The highlight of the 247th anniversary reception of the independence of the United States of America was the return of the Marine Security Guards (MSG) to Calcutta. Half a dozen young men and their leader from the US Marine Corps have joined the security staff at the consulate general, after a gap of 32 years. Looking dapper in smart black uniform with golden buttons, they were in focus at the reception at Oberoi Grand too, with guests requesting to click selfies with them.
Rashmi Chowdhary, honorary consul of Morocco, Sudarshan Chakravorty, Koneenica Banerjee
They received more than a mention in consul general Melinda Pavek’s speech as well. “I am thrilled to be the consul general who will forever be known as the one who brought the MSGs back. It was sheer luck as their return was more than five years in the planning. The US Marine Corps have been involved in diplomatic missions for more than 200 years. The birth of the marine security guard concept is not as old as that, dating back to war-torn London when 60 Marines were assigned to protect the US embassy during World War II. The MSG programme became officially operational in 1949 with the deployment of 83 Marines. Today MSG detachments protect embassies and consulates in over 150 nations across the world.”
Maria-Claudia Marini, deputy consul general, Italy, Tanusree Shankar, Alokananda Roy
The choice of the reception date also had to do with their presence. “We knew the Marines would be arriving around this time. In general, we celebrate the birthday of the Marine Corps in November with a large event. So we just combined the two,” said Elizabeth Lee, director of American Center and the public affairs officer of the consulate general, who arrived in town in August.
Consul general Melinda Pavek addresses the gathering dressed in a handspun red sari
The US National Day is on July 4. But Lee pointed out that there were enough precedences of the celebration happening on a different date. “I’ve celebrated national day on a variety of dates because of local circumstances. Like in Saudi Arabia, it’s far too hot to celebrate in July, so we would wait until winter to hold the event,” she said.
Elizabeth Lee, director of the American Center, introduces the speakers
Pavek added in her speech that November is the month when the Marines celebrate their founding with the Marine Birthday Ball. “It was too late to organise one this year. So we chose to celebrate our National Day with them,” she said.
The cake being brought in by the Marines
There was a second reason, Pavek pointed out, that justified the choice of November. “On November 19, 1792, President George Washington nominated Benjamin Joy as the first US consul. So there are two great coincidences at play. He realised that having a US diplomatic mission in India was a priority. Consul Joy spent over a year in a ship, finally reaching the City of Joy in April 1794.”
The Marines’ birthday cake
The Marines conducted a cake-cutting ceremony. A 10-pound blueberry cake, baked by the bakery team at the Oberoi Grand, carried a wish on their 248th birthday. It was brought in by marching Marines and after a speech by Mark T. Venezuela, Mission India information management officer at the embassy, the cake was cut and the first piece offered to consul general Pavek. As per convention, the second piece was offered to the youngest of the team, Lance Corporal Edgar Beccerra, who was enlisted in 2021.
Rowan Ainsworth, Australian consul general
A photo booth with a 360° rotating camera provided entertainent to guests.