Toronto: Canada India Foundation together with the prestigious Albany Club in Toronto marked the 75th Republic Day of India in the presence of Consul General of India, Siddharth Nath, Nina Tangri, Associate Ontario Minister of Small Business, Deepak Anand MPP.
Ritesh Malik, Chair, CIF, in his opening remarks, stated: “It is a very special Republic Day celebration this year, as it is coming only four days after the historic inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Jan 22nd. While the Ram Mandir consecration was remarkable in its Hindu civilizational aspects, it also has far-reaching implications for the people of Bharat – no matter what religious background they come from. Resurgence of Bharat means resurgence of an old value system which has existed for thousands of years.”
Malik added, “We are seeing a NEW INDIA- where India will be built on foundations of Bharat. Where India is and will further be taking a major leap in various areas such as education, medicine, science, space, artificial Intelligence, grass root empowerment– but at the same time give equal importance to spiritual and self-actualization goals to ensure real happiness of being – not just material accomplishments. Rise of Bharat and that value system will also be beneficial to humanity which is struggling with so many issues – where we are missing the much-needed balance between creating wealth and real happiness.
“India is also the fifth largest economy in the world today, on track to becoming the third largest in a few short years. In the past 10 years alone, it moved up from being the 10th largest to the fifth largest. This astonishing growth story provides opportunities for not only Bharatvasis, but also for the entire world, including Canada. I will say more so for Canada. There are so much in favor of both Canada and Bharat creating a highly productive relationship to bring untold benefits for our people. Canada is blessed with resources and technology that we can share with a fast–growing economy. Given the right policies in place and the political will, Canada can become a great partner in Bharat’s growth strategy. Canada India Foundation, I assure you, will continue to work toward this objective with even greater conviction as our tagline is “Democracies Working Together”.
“The values that we cherish in Canada like diversity, equity and inclusion, are the same values that have been followed for millennia in Bharat. The Bharatiya value system believes in focusing on the positive aspects of society, making contributions that benefit not just one country or group, but the whole humanity. The Vedic civilization has always treated the whole world as one. As Indo Canadians, we can take pride in this fundamental concept while being proud Canadians. My hope is that we will be able to build on this value system, first to move past the current impasse, then to strengthen, expand and release the enormous potential inherent in the Canada Bharat bilateral.”
Richard Tattersall, Vice President of Events, Albany Club, welcomed all the guests at the event to celebrate 75th Indian Republic Day. He extended his sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the guests for joining on this special occasion.
Consul General Siddharth Nath in his address expressed confidence and optimism of making further progress on the Canada India bilateral relationship. He said, “It is such a pleasure to be here today at this historical occasion of India’s Republic Day celebrating at the Albany Club which is a historic institution that continues to play a significant role in this great country. In its short history, we also know that CIF has contributed so much to Canada and helped create a better understanding of India in Canada and of Canada in India. There is no better day to think about what India and Canada share together than this Republic Day. It is on this day that India gave itself a constitution that is based on the fundamental values of equality and justice, values that are central to Canada’s own identity. We look forward to doing everything we can to promote trade and investment and people-to-people contacts. The economic fundamentals and the geopolitical imperatives also remain strong as they were a few months ago.”
President and CEO of ICICI Bank Canada that co-sponsored the event, Vikash Sharma, noted: “As a proud Indian and a veteran of ICICI Bank, I am happy to be here with you celebrating India’s 75th Republic Day, especially so since it also marks 70 years of ICICI’s existence.” A special video presentation highlighted the contributions of ICICI Bank to its customers and the role it played in nation building.
Panwar Music and Arts group staged a wonderful performance that gave a taste of the artistic traditions of Bharat to the audience.
The evening was emceed by Sunita Vyas, National Convener, Canada India Foundation.
