India Independence Day in Toronto Celebrated with Record Gathering, Top Leaders,
Colorful Parade and Cultural Program
TORONTO, Aug 10: Top Canadian leaders, including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne,
ministers and MPs, joined thousands of Indians Panorama India’s India Day Festival and Parade
celebrating India’s 67th Independence Day on Saturday featuring cultural performances and a
colourful parade in core downtown.
Congratulating Indians at day-long Independence day celebrations at Yonge-Dundas Square,
Premier Kathleen Wynne said, “It is a wonderful celebration and I wish you a safe and happy
Independence Day.’’ She praised the contribution of the Indo-Canadians for enriching Canada
through their hard work and cultural diversity.
“You have strengthened our country through your hard work,’’ the Premier said at the annual
event organized by Panorama India – an umbrella organization of various Indian associations.
Highlighting deepening relations between India and the largest Canadian province, she said
Ontario and India have a lot in common as both were models of democracy and multiculturalism.
Lauding the contribution made by the Indo-Canadians in strengthening these bilateral ties, the
Premier said Ontario is “fortunate to have half a million people who trace their origin to India.’’
She praised outgoing Indian consul general Preeti Saran for her contribution to strengthening
bilateral ties between India and Ontario. “Preeti is one of the most gracious persons I have ever
met,’’ Kathleen Wynne said. Thanking the Premier, Preeti Saran called her the `dearest friend’ of
India and said India and Ontario shared deep bonds of friendship and common values.
Saran, who is leaving to take over as India’s ambassador to Vietnam, was wholesome in her
praise of the Indo-Canadian community for their contribution in strengthening India-Canada
relations.
“I had a pleasure working with the community…thank you for your immense support,’’ she said.
She said annual India Day celebrations in Toronto each year struck a chord in her and called her
tenure as consul general in the city as `emotionally’ very satisfying.
Welcoming the Premier, the Consul General, dignitaries and the huge gathering with Namaskar,
Sat Sri Akal, Adaab, Vanakum, Welcome and bienvenue, Panorama India Chair Jibanjit Tripathy
said freedom remains the most cherished word in human history, and India’s freedom “remains
the most cherished and recognized” event in world history. “As we continue to celebrate our
independence, we remember those sacrificed their lives so that we could live a free nation,”
Tripathy said.
He added,-Canadians are proud of their unique heritage and culture as well as being part of
Canadian mosaic of multiculturalism. Today’ event, he said, is keeping with Panorama India’s
mission to educate (others about India), celebrate (India’s diversity and rich heritage with others)
and collaborate (with the mainstream).
Former Ontario Minister Harinder Takhar congratulated the Indian community on India’s
Independence Day and highlighted the role played by the outgoing consul general Preeti Saran in
further deepening India-Canada ties. “Preeti’s extra one and a half years were a bonus for us,’’
Takhar said amid laughter, referring to her four-and-a-half-year tenure in Toronto against the
typical three-year assignments that Indian diplomats have enjoyed here.
In his speech, Tim Uppal, Canadian minister of state for multiculturalism, praised the immense
contribution made Indo-Canadians to Canada.
Parliamentary secretary and senior-most Indo-Canadian MP Deepak Obhrai highlighted how
India stood out in the world today for its vibrant democracy and economic growth and how it has
become a role model for many countries since it began journey as an independent nation.
Senator Asha Seth read out Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s message of greetings for the IndoCanadians.
“On August 15, 1947, the Indian national flag was raised for the first time and a new nation was
born. Since that time, India has come into its own as a vibrant democracy and an emerging
economic superpower, predicted to be the world’s third largest economy by 2050,’’ the Canadian
prime minister said in his message. “Canada stands ready to deepen our significant partnership
with India in order to advance our common interests and to promote new opportunities for
economic development and international trade for the benefit of both our peoples.’’
The Canadian prime minister praised Panorama India, the umbrella body of various Indian
organizations, for organizing India Day celebrations in Toronto.
