
Ritu Jha–
The Consul General of India in San Francisco, Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, announced in a Republic Day speech on January 27 that OCI cards will be henceforth printed in the US to reduce delays and that passport documents can be self-attested. The Consul General made the announcement during a Republic Day special event attended by over 200 guests the iconic War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco.
India celebrated its 75th Republic Day in January 26.
The City Hall was lit in the tricolor in honor of India, and the Bay Area Dance Company performed “Bharat Anokhi Hai and Sargam Express” theme-based dance giving glimpses of Manipur, Kathak , Odissi and Bharat Natyam dance.
Dr Reddy said, “We are in the Amrit Kal – India will celebrate its 100th Independence Day in 2047. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call to all Indians living within the country and abroad to make India a developed country by 2047. The US can be a crucial partner in India’s march. The relationship between India and the US has strengthened. We have a comprehensive strategic partnership cutting across all areas of human endeavor. The US is the largest trading partner of India. In goods and services, the US is the third largest investor in many companies in India. We are also now developing the semiconductor ecosystem in India.”
He said the Indian diaspora is now 5 million. “They are a key component in the India-US relationship. We have more than 250,000 Indian students studying in US universities. We are hoping that US universities will set up campuses in India,” he added. “We have close to 400,000 people of Indian origin in San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to a World Trade Center, Los Angeles report, we have 279 Indian-owned companies in California that are creating 8,600 jobs. These firms also paid $1.23 billion in salaries in 2022.”
Reddy says that this (consul general) is a dream job. “This feels like a second home. I come from Hyderabad and there are a lot of people from Hyderabad here. I’m happy to represent India in such an important place like San Francisco. I see potential, especially in the areas of trade and investment.”
Reddy said he wants to streamline consular procedures, and first on the agenda is the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards. “We are going to print the OCI cards in the US. The OCI cards are now printed in India and delivery is often delayed. In a week we’ll be starting to print the cards here so that we can reduce the delay.”
Then, there is passport services. “Earlier, for passports, we used to ask for notarization of all the documents of proof. We have decided to do away with this. The applicants can self-certify and mail it to the passport office,” Reddy added.
Reddy said there will be a lot of events to promote India’s exports to the West Coast and also to attract investment to India. “These are the three areas we are working on and hopefully, we’ll collaborate on more sectors.”
The evening celebration was attended by the who’s who of the Indian community as well as community leaders.

Vinita Gupta, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the first Indian American woman to take her company public, told indica, “The celebration of 26th January surrounded by the Indian tricolor, in the grandeur of the War Memorial & Performing Arts Center of San Francisco, was an unexpected Indian moment. The beautiful Green Room was a recognition that we were becoming mainstream, then ever before. It was also a reminder of our struggles for relevance in Silicon Valley.”
Dr. Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director of Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, Stanford University spoke to indica. “When we started working with India 17 years back on health, technology, and innovation, there were challenges. Though there were a lot of opportunities and a young population, the economic progress was still very far away from what it is now. It has evolved into a vibrant innovation ecosystem. The next 25 years are going to be remarkable. What India does will be relevant for the rest of the world as well.”

Mairal feels that the US-India partnership is the most consequential geopolitical relationship for the next 20-30 years. “It is in our best interest here in the US, for me and my kids and their future generations, that we work very closely with India for two reasons. One, the ideas coming from India, and the economic, scientific, technological, and philosophical progress is going to shape ideas that come from within the US.”
He said Stanford has been playing a pivotal role in the generation of innovative ideas. “For example, Uttar Pradesh’s delegation visited us last year, months back, and they came to Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign. They heard about health technology innovation and they pursued it actively, which is unusual for a political policy-making organization of a big state like Uttar Pradesh. A lot of work needs to happen in the health technology sector. Stanford will bring its knowledge, frameworks, and capacity to mentor innovative technologies coming out of India for India’s needs, and also for the world’s needs. The UP government wants the state to become an innovation hub, a place where those technologies get developed and implemented.”
Sheila Mohan, Mayor, Cupertino, told indica, “I was honored to be a guest of India’s

Consul General in San Francisco to celebrate the nation’s 75th Republic Day. As an Indian American and as someone who grew up in India, I am grateful to the visionaries in India who crafted India’s constitution, emphasizing its principles of justice, liberty and unity. I am also grateful that I now live in the United States of America, a country which espouses the same principles. The success story of Silicon Valley and the Indian American community of thinkers and innovators who made this success possible is a testament to those same values both countries hold so dear.”