Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

PICS: Tamil Diaspora's Biggest Festival In Toronto Draws 200,000, Justin Trudeau Attends

Darpan News Desk IANS, 29 Aug, 2017 11:52 AM

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined over 200,000 people here at the biggest Tamil diaspora festival that showcased Tamil culture, heritage and cuisine.

     

    Toronto's Markham Road turned into a little Tamil nation on the occasion as hundreds of vends came up to treat visitors to rare tropical Tamil cuisine, displaying cultural items and offering rare glimpses into Tamil way of life.

     

    Some rare forms of Tamil dances were also performed.

     

    "People generally associate Tamil dance with bharatnatyam. But there are over 50 old forms of Tamil dance which very few know. These were showcased here for our future Tamil generation and Canadians," said Canadian Tamil Congress spokesperson David Poopalapillai.

     
     

    A big attraction at the festival was one the two lifeboats in which first Tamil refugees (numbering 155) fleeing the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict had reached Canadian shores in August 1986.

     

    It was the first time after 1912 that Canada accepted boat refugees who happened to be Tamils, Poopalapillai said.

     
     

    "These refugees had reached Germany from Sri Lanka. From Germany, they took a ship, but were dumped in the ocean in two lifeboats to fend for themselves. Luckily, they drifted into Canadian waters off Newfoundland and were saved by Canadian fishermen," said the Tamil spokesperson.

     

    The Canadian Prime Minister posed with some of those who were on the two lifeboats.

     

    Trudeau said Canada consistently raised its voice in support of Tamils during the ethnic war in Sri Lanka. Though the conflict has ended, he said, the long-term solution to Tamil grievances is yet to be reached.

     
     

    He said the Tamil community has enriched Canadian multicultural society in a short period since its first arrival in large numbers in the 1980s.

     

    In recognition of this contribution, Trudeau said amid applause, his government has declared January as Tamil Heritage Month in Canada.

     
     

    Numbering about 350,000, Tamils are one of the youngest and fastest growing communities in Canada, with their major concentration centred around the Greater Toronto Area.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Vancouver Residential Property Benchmark Prices Cracks $1 Million

    Vancouver Residential Property Benchmark Prices Cracks $1 Million
    The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says the typical price of a home in Metro Vancouver has surpassed $1 million.

    Vancouver Residential Property Benchmark Prices Cracks $1 Million

    Hot, Smoky Conditions Continue For B.C. Interior, South Coast

    Hot, Smoky Conditions Continue For B.C. Interior, South Coast
    VANCOUVER — Environment Canada's air quality advisory and special weather statement have been extended for much of British Columbia's south coast.

    Hot, Smoky Conditions Continue For B.C. Interior, South Coast

    Growth Of Same-sex Marriage In Canada More Practicality Than Principle

    Growth Of Same-sex Marriage In Canada More Practicality Than Principle
     Laura and Jen O'Connor got married for all the romantic, fairy-tale reasons: after seven years together, they were deeply in love and wanted to start a family. But on another level, they thought it might just make their life together a little easier.

    Growth Of Same-sex Marriage In Canada More Practicality Than Principle

    Toronto Boy, 6, Killed By Toronto Father In Apparent Murder-Suicide

    Toronto  Boy, 6, Killed By Toronto Father In Apparent Murder-Suicide
    TORONTO — A young boy and his father have been found dead in a Toronto apartment in what is believed to be a murder-suicide.

    Toronto Boy, 6, Killed By Toronto Father In Apparent Murder-Suicide

    200 Kilograms Of Hash Found Hidden In Shipment Of Chocolate Bars In Halifax

    200 Kilograms Of Hash Found Hidden In Shipment Of Chocolate Bars In Halifax
    HALIFAX — Officials say an attempt to smuggle 200 kilograms of hash by hiding it in chocolate bars was foiled by border officers and an X-ray machine in Halifax.

    200 Kilograms Of Hash Found Hidden In Shipment Of Chocolate Bars In Halifax

    Body Found In Burned SUV In Surrey

    Body Found In Burned SUV In Surrey
    Crews have closed a stretch of 24th Avenue in Surrey, B.C. after a body was discovered in a burned-out SUV.

    Body Found In Burned SUV In Surrey