“I would like to commend Panorama India for their hard work in organizing this event and for
their commitment to fostering fellowship amongst Indo-Canadians in the GTA. You can be
proud of your efforts to build a stronger community. Please accept my best wishes for a
memorable celebration,’’ Prime Minister Harper said.
In his congratulation message read by MP John McCallum, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said,
“Such festivities work to connect our Indian communities with all Canadians…I, and the Liberal
Party of Canada, believe that this country is great not in spite of its diversity, but because of it,
and these celebrations further enrich society by introducing people to Indian culture and
traditions.”
Kirsty Duncan, MP from the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke North, won rounds of applause for
delivering her small congratulatory speech in halting Hindi-Punjabi mixture.
Earlier, the consul general unfurled the Indian national flag Tricolour and unveiled the Panorama
India souvenir.
Among other prominent people who attended the opening ceremony were MPs Patrick Brown,
Ted Opitz and Brad Butt; Ontario MPPs, Amrit Mangat and Deepika Demerla, Toronto City
Councillors, Toronto Police Services Board Chair Alok Mukherjee, Order-of-Canada Aditya
Jha; Major Charles Jansen, Chief Warrant Officer Patterson, Lt. Col. (Hon) Hari Panday of
Canadian Armed Forces, Consuls D. Charandasi and Prit Pal Singh; Sate Bank of India (Canada)
President & CEO Sunil Tandon, ICICI Bank Canada President & CEO, Sriram Iyer, CIBC VP
Venki Raman, Canada India Foundation Chair Dr. Lucky Lakshmanan, Indo-Canada Chambers
of Commerce President Naval Bajaj, IIT Alumni Association of Canada President Vinod
Munshi, ICAI Toronto Chapter Vice Chair Ami Goyal, Scotiabank multiculturalism Director
Pankaj Mehra; Former senator Vim Kochhar; Lt Col (Hon) Hari Panday and retired soldiers of
the Indian army living in the Greater Toronto Area.
Indians painted downtown Toronto in saffron, white and green – the colour of the Indian national
flag – while staging the annual Independence Day parade on Saturday. Over a dozen tastefully
decorated rickshaws added colour to the parade which was led by Indian consul general Preeti
Saran and other officials. Singing and dancing on a bright sunny day, parade participants waved
to passersby. For a while, it is all music and dance as the parade wound its way through Yonge
Street, Queen Street, Bay Street and Dundas Street to reach back at Yonge-Dundas Square.
“Participation in the parade has passed all our expectation. We are so delight. Today’s show is
incredibly amazing in terms of visibility and numbers of people who came to participate in the
parade. We are very satisfied with everything,’’ said Panorama India Chair Jibanjit Tripathy as
he, along with Consul General Preeti and others, led the parade .
For the first time, North-east India was also represented in the parade by over a dozen people.
“We are very happy to become part of larger Indian family, and we are feeling proud today as
Indians and Manipuris,” said Joy Chabungbam who comes from Imphal in Manipur. “We are
just 40-odd people from Manipur here in Toronto, and we increase in number we want to
participate in more and more Indian functions,” said Chabungbam.
Later, the Gujarat parade contingent was declared the best, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
With the Independence Day parade winding off at about 1.30 PM, a pan-India cultural
extravaganza was unleashed on the stage as artists depicting dance and music from various states
performed non-stop till 8PM.
Well-known Indo-Canadian Bollywood singer and music producer Prichay was the star of the
evening. For the first time Manipur state from north-east India participated in the cultural and
show. There were also performances by two Sri Lankan Tamil cultural troupes from Toronto.
Also for the first time the event was televised live from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm by different South
Asian television networks across Canada, India, US & UK. 26 stalls including 6 food vendors
served sumptuous Indian and South East Asian foods, Crafts & Jewelry and other services
vendors like banks, phone and financial planning etc.