Consul General Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok receives a proclamation by Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves (l) at the San Francisco India Republic Day celebrations at ICC in Milpitas, Calif., Jan. 26. (Amar D. Gupta | Siliconeer)

Indian Americans celebrated India’s 66th Republic Day with usual pomp and fervor here in U.S. The celebrations by San Francisco Indian Consulate, held at the India Community Center in Milpitas, Calif., was attended by who’s who of the Indian American community and local politicians and public leaders in addition to the new Consul General of India in San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok, and other officers of the San Francisco Indian Consulate. The event included a sumptuous high tea and dinner by Bombay Garden and performances by local artists, musicians and dancers, including Pandit Habib Khan and his troupe. India Tourism Los Angeles had a booth to promote tourism at the event providing the guests with firsthand look at the variety of tourist destinations in India. A raffle was also drawn where the winners won air tickets to India courtesy of Air India. A Siliconeer photo essay.