Khalsa Diwan Society Gurudwara prepares to welcome Modi in Vancouver

Vancouver:  BJP cadre in Canada are in full spirit to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi will visit Canada from April 14 to 16, making stops in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. This is the first bilateral visit to Canada by an Indian Prime Minister since 1973.

In Vancouver, Modi will visit on April 16. He will first visit Khalsa Diwan Society Gurudwara which is also known as Ross Gurudwara.

Sohan Singh Deo, President of Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver, in an exclusive conversation with Asian Journal said, “BJP representatives contacted me over the phone and told that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Vancouver. They expressed that Mr. Modi wants to interact with Ind-Canadian community during his Vancouver visit.”

Mr Deo said, “BJP representatives met Gurudwara management to discuss Modi’s visit at the Sikh temple. He added Aditya Tawatia initiated the discussion.” Aditya Tawatia is the President of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) British Columbia.

The Society President further added that after initial meetings both Indian Prime Minister’s office and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office representatives also visited the Khalsa Diwan Society.

Acording to initial reports, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be accompanying PM Modi during his Vancouver visit. They will visit at the Ross street Gurudwara on April 16 at 2 pm and stay there for 30-45 minutes. The attendees are advised to come 2 hours before the scheduled time.

The Gurudwara has already registered 500 attendees and the Khalsa Diwan Society is making arrangement for 1200 people in their premises but subjected to security measures.

The event is open for public but attendees names must be registered beforehand at the Sikh Temple. The security agencies will perform a security check on the list and Gurudwara management will confirm those whose name will be cleared in the security check.

To get registered, one can call, email or visit at the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurudwara.

Ross Gurudwara is getting a lot of calls to participate in the event. We did not get any negative calls, people are very excited to see Modi.

Parking during Modi’s visit will be also restricted but Gurudwara will arrange to pick up people from the designated area where security check will be held.

Deo concluded that Aditya Tawatia is helping us in the preparation of the event and it is like our joint venture with them.

Modi will also visit Laxmi Narayan Temple in Surrey same day later in the evening. OFBJP appeals everyone to participate in the historic event at Ross Gurudwara Vancouver and Laxmi Narayan Mandir Surrey.

OF-BJP launched in Canada

Aditya Tawatia

NEW YORK: The Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party (OFBJP) was formally launched in Canada by Global OFBJP Convener Vijay Jolly in Mississauga, Ontario. The inauguration coincided with the one-day forum of Overseas Friends of Bhartiya Janata Party meeting organized under the auspices of Global Community Overreach Program held with the approval of All India BJP President Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary Ram Lal, said Dr. Rajesh Shukla, member Central Committee of OFBJP and Prabhari of Canada chapters.

OFBJP delegates from Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto attended the day-long meeting at Hilton Garden Inn at Mississauga. Jolly led the discussion on how to strengthen the organization in Canada with elections round the corner and issues like membership, charter and committees to deal with operations. OFBJP Global Convener Vijay Jolly nominated Dr. Azad K. Kaushik as convener of Toronto chapter, Dr. Shivendra Dwivedi as convener for Montreal, Aditya Tawatia as convener for Vancouver and Shiv Bhaskar as Convener for Ottawa. OFBJP Canada chapters have been established with the BJP’s aim of connecting with the global Indian Diaspora.

Jolly told the meeting that people of Indian origin have played a significant role in development of Canada and for close Indo-Canadian friendship and understanding. Today Canada has an Indian population of 1.2 million and excels in the field of medicine, IT, commerce, sports, politics, media, social and cultural spheres. OFBJP Canada shall focus on improving cultural and heritage links between the people of Canada and India, Jolly said.

A book titled Social Harmony by Narendra Modi Chief Minister Gujarat and BJP Convener of Central Election Campaign Committee was presented by Jolly to the newly appointed OFBJP Canada Conveners. All the attending delegates were honored with BJP Lotus color scarves and BJP logo coat pins by Jolly. The delegates had a free and frank discussion on how to contribute for the motherland and assured their full support for the victory of BJP in the coming State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in India.

