Modi Canada visit ends with Ross Street Gurdwara and temple visits and state dinner by the Canadian Prime Minister
News East West
VANCOUVER: Accompanied by his host Prime Stephen Harper, Narendra Modi visited the historic Ross Street Sikh Temple in Vancouver and the Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Surrey before he attended state dinner hosted in his honour in the evening.
The two prime ministers were given a red-carpet welcome at the Sikh temple which was started in 1908 by the early Indian immigrants to Canada.
Addressing the gathering at the historic Sikh temple, Modi recalled the reconstruction of a famous gurudwara at Lakhpat in Gujarat which was destroyed by the 2001 earthquake.
The prime minister said Guru Nanak had stayed for 15 days at the spot where the gurdwara has been built.
The two prime ministers also visited the Komagata Maru Museum. Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship hired by wealthy Sikh Gurdit Singh to bring 376 Indians from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1914 to challenge Canada’s immigration laws of the time. The ship was forcibly sent back to India after two months.
Later, Modi and Harper visited the Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Surrey where they were accorded traditional and Bollywood-style welcome.
Speaking to the gathering at the temple, Modi highlighted the universal message of Hinduism.
The prime minister said, “The Supreme Court in India has given a nice definition to Hindu dharam. The Supreme Court has said that Hindu dharam is not a religion but a way of life… the Supreme Court’s definition shows the way.’’
Modi also mentioned the adoption of International Yoga Day by the UN last year on his suggestion. Yoga can help people overcome the stress of modern life, the prime minister said.
Before he left Toronto for Vancouver in the company of his host Harper, Modi visited the Air India memorial to pay tributes to the victims of the 1985 bombing and interact with the victim families.
The Modi Canada visit ended with the Indian leader attendinga dinner hosted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and attended by some of his Canadian ministers, prominent Indo-Canadian leaders.
