New Delhi: 'Suryapath Tiranga' -- a first-of-its-kind initiative, involving several Indian missions, from east to west, under which the images of the tricolour is being "digitally relayed" across multiple time zones, began from India's High Commission in Fiji on Saturday to mark the country's 80th Independence Day.The campaign symbolically traces the journey of the rising sun across time zones, carrying the spirit of India's freedom, unity and national pride across continents, officials said.Read more: PM Narendra Modi urges people to participate in 'Har Ghar Tiranga' movement ahead of Independence Day"With the first rays of the sun, the Indian flag was raised first in Suva, Fiji, marking the beginning of the global Tiranga relay, 'Surya Path Tiranga' - a symbolic journey carrying the spirit of India's Independence Day across the world," the High Commission of India in Fiji posted on X."In his address, High Commissioner Mehta read excerpts from the message of Hon'ble President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, highlighting India's democratic values, remarkable economic growth, social progress, and enduring commitment to unity, resilience and good governance. #IndependenceDay #IndiaAt80 #Tiranga #SuryaPathTiranga #HarGharTiranga #IndiaFiji #IndiaFijiFriendship #VandeMataram #JaiHind," it said, about its event held around 1.30 am IST.The Indian mission in Suva also shared some photos of the celebrations held in Fiji, several hours ahead of the main ceremonial event hosted at the Red Fort complex in Delhi.Read more: 79 years ago, a man who had never visited India & knew little about its complex landscape drew a line that divided India and PakistanOther Indian missions will follow suit, commemorating the landmark occasion with flag-hoisting in their respective countries, and then tagging the next mission in the planned campaign, which was announced by the Indian government on August 7.The Press Information Bureau (PIB), in a post on Facebook, said, "SURYAPATH TIRANGA Global Relay Goes Live, following the path of the Rising Sun. The #SURYAPATHTIRANGA Global Relay is live, marking a unique global celebration of India's Independence Day as the Tiranga travels across the world following the path of the rising sun"."From 1:30 AM IST to 10:30 AM IST today, 21 Indian Missions and Posts across countries from East to West have hoisted the National Flag as part of the global relay. The initiative symbolically traces the journey of the rising sun across time zones, carrying the spirit of India's freedom, unity and national pride across continents. Under SURYAPATH TIRANGA, the Tiranga moves across the globe through a coordinated sequence of flag hoistings at selected Indian Missions and Posts," it said.The initiative is being undertaken as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 celebrations and "reinforces the message that the #Tiranga transcends geographical boundaries, bringing together Indians and friends of India across the world".Each Indian mission, after taking part in the campaign, posted images of the flag hoisting on its premises, thus symbolically pinning itself in the digital sequence, and tagged the next mission to carry forward the spirit."The Tiranga is set to rise from our shores at the break of dawn. Over to @HCICanberra to continue this historic journey of #SuryapathTiranga, carry the Indian Tricolour from one sunrise to the next, inspire Indians to spread the fervour of #HarGharTiranga," the High Commission of India to New Zealand posted on X about ht event held around 1.45 am in Wellington.Officials on August 7 had said that as part of the 'Suryapath Tiranga' initiative, over 50 Indian missions from Fiji to San Francisco will sequentially be part of the innovative campaign, under which images of the tricolour will be "digitally relayed" from east to west across multiple time zones."Committing ourselves to the service of our nation. #TeamMEA wishes all Indians, at home and abroad, a happy Independence Day. Let's reaffirm our collective resolve to fulfil the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. #HappyIndependenceDay #HarGharTiranga," External Affairs Ministry's spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.The Indian Embassy in Beijing posted on X, "The Tiranga rises from our shores at the break of dawn. Over to @IndianEmbJkt to continue this historic journey of #SuryapathTiranga. Carry the Indian Tricolour from one sunrise to the next, and inspire Indians to spread the fervour of #HarGharTiranga. @PIB_India @mygovindia @airnewsalerts @DDNewslive @PMOIndia @narendramodi @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @MinOfCultureGoI".According to the data shared by PIB, the 21st Indian mission, in sequence, to take part in the campaign is the Indian Embassy in Doha.According to the plan, the initiative will end with the Indian consulate holding celebrations in San Francisco, US.