Komagata Maru commemorative events held in Vancouver

The events were sponsored by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of IndiaVancouver: As part of Komagata Maru centennial celebrations, a commemorative dinner sponsored by Ministry of Culture, Government of India was held at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on May 28th.  The Consul General of India in Vancouver Mr. Ravi Shankar Aisola presided over the evening where the descendants of Komagata Maru passengers & people involved in the narrative of Komagata Maru were honored. One of the main organizers for the event, Harbhajan Gill, President of Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation gave a very emotional speech. Tony Singh, Daljit Thind, members of Khalsa Diwan Society, political and social leaders, Jinny Sims (MP-NDP), Ujjal Dosanjh (Former BC Premier), Raj Chohan and Harry Bains, both MLAs NDP, Dave Hayer (Former MLA), Wally Oppal (Former Attorney General of BC), Aditya Tawatia (President OFBJP), Parveen Goel (VP OFBJP) and Vivek Savkur (General Secretary OFBJP), Sukhi Bath of Sukhi Bath Sewa Club were present among the many prominent personalities. Consul General Mr. Ravi Shankar captured the essence of evening in his speech by reminding everyone to work for the equality and unity, the ideals for which our ancestors fought. He pointed out that Komagata Maru event had a significant impact the Indian freedom struggle. Many speakers reminded everyone not to forget the sacrifices that South Asian pioneers have made and how selflessly everyone in our community acted to help all the Komagata Maru passengers. We have come a long ways in last 100 years however work is not done; there are still inequalities and discrimination that need to be opposed and eliminated. The MC for the event was Naveen Girn and many pioneer families attended the function. Speaking with Lucky Randhawa of SW Media Group – Asian Journal, Aditya Tawatia OfBJP President said, “This is great event to be part of. This is our heritage and we should always try to nurture it for future generations”.

United Indian diaspora warmly welcomed PM Modi in Canada

 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with OFBJP – BC President Aditya Tawatia, Daljit Thind, Paul Arora, and  Aashritha Royyuru, past title holder for Miss Teenage Southern British Columbia with her mother.

Toronto/Vancouver: Historic Canada visit of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi just concluded with state dinner hosted by Canadian Prime Minister in downtown Vancouver. During this 3 day visit Modi was in three different cities, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Local organizations and individuals worked very enthusiastically to make it a grand Success. The events at KDS Gurdawra in Vancouver and Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey were planned and made possible by community volunteers. This was a great moment of Hindu and Sikh unity as in both locations it was a mixed team of Hindus and Sikhs working together.

President of Overseas Friends Of Bhartiya Janta Party‘s BC unit Aditya Tawatia visited Toronto couple of times, and described the Toronto event as amazing and once in a life time opportunity. Mr. Tawatia further added, “More than 10 thousand people at the Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum were mesmerized and energized by the message of love, economic development and cultural exchange that Modi ji has brought and shared with everyone.”Aashritha Royyuru, past title holder for Miss Teenage Southern British Columbia said:” I am ever so grateful to Mr.Aditya Tawatia ji, president for Overseas Friends of BJP Party, BC Canada and High commissioner of Indian Embassy Mr.Vishnu Prakash ji and Mr.Ravishankar Aisola ji for giving me this opportunity to be here this evening and meeting the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji.”
Khalsa Diwan Society and OFBJP Team members with Honorable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Right Honorable Prime Minister of Canada Stephen HarperVice President of OFBJP-BC Parveen Goel said, “ April 16^th will be considered a watershed moment in the history of Indo Canadian relationship, this will be the start of a very ,mature and productive relationship between two countries that has so much to offer to each other.”

OfBJP President meets Modi’s Cabinet

New Delhi / Vancouver : “It was great honour to receive VIP invitation and to represent OFBJP Canada. I want to thank BJP leadership and OFBJP Global convener Mr. Vijay Jolly to invite me, says, Aditya Tawatia, President OfBJP British Columbia.

Aditya Tawatia

“It was great experience to be part of historic moment and to present at Oath ceremony of first complete non- Congress government.”

Speaking with Asian Journal, Aditya said, “In India, at every level of society there is spark in every body’s eyes. Kind of optimism which people have for future in Mr. Modi’s leadership is just beyond words and hard to express. It’s a titanic shift in Indian politics after dark rule of Congress and BJP Government is committed to social, economic and political reforms and i firmly believe that all these reforms would bring all sought after positive results for India.”

