Panorama India celebrated the 68th India Republic Day on Saturday January 28th, 2017 at the Pearson Convention Center. This event united the local Indian community through celebrating the diversity of India
Overwhelming support for the event was garnered by community leaders, political dignitaries and sponsors, all of whom came together to celebrate India’s Republic Day. Attendees included the Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Consul General of India Mr. Dinesh Bhatia, Federal Minister of Science, Honorable Dr. Kristy Duncan, Leader of Opposition Ontario, Mr. Patrick Brown, Provincial Minister Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit Mangat, MPP Bob Delaney and Mayor of Mississauga Bonne Crombie.
The program consisted of 20 community organizations of which 215 local performers were given the Panorama India Platform. These groups showcased talent in all forms of artistic expression such as dancing, singing and drawing.
Panorama India Chair, Anu Srivastava welcomed all the dignitaries, community leaders, guests and thanked them for their ongoing enthusiastic support. She said “Unity in Diversity and building Indo Canada bi-lateral relations through culture is the prime objective of this celebration.”
Consul General of India Mr. Dinesh Bhatia enthusiastically addressed the crowd and brought the Republic Day greetings on behalf of the President of India. Consul General emphasized his appreciation for the Indian Diaspora in Toronto for the warm welcome he received from the Indo-Canadians which contrasted with the frigid winter temperature.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne addressed the audience with greetings for the Republic Day and said “Today is also a chance for us to recognize how IndoCanadians are contributing everyday to our province. We have the largest IndoCanadian population and we see the impact of your hard work and generosity in our communities everyday”. Premier spoke about her mission to India to expand the partnership between India and province of Ontario
Dr. Kristy Duncan, Minister of Science, speech began with a greeting to all in six different Indian dialects and began her speech in Hindi. She talked about the family values that are reflected in the Indo-Canadian community here in Canada.
The Ontario Leader of Opposition Mr. Patrick Brown reiterated his enthusiasm and support for India stating that he visited India for seventeenth time and is amazed with the diversity from the snow-clad Himalayas to the back waters of Kerala.
Mayor Bonnie Crombie noted her successful trade mission to India with Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce and talked about the opportunities of partnership with City of Mississauga and India.
Panorama India celebrations highlight the diversity of India through many dance and musical performances which included folk dance competitions, drawing competitions for children, food court and Meena Bazaar with a variety of clothes, food, and jewelry booths.
One major highlight of the day was the Folk-Dance Competition was judged by Poonam Khanna and Harikishan Nair. Community organisations representing the various provinces of India participated with gusto.
Rekha Gupta and Debjani Ghosh announced the winners of the Children’s Drawing Competition. The competition had an overwhelming response this year with over 60 entries this year from children between the ages of 7-16 years old.
The extremely popular Panorama India Idol contest received a tremendous representation from local artists during its preliminary selection rounds on January 15th 2017.
SBI Canada Bank sponsored the Indian Idol contest and the finalists were chosen that day by an eager audience who casted their vote for their favourite singer. The Junior Idol contest was won by Swara Subramanyam and Ankita Sadre was declared the winner in the Senior Idol contest. Prizes for winners for sponsored by SBI Canada Bank and Jadoo TV.
Vice Chair, Asha Vishwanath gave the vote of thanks and made special acknowledgments to SBI Canada Bank, Royal Bank, CIBC, Pearson Convention Centre; Media Partners: Jadoo TV, Weekly Voice, PTC, Y Media, Pravasi Media Group, Vendors, Cultural & Community Organizations, Participants and Volunteers.
Panorama Chair, Anu Srivastava concluded the event by thanking all attendees and stakeholders in making the event successful with a record breaking attendance 8,000 during the day by the Indian Diaspora in the GTA.
Panorama India is hosting the celebrations for India’s 70th Anniversary of Independence at Nathan Phillips Square on August 20th, 2017.
www.panoramaindia.org Email: info@panoramaindia.org