Deepavali festival celebrated in Canada

Sri Lankan community in Canada celebrated the Deepavali Festival in a colourful event organised by the Sri Lanka High Commission and the Consul General's Office in Toronto, recently.A large gathering of Sri Lankans defied threats by LTTE rump toattend the event held under the auspices of the Sri Lankan missions, with the aim of bringing together Tamil and other Sri Lankan communities living in Canada.

Sri Lankan Consul General in Toronto Karunaratne Paranavithana said "The significance of this year's event was the participation of large numbers from the Tamil community despite the repeated requests by pro-LTTE elements to boycott the event."

There had also been attempts by these groups to sabotage the program by infiltrating LTTE supporters to the event.But, the Consul General said, the program was a success as planned.

Prior to the event there were repeated announcements on a Tamil radio channel requesting the people to join a demonstration against the government of Sri Lanka in front of the premises.

Minister of National Languages and Social Integration of Sri Lanka, Vasudeva Nanayakkara who was the Chief Guest on the occasion reiterated the need for the Tamil and Sinhala communities living outside the country to interact with each other with dignity and respect.

He said such national festivals provide space to develop relations between communities, emphasising the importance of learning each other's language and the role of his Ministry in implementing the National Language Policy to work towards one Sri Lankan identity.

He also spoke of the lost opportunities and the future responsibilities in peace building and reconciliation.Member of the Federal Parliament, John Carmichael, Member of the Provincial Parliament, Michael Coteau, the Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Bruce Levey and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade were among the special invitees.

Religious dignitaries of the Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian clergy graced the occasion and over 400 Sri Lankans participated in the ceremony despite attempts to draw people from the event to a protest organised by the LTTE supporters against the Sri Lankan government in front of the venue, the Korean Cultural Centre in Toronto.

The Deepavali celebration commenced with a special Hindu poojaconducted by Siva Shri Thiyagarajah Kurukkal of the Sri Durrka Hindu Temple, North York, Toronto to invoke blessings to all Sri Lankans living in and outside the country.

High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara referring to peace building and many hurdles that Sri Lanka has to face, urged the Sri Lankan Diaspora to extend their support and contribute towards peace and reconciliation, as sons and daughters of one country.

Consul General Paranawithana in his welcome addressstated that no one should be allowed to destroy the historical bond between the communities living in Sri Lanka and this bond needs to be maintained in Canada and that the High Commission and the Consulate General's Office is there to facilitate this process.

The Deepavali message of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was read in Tamil and English.

The Official ceremony was followed by cultural performances depicting Tamil traditions including playing of a Nadaswaram, by the Sri Lankan artistes living in Canada.

At the end of the program, a reception was hosted with traditional food and sweets associated with Deepavali.

The event was organised for the second time by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa and the Consul General's Office in Toronto in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Tamil Community.

During his stay in Canada, Minister Nanayakkara attended a number of meetings with the Members of Parliament and Senior Officials of the Canadian government.