International Yoga Day celebrated by IC-SEA

Vancouver: Last weekend International Day of Yoga brought a perfect blend of excitement and a calming energy to the lower mainland in British Columbia, atmosphere was charged with positive energy. Friday got kicked off with a gala evening organized by Indo-Canadian Socio-Economic Association (IC-SEA), it was a perfect weather, at an ideal setting of UBC boat house in Richmond attended by 100s of Yoga enthusiasts, experts, political dignitaries, business leaders and IC-SEA teams. IC-SEA & Overseas Friends of Bhartiya Janta Party- BC (OFBJP-BC) President Aditya Tawatia inaugurated Gala evening at UBC Boat House in Richmond to mark the festivities for the International Yoga Day 2015. He emphasized the importance and relevance of ancient Indian heritage of Yoga in our modern connected life styles. His message was to reflect and move connectivity inward with oneself with the help of holistic Yoga philosophy and action. IC-SEA team including its Vice President Parveen Goel, Directors Vivek Savkur, Sunil Bajaj and many volunteers were present to mark this special occasion which also included the formal launch of IC-SEA with a delicious and beautiful cake cutting ceremony. IC-SEA mission is to preserve Indo-Canadian culture in British Columbia and promote social and cultural interaction as well as trade and business relationships between Canada and India. Consul General of India in Vancouver Mr. Ravi Shankar Aisola, who was the chief guest of the occasion, gave a very inspiring speech emphasizing that Yoga is lot more than physical exercise and it is about the entire life style that helps one to reach to the higher level of consciousness. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of British Columbia Hon. Suzanne Anton, and Minister of Technology Hon. Amrik Virk, both were present and gave the message of unity in diversity and reminded and congratulated everyone for the great contributions South Asian community has made in building this country. Hon. Wai Young MP for Vancouver South delivered the message from Federal Government and presented IC-SEA a certificate of recognition as well as Canadian Flag. Many business and community leaders were recognized for their support and contributions to the community, Mr. & Mrs. Daljit Thind of Thind Properties, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Arora of Gagan Foods, Mr. & Mrs. Lucky Randhawa of SW Media Group, Mr. & Mrs Jas Sandhu of Prabu Sweets, and Mr. & Mrs. Ravi Narula of Sabzi Mandi, Dr. Harry Dhanju, Mr. Gulshan Goyal of Goyal Travels and Mr. Gurdev Raj Kumar and Manish Kumar of Riviera Hotels and Kudos holdings. A dazzling dance performance of south Indian classical dance by Miss teen Southern B.C Aashritha Royyuru and a fine performance by Mannu Sandhu as the Master of Ceremony kept audience mesmerized. One of the great High light of event was everyone participating in laughter Yoga session lead by expert Yoga teacher from Langera College Ms. Naseem Gulamhusein and Sri Venu a head Yogi from Sivananda asharm. A perfect evening with a great Indian vegetarian food by Maharaja Restaurants on this inaugural event was an harbinger of more great things to come from the dedicated IC-SEA team Sunday afternoon at UBC Hillel house was an afternoon to celebrate International Yoga Day in Vancouver Chief guest of the day were Consul General of India in Vancouver Mr. Ravi Shankar Aisola, many prominent guests included President of Langara College Lane Trotter, and community leader like Dave Hayer, Business leaders such as Mr. Gupta, Yoga enthusiasts of all ages ranging from 2 year old toddler to 85 year old senior citizens. Consul General of India, and many dignitaries were among the attendees who practiced Yoga under the guidance of two experts; Ms. Naseem Gulamhusein and Yogacharini Maitreyi.

Indian PM Modi projects confident India during Canada trip

Visited KDS Gurudwara and Laxmi Narayan Temple in Vancouver

Vancouver: Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed home after ending his three-nation tour, with the final day spent here in Vancouver. He visited Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) Gurudwara, Laxmi Narayan Mandir and attended an official dinner hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In his final tweets before emplaning for India, Modi said: “I leave Canada with immense satisfaction. This visit will further enhance India-Canada ties. A big thanks to the people of Canada.”

“A special thanks to @pmharper- a fine host, a wonderful human being and a very dear friend,” he wrote on his twitter handle @narendramodi.

Besides visiting the two religious institutions connected with the diaspora, Modi also met British Colombia Premier Christy Clark.

The Canadian prime minister, who has been a constant companion of Modi throughout his Canadian tour, received him at Vancouver International Airport, and accompanied him to the Gurudwara Khalsa Diwan at Ross Street and the Laxmi Narayan temple in Vancouver.

Harper hosted an official dinner for Modi at the Pinnacle Vancouver Harbour front Hotel.

Both were presented a yellow Siropa (a robe of honour), and a sword each by the Gurudwara authorities. Both the leaders stood with hands folded in prayer.

Modi, in his address to the gathering at the Gurudwara, spoke about the reconstruction of the Gurudwara at Lakhpat in Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister.

He said the Gurudwara at Lakhpat, where Guru Nanak had stayed for 15 days, had been damaged in the 2001 earthquake and had been reconstructed successfully.

Modi said: “We should fill life with colours of humanity and serve mankind.”

Modi and Harper also visited the Komagata Maru Museum. The museum is in memory of the steamship of the name that reached Vancouver in 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, British India.

At the Laxmi Narayan temple in Vancouver, Modi and Harper were presented with shawls and the priest put vermillion marks on their foreheads.

In his remarks at the temple, Modi thanked the Canadian prime minister and the people of Canada for the warm welcome and hospitality they had accorded him.

He said the Supreme Court of India had described Hinduism as a way of life.

He exhorted the gathering to live life scientifically, in balance with nature, and with compassion.

The leader of the world’s largest democracy earned effusive praise from supporters, who turned out in droves for his speech at a Toronto venue famous for rock shows, as well as Sikh and Hindu temples in Metro Vancouver. But protesters raised their voices and placards outside both public events he attended in Vancouver.

Modi visited France, Germany and Canada during his April 9-17 three-nation tour.

News Taken For Aditya Tawatia taken From :-

http://www.adityatawatia.com/indian-pm-modi-projects-confident-india-during-canada-trip/