Successful Hindu Heritage Month 2020 Celebrations


December 8, 2020

As indicated in the last Communique dated November 7, 2020, the Hindu Federation had planned a number of events to celebrate Hindu Heritage Month 2020. The following events were successfully executed:

Multi-Faith Forum


The theme of the Multi-Faith Forum was “How to make Canada a more pluralistic society”. It was a virtual event hosted on Zoom on November 18, 2020, with participation from the following faith groups:

  • Canadian Multi-Faith Federation
  • Zoroastrian Society of Toronto
  • Toronto Board of Rabbis
  • Anglican Church of Canada
  • Canadian Council of Imams
  • Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops
  • Hindu Federation

The Moderator was Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, President of the Hindu Federation, who has previously worked with the participating faith groups. Dr. Budhendra Doobay, Chair of the Board of the Vishnu Mandir, represented the Hindu Federation and spoke eloquently about the worldly contribution of Hindus in all fields of endeavour.
A video of the Forum can be accessed via:  http://www.facebook.com/hindufederationca/videos
 
Motorcade

As part of Hindu Heritage Month 2020 celebrations, the Hindu Federation (mostly through the efforts of Mr. Cecil Ramnauth, one of its Ambassadors) organized a motorcade on November 21, 2020, in the Town of Ajax, to show support to Frontline and Essential Workers at the Lakeridge Health Ajax-Pickering Hospital, as well as to celebrate Diwali.
Approximately 125 cars participated in this event, the staging point for which was the Harwood Plaza in Ajax. Many cars were brightly decorated, including with “Happy Diwali” signs.
On hand were Durham Region Fire Services, along with Ambulance and Police Services, to guide and lead the motorcade. Many volunteers from the Ajax Rotary Club were also present to provide logistical support.
Elected officials (including the Honorable Rod Phillips, MPP for Ajax and the Honorable Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge) brought greetings, while many faith leaders delivered messages of hope to Frontline and Essential Workers. The Hindu Federation was represented by Pandit Jag Gossai from the Devi Mandir.
 
In keeping with its theme – “Danam," or "Giving with Compassion” – the Hindu Federation donated just over $3,000 to the Ajax-Pickering Hospital Foundation to cover the cost of personal care items for patients. As well, over 3,000 pounds of non-perishable food items were donated to the local branch of The Salvation Army, which was present on the day of the motorcade.
Some photos of the event are included in this Communique.
A video of the motorcade can be accessed via:  http://www.facebook.com/hindufederationca/videos

Cultural Program

The Hindu Federation hosted a virtual program on November 22, 2020, via Facebook and YouTube. All performance items were pre-recorded, but were introduced live during the program. There were wonderful performances by the mostly young participants.
The following 10 member organizations participated in the program:

  • Vishnu Mandir
  • Bhavani Shankar Mandir
  • BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir
  • Devi Mandir
  • Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir
  • Nityanand Meditation Academy
  • Rameshwar Mandir
  • Ram Mandir
  • Datta Yoga Centre
  • Radha Krishna Mandir


In addition, there were messages from the following officials:

  • The Consular General of India
  • The Premier of Ontario, The Honorable Doug Ford
  • MPP for Ajax, The Honorable Rod Phillips
  • The Mayor of the City of Brampton
  • The Mayor of the City of Mississauga
  • The Mayor of the City of Markham
  • The Mayor of the City of Pickering
  • The Mayor of the Town of Ajax and
  • The Chair of The Regional Municipality of Durham

A video of the program can be accessed via : http://www.facebook.com/hindufederationca/videos

Other programs


Nityanand Meditation Academy, a member of the Hindu Federation, hosted a virtual Hindu Heritage Month Celebration Program on November 28, 2020 that was well organized, despite a short time frame.
Pandit Roopnauth Sharma represented the Hindu Federation as one of the main speakers.

Canada-India Foundation, an organization with which the Hindu Federation had collaborated earlier in 2020 to provide support to families during COVID-19, hosted a virtual Hindu Heritage Month program on November 29, 2020. Speakers included Dr. Budhendra Doobay of the Vishnu Mandir and the founder of the Hindu Federation, Mr. Ramesh Chotai, a lifetime member of the Hindu Federation, Dr. Lakshmanan of the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation, a member of the Hindu Federation, and Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, President of the Hindu Federation.