcoming the Indian delegation, Global Head of Listings at New York Stock Exchange John Tuttle said India is a country of "utmost importance" to the stock exchange.

"India is the focal point of our companies' global vision and we are proud to be home to over a dozen of India's leading companies here with a combined market cap of about 150 billion dollars," he said.

Tuttle pointed out that the NYSE has hosted several Indian leaders and dignitaries in the past, including India?s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who had rung the closing bell at the stock exchange during his visit in 2015.

"It is a great relationship that we have not only between the Indian business community but between NYSE and the government of India," he said.

Several TV screens at the stock exchange displayed images of the visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, including his meeting with former US President Barack Obama, his address at the Madison Square Garden and to the Congress as well as his interaction with top Silicon Valley CEOs.

The tricolor and India's national emblem were also displayed across screens at the stock exchange.