New York City Mayor Eric Adams raised the flag of Nepal in honor of the Nepali community at Bowling Green Park, situated near Wall Street and the World Trade Center. The Nepali community of New York City made history by witnessing Mayor Adams proudly hoist the unique flag of Nepal for the first time in New York City. The event was a collective effort to show unity and cultural pride, with the involvement of the New York City Mayor’s Office, Bowling Green Park Association, Minority Empowerment Network, Nepali Consulate General New York, and many Nepali community organizations.
Speaking at the event, Mayor Eric Adams thanked the Nepalese community for their contribution to New York City and the USA. He said, “We know that one of the largest populations from Nepal live here in New York City, and I’m so proud today, as the 110th mayor, to realize how important it is to raise the flag of the Nepali people here in the city of New York. Thank you for your contributions. And thank you for showing how important this city is in this diversity.”
He thanked the Nepali community for demonstrating the importance of diversity in New York City and continued, “You think about it for a moment. Here in America, the only country on the globe where you are told not to abandon your heritage as you embrace your adopted land. When you identify yourselves, you are Nepali-Americans. I am African-American. There are Jewish-Americans, Polish-Americans, German-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and more. Your culture goes first, your homeland goes first. And then you lean into the fact that you love this country, but you should never abandon the country that’s your country of origin.”
Mayor Adams continued, “We want you to bring the inclusiveness of all our cultures together. And we produce this amazing experiment of diversity and how we live together in unison. You give us so much as first responders, business owners, and you are part of our education. You’re part of the fabric and the foundation of our city. You believe in family, you believe in faith. You believe in public safety. You believe in business. You believe in the greatness of this country. You know, I’m proud to raise the flag here. This is the symbol of strength, our symbol of power in our financial district. We are raising the flag of the Nepali community to say that you are very much a part of our country. We are very much a part of this community. I thank you so much. Our secret weapon is our diversity. As long as we appreciate that diversity, we will continue to move forward in the manner that we expect to be a part of the American dream.”
After hoisting the US flag first, Mayor Adams raised the flag of Nepal on a parallel pole. This flag will be flying in the most important financial district of New York City for the next few days.
The event commenced with an opening speech by Shreeya Tuladhar, the executive director of the Minority Empowerment Network. She expressed gratitude to the esteemed elected officials, dedicated commissioners, the mayoral team, and the Bowling Green Association. Additionally, she extended her thanks to the press, all collaborating Nepali Community organizations, and the audience for their overwhelming support. She stated, “There is no other place that I would rather be than right here, right now. We are Nepali, we are New Yorkers, and we are here to stay,” as she shared her story of witnessing the growth of the Nepali Community as a 1.5-generation Nepali American youth who grew up in NYC.
The event then transitioned to the opening ceremony, featuring a multicultural ethnic dance performance by youth dancers from Basant Dance Center, the first Nepali dance studio in NYC, choreographed by Mr. Vijay Nakarmi. Following this, the community members danced to ethnic drumming by the ‘Gemi Takasera Society.’
The second speaker of the event was Mr. Arthur Piccolo, the chairman of the Bowling Green Park Association, who remarked, “We have been conducting flag raising since 1996, and this was the absolute best turnout we have ever had. This is the grandest flag-raising we have ever done.”
Mr. Dilip Chauhan, deputy commissioner for Trade, Investment, and Innovation in the NYC Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, who played a leading role in organizing the event, praised the Nepali diaspora and stated, “Such a proud moment…today is about you.” Mr. Chauhan initiated the event by pitching the idea of raising the Nepali flag in the heart of Lower Manhattan to the Minority Power Empowerment team.
Other speakers at the event included Mr. Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, who expressed the desire to be more active in the Nepali community; Mr. Edward Mermelstein, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, who congratulated the Nepali community on their inaugural flag-raising ceremony.
Mr. Zach Iscol, Commissioner of NYC Mayor’s Office of Emergency Services, who shared the story of his parents getting married in Nepal and having a deep connection to the community.
“My mom would have absolutely loved this event,” he said, evoking emotion from the audience.
Elected state and city officials also participated in the event. Assembly Members Jenifer Rajkumar and Steven Raga, as well as Council Member Julie Won, who are all deeply involved in the Nepali community, delivered heartfelt speeches. Jenifer Rajkumar acknowledged different states of Nepal and called the Minority Empowerment Team up for a state proclamation. She encouraged the Nepali community to register to vote so that their voices are heard and enthusiastically mentioned her role in organizing Diwali as a school holiday this year with the Mayor, and how she helped name streets in NYC in relation to the Nepali community.
Steven Raga, the first Filipino Assembly member of NY State, talked about hosting a Filipino event in a Nepali restaurant, the increasing number of Nepali businesses in Woodside and Jackson Heights, and his eagerness to support them as a collective Asian ethnic group. Steven Raga also honored community members by providing citations.
Julie Won uplifted the audience’s spirits by starting her speech with ‘Jai Nepal!’
Khagendra GC, an attorney in the Nepali community, shared his experience of 30 years ago when people on Wall St didn’t know what ‘Nepal’ was when he was looking for a job. He expressed pride in standing in the same Wall St, hoisting the Nepali flag.
Shyam Karki, president of the Minority Empowerment Network, extended thanks to all the esteemed guests, the audience, and his team members for bringing this historic event to life. The entire community applauded him for his hard work and efforts.
The acting Consul General of Nepal, Bishnu Gautam, delivered the final speech of the event before Mayor Eric Adams arrived. He congratulated the entire community and expressed his pride in being part of this grand moment.
The event concluded with the Mayor raising the flags to the national anthems, accompanied by renowned artists Mr. Prajwal Bajracharya and Mr. Rajendra Karn performing Nepali national songs live. As the audience members returned to Queens on the trains, they chanted ‘Jai Nepal!’
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
