Femtende august:
2020
Video conferencing, instead of having physical meetings, reminded both Gupta and Raj about the joy they'd had experienced last year.
Egypt:
2019
The World Meeting had been held in Egypt, and for that Gupta was grateful. He would've hated having to travel far for the flooding of the Nile-celebration that took place every year around this time.
He was also grateful that the World Meeting had been cut half, thanks to Raj's birthday, even if Ludwig had opposed heavily to that. He'd claimed it destroyed all efficiency, though to be honest, a World Meeting hardly ever ran its full course. However, in all fairness to Ludwig, it might've had something to do with Gupta starting the meeting with selling pots and t-shirts with the print "Flooding of the Nile" on the front and a portrait of a pharaoh on the other to the other Nations.
India:
2019
Raj Kamakar, the Personification of the Nation of India, had been the lone voice that had needed to be persuaded in order to get a majority vote for having the World Meeting in India.
However, after Gupta had had an hour talk with him (though Raj would be hard pressed to pinpoint what exactly Gupta had said), Raj had agreed. He'd decided to take it as a challenge, but what he didn't know was that the other Nations had planned a surprise for him…
When Gupta walked out, sauntering in an elegant, gliding fashion like he always did, he was absorbed in thoughts of gratitude towards the man he considered chiefly responsible (and rightly so) for the state of independence his country had; Mahatma Gandhi.
His brilliant method of non-violence and civil disobedience had not only earned them independence from the British Empire but also the respect of the world (and envy of Alfred). It was a crying shame that he'd been assassinated, whom knew what he could have achieved if he'd only lived longer.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice what his fellow Nations were up to, before it was too late.
He didn't notice that anything was up before he heard the first notes of "Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India. Surprised he looked up to find that he'd wandered into a great hall decorated with… were those images of Indira Gandhi? He turned around and saw more pictures of other prominent people of his country's history. All the while, his anthem was being played.
Shocked and surprised as he was, he didn't notice Nations taking their places on the balconies that lined the edge of the hall, before fast-moving music was being played (he recognized it from one of his Bollywood movies) accompanied by the thundering of synchronized footsteps.
Looking up he saw some of his fellow Nations dancing to the music. Not very good, more like adequate, but their enthusiasm more than made up for their lack of skills.
Fabrics twirling around him brought his attention back to the level he was standing on, to find himself surrounded by the rest of the Nations running back and forth around him while holding kites.
Raj grinned when it occurred to him what they were doing; since he couldn't be in India with the celebration of Independence Day, they'd brought the celebration to him.
Author's notes:
I don't own Hetalia