Interactive session and reception in the honor of Hon. Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) and the India-Canada Association of Montreal Inc., jointly organized an interactive evening session to welcome and honor Hon. Valayar Ravi, India’s minster for overseas Indian affairs, on Wednesday, 27 November 2013.

Several dignitaries including His Excellency Admiral Nirmal Varma, Indian High Commissioner; Mr. Naval Bajaj, President of ICCC; Dr. Rajesh Kumar Tyagi, Chair, Quebec chapter, ICCC;  Mr. C.B. Singh, President of India-Canada Association of Montreal Inc.; and Alan DeSousa, mayor of St-Laurent graced the occasion.

The event began with a graceful dance performance by the well-renowned classical dancer following which all the noted dignitaries on stage addressed the audience present at the event.

The honorable minister Mr. Vayalar Ravi emphasised on the prominence of the Indian diaspora in enabling the socio-economic development of India. He went on to urge the youngsters abroad to retain their “Indianness” and their affinity to India.

He praised the work being done by associations like ICCC, which work towards promoting Indianness and also in helping India develop as a nation. He commended the Indian diaspora for their ability to adapt quickly to new environments and for being a part of success stories around the world. He said India is proud of its diaspora around the world, who he said “are flag bearers for India”. He then moved on to respond to questions from the audience.

His Excellency Admiral Retd. Nirmal Varma commended Minister Ravi’s many important contributions made in the realm of Indian external affairs. He lauded the efforts of ICCC in engaging the Indian diaspora and facilitating bilateral ties between Canada and India along many frontiers.

In his address, Mr. Naval Bajaj spoke about the constructive role that ICCC has been playing for the last 36 years in creating a right environment to foster bilateral ties between Canada and India, in the recognition of which the Government of India conferred the organization with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award; the highest honor given to an overseas Indian organization by the Government of India.

Speaking about the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a three day festival that is annually celebrated to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa, he said, “Minister Ravi has been the heart and soul of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, and has worked dedicatedly to turn the annual congregation of the Indian Diaspora into a platform for genuine interaction between the non-resident and resident Indians. Minister Ravi has transformed the event into a meaningful dialogue that is leading to many avenues being opened for the Indian Diaspora to contribute to India’s development”.

Dr. Tyagi spoke about the India week celebration that is being planned to be held in Montreal in October 2014. He said that the event would not only focus on enhancing economic ties between Canada and India but also serve to further the cultural ties between the two countries. He mentioned that ICCC would partner with organization like UQAM and the Chanchalani foundation that are working actively towards making this event a reality.

Mr. DeSousa welcomed the honorable minister and stressed on the significant contributions made by the South Asian community to the economic and cultural setup of Canada.

The event concluded with dinner and a personal interaction of the all the dignitaries with the audience.