Kurta-clad PM Trudeau hails India ties over aarti
Clad in emerald green kurta and white pyjamas, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau performed pooja at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto and said his country deeply values the “special” relationship with India.
Trudeau, who wore sandals as he often had to go barefoot for various rituals at the temple on Saturday, was accompanied by the spiritual guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Mahant Swami Maharaj.
“The relationship between our two countries is truly a special one. It’s a relationship our government and our ministers both deeply value and actively cultivate,” Trudeau said at an event to celebrate the temple’s 10th anniversary, which was attended by 7,500 devotees.
The PM said he wanted to “recognise the importance of the bond between Canada and India”. “The more than one million Canadians of Indian origin have made countless contributions to our national fabric,” the prime minister said.
Trudeau participated in the ‘abhishek’ ceremony on the temple’s main premise and also took part in the ‘aarti’ officiated over by the mahant. At one point, he told the mahant to “please keep Canada in your prayers.”
The event served as an outreach by the premier to the Hindu community in Canada, in the presence of two federal cabinet ministers, Navdeep Bains and Kirsty Duncan.
Also present were over half-adozen parliamentarians, as well as ministers of the provincial government of Ontario. It also featured Toronto mayor John Tory and India’s high commissioner to Ottawa, Vikas Swarup.
“I myself have great memories of my many meetings with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi,” said Trudeau, who recently met his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
Trudeau, who started his remarks with “Jai Swaminarayan” and then a “kemcho”, said the temple perfectly represents “modern, diverse Canada.”