ICHF, ICCC, And City Of Brampton Organize First-Time-In-History Indian Flag-Hoisting Event
BRAMPTON:Indo-Canadian Harmony Forum, in association with the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the City of Brampton celebrated the 70th Indian Republic day at Brampton City Hall. (More pictures here…)This is the first time in the the history of the City of Brampton that such an event was held at City Hall.ICCC President Pramod Goyal, along with the Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown, Consul General of India in Toronto Dinesh Bhatia, ICHF Board Chair Praveen Verma and ICHF President Kuldeep Sharma hoisted the Indian flag at the city hall after lighting the traditional lamp.
The flag hoisting was followed with congratulatory remarks by the Mayor and the Consul General.
Mayor Brown said he was happy to host the event and reminded the audience that he had visited India 18 times in the last 14 years. “One does not go to a country so many times, unless one is in love with it,” he said. The Mayor is scheduled to visit India again this month.Dinesh Bhatia recounted how as a young member of a Scout contingent, he had marched in a Republic Day parade many many years ago. It was and remains a proud moment for every Indian who is resident in India or who is settled abroad to witness the country’s economic and military might today.
The City Hall celebration saw a number of dignitaries who offered their congratulations and greetings to the invited audience, which included Members of Parliament Sonia Sidhu, Ruby Sahota and Ramesh Sangha, and Members of Provincial Parliament Nina Tangri, Amarjot Sandhu and Deepak Anand, regional Councillor Paul Vicente and Gurpreet Dhillon. Current and past board members and several past presidents of the ICCC were also in attendance.
Guests enjoyed renditions of India patriotic songs and cultural performance by Hemant Pawar and troupe.